Having noted that designer Jeff Grubb cited Villains and Vigilantes as one of Marvel Super Heroes' contemporaries, I took a look in my Drivethru library and – lo and behold – discovered I owned the cleaned up version of the 1982 original. Let's take it for a spin!
The clearest and boldest idea in V&V comes up on the first page:
But unlike most role-playing games, in V&VTM the character used by the player is himself with the addition of super-powers. Each player receives a random set of powers, then creates a costume and a name in order to fight crime and protect society.Well, damn. Despite the fact that I'm sure that V&V players have and continue to routinely break that rule by creating wholly original (or completely adapted) characters, it's only fair that I give this a try at least once. But I'll have my revenge, I will! Muhuhaha – wait, what's that?
Player characters may be on the side of Good only. If any GM has in his group a player who could be truly classified as Evil, we can only wonder why that player should be allowed to participate at all.Son of a – okay, fine. I'm pretty sure that Grubb designed MSH's Popularity spectrum, which accommodated heroes (positive) and villains (negative) with equal ease, as a response to this. But playstyle judgement aside, let's make... me.
Avatar, excelsior!
2.1 Good and Evil
We've already determined that my avatar has to be good. Hmph.
2.2 Sex and Weight
Male, and... 250-some pounds? Maybe less? I don't have a scale, and I wasn't aware there was going to be a physical exam.
2.3 Age and Experience Level
33 and Level 1.
2.4 Basic Characteristics
All characters are assigned scores in Five Basic Characteristics. These are: Strength, Endurance. Agility, Intelligence, and Charisma. At the start of the game the GM must assign a score ranging from 3 (extremely low) to 18 (extremely high) in each of the five Basic Characteristics for each of his players; assuming a score of 10 to be completely average.Well, if this isn't a recipe for gaming table friction, I don't know what is. For many players, I'm sure that the first villain in Villains and Vigilantes was the GM him or herself.
Allow players the benefit of the doubt, but be careful not to allow personal feelings to interfere when assigning Basic Characteristic scores. Remember also that scores on either end of the scale are extremely rare and should be given out sparingly. Have a heart for a player who truly rates below average in all respects.
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| This is me. |
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| This is me blinking. |
"Let the person who bought this book judge you and your your friends before literally anything else, but don't worry – he has been instructed to take pity on the weak and dim-witted among you" is an interesting core concept for an RPG. Though I'm sure countless players said "that's insane; this is obviously a generic toolkit for role-playing superheroes", it's pretty fascinating to see the "one true way to play" attitude so deeply codified in a rulebook.
Anyway, let's estimate. Some of you may have a different impression, but unlike the poor saps in a canonical V&V game, my self-evaluation isn't subject to judgement by a Great and Powerful GM.
Strength – reasonably average, maybe? 11 because I occasionally lift things.
Endurance – oh look, my dump stat! Seriously, I'll give myself an 7.
Agility – how about 8?
Intelligence – 14
Charisma – 12-ish
Magic Item 98 – Willpower
There are two varieties of this power. Type A is basically extraordinary control over one's own mind against distractions, injuries, and such. Type B is a single permanent bonus to an ability, power, or characteristic. Given that there aren't any examples given of what constitutes a good Type B Willpower bonus, I'm going to take Type A.
The Heart of Heqaib is a small, green scarab well over 3000 years old. When touched to the chest of a worthy seeker, it burrows in, augmenting the user's heart, or jb (more or less pronounced "yeeb") – the seat of emotion and will in the Egyptian concept of the soul. It also gives the bearer the patience and strength to pursue further study of the magical arts.
Although its effects are generally constant, enemies aware of its existence and nature can target the bearer's heart, forcing the Heart to protect itself rather than its host. Once the threat is removed, however, its benefits return.
2.5 Super Powers
While it's optional in MSH, random power generation is the recommended practice in V&V.
Separate stat and power generation reminds me of nothing so much as the Supernatural Template concept from the New World of Darkness line – that is, a process that makes a statistically and mechanically mundane human into something more. (I'd house-rule the process a bit further to allow for more stat and skill development to occur _after_ the transformation, but that's my lifepath-mindedness talking again.)
First, I need to find out how many powers my avatar gets. 1d6+2 gives me 3+2, so that's 5.
Super-abilities are split quite a bit between origins here. Powers, Devices, Magic/Psionic Items, Skills, and Magic/Psionics are available, and the corebook recommends that players choose a mix of origins that suit them. Such freedom!
I'm going to take one Magic Item, two Magic Powers, and 2 Skills, acquired in that order. An artifact gives my avatar insight into the arcane arts and inspiration to further develop heroic abilities.
There are two varieties of this power. Type A is basically extraordinary control over one's own mind against distractions, injuries, and such. Type B is a single permanent bonus to an ability, power, or characteristic. Given that there aren't any examples given of what constitutes a good Type B Willpower bonus, I'm going to take Type A.
