Super-Vision #6: M&M: The Year in Review

Hello, everyone, and welcome to the last Super-Vision of 2004 as we look forward to a great 2005 for Green Ronin and Mutants & Masterminds. Hope all of you had a great holiday season.

As we look forward to the New Year, let's take a little time to look back on the passing year, where we've been and where we're going in the year to come.

The biggest change for both M&M and me in 2004 was my signing on with Green Ronin to be the full-time Line Developer for the game. The success of Mutants & Masterminds caught us by surprise in many ways, and the game line really needed someone to oversee the development of new products full-time, allowing company President Chris Pramas to focus his attention on other projects (including the upcoming new edition of Warhammer Fantasy Roleplay and, of course, running the company).

Line Development was a new challenge for me. Although I've worked in the RPG industry as a full-time freelancer since 1995, and I've written and designed numerous products, I hadn't done much development work when Chris asked me to come on board as M&M Developer. Still, M&M is a game line that's obviously important to me, and I appreciated the opportunity to make it the best it could be.

One of the first things I learned about RPG lines is they are like really big ships: it takes some time to change both their course and their speed. Although I had (and have) a lot of ideas and plans for M&M, first there were the products already contracted, and in various stages of development, when I signed on board. That includes the recently released Noir sourcebook by Christopher McGlothlin and the forthcoming Gimmick's Guide to Gadgets and Lockdown sourcebooks. Before any further plans for M&M could come into play, these projects needed attention.

Another little detour during the year involved Green Ronin's Blue Rose Romantic Fantasy RPG. With d20 Line Developer Robert Schwalb dealing with putting his even bigger ship on course, and with Blue Rose incorporating elements of the M&M game system, Green Ronin asked me to develop the new game, which you can look forward to in the beginning of 2005, followed by the Blue Rose Companion and the World of Aldea sourcebooks. Although Blue Rose isn't the "M&M Fantasy" sourcebook some fans have been asking for, it does show how some elements of the game can apply to a fantasy setting, and you might even find some new ideas from Blue Rose finding their way back into Mutants & Masterminds after a while.

Still, while we've been putting the M&M ship on course, the smaller and faster Superlink vessels have been speeding along. 2004 saw the release of more Superlink products than ever, including Omlevex, The Algernon Files, Metahumans, and a tremendous number of electronic products, including PDFs from Devil's Workshop and Ronin Arts. Next year promises even more Superlink support for M&M.

So what's coming up in 2005? Well, Noir is available now in fine game and book stores everywhere. Gimmick's Guide to Gadgets is in layout, so you should be seeing it in a month or so, while Lockdown is in editing, and should round out the first quarter of the year. After that, we put this ship on a new course. We've got some exciting plans for Mutants & Masterminds in the coming year, and I'm looking forward to being a part of them. Keep an eye on this column and MutantsAndMasterminds.com for more news, and thanks to everyone who has been playing and supporting the game. You've created one of the best fan communities I've ever seen, and you've made 2004 a good year. Thanks, and I'll be seeing you in 2005!

Masterminding

This month we've got a holiday treat from Foes of Freedom author Steven Schend: The Eyes of Night, the heroes of the West End in Freedom City, mentioned previously, but described in full for the first time here on MnM.com! Read on for more about them...

The Eyes of Night

Operating in tandem on the streets of Freedom City since early 1977, Evening and the Eye of Justice have been called the "Eyes of Night" since Stephen Barker coined the phrase in an op-ed piece about the duo in the Freedom City Ledger in October of that year. The Eyes of Night are among the most steadfast heroes of Freedom City, if not the most famous. Throughout their career, they have fought every form of crime from street-level thugs to Mafia enforcers, super-villains, and extra-dimensional entities.

Deputized as elite members of the FCPD from 1981 through 1984 and again from 1993 onward, the Eyes of Night have always fought for the people of Freedom City, even when the city didn't want them around. Their only absences were four years due to their exile in the Terminus from late 1984 through early 1986 and the birth of their child in 1987. They returned as heroes to Freedom City in 1988 and have remained active since then. In recent months, the Eyes of Night have become a trio as Evening and Eye of Justice reluctantly introduced their son Kid Gargoyle to the family business (after his unplanned debut saved his parents from the Fearsome).

