June 2012 - Eidolons!

Polestar

Origin: Birthright
Real Name: Rokk Krinn
First Appearance: Adventure Comics #247 [DC Comics April 1958]
Character created by Otto Binder and Al Plastino

ABILITIES
Prowess 4
Coordination 6
Strength 4
Intellect 4
Awareness 5
Willpower 5

Stamina: 9
Determination: 4

SPECIALTIES
Athletics ("Magno Ball Champion")
Criminology
Science (History) ["Ancient Earth History"]
Leadership Master
Martial Arts
Pilot

POWERS
Elemental Control (Magnetic) 9
Attacking
Defending
Detection
Moving

EQUIPMENT
Legion Flight Ring

QUALITIES

Connections: The Legion of Super Heroes
Motivation: Polestar is motivated to do good simply because it's the right thing to do

CHALLENGES

Enemies: Fatal Five, Black Circle, Time Trapper, Legion of Super Villains
Personal: Polestar’s dedication to the Legion goes beyond mere commitment. He is a stalwart member and often makes personal sacrifices for the betterment of the team

Points: 45

ORIGIN STORY

Rokk Krinn was born in the planet Braal in the late 30th century. Like all Braalians, Rokk has the innate ability to manipulate magnetic fields. Looking for job opportunities, Rokk takes a rocket to Earth where he, along with fellow teenage passengers Imra Ardeen (Saturn Girl) and Garth Ranzz (Live Wire), rescues R.J. Brande, the wealthiest man in the galaxy, from an assassination attempt. In gratitude, Brande offers to patronize the three teenagers, building a clubhouse and enabling them to create the Legion of Super-Heroes.

Rokk Krinn takes the name Cosmic Boy (later Polestar) and becomes a model leader. He greatly admires and emulates Superboy (and Superman) and even recruits him as a member of the Legion in spite of the fact that Superboy belongs to the 20th century. Rokk is completely committed to his role as a Legionnaire and often sacrifices his personal life for the good of the team.

Polestar can manipulate, repel or attract metal objects of varying sizes. Naturally, the more metal is in an object the easier it is for him to affect magnetically. Polestar has been show to pull large iron meteors and satellites down from space with minimal effort. He can use his magnetic power on rocks that contain iron ore to pull or use them a projectiles. He can also magnetize metal objects so that they become magnets themselves and stick make them stick to other metal objects. His power cannot affect non-magnetic metals, such as aluminum and gold, or organic substances like wood or flesh. His control is such that he can manipulate electronic records or the iron in blood. He has been known to use a uniform with ferrous fibers so he can fly with his own powers, but usually relies on a Legion Flight Ring.

Polestar's personality is as magnetic as his powers. He is an honorable, capable leader and puts the good of the Legion and the citizens it protects above his own personal ambitions. As a result, Polestar has little time for a social life.

(I used the short, one-noun sobriquet again this time. Cosmic Boy always sounded a bit goofy for me).

The control of magnetic energy is a staple of comics. Marvel's Magneto or Polaris and DCs Cosmic Boy (also called Polestar) are examples of characters with this kind of power. Besides the ability to move ferrous materials (iron, steel, nickel and cobalt) to convey attacks and defenses, there are other, subtler, uses for this power. One of them involves iron in flesh and blood.

The human body contains as much as 3 to 4 grams of iron, a substance that’s necessary for life but is toxic in high concentrations. A poorly-nourished person might have significantly less than these 3 to 4 grams. About 2.5 of those grams are in hemoglobin, which allows blood to carry oxygen throughout the body; another 400 milligrams are used by cellular proteins for various biological processes like storing oxygen or performing redox reactions. Iron is crucial for oxygen transportation; anemia (iron deficiency) can become severe enough to cause death or organ damage.

A sufficiently broad definition of Magnetic Control, even one restricted to only ferrous materials, would allow a character with such power to manipulate aspects of the human form by affecting the iron in the body. At the simplest level the iron would let such character affect someone even if that person wasn’t wearing/carrying any ferrous metal, with some sophisticated or delicate uses, which could include:

altering the blood flow to the brain to cause unconsciousness, hallucinations or loss of memories;
cause aneurysms, heart attacks, strokes, and similar medical conditions;
killing someone by removing all the iron from his body, inducing fatal anemia, or the like.

There is an issue of Legion of Super Heroes where Cosmic Boy (Polestar) uses his power to do some of these stunts above to the people who killed his mother and injured his father and brother.

Origin: Birthright
Real Name: Jan Arrah
First Appearance: Adventure Comics #307 [DC Comics April 1963]
Character created by Edmond Hamilton and John Forte

ABILITIES
Prowess 4
Coordination 4
Strength 3
Intellect 4
Awareness 5
Willpower 6

Stamina: 9
Determination: 5

SPECIALTIES
Chemistry Expert
MedicinePilot
Tactics

POWERS

Transmutation 9 [Limit: Large amounts of matter transmutation tax him]

Detection 9 ["The elemental structure of anything"]

EQUIPMENT

Legion Flight Ring

QUALITIES

Connections: The Legion of Super Heroes
Motivation: The core tenet of Alchemist's philosophy is helping others, regardless of self

CHALLENGES

Enemies: Legion of Super Villains, Fatal Five, Dark Circle, Roxxas the Butcher
Personal: Out of his concern for others, Alchemist uses his potentially lethal powers judiciously, even when such restraint puts him at a disadvantage

Points: 50

ORIGIN STORY

In the 30th century universe of the Legion of Super-Heroes, the radioactive planet Trom was home to a race of advanced, peaceful humanoids with the wondrous ability to alter the elements with a thought, creating or canceling electron bonds so as to move substances up or down the periodic table. As a corollary to this power, they could sense the elemental structure oa anything. The infamous Roxxas the Butcher, unmoved by their goodness, perpetrated a genocidal slaughter upon them, and only the teenage Jan Arrah survived.Jan fled to Earth in disguise, and successfully petitioned the Legion for membership. Naturally, his first order of business as a Legionnaire was bringing Roxxas to justice, and he eventually did so with the help of his new teammates. Jan mercifully spared Roxxas’ life, and with the Butcher safely imprisoned, Arrah finally revealed his true nature. He then took Alchemist as his Legion code name.

With his world literally destroyed, the solitary Jan made the Legion his new life’s focus. Formally, he has served multiple terms as the Legion’s leader or deputy leader, while informally, the team members look to him as a source of spiritual clarity and solace. Though change is inherent in Alchemist’s very nature, to the Legion he is often the stillness in times of storm.

Like the other members of his extinct race, Jan can alter the elemental composition of matter at will. Complex transformations tax his abilities and cause him strain, however, and there is an upper limit to the volume of matter he can transmute at once.