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| Click for archaeological context! |
Although its effects are generally constant, enemies aware of its existence and nature can target the bearer's heart, forcing the Heart to protect itself rather than its host. Once the threat is removed, however, its benefits return.
Magic Power 21 – Heightened Charisma B
My avatar gets 3d10 bonus Charisma. 10+5+6 = 21 extra. Yikes.
Egyptian funerary texts are only supposed to work on the dead, but no one ever told my avatar that. The Unwearied Heart is an incantation derived from the Pyramid Texts of the pharaoh Unas, so-called guardian of Ma'at, whose heart is his alone, far beyond the reach of Osiris. Since sins against Ma'at manifest as a heavy heart, far heavier than the feather that represents Ma'at, the Unwearied Heart is light. In practice, this blessing simply increases my avatar's personal magnetism. People trust him instinctively because the weight of the world is far from his jb. Who actually suffers from this clear upending of ancient Egyptian principles is unclear, but as long as he lives, my avatar seems to avoid judgement.
Magic Power 66 – Psionics
This is a catch-all category requiring heavy GM lifting to determine PR (power point cost), range, damage, and basically everything else about the power. As the spectre of unguided GM fiat rears its ugly and amorphous head once again, I'm just going to reroll.
Seriously. If you mean to give me the tools to create a character, give me the tools to create a character. I thought that there might be trouble reconciling this attitude with my affection for Ars Magica, a game highly reliant on GM adjudication of novel effects, but great pains are taken in that system to document and justify costs and capabilities of extant magic. In essence, the more supplements one reads, the more guidance players and GMs have to keep magical theory and practice reasonable and relatively balanced. "Suck it up and... I dunno... work it out in playtesting" is ultimately every scenario designer and creative GM's burden to bear, but I firmly believe that a player of a traditional, explicitly non-collaborative RPG should be able to work his or her way through character creation without heavy, statistically challenging GM intervention, except in extraordinary circumstances. GM review and approval is critical for nearly every game, of course, but a sense of accomplishment and relative completeness should precede character submission. No one likes homework that can't be completed.
Magic Power 13 – Darkness Control
Well, that's a hell of a lot easier.
Again inspired by the Pyramid Texts, Night's Cloak manifests as a pitch-black mantle about my avatar's shoulders. Though evocative of Unas' divine title "Lord of Nights", this effect is entirely cosmetic and wholly optional. Otherwise, it's a standard implementation of Darkness Control, allowing a total volume of 1/4 of his total Power score in inches, at a maximum range of Agility x 3, to be shrouded in darkness.
On review, that sounds very small -- but the game is scaled 1 inch to 5 feet. That makes a lot more sense.
Skill 70 – Natural Weaponry
Egyptian funerary texts are only supposed to work on the dead, but no one ever told my avatar that. The Unwearied Heart is an incantation derived from the Pyramid Texts of the pharaoh Unas, so-called guardian of Ma'at, whose heart is his alone, far beyond the reach of Osiris. Since sins against Ma'at manifest as a heavy heart, far heavier than the feather that represents Ma'at, the Unwearied Heart is light. In practice, this blessing simply increases my avatar's personal magnetism. People trust him instinctively because the weight of the world is far from his jb. Who actually suffers from this clear upending of ancient Egyptian principles is unclear, but as long as he lives, my avatar seems to avoid judgement.
Magic Power 66 – Psionics
This is a catch-all category requiring heavy GM lifting to determine PR (power point cost), range, damage, and basically everything else about the power. As the spectre of unguided GM fiat rears its ugly and amorphous head once again, I'm just going to reroll.
Seriously. If you mean to give me the tools to create a character, give me the tools to create a character. I thought that there might be trouble reconciling this attitude with my affection for Ars Magica, a game highly reliant on GM adjudication of novel effects, but great pains are taken in that system to document and justify costs and capabilities of extant magic. In essence, the more supplements one reads, the more guidance players and GMs have to keep magical theory and practice reasonable and relatively balanced. "Suck it up and... I dunno... work it out in playtesting" is ultimately every scenario designer and creative GM's burden to bear, but I firmly believe that a player of a traditional, explicitly non-collaborative RPG should be able to work his or her way through character creation without heavy, statistically challenging GM intervention, except in extraordinary circumstances. GM review and approval is critical for nearly every game, of course, but a sense of accomplishment and relative completeness should precede character submission. No one likes homework that can't be completed.
Magic Power 13 – Darkness Control
Well, that's a hell of a lot easier.
Again inspired by the Pyramid Texts, Night's Cloak manifests as a pitch-black mantle about my avatar's shoulders. Though evocative of Unas' divine title "Lord of Nights", this effect is entirely cosmetic and wholly optional. Otherwise, it's a standard implementation of Darkness Control, allowing a total volume of 1/4 of his total Power score in inches, at a maximum range of Agility x 3, to be shrouded in darkness.