The Eyes of Night are among the few heroes of Freedom City with publicly known identities, exposed by Doc Abattoir as a revenge tactic after his death. The Carlton family publicly operates out of two adjacent brownstones on the corner of Mantlo Street and Broadway. These buildings were donated to the heroes as reward for saving City Hall and everyone in it from being pulled into the Terminus by Taarvon the Undying during the Terminus Invasion. Scott Hamilton and USNet provide them with state-of-the-art computers. AEGIS and the FCPD each maintain a deputy to provide 24 hour backup and links to their mutual organizations. Despite what some politicians have said over the years, the presence of the heroes makes the nearby neighborhood feel safe and proud rather than fearful, and attacks by villains are no more frequent than they are in other parts of the city.

The Eyes of Night are informally "on-call heroes" and the city assumes they will watch over as much as possible when the Freedom League is elsewhere. Despite all their connections to the city, the Eyes of Night operate independently and take great pains to protect the secrets of any impromptu allies. Over the years, they have allied numerous times with AEGIS, Eldritch, the Scarab, the Order of the Prophet, and all the members of the Freedom League individually (only once teaming up with them as a group). The cops and firemen of Freedom City see the Eyes as fellow officers of public safety.

The Eyes of Night's Rogues Gallery

Evening and Eye of Justice have been the primary defenders of the Fens and the Westside neighborhoods of Freedom City for decades, and they have fought against many villains, from the lowest thugs to Omega himself. Their most regular foes include these.

Carl "Dice" DeSanto: A low- to mid-level figure in the Mafia, Dice DeSanto organizes much of the criminal activity around the Fens. Despite a rap sheet longer than his arm, Dice has yet to be convicted due to an elaborate web of intimidation and the fact that witnesses against him disappear. He also seems to have some extraordinary luck tied to the pair of dice he obsessively keeps close at hand.

The Fearsome: A loosely-grouped quartet of villains who each failed to become a crime lord of the West End and Greenbanks banded together from 1979 onward to rule together. Doc Abattoir originally led the team he created with Sir Razor, Ms. Malice, and Silverback and often fought the Eyes of Night duo. After the Blackstone Riots of 1983, only Silverback remains of the original Fearsome, and he's recruited other teammates over the years, his only constant ally being Subject Nine. The most incarnation was the third—Silverback, Subject Nine, Verman, and Wildcard—which quietly controlled the Westside underworld from 1984 to 1988. The most recent version of the Fearsome included Howl, Death Caul, and Subject Nine; the quartet might have finally slain Evening and Eye of Justice if not for the last-minute intervention and debut of Kid Gargoyle. All the villains remain at large, despite the heroes' and the FCPD's best efforts.

Freebooter: Though Freebooter considers himself an anti-hero, he sees a rivalry between himself and Eye of Justice that exists only in his mind. Thus, the heroes find themselves pitted regularly against the Techno-Pirate on the street and on the Internet or inside computers. Freebooter is someone Eye and Eve would prefer to work alongside, assuming they could curb his anarchist leanings and insistence on stealing from computers, demanding information must be freed.

Martin Kohne: This nigh-untouchable businessman has tried to steal Eye of Justice's cybernetic secrets more times than they can count. Once, he even had mercenaries hold his infant son (the future Kid Gargoyle) for ransom in exchange for the technology. Kohne Technologies is an R&D biotech and chip-tech corporation with facilities worldwide. While many suspect wrong-doing (and a few suggest links to the Labyrinth or the Foundry, though none can prove them), Martin Kohne and his underlings act alone and provide many beneficial medical and prosthetic technologies, so very few people publicly believe such a "pillar of the medical community" could be involved in criminal activity.