(Converted characters, most of the times, unavoidably exceeds the 45-point limitation that the ICONS Superpowered Roleplaying Game core book recommends).

Origin: Transformed

Real Name: Dirk Morgna
First Appearance: Action Comics #276 [DC Comics May 1961]
Character created by Jerry Siegel and Jim Mooney

ABILITIES

Prowess 4
Coordination 5
Strength 4
Intellect 4
Awareness 4
Willpower 5

Stamina: 9
Determination: 5

SPECIALTIES
Art (Photography)
Mechanics
Pilot

Power (Fire Control) Expert

POWERS
Elemental Control (Fire/Heat) 9
Absorption
Blast
Immunity

EQUIPMENT
Legion Flight Ring

QUALITIES

Connections: The Legion of Super Heroes, Science Police
Attractive
Motivation: Inferno likes the fame and adoration (especially from women) that comes from being a hero

CHALLENGES

Enemies: Fatal Five, Black Circle, Dr. Regulus
Personal: Inferno has to carefully control his powers for fear of damaging nearby structures exposing others to dangerous levels of heat.

Points: 40

ORIGIN STORY

The son of a wealthy industrialist, Dirk gained his powers when he was trapped in a research reactor by one of his father’s employees, Dr. Zaxton Regulus. For some reason, instead of being vaporized when the reactor was activated, Dirk was given vast solar-generation powers. Taking the name Inferno, he was accepted into the Legion during one of their early open-membership calls.

Inferno (or Sun Boy, in some versions) is an unrepentant party boy and ladies’ man, boasting a long list of girlfriends and featured on the list of Earth’s most eligible bachelors. He enjoys nothing more than the fame and celebrity that his position affords him, and yet is the most active and involved Legion member.

(As some of you may have noticed, I've chosen different sobriquets to some Legionnaires than those ones which are normally used. None of them, take notice, was invented by me; I've just taken the liberty of choosing one that had already been used by the character, in one version or other. I tend to like one-noun hero names. Go figure!).

Hello, there! I've been reading a lot of RPG sourcebooks and comics lately, to gather up resources to Eidolons! In many games the generic terms “superhuman” and “super” are used to refer to people with powers. However, that isn’t necessarily what everyone in your setting could call them. Some worlds have their own unique names for superhumans, creating a distinct feel and style to the setting. Possibilities include the following:

A: Aberrants, Aces, Alphas, Angels, Avatars, Awakened.
B: Betas, Boosters.
C: Capes, Chosen.
D: Deltas, Deviants.
E: Elites, Exarchs, Extraordinaries.
F: Freaks.
G: Gammas, Geeks, Gene-freaks, Gifted, Godlings.
H: Homo Superior, Hyper-humans.
I: Incredibles, Inhumans, Inspired.
M: Marvels, Masks, Metas, Metahumans, Mutants.
N: Nephilim, Novas.
O: Omegas.
P: Paragons, Paranormals, Post-humans, Powers, Psis, Psions, Psychics, Psykes.
Q: Quantum-shifters.
S: Seraphim, Specials, Stalwarts, Superlatives, Supernaturals, Superiors.
T: Talents.
U: Übermenschen, Ultras, Unnaturals, Unusuals.
V: Victors, Virtus.
W: Wonders.

Of course, this list is far from complete. I managed to gather the sobriquets most of RPGs and comic books use, but there is always room for creativity (including, mostly, the usage of the other letters of the alphabet not contemplated with an appellation). Share yours in the comments box below!

Origin: Transformed
Real Name: Charles Foster Taine
First Appearance: Action Comics #276 [DC Comics May 1961]
Character created by Jerry Siegel and Jim Mooney

ABILITIES
Prowess 4
Coordination 4
Strength 3
Intellect 4
Awareness 4
Willpower 4

Stamina: 7
Determination: 4

SPECIALTIES
Acrobatics
Martial Arts
Mechanics
Pilot
Power ("Bouncing") Master
Teaching

POWERS

Bouncing Boy can inflate his body and use it as a ballistic weapon. In this state, he has Leaping 6, and he can rebound off walls, ceilings, floors, or other characters without injury (Resistance to Physical Attacks 8).

EQUIPMENT
Legion Flight Ring

QUALITIES

Connections: The Legion of Super Heroes, The Legion Academy
Quick thinking
Jovial, lighthearted man
Reliable and loyal
Motivation: Bouncing Boy recognizes that his powers can do some good and helps out however he can

CHALLENGES

Enemies: Fatal Five, Black Circle
Personal: Bouncing Boy is susceptible to having his powers removed

Points: 45

ORIGIN STORY

Chuck Taine, a young teenager from Earth, gained his superhuman powers when he accidently drank an experimental super-plastic formula instead of soda pop, thus developing the ability to inflate like a balloon and bounce off walls, floors and ceilings. Taking the name Bouncing Boy, Chuck failed to gain membership in the Legion of Super-Heroes on his first attempt. Later, he helped Saturn Girl defeat an electrically powered super-villain, which resulted in his acceptance into the Legion.

Bouncing Boy has the ability to expand his body to form that of a spherical ball of sorts. In his normal form, he is overweight to a medium degree, but when he "inflates", while his mass and height remain the same, his overall dimensions increase to resemble that of a human sized ball. Whether his body actually inflates, as in takes in air, or his individual cells expand, decreasing his overall density while increasing his overall dimensions is not known. Also, when he utilizes his power, his body's elasticity and resiliency becomes extremely rubbery allowing him to bounce with great force. Originally thought of as a useless power by his Legionnaire peers, he has adeptly demonstrated many times how he can use his body's shape and rubber-like consistency as an effective ballistic weapon. His "go-to" move is to use surrounding walls to ricochet back and forth and bowling over his opponents as he does. Normally, an inanimate rubber ball will slowly lose its kinetic force due to friction, gravity and bouncing off surrounding objects or walls, but Bouncing Boy can use his own muscles to his maintain velocity and power as he bounces about. His power also allows his a limited degree of invulnerability since bouncing off walls and nearby objects have yet to injure him as they would a normal human.

(Another proof of how delicioulsy weird the Legionnaires are, Bouncing Boy at first seems a useless character. However, in many Legion of Super Heroes issues he managed, even without powers, to defend himself quite well. His powers somehow remind me of the fun of having them randomly chosen – one of the mainstays of ICONS [rubbery ball body with leaping and high physical resistance? Who would have thought?]).

