Previewing the Cosmic Toybox

This year’s output has been primarily some bestiaries and magic item sourcebooks. You’ve already seen a great, and pretty well-received bestiary for the Psi-Watch Campaign setting, as well as updates to my popular Fursona character builder and some Heavy Future content.

Over the last couple of months I’ve been working on a few different collection of magic items. These books are great, because I can work on them a few items or spells at a time, feeling like I’m making solid progress even if I only produce 5-10 new elements per day, after coming home from work. They’re also solid sellers, and any artwork I commission depicting new spells or items can usually be repurposed for later bestiaries or worldbooks.

My next book will be a second volume of The Occult-Tech Armory series entitled “The Cosmic Toybox”. It’s going to be a weighty, mid-length sourcebook. Probably on the order of 200+ pages depending on layout choices I make. The book’s been very fun, and will provide a lot of support for three customizable races found throughout the Otherverse Games multiverse: Battlechangers, Anthros and Lifespawn. Battlechangers were first described in Battlechangers: Ironworks, and are basically Pathfinder RPG compatible versions of Transformers; Anthros are the furry, animalistic heroes you can build with Fursona Unleashed. And Lifespawn are powerful, cosmic demigods whose origins date back to the dawn on the universe, described pretty thoroughly in Powers of the Lifechain. 

Cosmic Toybox is going to be a huge homage to the cartoons of the 1980s I grew up watching – it includes spells and magic items inspired by cartoons like He-Man and the Masters of the Universe, lots of elements drawn from 30+ years of Transformers lore, gear for furry heroes inspired by Thundercats, and so on. I also decided since most of these items have a science-fantasy, Jack Kirby feel to them, I’d go ahead and include a bunch of Lifespawn-specific new content and make Cosmic Toybox the definitive ‘weird space opera’ gear book. I’m also including a bunch of generic fantasy spells and items I’ve published in various places over the last eight years, so they’re all consolidated in one easy to reference PDF.

Once Cosmic Toybox is out, I’ll pour in the profits from that to purchase the last art I’ll need for the second volume of Enchantments of Black Tokyo, as well as a HUGE revised world book for Black Tokyo that I expect to finally release in early 2018. I’ll preview Enchantments of BT II a little later.

After that, I’m working on a collected spell and magic item book for Otherverse America, similar to Enchantments of Black Tokyo and Heavy Grimorie. I’m also simultaneously working on a Lifer Nation’s players guide, similar to Culture of Choice, just from the exact opposite outlook. I’ve got about 75-80 pages of solid content, but it just doesn’t feel….there…. yet.

That book, and the Lifer-related magic content for Enchantments of OA, I have to say are proving more difficult to write. First off, getting myself into the headspace to detail a culture of anti-choice Christian terrorists is a hard, especially these days. I want these characters to be interesting and capable opponents or intriguing anti-heroes, but I don’t in any way want to glorify or give credence to the real world beliefs driving them. Plus, from an authorial point of view, Lifer spells and magic items are really fucking nasty. Their spells feel cruel, punitive and judgmental, which makes sense considering the culture that’s producing them, but man, it’s a chore to write up.

Some Preview Content

I haven’t posted in a little while, so let’s preview some of the items and art from the upcoming Cosmic Toybox. I’m going to focus on some of the most obvious homage items in the book, as well as spotlight some of the artwork I’m including.

One of my favorite magic item ‘sets’ in the upcoming sourcebook are the Gear Mutt’s Cloak and Gear Mutt’s Mask combo. They’re a homage to Dyna-Mutt from old Hanna-Barbarra cartoons. I love the artwork Amanda turned in of a lupine Anthro superhero wearing this gear. It’s simultaneously badass and hilarious, especially considering the item’s origins, and is in the running to be the book’s cover image.

The ‘similar item’ listing for Gear Mutt’s Cloak is a homage to Gizmo Duck from Ducktales, which is just something I put in for shits and giggles.

Cloak, Gear Mutt’s

Aura strong transmutation CL 13^th

Slot shoulders Price 96,000 gp (DC 33) Weight 2 lbs

Woven from metallic fibers, this iridescent green cloak has a high collar and a striking silver-grey gear symbol on the back. Designed purely for canine Anthro wearers, this cloak augments both their canine aspects and transforms the wearer into a highly adaptable machine organism.