The Labyrinth: A lurking menace at all times, the Labyrinth wishes to kidnap and reclaim what it sees as "lost R&D property" in Evening, Eye of Justice, and their offspring, Kid Gargoyle. The heroes have hindered or exposed and ruined many Labyrinth plots over the years, though much of their action centers on exposing the DNAscent Process and stopping the Labyrinth's abductions of the homeless. On at least Dr. Victor Reeds' part, the interest in the Eyes is due a burning curiosity on how the Eye of Vengeance programming was overcome. Of all the heroes of Freedom City, the Eyes of Night are the ones most familiar with the many super-agents of the Labyrinth and they actually know (but cannot prove) it is behind the DNAscent Process, Duntronics, and a number of other cover corporations.

Nhorox: A demon originally summoned as a protector for the senior partners of Cunningham, Cabot, & Crowley, Nhorox is among the more loyal of their agents and the most frequently encountered deterrent who keeps the Eyes from finding the full truth about the firm. More wily than powerful, Nhorox enslaves innocents to do his bidding and he has other demonic powers if forced to confront the heroes directly. Once believed to be human (in his alias as the sleazy lawyer Nathan H. Aurox), he has survived enough mortal damage on numerous occasions that the Eyes know he's far more than human (but they're not entirely certain about his demonic nature).

Silverback: A DNAscendant set loose in 1977, Nicholas Landon's formerly slight body was permanently transformed into a gorilla-like form with metallicized fur and enhanced strength. His intellect has grown over the years and he has led six incarnations of the Fearsome since the death of Doc Abattoir, his mentor and the quartet's original leader. His immunity to mind control powers makes him amenable to using mind-controllers as his allies quite often. Even he is unaware that the Labyrinth keeps nano-tracers on him and has audio and videotape of all he sees, hears, and does.

Subject Nine: One of the tragic failures of the early DNAscent Process, the former Agent White went mad during the drug phase but hid his psychoses until the final phase. Charles Parker gained mental powers that further unhinged his mind. All his rage focuses on his former lover Evening and he blames her for his current condition. He isn't even aware of his own name any more, and refers to himself in the third person as Subject Nine. His telekinetic and mind-control powers make him a useful tool and ally of Silverback.

Taarvon the Undying: Immortal scion of an earthly wizard from the 17th century and a race within the Terminus, Taarvon wields immense magic but seeks more in hopes of defeating Omega to become the new Lord of the Terminus. The Eyes of Night were once trapped in the Terminus for over a year and Taarvon, in an illusory guise, made them his allies. He tried to use them as pawns in a ploy to defeat other powers of the Terminus, even granting them some additional powers. The Eyes of Night used those powers to escape him and the Terminus, and Taarvon swore revenge everlasting.

Verman: A failed test subject of the early DNAscent Process, Herman Willard was a street person who became half-man, half-rat with speed, strength, agility, and a tenacity for survival. During the 70s and 80s, he was a violent rapist as well, resulting in at least two known offspring (Thomas Jensen and Skate Rat). Captured by the Eyes, Verman has been in Blackstone since 1988 and undergoing treatment at the Lovecraft Asylum. Many suspect he may be paroled soon.

Kid Gargoyle's Rogues Gallery

Kid Gargoyle's crime-fighting career has been brief, but he already has three regular foes. While he enjoys patrolling alone, he has fought alongside his parents as a member of the Eyes of Night most often. He also has had two separate encounters and adventures with the Next-Gen (and a long unrequited crush on Seven, unbeknownst to her).

Tommy Jensen: Tommy Jensen became a ward of the state by age eight, and he was a small-time burglar by his 12th birthday. Aside from enhanced muscles and ability to clamber up sheer walls, his prematurely ash-gray hair and prehensile tail betray Tommy's parentage as Verman's son. Since his education at juvenile detention and release several years ago, Thomas started stealing rare books and manuscripts all over the city; Kid Gargoyle taunts him with the hated nickname of "Liter-Ratty."

Skate Rat: The youngest child of Verman, Darrell Myers only takes on his father's rat-like appearance when he wishes to boost his sight, speed, and reflexes. He uses his powers and his skate board as a snatch-and-grab thief and pickpocket. More of a nuisance than a villain at present, Skate Rat recently turned 16 and some worry his crimes will escalate beyond petty larceny.