Origin: Transformed

Real Name: Lyle Norg
First Appearance: Action Comics #267 [DC Comics August 1960]
Character created by Jerry Siegel and Jim Mooney

ABILITIES
Prowess 4
Coordination 5
Strength 4
Intellect 6
Awareness 5
Willpower 5

Stamina: 9
Determination: 2

SPECIALTIES
Electronics Expert
Investigation Expert
Martial Arts
Science (Biochemistry) Master
Science (Physics) Expert
Stealth Expert

POWERS

Invisibility 9
Inaudibility
Unaromatic
Thermal Camouflage

EQUIPMENT
Legion Flight Ring

QUALITIES

Connections: The Legion of Super Heroes
Motivation: Invisible Kid recognizes that his powers can do some good and helps out however he can

CHALLENGES

Enemies: Fatal Five, Black Circle

Points: 50

ORIGIN STORY

If ever there was a boy genius, Lyle Norg was it, having earned a degree in biochemistry from Metropolis University at age 12. He put his talents to work in a number of laboratories while working privately on his pet project: a serum that would make a person invisible. After a few years, he succeeded in working out the bugs in his formula, and managed to perfect his solution, which would enable a person's sweat glands to produce, in mass quantities and on command, a chemical that warps light around a person, rendering him invisible to the naked eye. The formula is very closely tailored to Lyle's physiology — and produces a sometimes fatal allergic reaction in others.

He first encountered the Legion via their benefactor, R.J. Brande, who hired Lyle as his bodyguard. An invisible protector was a wise move, as Lyle was put to the test and stopped a gunman.

(This is Invisible Kid before his death. Converted characters, most of the times, unavoidably exceeds the 45-point limitation that the ICONS Superpowered Roleplaying Game core book recommends).

After tinkering with Chameleon, it seemed only natural to continue my remarks on its related power, i.e., Invisibility. Once more, what I tried do is to highlight some useful features to be employed in your games, such as bonus powers and stunts.

Please feel free to critique and evaluate in the comment section below.

INVISIBILITY/CONCEALMENT/IMPERCEPTIBILITY

Alteration Power

You can become unable to be detected by the senses. The most often used variation of this power is the ability to become invisible at will. Sound, scent, heavy rain, and similar methods can still give away your presence and location.

You can also attempt to turn objects or even other characters invisible by touching them. Roll an Invisibility (5) test, with success the item or character becomes invisible and remains so as long as you are touching it. Use your power level to determine the maximum mass of an object you can affect, as if you were trying to lift it (see ICONS Superpowered Roleplaying core book, Lifting, p. 62).

Unaromatic: as a bonus power or power stunt, you are undetectable by the senses of smell or taste.

Inaudible: as a bonus power or power stunt, you are undetectable by the sense of hearing.

Invisibility Ray: as a bonus power, you can make other things (and people) invisible at a distance.

Invisibility to Machines: you cannot be seen by machines or show up on film. This includes sentient robots and computers.

Thermal Camouflage: as a bonus power, you are undetectable by thermal imaging, Infravision and other methods of detecting a thermal signature.

Origin: Birthright

Real Name: Jaafs Macksun
First Appearance: Top 10 #01 [America's Best Comics September 1999]
Character created by Alan Moore and Gene Ha

ABILITIES
Prowess 4
Coordination 3
Strength 8
Intellect 2
Awareness 3
Willpower 4

Stamina: 12
Determination: 3

SPECIALTIES
Criminology
Investigation
Ride Expert
Weapons (Swords)
Weapons (Guns)
Wrestling

POWERS

Blast 6
Invulnerability 8

QUALITIES

Connections: 10th Precinct Police Station

CHALLENGES

Enemies: Gangs in South Green
Personal: Ashamed of his origins. Growing up in Earth 137 hasn't helped his attitudes. He finds the place embarrassing, backwards, and primitive. He also has to deal with his sister Rexa, who he's in love with. And since sibling relationships tend to be common in mythology, they've been a couple for years. Now, having lived in Neopolis, Jeff tries to deny his feelings for Rexa, as he sees their sexual relationship as barbaric and backwards.
Personal: Remorseful about loss of former partner.

Points: 45

ORIGIN STORY

Born Jaafs Macksun, Smax hails from a "back worldy" parallel Earth where magic replaces the common laws of science. Jaffs is the son of a travelling heroine who was imprisoned and raped by an Ogre. His mother died giving birth to Jaffs and his twin sister Rexa and the children were raised by their father who physically and sexually abused them. Smax eventually killed his father as he slept and he and Rexa ran away. They are eventually taken in by the Dwarf couple Mack and Minka. To earn a living Smax became a dragon-slayer. He was highly successful until he failed to save a young princess from a near omnipotent dragon called Morningbright. After that he fled to Neopolis where he changed his name to Jeff Smax and became a police officer.

Jeff is an obtuse and slightly dimwitted police officer ashamed of his background (which tends to make him highly intolerant of fantasy/magic based Neopolis residents) and prone to violent rages. His first partner was Stochastic Fats who was killed in a drug bust. He is curmudgeonly and hostile to his new partner Toybox due to his inability to deal with grief. Despite this rocky start he and Toybox became very close friends. After the events of the Smax mini-series he now lives with his sister/lover Rexa in Neopolis (claiming they look alike because they are the "same species"). Smax is about eight feet tall and muscular with blue skin and white hair. He is highly invulnerable, super strong and can fire a blast of energy from his chest. Five years after the Ultima incident, Smax lives in the city with Rexa.

(Another creation of Alan Moore and Gene Ha for the comics that are well worth reading: Top 10.)

Origin: Artificial

Real Name: Sung Li
First Appearance: Top 10 #02 [America's Best Comics October 1999]
Character created by Alan Moore and Gene Ha

ABILITIES
Prowess 5
Coordination 7
Strength 6
Intellect 3
Awareness 5
Willpower 4

Stamina: 10
Determination: 2

SPECIALTIES
Acrobatics
Criminology
Investigation
Martial Arts
Stealth

POWERS

Chameleon 9
Body Art
Thermal Camouflage
Resistance (to Physical Attacks) 4
Super-Speed 2

QUALITIES

Catchphrase: "I'm built for this kind of action!"
Connections: 10th Precinct Police Station
Personal: Skin with ever-changing patterns, which express her emotions and feelings openly

CHALLENGES

Enemies: Gangs in South Green
Personal: Touchy about her "secret" (nakedness)
Weakness: Girl One wears glasses

Points: 50

ORIGIN STORY

A bio-engineered woman based on a collection of video game characters, created by a small group of rich friends, Mickey Millions ("former world's richest boy") and his colleague Roy Radium ("of 'Science Lad' fame"). She is superhumanly agile and fast and has chameleonic skin that disguises the fact she is actually naked at all times (not due to immodesty but simply for the sake of comfort). Her superior, Sargent Kemlo, being canine, doesn't see color. His failure to inform her of this causes tension between the two, which he avoids by claiming not to be attracted to humans (although this is later revealed to be false). Girl One dies in battle against Commissioner Ultima. Her successor, Girl 54, appears in the "Beyond the Farthest Precinct" mini-series, her name a reference to the cop show Car 54, Where Are You?. Her name and face were based on glamour model Sung Hi Lee. The premise for the character, a superpowered bio-engineered woman, seems to be based on the Weird Science film that presented Kelly Le Brock as the creation of two adolescent kids. The film itself is based on a comic made by EC Comics.