On review, that sounds very small -- but the game is scaled 1 inch to 5 feet. That makes a lot more sense.
Skill 70 – Natural Weaponry
It's at this point that the emerging hero – let's call him Kheru, after the term "ma'at kheru", or "true of voice" – realizes that he has reached the limits of his studies (particularly where spontaneous magic is concerned, which just doesn't seem to work) and isn't exactly ready to hit the streets, or pursue greater enlightenment in the more dangerous occult corners of the world.
So he wracks his brain for ideas to make himself a better combatant, if not exactly a hero. Failing at that, he meditates. A lot. Lo and behold, the sorcerer Heqaib – or a very convincing hallucination thereof – sends him on a lengthy vision quest through a scorching desert under an undying sun. It's an exhausting ordeal, and Kheru's Darkness Control is stretched to its limits. Dehydrated and delirious, he is beset by the totem animals of the Egyptian pantheon, and neither his calming voice nor his depleted power over darkness can shield him from their teeth and claws. Yet somehow he fights them off with his bare and bloodied hands.
Returning from Duat, the realm of the dead, Kheru immediately sets to work on a pair of spiked gauntlets. They give him 1d6 = 2 = +2 to hit and +4 to damage in otherwise unarmed combat.
Skill 15 – Heightened Attack
Kheru's experience in the field proves unusually instructive. He deals +1 damage per experience level gained.
So he wracks his brain for ideas to make himself a better combatant, if not exactly a hero. Failing at that, he meditates. A lot. Lo and behold, the sorcerer Heqaib – or a very convincing hallucination thereof – sends him on a lengthy vision quest through a scorching desert under an undying sun. It's an exhausting ordeal, and Kheru's Darkness Control is stretched to its limits. Dehydrated and delirious, he is beset by the totem animals of the Egyptian pantheon, and neither his calming voice nor his depleted power over darkness can shield him from their teeth and claws. Yet somehow he fights them off with his bare and bloodied hands.
Returning from Duat, the realm of the dead, Kheru immediately sets to work on a pair of spiked gauntlets. They give him 1d6 = 2 = +2 to hit and +4 to damage in otherwise unarmed combat.
Skill 15 – Heightened Attack
Kheru's experience in the field proves unusually instructive. He deals +1 damage per experience level gained.
2.8 Costumes and Secret Identities
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| Night's Cloak active, Kheru surveys... something. He looks just like me! Or not. |
The capitalization is adapted from the official character sheet. Please bear with it!
IDENTITY: Ian Morgenheim
SIDE: Good
NAME: Kheru
SEX: Male
AGE: 33
WEIGHT: 250 lbs
EXPERIENCE: 0
LEVEL: 1
TRAINING: None
POWERS:
Magic Power 21 – Heightened Charisma B
Unwearied Heart – +21 Charisma
Magic Power 13 – Darkness Control
Night's Cloak
Range: A x 3 inches = 8 x 3 = 24 inches
Volume: 1/4 Power inches =
Skill 70 – Natural Weaponry
Claws of Pakhet
Unarmed combat: +2 to hit and +4 to damage
Skill 15 – Heightened Attack
+1 damage per XP level – +1
STRENGTH: 11
CARRYING CAPACITY: [(S/10)3+(E/10)] x W/2
(Sweet Jesus, that's complicated.)
[(11/10)3+(7/10)] x 250/2 = (1.1*3+.7) x 125 = 288.75 lbs
BASE HTH DAMAGE: 1d6
ENDURANCE: 7
HEALING RATE: .2
AGILITY: 8
ACCURACY MODIFIER: -2 (base) +2 (Natural Weaponry) = 0
DAMAGE MODIFIER: 0 (base) +4 = +4
INTELLIGENCE: 14
DETECT HIDDEN: 10%
DETECT DANGER: 18%
CHARISMA: 12 (base) + 21 (Heightened Charisma) = 33
REACTION FROM GOOD: +6
REACTION FROM EVIL: -6
BASIC HITS: W/50 = 250/50 = 5
HIT MOD. (1)*(.6)*(1.1)*(.7)= 0.462
HIT POINTS: (5) * (0.462) , rounded up = 3
POWER (S + E + A + I) 11+7+8+14: 40
MOVEMENT RATE (S+E+A) 11+7+8: 26" per turn
ORIGIN AND BACKGROUND: Freelance writer empowered by ancient Egyptian magic
LEGAL STATUS: Unknown
SECURITY CLEARANCE: N/A
INVENTING POINTS: 0
CASH: not a ton (The game suggests using your real-world wealth as a starting point. That's not awkward at all!)
So that's Villains and Vigilantes, where an interesting (if unfortunate) character generation ethos meets plodding calculations near the end. Sadly, I can't find a PDF of the original Champions, so some other game will be next!
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