Patrick "Snow-Man" Snowkowski: An enforcer and one-man intimidation squad for the Mob, Snow-Man is an albino teen with ice-blue eyes. Snow-Man has the ability to absorb heat—including human body-heat—and he needs it in order to survive. This saps the strength of his opponents, making him seem even stronger.

Evening

"Things like you lot ought to learn to be more afraid of the dark…"

Power Level: 13

Name: Elizabeth "Betty" Munroe

Other Aliases: Mrs. Betty Carlton; Lady Dusk (when possessed by shadow-demons); Subject Three (when held captive in the DNAscent Program, 1975); Agent Black (Brigade Six; 1967-1975); and eighteen alternate identities and aliases, long unused and inactive within British secret services.

Base of Operations: 1284 Mantlo Street, Freedom City

Affiliation: Member of the Eyes of Night, partner of Eye of Justice, mother of Kid Gargoyle II; frequent ally of Adrian Eldrich; former member of Brigade Six and British Intelligence.

Nationality: Citizen of the United Kingdom (born in York, England); granted citizenship in the United States of America by marriage.

Age: 56 (appears to be in her early 30s and unaging since 1984)

Height: 5'5"

Weight: 125 pounds

Eyes: Hazel

Hair: Dark brown

Evening: PL 13; Init +7 (Dex, Imp. Init.); Defense 25 (+9 base, +3 Dex, +3 Dodge); Spd 30 ft. (40 ft., levitation); Atk +10 melee (+3S, punch), +10 ranged (+3S, thrown object; +8S, mental blast); SV Dmg +3, Fort +3, Ref +3, Will +2; Str 16, Dex 16, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 14, Cha 16.

Skills (feat & synergy adjustments added): Acrobatics +10, Balance +9, Bluff +8 (+11 with Attractive), Computers +6, Demolitions +2 (+4 computerized), Diplomacy +12 (+15 with Attractive), Disable Device +2 (+4 computerized), Disguise +5, Gather Info +8, Hide +7, Innuendo +8, Intimidate +10, Jump +5, Move Silently +9, Open Locks +4 (+6 computerized), Pilot +4, Search +6, Sense Motive +7, Spot +7, Taunt +5.

Feats: Attractive, Connected, Darkvision, Dodge, Expertise, Immunity (aging; appears in 30s in her 50s), Improved Initiative, Mental Link (Eye of Justice), Move-By Attack, Power Attack, Startle, Takedown Attack, Talented (Acrobatics, Balance; Hide, Move Silently).

Powers: ESP +5 [Flaw: Limited—One Area (around Eye of Justice); Source: Mystical; Cost:1pp; Total: 5pp], Flight +8 [Flaw: Limited—Levitation only; Source: Mutation; Cost:1pp; Total: 8pp], Mental Blast +8 [Flaws: Only at night or in darkness, Range to normal; Source: Mutation; Cost:1pp; Total: 8pp], Obscure +8 [Source: Mutation; Cost:2pp; Total: 16pp].

The Eye of Justice

"Justice may be blind, but I'm her watchdog, and you're about to be bitten."

Power Level: 13

Name: John "Jack" Richard Carlton

Other Aliases: Kid Gargoyle I (1968-1970), Eye of Vengeance (mind controlled by the Labyrinth; 1971-1976); three passports under false names for undercover assignments (either set up by AEGIS or his wife).

Base of Operations: 1284 Mantlo Street, Freedom City

Affiliation: Member of the Eyes of Night, partner and husband of Evening, father of Kid Gargoyle II; former member of the Freedom City Police Department ('68-'70)

Nationality: Citizen of the United States of America (born Chicago, Illinois)

Age: 57 (appears to be in late 30s)

Height: 5'11"

Weight: 212 pounds

Eyes: Green (right); red ocular lens (left—artificial)

Hair: Black

Eye of Justice: PL 13; Init +5 (Dex, Super-Dex); Defense 20 (+5 base, +5 Dex); Spd 30 ft. (40 ft., leaping); Atk +8 melee (+2S/+9S, punch), +8 ranged (+7L/S, energy blast); SV Dmg +6, Fort +6, Ref +5, Will +0; Str 14, Dex 14, Con 18, Int 12, Wis 10, Cha 13.