(Giving a break from my Legion of Super Heroes endeavour, here's my attempt on depicting one of my favourite comic book authors' character. Converted characters, most of the times, unavoidably exceeds the 45-point limitation that the ICONS Superpowered Roleplaying Game core book recommends).

After re-reading Alan Moore's Top Ten and reminiscing one of my favourite characters in that series, Girl One, I thought of adding some features to Chameleon power, as it's stated on ICONS Superpowered Roleplaying core book. Consider those features as ways to make this seemingly second-rate power more interestingly usable in your game.

As usual, please feel free to critique and evaluate in the comment section below.

CHAMELEON

Alteration Power

Your body, as well as worn or carried items, can change color, allowing you to blend into your surroundings. This is similar to Invisibility (see ICONS Superpowered Roleplaying core book, p. 32), except it is easier to detect; anyone searching for you makes an Awareness test against a difficulty equal to your Chameleon power level. If the Awareness test fails, you remain hidden.

If your power only works in darkness, or other backdrops, such as forests or water, you increase your level on +1 for the purposes on blending to those specific backdrops.

As an Optional Power, you can take a form of Transformation that only affects yourself and allows you to change your form to look like other people (a kind of “super disguise”). Awareness checks to see through your disguise still apply.

Body Art: If the final level of the power is 7 or greater, you get this free bonus power, which allows you to create elaborate tattoos and complex designs over the skin and even animate them however you wish.

Thermal Camouflage: you are undetectable by thermal imaging, Infravision and other methods of detecting a thermal signature.

(Edit: Added an optional power after reading Sean Patrick Fannon's suggestion on his Unending War campaign website).

Origin: Unearthly
Real Name: Querl Dox
First Appearance: Adventure Comics #303 [DC Comics December 1962]
Character created by Jerry Siegel and Jim Mooney

ABILITIES
Prowess 4
Coordination 4
Strength 3
Intellect 10
Awareness 8
Willpower 7

Stamina: 10
Determination: 2

SPECIALTIES
Computers Master
Electronics Master
Medicine
Mechanics Master
Science (All) Master

POWERS
Wizardry (Gadgets) 10
Force Field (Belt)
Life Support (Transuit)

EQUIPMENT
Legion Flight Ring

QUALITIES

Connections: The Legion of Super Heroes
Eidetic Memory (Perfect recalls everything he's experienced)

CHALLENGES

Enemies: Fatal Five, Black Circle, Time Trapper, Brainiac, Computo
Personal: Brainiac 5 is condescending towards and often dismissive of people of lesser intellect
Personal: Brainiac 5 seeks to redeem the name of Brainiac and atone for the actions of the villains to bear the name
Personal: Brainiac 5 is prone to bouts of temporary insanity and mental breakdown. These can occur due to extreme stress or from outside influence

Points: 60 (awesome!)

ORIGIN STORY

Querl Dox is brilliant and heroic, but not without flaws. His staggering intellect makes him condescending to those less intelligent. He rarely explains his plans and strategies believing people wouldn’t understand them anyway. He rejects sentimentality and emotional reactions that interfere with “proper” courses of action. He isn’t a machine, but he can seem cold and even at the best of times he can be hard to relate to.

Querl Dox traces his lineage to Vril Dox, the adopted heir of the villainous original Brainiac. He is a Coluan, a race of greenskinned alien geniuses possessing “eighth level intellects.” Querl is the smartest of his race, possessing a “twelfth level intellect.” Querl joined the Legion of Super-Heroes early in the group’s history, taking the name Brainiac 5. He is their foremost inventor and scientist. For example, he invented the Legion’s famous flight rings, which he perfected from designs by Lyle Norg (Invisible Kid). He invented the Time Bubble, which became the primary mode of time travel for the Legion of Super-Heroes. Brainiac 5 is also responsible for accidentally spawning scientific menaces like the murderous Computo, a supercomputer who killed one of fellow Legionnaire Triad’s three selves. Despite such tragedies, Querl Dox is driven to use his intellect to aid others and redeem the name of Brainiac both from his own failures and the villainy of his namesake.

Brainiac 5 is the greatest genius of the 31st Century, possessing a Twelfth Level Intellect, which grants him superhuman calculation skills, amazing memory and exceptional technical knowledge. By comparison, 20th century Earth as a whole constitutes a Sixth Level Intellect, and most of his fellow Coluans have an Eighth Level Intellect. 31st century Earth as a whole is a Ninth Level Intellect. His incredible memory allows him to retain knowledge of events that all other characters forget.

Brainiac 5 was shown in several comic book issues to be able to ponder twelve lines of thought simultaneously. When a renegade Titanian telepath read his mind, she discovered that his subconscious - usually the more active and chaotic part of the mind - was less active than his twelve simultaneous conscious thoughts. He is an expert in countless scientific disciplines and capable of rapidly processing incredible amounts of information. He often runs multiple projects, scenarios, and equations through his head simultaneously. He is a living supercomputer and the ultimate multi-tasker.

(Another favourite of mine, the first comic book hero who I saw relying most exclusively on his Intellect - which is odd, considering the story of the medium and its fist-proned characters. It also allowed me to use Wizardry - which I considered one of the most difficult powers to comprehend in ICONS - for the first time, hopefully in a correct way. Converted characters, most of the times, unavoidably exceeds the 45-point limitation that the ICONS Superpowered Roleplaying Game core book recommends).

Origin: Unearthly
Real Name: Tenzil Kem
First Appearance: Adventure Comics #303 [DC Comics December 1962]
Character created by Jerry Siegel and John Forte

ABILITIES
Prowess 3
Coordination 4
Strength 4
Intellect 5
Awareness 5
Willpower 4

Stamina: 8
Determination: 5

SPECIALTIES
Deception
Investigation

Performance
Politics Expert

POWERS
Ingestive Adaptation 10

EQUIPMENT
Legion Flight Ring

QUALITIES

Connections: The Legion of Super Heroes, Bismoll Senate, Calorie Queen
Famous
Very good sense of humour
Motivation: Matter-Eater Lad believes he should use his abilities to help others

CHALLENGES

Enemies: Fatal Five, Black Circle, Renkil Kem, Prince Evillo
Personal: Was rendered mad once, when he ate the Miracle Machine (later cured by Brainiac 5)

Points: 40

ORIGIN STORY

The power to eat matter in all forms is not likely to defeat, say, Superman in combat. But surprisingly, Tenzil Kem, whose power to do just that is common to all natives of his home planet Bismoll, has gotten by very well in the Legion, thanks to his engaging personality, good sense of humor, and underrated unarmed combat skills.