While wearing the Gear Mutt’s Cloak, an Anthro gains Darkvison 60 ft (or improves existing Darkvision by +30 ft) and the scent special quality, as well as the Working Scent feat.

Blaster and Tool Morph

While wearing the Gear Mutt’s Cloak, the wearer can morph an assortment of tools or weapons from their body, deploying them from concealed ports anywhere on their body. As a standard action, the wearer can deploy any handheld tool or masterwork quality skill kit of their choice, which retracts back into their body when no longer needed. Additionally, the wearer can deploy an assortment of laser blasters which function as a +1 spacer’s blaster of infinite ammunition, from concealed ports on their body. These weapons cannot be disarmed, and if sundered, the wearer can simply manifest an additional blaster on their turn.

Battlechanger Transformation

Once per day, the wearer can call upon Gear Mutt’s Cloak to transform themselves into a bio-mechanical lifeform. For up to one hour, the wearer gains a Battlechanger like-form. The wearer is treated as a Battlechanger of their size, and is considered to have 3 points of Fuelon in their Fuelon Reserve. While in this state, the wearer gains the Massive Strength and No Breath qualities, as well as the sensory capabilities of an average Battlechanger. The wearer gains a single alt-mode appropriate to their size. Each time the cloak is donned, the wearer can design a new alt-mode for themselves.

Special: Only Anthro characters can benefit from this magic item.

Similar Items

Gear Duck’s Armor is a gleaming, polished silver-white set of space armor, with a transparent golden visor designed to accommodate even the most majestic beak and a glowing red symbol that looks like a stylized mallard’s head in profile on the breastplate. Gear Duck’s Armor functions as a +2 advanced space suit of moderate fortification, and occupies the armor rather than cloak slot.

The Gear Duck’s Armor provides the wearer with a Flight speed equal to twice their base land speed (average), as well as a Swim speed equal to their land speed, instead of the sensory benefits provided by Gear Mutt’s Cloak.

The Gear Duck’s Armor has a caster level of 13^th and requires limited wish or miracle to be used in the construction process. Gear Duck’s Armor has a purchase price of 125,000 gp (DC 34). The crafter must either be an Avian Anthro or a Battlechanger with a similar primitive alt-mode.

Construction

Requirements Craft Wondrous Items, call weapon, metamorphic adaptation, infinite ammunition, superior anthro adaptation creator must either be a canine or lupine Anthro or a Battlechanger primitive with a similar alt-mode  

Cost 48,000 gp (DC 31)

Mask, Gear Mutt’s

Aura faint transmutation CL 8^th           

Slot face Price 4,500 gp (DC 23) Weight negligible

Woven from metallic fibers the same iridescent shade of green as Gear Mutt’s Cloak, this superheroic cowl covers the hair, eyes and face down to the nose.

While wearing Gear Mutt’s Mask, the integral weapons provided by Gear Mutt’s Cloak function as +2 smuggler’s blasters of infinite ammunition, instead of +1 spacer’s blasters of infinite ammunition. As a move-equivalent action, the wearer can choose to have these weapons inflict either Electrical or Force damage rather than the default Fire damage. The damage type chosen remains active until the wearer chooses to change energy type again.

Special: Gear Mutt’s Mask can only be worn by an Anthro and has no effect if worn without Gear Mutt’s Cloak.

                             

Construction

Requirements Craft Wondrous Items, star ranging       

Cost 2,250 gp (DC 21)

I asked Vic Shane to illustrate the Holo-Mask magic item. These masks are a homage to the titular helmets from the 1980s cartoon MASK which is currently undergoing a renaissance of sorts thanks to IDW Comics.

Mask, Holo-Mask (Various)

Aura strong illusion and either abjuration, evocation or transmutation CL 5^th     

Slot head and face Price 97,500 gp (DC 34) Weight 5 lbs

Holo-Masks are human occult-tech built using reverse-engineered Technysian technology. Holo-Masks are incredibly bulky life support helmets that fully conceal the wearer’s features, race and gender. The masks have a decorative flair, intensely colorful cladding and almost totemistic designs built using life-support components and equipment modules.

A variety of Holo-Masks exist, each designated by a unique color-scheme and design and codename.  All Holo-Masks, regardless of function, can use any of the following spells at will:

·         Flare

·         Invisibility

·         Minor Image

·         Machine Invisibility

In addition, the Holo-Mask can replace the helmet of any armor with the Space Suit property without compromising that property. Each Holo-Mask provides the wearer with a +5 competence bonus on either Drive or Fly checks, determined by the creator at the time of the object’s creation.