Skills (feat & synergy adjustments added): Computers +13, Demolitions +5 (+7 computerized), Disable Device +8 (+10 computerized), Listen +2, Open Locks +7 (+9 computerized), Repair +5, Science (cybernetics) +4, Search +7, Spot +4, Taunt +3.

Feats: Attack Focus (energy blast), Darkvision, Durability, Greater Fortitude, Immunity (aging; appears in 30s in his 50s), Mental Link (Evening), Photographic Memory, Penetrating Attack (energy blast, -4 Protection), Point Blank Shot, Precise Shot, Rapid Shot, Skill Focus (Computers), Talented (Computers, Disable Device; Search, Spot), Toughness.

Powers: Clinging +6 [Source: Mutation; Cost:1pp; Total: 6pp], Datalink +2 [Source: Super-Science (cybernetics); Cost:2pp; Total: 4pp], Density Control +7 [Free: Immovability, Incorporeal, Protection, Super-Strength; Extras: Affect Others (Flaw: Decrease only), Shockwave; Source: Mutation; Cost:7pp; Total: 49pp], Energy Blast +7 [Extra: Dual Damage; Source: Super-Science; Cost:3pp; Total: 21pp], ESP +5 [Flaw: Limited—One Area (around Evening); Source: Mystical; Cost:1pp; Total: 5pp], Leaping +8 [Power Stunt: Super-Leap; Source: Mutation; Cost:1pp; Total: 10pp], Super-Dexterity +3 [Source: Super-Science; Cost:4pp; Total: 12pp], Super-Intelligence +2 [Source: Super-Science; Cost:2pp; Total: 4pp].

Weaknesses: Disturbing (Eye's left eye and the left side of his scalp have been replaced by a cybernetic blaster-eye and supplemental computer brain); Vulnerable (sonics).

Kid Gargoyle II

"This gargoyle doesn't just lurk or watch—he acts!"

Power Level: 10

Name: Jordan John Carlton

Other Aliases: "J.J." (his preferred alias among friends)

Base of Operations: 1284 Mantlo Street, Freedom City

Affiliation: Member of the Eyes of Night, son of Evening and Eye of Justice

Nationality: Citizen of the United States of America (born to American parents); naturalized citizen of Greece (born in Athens, Greece)

Age: 18

Height: 6'1"

Weight: 183 pounds

Eyes: Green

Hair: Brown

Kid Gargoyle: PL 10; Init +6 (Dex, Imp. Init.); Defense 20 (+7 base, +2 Dex, +1 Dodge); Spd 30 ft. (35 ft., leaping; 30 ft., float/fly); Atk +10 melee (+4S, punch, +6S phase attack), +8 ranged (+8S, mental blast); SV Dmg +6, Fort +6, Ref +2, Will +1; Str 18, Dex 14, Con 16, Int 12, Wis 12, Cha 13.

Skills (feat & synergy adjustments added): Balance +4, Computers +6, Hide +4, Listen +3, Move Silently +4, Search +3, Sense Motive +2, Spot +3, Taunt +2.

Feats: Darkvision, Dodge, Improved Initiative, Move-By Attack, Skill Focus (Computers).

Powers: Clinging +6 [Source: Mutation; Cost:1pp; Total: 6pp], Incorporeal +6 [Extras: Float, Ghost Touch, Phase Attack; Source: Mutation; Cost:5pp; Total: 30pp], Leaping +7 [Power Stunt: Super-Leap; Source: Mutation; Cost:1pp; Total: 9pp], Mental Blast +8 [Flaws: Only while incorporeal, Range to normal; Source: Mutation; Cost:1pp; Total: 8pp], Super-Constitution +3 [Source: Mutation; Cost:4pp; Total: 12pp].