Despite his bizarre ability, his self-confidence enabled Tenzil to gain acceptance as a Legionnaire on his first try. In his first case, he was accused of betraying the Legion to the alien spy-master Meglaro. He was cleared when Brainiac 5 revealed the real Legion infiltrator — a miniaturized spy implanted in Lightning Lad's leg by Dr. Landro, one of Meglaro's accomplices.

As time went by, however, Tenzil masked feelings of inadequacy about his powers. It didn't help that when the Legion was imprisoned in the Super-Stalag of Space, the villain Nardo nearly killed Matter-Eater Lad and altered his atomic structure, making him super-fat. He was later cured of this condition by Doctor Zan Orbal.

At home, he suffered from stress brought by his father, who was an alcoholic and a gambler. With the help of his good friend Shrinking Violet (on whom he had a crush), Tenzil stood up to his father and took his first steps towards true maturity.Matter-Eater Lad's father wasn't the only problem in his family, though. Tenzil's fame as a Legionnaire led to his brotherRenkil to act out. After his family moved back to Bismoll, Renkil tried to take Tenzil's place in the Legion by convincing the others that Tenzil was plotting against them.

Soon after this, Tenzil's fate was taken out of his hands. He was drafted to serve in Bismoll's Parliament. At first he tried to resist the decree by acting outrageous in public, cavorting with well-known women and acting in holovision programs. This plan backfired; the public loved him and wanted more. In the end, Tenzil decided to use his unique positions to help people. He used the money from his side ventures to finance a well-organized and efficient staff (led by Legion reject Calorie Queen), and establish important political connections throughout the United Planets.

Since his retirement, he has been called back into Legion service only once. To save the universe from destruction at the hands of Omega, Brainiac 5 asked Tenzil to eating the Miracle Machine — a cosmically powerful device from which Omega drew its power. The Miracle Machine's unique energies drove Matter-Eater Lad insane. Brainiac 5 was true to his word and did not stop until Tenzil was fully cured of this condition. He returned to service on Bismoll.

At some point, Tenzil returned to Legion service and joined a new assembly of the Espionage Squad, traveling back to the 21st century in order to shepherd the hero Mon-El on to his destiny. In Metropolis, he befriended Mon-El as a diner owner, “Mitch.”

(One of my favourite Legionnaires, because of his weird power and hilarious sense of humour, Matter-Eater Lad is a character full of possibilities. Though many writers can’t figure out what to do with him, when used correctly, Tenzil is among the most interesting Legionnaires).

One of the weirdest powers ever to appear in comics is Ingestive Adaptation, also known as Matter Ingestion or Omniphagy: the power to consume and digest any substance without injury. The most notorious character ever to possess this power was the Legion of Super Heroes member, Matter-Eater Lad. After him, just TV cartoons, like Ben 10 or Fullmetal Alchemist, have ever spotlighted such power. It's a power that could be called laughable, but in the hands of a imaginative writer (in comics) or player, it could do wonders. It's worth remembering that, in one situation, Matter-Eater Lad just ate his way out of a prison that Superboy couldn't punch his way out.

Please feel free to discuss, critique and evaluate in the comments below.

INGESTIVE ADAPTATION
Offensive Power

You can eat anything you want to without feeling sick, getting poisoned, or suffering any other ill effects. Your power to eat hard objects stems from your invulnerable set of teeth, mouth, and alimentary canal, in conjunction with unbelievably corrosive digestive enzymes that act on specific substances, making them easier to chew and digest (treat this as a very powerful Acid - you can even spit it out, causing half of your Ingestive Adaptation level). The level of your Ingestive Adaptation determines the material Strength of what you can consume.

Component Analysis: as a bonus power, your super-taste buds can instantly analyze the compositions of various foodstuffs and even detect substances which are poisonous. You can also determine the nature of various chemicals in substances.

Superfast Induced Metabolism: as a bonus power, you can metabolize food almost instantaneously, and if needed, you can consume tons of food in minutes. As soon as the digestion process begins, the matter consumed is immediately transformed into food energy by your stomach. That energy fuels you to move at a faster and faster rate of speed, as long as the energy supply keeps coming. When you stop eating, the excess energy is collected and stored, in concentrated form, in your fat cells. Over the course of a couple of days, this stored energy is micro-diffused out of the body through pores in the skin.

When randomly rolling characters, Ingestive Adaptation can be taken in the place of Strike.

Origin: Transformed
Real Name: Gim Allon
First Appearance: Action Comics #267 [DC Comics August 1960]
Character created by Jerry Siegel and Jim Mooney

ABILITIES
Prowess 4
Coordination 4
Strength 4
Intellect 4
Awareness 5
Willpower 5

Stamina: 9 / 14 (maximum growth)
Determination: 5

SPECIALTIES
Athletics
Deception Expert [Intimidation]

Law Expert
Investigation
Military

Pilot Expert

POWERS
Growth 10 (Invulnerability)

EQUIPMENT
Legion Flight Ring

QUALITIES

Connections: The Legion of Super Heroes, Science Police
Motivation: Leviathan believes he should use his abilities to help others

CHALLENGES

Enemies: Fatal Five, Black Circle, Tarik the Mute
Personal: Colossal Boy is protective of those he loves, be they family or teammates, and this loyalty can be used against him.

Points: 45

ORIGIN STORY

Gim Allon was in training to become a police officer on Mars when he was struck by a radioactive meteorite. The incident gave him the ability to increase his size and strength to massive proportions, and Gim, with his parents’ blessing, went on to join the Legion of Super-Heroes. Despite facing the trials and tribulations of being a super hero and a Legionnaire, Gim has always managed to handle himself with grace and courage.

Gim is a quick-thinking and innovative combatant, and one of the Legion’s finest front-line warriors. He has a straightforward, honest nature, and he values his relationship with his family above all else. This love for his family nearly cost him his career at one point, in fact.

(Incredibly, I managed to convert a Legionnaire under the 45-point limitation of the ICONS Superpowered Roleplaying Game core book).

Origin: Transformed

Real Name: Hart Druiter
First Appearance: Adventure Comics #346 [DC Comics July 1966]
Character created by Jim Shooter

ABILITIES
Prowess 3
Coordination 3
Strength 3
Intellect 4
Awareness 3
Willpower 4

Stamina: 7
Determination: * - Villain

SPECIALTIES
Computer Expert
Deception
Science (Chemistry) Expert

POWERS
Adaptation 8

QUALITIES

Connections: Khunds, Legion of Super Villains

CHALLENGES

Weakness: If he fights more than one opponent concurrently, his power overloads and doesn't work properly

Points: 33

ORIGIN STORY
In his first appearance, Hart Druiter applied to the Legion as a member, along with Princess Projectra, Karate Kid, and Ferro. He identified himself as a native of the planet Myar, the "Alchemy Planet," and claimed he had created a mystical potion that gave him his powers. He was actually sent to infiltrate the Legion of Super-Heroes on behalf of the alien Khunds. When his deception was revealed, he tried to frame Karate Kid as the traitor; when that failed, he fled.

