Alternative Superheroes

[Dannyalcatraz]

One thing I’ve noticed and done is modeling PCs after existing superheroes or using superheroic archetypes in non-supers games. The same happens with Pulp & Western heroes as well.

For example, I cannot count how many threads I have seen modeling Batman for D&D. (Usually as a Ranger, but not always.) And I knew a guy at a game store was designing a Captain America style warrior, except he used 2 shields instead of one.

Some I’ve done:

1) Lokhan: a halfling barbarian who did 2WF with clawed gauntlets.
2) The Gnome Ranger: a masked Ranger who rode a giant space hamster named Mithril, and wielded twin repeating hand crossbows with silver tipped bolts.
3) Rōg-Tuskarr: a pink, bipedal, elephant-like heavyworlder with a jet pack, blaster gun, and few other gadgets.
4) Pierre Chanson: a handsome, rugged, whip-wielding specialist diviner who has an encyclopedic knowledge of ancient cultures, languages and architecture.
5) Major Mosquito: a Brujah who was madder than a Malkavian. His broken mind thought his vampiric abilities meant he had become a superhero. Based on NEC’s The Tick.
6) Moo Knight: he’s an albino Minotaur warrior who is devoted to an avenging lunar god. (A work in progress.)


So, what have you seen? Or done yourself? Or are contemplating?

 

[JAMUMU]

I once had a D&D group who saw any other adventuring party as easy prey, ripe for the taking. I cured this behaviour with an initially friendly NPC party consisting of a guy in blue chainmail carrying only a shield, an unarmed, statuesque woman wearing no armour except bracers, a green-clad archer and a skinny bare chested barbarian in torn purple pants.

 

[billd91]

One of my players did the two shield thing in my PF1 game. Even called himself Cap.

In a Champions game in college, I played Vanguard of the Proletariat. He was a WWII Soviet super soldier with an image of Lenin on his shield. But we got transported to the future while dealing with an assault on Hitler's bunker (which kind of undermined the golden age feel) and joined up with more modern heroes like Phallus, who had (occasionally unreliable) growth powers.

 

[Mallus]

I cured this behaviour with an initially friendly NPC party consisting of a guy in blue chainmail carrying only a shield, an unarmed, statuesque woman wearing no armour except bracers, a green-clad archer and a skinny bare chested barbarian in torn purple pants.

I'm pretty sure my group would have killed them, taken their stuff, and then began work on a skull-shaped stronghold in a swamp somewhere.

 

[Rogerd1]

I never understood why so many DnD groups are complete murderhobos?

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I never understood why so many DnD groups are complete murderhobos?

I blame Pong.

 

[JEB]

In our last D&D campaign, we had an enemy country's national hero modeled after Captain America (and very likely to turn on his country's leadership once he realized quite how much they were perverting his country's ideals). Considered extending that to a whole set of Avengers equivalents, but likely not to happen now.

 

[DrunkonDuty]

I have come across a Gnome Ranger in the past. Not mine. But that's about it.

Unless you count supers games. But modelling supers in a supers game would be the expected thing...

 

[aramis erak]

I've bounced D&D players from home groups for getting caught trying that. I find it generally part of a disruptive pattern by bad players. At least, when I notice it, it's part of a disruptive pattern.
If anyone's gotten away with it, it's because they've not been disruptive by it.

I avoid doing so as a player, and advice players not to cleave to such an archetype at my table - if i don't get the reference, it's wasted on me, and most of the time, when I do notice it, it's attention seeking behavior that's generally disruptive.

I really don't see the appeal, either, but I've seen a LOT of players try it.

 

[Blue Orange]

Paladin of redemption who can talk his enemies into agreeing with him and making treaties rather than war. Lost his hair to a wizard but still considered attractive. Make it so!