Finally, each Holo-Mask has a specific function built into it, which is always based around a third level abjuration, evocation or transmutation effect. This spell is added to the Holo-Mask’s construction requirements and is usable 3x/day. Some examples are described below.

Holo-Mask Codename	Holo-Mask Colors	Spell
California Condor	Green, black and yellow	Fly
Coldsnap	Blue and white	Elemental Aura (cold)
Fireblast	Red, orange, gold	Fireball
Ram Runner	Red and yellow	Haste
Sun Striker	Gold and white	Daylight
Tsunami	Blue and green	Hydraulic Torrent

Construction

Requirements Craft Magic Arms and Armor, flare, invisibility, minor image, machine invisibility plus one spell above

Cost 48,750 gp (DC 31)

The Anthro-Soul items in the book were inspired by the old cartoon Visionaries, and were built around using the Anthro Adaptation spells found in Fursona Unleashed in some creative ways. The art for these items is also by Amanda Webb.

 

Anthro-Soul Plate

Aura moderate transmutation CL 13^th  

Slot armor Price 99,900 gp (DC 33) Weight 50-60 lbs

This especially ornate and heavily girded set of plate-mail is richly enameled in a bright color. Instead of a tabard, the breast plate of the armor has been accented with a polished, mirror-like plate of indestructible and enchanted glass, riveted to the steel. Within this enchanted mirror, a ghostly animal- usually a noble and impressive beast such as a lion, warhorse, eagle or dragon – paces as if caged and roars silently. The armor’s fully enclosed great helm resembles the illusory animal, as do other details carved into the good steel.

Anthro-Soul Plate is a set of +2 jousting full plate of light fortification. As a full round action, the wearer can touch their mirrored breast plate, and saying a short prayer to their animal spirit, activate superior anthro adaptation. This ability is useable at will, but has a longer casting time than the norm. Each armor always bestows the same specific gift (s), chosen by the creator at the time of creation and symbolized by the animal spirit within the mirror.

                     

Some Example Gifts and Totems

Note that these are not the only way to ‘build’ the specified totems. This armor is really limited only by the creator’s imagination.

·         Boar Rushing Charge, Tusks

·         Cheetah Sprinter, Sudden Strike

·         Horse Natural Weapons (hooves), Powerful Kick

·         Lion Powerful Build, Hopebringer

·         Eagle Winged Flight

Construction

Requirements Craft Magic Arms and Armor, limited wish, superior anthro adapation, creator must be an Anthro, creator must have 5 ranks in Ride         

Cost 49,950 gp (DC 31)

Anthro-Soul Standard

Aura moderate transmutation CL 10^th  

Slot none Price 50,000 gp (DC 31) Weight 10-15 lbs

This heavy steel standard pole shares the same design and style as the Anthro-Soul Plate. Instead of a conventional banner, a huge steel frame supports an oval or rectangular enchanted mirror. This mirror, made of indestructible magical glass at least 2-3 ft in diameter is ‘inhabited’ by an illusory animal that paces, flies or swims within the glass and roars silently. The carvings running the length of the steel shaft resemble this animal in some way.

Up to twice per day, the wielder of the Anthro-Soul Standard can cast mass anthro adaptation from the standard. The benefit provided by this spell is chosen by the creator when the Standard is constructed, and once chosen cannot be changed. The benefit provided by the spell is always symbolic of the illusory animal within the mirror.

Special

If the Anthro-Soul Standard is wielded by a character also wearing Anthro-Soul Plate, the effect produced by the Standard functions as anthro perfection instead. As normal, the Gift (s) provided by the spell are static and unchanging, though this synergistic effect allows more or greater gifts than usual.

                             

Construction

Requirements Craft Wondrous Items, mass anthro adapation, creator must be an Anthro           

Cost 25,000 gp (DC 29)

Vic Shane is working on one of the artifacts in the game. This legendary Battlechanger armor was inspired visually by artist Floro Dery’s unused original design for Ultra Magnus, and the lore behind the armor was inspired by the IDW incarnation of that same character. Consider this a bit of a spoiler if you haven’t read the “Remain in Light” storyline of IDW’s More than Meets the Eye yet.