He later became a founding member of the Legion of Super-Villains under Tarik the Mute. When a later incarnation of the group invaded the planet Orando under his leadership, Nemesis Kid engaged Karate Kid in single combat. Before the fight ended Karate Kid sacrificed himself to stop the Legion of Super-Villains' plans, dealing Nemesis Kid a final blow. Karate Kid's widow, Queen Projectra, attacked Nemesis Kid using her power to generate illusions. Though he had adapted an immunity to her illusions, Projectra intimidated him with her noble fury over the death of her consort (thus immobilizing him from counterattacking and/or preventing him from concentrating to gain a new adaptation) then she broke his neck, executing him as her royal privilege as ruler of Orando.

Nemesis Kid possessed the superhuman ability to spontaneously develop the powers appropriate to defeat any single opponent for the duration of the battle, though against more than one opponent his powers would either work against only one target, allow him to escape the situation via teleportation, or fail to work at all. In one recorded instance, he displayed the ability to choose adaptations but his choices were less than successful. In all other cases, his power somehow "sensed" what would be most effective against a given opponent and generated an adaptation automatically.

Nemesis Kid never manifested any but the most basic and direct power to counter an opponent. Thus, against Superboy or Supergirl he would gain superior strength and resistance to damage, rather than the ability to emit kryptonite radiation. Against Karate Kid he gained superior fighting skill, and against Projectra he gained the ability to see through her illusions. His power only gave him the relative minimum necessary to defeat a designated opponent. Thus he sought out the most powerful opponent whenever possible. Nemesis Kid's powers didn't or couldn't give him complete immunity to physical harm caused by an opponent. Thus, both Superboy and Karate Kid could injure him, and Projectra was able to kill him. His power simply seemed to assure that, all things being equal and if he maintained his power, he would inevitably win.

(My first attempt at converting a comic book villain; although his power is spectacular, without it, he was not much. In my humble personal opinion, an underdeveloped character. If cleverly used, his powers could be quite devastating [insert manic laughter here]).

Although this power was already mentioned in a published ICONS product, the very interesting Field Guide to Superheroes 1 (by Jason Tondro, a recommended reading), I came up with the following re-write of the Adaptation power, which could also be called Nemesis (after his famous namesake, Legion of Super Heroes villain Nemesis Kid) or, as in X-Men Darwin, "reactive evolution". The limitation of not being able to acquire powers which count as two has been eliminated, as the comics characters usually develop whatever power suits the story.

Please feel free to critique and evaluate in the comment section below.

ADAPTATION (2X)

Defensive Power

You can adapt to changing conditions and manifest almost any power imaginable, but you have no control over which power you get. Instead, you acquire whatever power you need to stay alive in your current situation. Your powers are the answer to whatever you need to resolve in any given situation, though you usually only develop one or two powers at a time. This can be a conscious effort or unconscious. Generally, the power responds instantly, but if you are taken by surprise, at least a page is required to adapt to the new circumstances.

On every page, the first time you are attacked or put to danger by environmental conditions, you get whatever defensive power best protects you from the attack, often resistance, but chosen by the Game Master (as the power concerns itself with more efficient methods of survival than you might choose). On your turn, you pick an enemy and the Game Master gives you the best chance of success against your chosen foe. All powers acquired in this way are limited to a level no more than Adaptation's level or the level needed to resolve the situation (whichever is less) and last until the current situation is resolved.

You can spend a point of Determination to 'override' your Adaptation and choose the power you want, but as soon as you change your environmental conditions, pick a new enemy or get attacked by a new power, it will change again.

When randomly rolling characters, Adaptation can be taken in place of Life Support.

Origin: Unearthly

Real Name: Luornu Durgo
First Appearance: Action Comics #276 [DC Comics May 1961]
Character created by Jerry Siegel and Jim Mooney

ABILITIES
Prowess 5
Coordination 5
Strength 4
Intellect 5
Awareness 5
Willpower 5

Stamina: 9
Determination: 4

SPECIALTIES
Acrobatics
Athletics

Business Expert
Deception Expert

Drive Expert
Investigation Expert
Martial Arts Master ["Tri-Jitsu"]

Pilot Expert

Performance

Sleight of Hand
Stealth

Teaching

POWERS
Duplication 2

EQUIPMENT
Legion Flight Ring

QUALITIES

Connections: The Legion of Super Heroes
Motivation: Triad has a courageous, never-say-die attitude, willing to put herself in danger for the good of others
Excellent team player (not surprisingly)

CHALLENGES

Enemies: Fatal Five, Black Circle, Mordru, Computo
Trauma: Duplicate Damsel still carries the memory of the death of one of her duplicates at the hands of Computo. It haunts her in ways others can never understand

Points: 50

ORIGIN STORY
A native of the planet Cargg, Luornu Durgo possesses the Carggite ability to split into three selves. She left home to become the first to join the original three founders of the Legion of Super-Heroes on Earth, and remained one of the Legion’s most consistent members as Triad. She's also run the Legion Academy.

Her three personalities are very distinct: Orange is quiet, shy and a little religious; Purple is outgoing, brash and flirtatious; Neutra is a balance of the two, and often acts as the mediator between the two. Triad is also a skilled hand-to-hand fighter and a member of the Legion Espionage Squad, a capable investigator, scout, and spy.

(The Trauma challenge can or cannot be used, depending of which version of Triad is being used. The Pre-Zero hour obrigatorily has it. The Post-Zero and the cartoon version are still free from it. Converted characters, most of the times, unavoidably exceeds the 45-point limitation that the ICONS Superpowered Roleplaying Game core book recommends.)

Origin: Unearthly
Real Name: Nura Nal
First Appearance: Adventure Comics #317 [DC Comics February 1964]

Character created by Edmond Hamilton and John Forte

ABILITIES
Prowess 6
Coordination 4
Strength 3
Intellect 5
Awareness 4
Willpower 7

Stamina: 10
Determination: 4

SPECIALTIES
Science (Genetics)
Electronics
Deception Expert [Seduction]
Leadership
Martial Arts Expert

Mechanics
Medicine Expert
Tactics

POWERS
Precognition 10 (Danger Sense)

EQUIPMENT
Legion Flight Ring

QUALITIES

Connections: The Legion of Super Heroes, Naltorian Council of Seers
Motivation: Dreamer uses her power to help others because she feels she's been given those powers for a reason
Extremely beautiful and attractive

CHALLENGES

Enemies: Fatal Five, Black Circle, Mordru

Points: 50

ORIGIN STORY

The world of Naltor is inhabited by prophets and run by prophecy. It is inhabited by settlers from the Sorcerer's World, a fact that would make most people assume it is a backward place, but rather, it is one of the most technologically advanced societies in the United Planets.

Into this world was born Nura Nal, whose mother was Naltor's High Seer. Nura was born with greater prophetic ability than any known Naltorian, and was expected to succeed her mother in that post. But Kiwa Nal died while her daughters were young, and Nura was unwilling to assume the mantle of leadership just yet. Instead, she preferred to have a little fun, something that came very easily to one of her great beauty, and little danger to one who could forsee any potential threat.

During this time, she toyed with the idea of joining the Legion of Super-Heroes, but decided to wait until her powers told her they needed her. Such an occasion presented itself when she thought she foresaw seven Legionnaires get killed in a spaceship explosion. She joined the Legion and had each of those seven members expelled under various trumped-up circumstances, including apparently removing Lightning Lass's powers. When she found out that what she had actually seen was a rocket filled with decoys, she left to further refine her power, joining the Legion of Substitute Heroes for that purpose. She also revealed that she had used Naltorian bio-science to change Lightning Lass's powers to gravity-canceling powers so that she could retain her membership eligibility, and that she someday hoped to return to Star Boy, who had fallen in love with her.

Her love for Star Boy briefly took a turn for the tragic when a suitor who she jilted for his sake, Kenz Nuhor, attacked Star Boy, who killed him in self-defense and was expelled from the Legion for the act. The two used this to their advantage, and Star Boy joined the Substitute Heroes to be together with Nura while he couldn't be part of the Legion.

They got their chance to return to the Legion when a cloud of kryptonite radiation covered Earth. This forced Superman to leave the to leave the team, and he proposed Nura and Thom as his replacements. Because of the stigma against them, Superman dressed them in lead suits and ordered them not to reveal their identities. They rejoined the Legion as "Miss Terious" and "Sir Prize." Once the cloud was removed, so were the lead suits. In the time they'd been away, the Legion's membership had changed enough that the vote swung in their favor and Dreamer and Star Boy were offered membership again.

The two served faithfully for years until Nura began defying expectations and asserting her intelligence more (few realized that she was Brainiac 5's primary lab assistant). She ran for Legion leader and was elected; of course, she foresaw this. Dreamer led the Legion during their darkest hour, against the god of death, Darkseid. During this battle, her sister Mysa – the White Witch – played a pivotal role in Darkseid's defeat and joined the team afterwards. Though she ran for leader again the next year, she lost out to Element Lad.

As one of the physically weaker members, Nura trained with Karate Kid until she became one of the Legion’s most skilled hand-to-hand fighters. Her expertise with Naltorian science also made her one of the best scientists. Those talents coupled with her far-reaching powers made her an effective strategist and long-term planner.

(One of my favourite Legionnaires, Dreamer is a very skilled character. Not only in combat - where she excels in hand-to-hand, close combat, as well as devising tactics and leading her comrades - but also as a scientist and as a seductress. One of my favourite issues with her, she fights two Naltorian Precommandos - precogs who honed their visions especially for combat -, saying when they see ten seconds ahead, she sees twenty; they see twenty, she sees thirty. I decided to trim some of her specialties to the core, in order to avoid an excess point cost).

And again, here I come with two new specialties, trying to keep the 'broad brushstroke', comic-bookish frame of mind ICONS convey – as well as bringing some new content to the game. One of the specialties, Tactics, is slightly mentioned in the ICONS Superpowered Roleplaying core book, under the 'Military' Specialty, but I always thought it deserved a place of its own under the sun (mainly because some characters which possess it never had any kind of military ties).

Please feel free to discuss, critique and evaluate in the comments below.

TACTICS

If you take a full page to analyze an ongoing or anticipated combat situation and is able to share insights with allies, you and all allies gain a +2 to all actions in their first next panel and a +1 to all actions in their second panel. Not all allies need to attack at the same time to gain this benefit; some may hold themselves in reserve and still receive the bonuses on their first panel, rather than on the panel that others first engage in combat.

POLITICS

The art of oration and political strategy! You can reduce the difficulty rating to influence others to your views. This specialty aids in dealing with the complexities of bureaucracy.

(Post re-edited to chenge the previously covered Equestrian - Ride in the ICONS Core Book - with a more useful and unpublished Politics).

Origin: Transformed
Real Name: Jo Nah
First Appearance: Superboy # 98 [DC Comics July 1962]
Created by Jerry Siegel and Curt Swan

ABILITIES
Prowess 4
Coordination 4
Strength 4 / 10
Intellect 4
Awareness 5
Willpower 5

Stamina: 9 / 15 [when Strength is boosted]
Determination: 1

SPECIALTIES
Deception Expert
Drive
Performance Expert
Mechanics

POWERS
Ultra Power 8
Ability Boost: Strength [Stunt: usually boost Strength to 10]
Blast: "Flash Vision"
Flight
Invulnerability
Supersenses [Enhanced Vision: "Penetration Vision"]
Super-Speed

EQUIPMENT
Legion Flight Ring

QUALITIES

Connections: The Legion of Super Heroes
Motivation: Ultra Boy came from a crime-ridden society and wants to do good with his powers
Taunting: Cracking wise in combat, to the detriment of easily irritated opponents

CHALLENGES

Enemies: Fatal Five, Black Circle, Mordru

Points: 80 (once more, overwhelming!)

ORIGIN STORY

Ultra Boy was born Jo Nah on the planet Rimbor. On a trip through outer space, Jo’s ship was swallowed by an energy beast and bombarded by radiation. Instead of killing Jo, this “ultra energy” granted him powers similar to those of a Kryptonian. These powers served Ultra Boy in good stead when he joined the Legion, and he is considered their most powerful member after Superboy and Mon-El. Ultra Boy was a skilled actor; this, combined with his rough background on Rimbor and social standing, helped him infiltrate criminal groups where he appeared to "go bad". This skill also made him a valuable member of the Legion Espionage Squad; he was the only member without overt "spy" powers. He's had a long-standing romance with Phantom Girl (Tinya Wazzo), but circumstances and villains continually conspired to keep them apart, even stranding them across time from each other.

Because Ultra Boy is so powerful, others often regard him as nothing more than a dim-witted powerhouse. In fact, Ultra Boy has to be quite cunning in applying his powers, since he can only use one at a time. Like most Legion members, Ultra Boy’s powers are a metaphor for his personality; Jo Nah often surprises others with his unexpected versatility.

(Ultra-Power has been presented in a published ICONS product, the very interesting Field Guide to Superheroes 3, and this power was tailor-made for Ultra Boy. In fact, In the Champions (role-playing game), the term "Ultra Slot" is used to describe one of the powers within a framework in which only one power can be used at a time. The multipower framework is based directly on Ultra Boy and in fact was originally called the "Ultra" (hence "Ultra Slot"). Once again, converted characters unavoidably exceeds the 45-point limitation that the ICONS Superpowered Roleplaying Game core book recommends - although the Ultra-Power framework doesn't state overtly that each power inside the framework should be counted for the point totalization, I prefered to do so, reflecting the powerhouse status of Ultra Boy.)

Origin: Transformed
Real Name: Drake Burroughs
First Appearance: Superboy & Legion of Super-Heroes #195 [DC Comics June 1973]
Character created by Cary Bates and Dave Cockrum

ABILITIES
Prowess 4
Coordination 4
Strength 8 / 0 (none without containment suit)
Intellect 4
Awareness 5
Willpower 3

Stamina: 11
Determination: 1

SPECIALTIES
Teaching

POWERS
Alternate Form (Anti-Energy) 9
Invulnerability
Blast 9 [using it at more than intensity 8 destroys current suit]
Flight 8
Life Support 10 (everything)
Phasing 5 [while in containment suit, Phasing does not apply]

EQUIPMENT
Legion Flight Ring
Containment Suit

QUALITIES

Connections: The Legion of Super Heroes
Motivation: Wildfire wants to feel normal and accepted, but his energy state makes this difficult.

CHALLENGES

Containment Suit: Wildfire is dependent on a containment suit to give his anti-energy form and substance. If his suit is ruptured or destroyed, he becomes permanently incorporeal (Phasing 5), loses his strength and cannot speak until he gets a new containment suit. Destroying the containment suit does not harm the energy inside
Enemies: Fatal Five, Black Circle, Mordru
Personal: Denied human contact
Personal: No sense of taste or smell

Points: 70 (again, astounding!)

ORIGIN STORY

Wildfire was originally Drake Burroughs, an astroengineer. While working on a new propulsion system, the unit's safety valve snapped and discharged a blast of anti-matter energy. Burroughs was engulfed instantly but somehow his consciousness survived and Burroughs found himself transformed into a being of pure anti-energy.

Fortunately, his colleagues had on hand a containment suit that could be used to keep Drake's anti-energy from dispersing. Once confined to a specific area, Drake's energy form stabilized and became self-regenerating. He again possessed a semblance ofhumanoid form; however, he had no mouth, eyes, nose, or ears, but rather a blank metallic faceplate, and lacked the senses of taste and smell. Drake also had vast super-powers. Some of his powers included super-strength, flight, and near-invulnerability. The most potent of his abilities was the power to fire energy blasts. He was reluctant to use that ability because of an accident in which he nearly killed his former girlfriend.

Calling himself ERG-1 (Energy Release Generator 1), Drake decided to petition for membership in the Legion, thinking his litany of powers would guarantee his admittance. To his surprise, he was turned down because all the abilities he demonstrated were duplicates of those of some other Legionnaires; he had not demonstrated his energy blasting because he was afraid he could not control them safely (at this time, the Legion's bylaws required that each member possess at least one superpower no other active member did). Anxious to prove his abilities, he followed several Legionnaires on a mission to a planet called Manna-5. On this mission, Colossal Boy was knocked unconscious by an enemy machine and none of the other Legionnaires present (Phantom Girl and Chemical King) had the power to save him. ERG-1 destroyed the machine, but expelled his entire energy form from his containment suit. Because his energy form was invisible, the Legionnaires assumed he had been killed in saving Colossal Boy and that ERG-1 had not demonstrated his energy powers earlier because they could only be used once.

However, ERG-1 was alive. By now, his energy form was stable enough so that he could survive without his suit, though he could neither take humanoid form nor communicate with anyone. He followed the Legionnaires back to Earth where they put his containment suit on display. Upon reaching the Legionnaries' headquarters he managed to regain the suit and, in the usual heroic fashion, save the Legion from another menace. He was then admitted to the team and adopted the name Wildfire, but his later suits were also not nearly as durable and it was easier to cause him to be expelled from it. Even so, he always retained his flight, energy blast and super strength, and was commonly considered among the four most powerful Legionnaires along with Superboy, M'Onel and Ultra Boy. Wildfire's energy constantly interacts atomically with the positive enegy of our universe in miniature nuclear reactions, providing an apparent inexhaustible source of power.

Initially, Wildfire and Superboy were rivals and actually fought over the position. Wildfire acquitted himself well in that battle, establishing that his raw power was comparable to a Kryptonian's. As leader, Wildfire got mixed reviews. Though he was decisive and a gifted tactician, his poor people skills swiftly alienated many of his fellow members (though not, ironically, Superboy; at the conclusion of a particularly rough crisis, he told his one-time rival that he had become "one hell of a leader"). He led the Legion through the Earthwar and Omega crises but was defeated for re-election by Live Wire.

Shortly after becoming leader, Wildfire recruited a young Amerindian mutant, Dawnstar. He soon became enamored of her, but for years theirs was a love-hate relationship. It was clear to their teammates that they were extremely fond of each other, if not actively in love, but Dawnstar would not admit to her feelings. Wildfire, in return, was often passive-aggressive in his treatment of her. It was eventually revealed that Dawnstar did reciprocate his feelings. However, she feared that she would never know physical love since Wildfire did not possess a physical body.

Drake spends a lot of time at the Legion Academy, where he helps train prospective Legionnaires.

(My third installment on converting Legion of Super Heroes characters into ICONS, Wildfire gave me my run for the money: I had to strip the character down into its core and rethink it from that. Again, Joe Bardales was there to exchange some ideas on Alternate Form, which was of great help. Also, as a converted character, Wildfire unavoidably exceeds the 45-point limitation that the ICONS Superpowered Roleplaying Game core book recommends. Character based on its Pre-Zero Hour version.)

Eidolons!

Pages

Polestar

Rethinking Powers: Elemental Control (Magnetic)

Alchemist

Inferno

What are they called?

Bouncing Boy

Invisible Kid

Rethinking Powers: Invisibility

Jeff Smax

Girl One

Rethinking Powers: Chameleon

Brainiac 5

Matter-Eater Lad

New Power: Ingestive Adaptation

Leviathan

Nemesis Kid

Rethinking Powers: Adaptation

Triad

Dreamer

New Specialties: Tactics and Politics

Ultra Boy

Wildfire

Who writes

Legal

Search This Blog

Tag Cloud

Archive

ICONS Blogs

Join the ICONS Yahoo Group

Icons Wiki

Total Pageviews

Followers

Pages

Who writes

Legal

Search This Blog

Tag Cloud

Archive

ICONS Blogs

Join the ICONS Yahoo Group

Icons Wiki

Total Pageviews

Followers

Subscribe