Magnus Aegis

Unique  Minor Artifact

Aura CL 24^th 

Slot armor Weight 28 lbs

The Magnus Aegis is an ancient Technysian artifact, worn by the greatest heroes of the Freegear Rebellion. The gleaming golden armor was worn during the first battle of the Rebellion, and outlived the legendary robotic warlord it was commissioned for. When the armor is not bestowed upon a worthy Freegear (and millennia can pass before a new wearer proves his or her worth), the armor is kept in a vast temple-armory on one of Technys’ gleaming moons.

The Magnus Aegis takes the form of a massive metallic exo-frame, forged from a beautifully burnished golden alloy. When worn the armor seems to merge with the wearer’s metallic body, revealing intricate internal components cast from burnished bronze and platinum. The Magnus Aegis includes a golden breastplate inset with a reinforced translucent polymer window revealing a powerful plasma-energy chamber that powers the armor. A great-helm with blunt, angular wings and pauldrons fitted with high, towering weapons modules farther adds to the wearer’s grandeur.

The Magnus Aegis is a +5 trans-scaling, wilding grade-III powered armor of determination and heavy fortification. The Magnus Aegis provides the wearer with Immunity to Fire and Electricity. The Magnus Aegis’ wilding property applies whenever a Battlechanger wearer assumes any alt-mode, allowing the armor to maintain its full function regardless of their current form. Only a creature with the Battlechanger subtype can don the Magnus Aegis.

While wearing the Magnus Aegis, the Battlechanger is considered one size category larger than normal in all modes, and they lose the Freeze special quality in alt-mode (if present). 

Weapons

The missile-towers built into the armor’s pauldrons function as a +3 nimble-shot, seeking LAW rocket launcher of infinite ammunition.

Destruction

If the wearer is slain while wearing the Magnus Aegis, the armor teleports away at Initiative Count 0 of the round the wearer perishes, leaving the wearer’s body behind. This effect functions identically to interplanetary teleportation, and returns the armor to its temple-armory. If the teleportation effect is prevented or blocked, the Magnus Aegis can be captured or destroyed normally.

It's Here: Secret Soldiers for the Psi-Watch Campaign Setting

Well, it's finally here! Two hundred and seventy-five pages of early 1990s superheroic action for the Pathfinder Roleplaying Game. I just uploaded Secret Soldiers, my huge and nicely illustrated Psi-Watch Campaign Setting bestiary to www.rpgnow.com. Secret Soldiers is on sale for $13.99 and includes just over 160 creatures, all of which are inspired in some way by the comics I grew up reading.

Go check it out, and let me know what you think.

It's worth you time, I think. It's one of the largest bestiaries I've produced to date, and is really packed with neat opponents and concepts.

Blessed Be,
CHRIS

Upcoming: Psi-Watch Bestiary

At this point I'm about a week away from putting out the Psi-Watch mega-bestiary. The final critter roster will top out at between 165-170 creatures, about 40 of which have been previously published and 5-6 of which are familiars.

In addition to some existing artwork and stock I'll be using for this project, I've gathered a huge amount of new artwork by John Picot, Amanda Webb and Vic Shane to illustrate new creatures. Today I thought I'd spotlight a few images that you'll be seeing in this upcoming sourcebook.

 First, three images from John Picot. The first illustrates the Luminate, a high-CR, high-flying energy blaster inspired by The Authority's Apollo. Next, Sekhmet Ammt makes the jump from the older Action Galaxy sourcebook to menace Psi-Watch heroes. She is the 'capstone' on an adventuring thread pitting heroes against an ancient cult of Egyptian super-cyborgs. Finally, a spectacular image of the Irish Magdalene, a heroic Catholic demon hunter inspired by Top Cow's Magdalena, but incorporating some pretty dark (and real) elements of Irish history. Honestly, she's probably my favorite of all the images John provided for this book. I love how she came out.

Next, two from Amanda Webb, out of the many images she provided for the book. The Necrofficer is my take on Spawn, a corrupt military official who comes back as a powerful undead but loses none of his tactical acumen or military mindset. Mechanically and story-wise, the Necrofficer is really fun to write. Beneath the Necrofficer image, we've got Dr. Oblivion Van Der Merwe, a riff on Cameron Hodge from X-Men: X-Tinction Agenda, which remains one of my favorite X-stories to this day. Like Hodge, Dr. Oblivion sits at the head of the Republic of Cebrary chain of command, and is the capstone villain for that adventure path. Amanda told me she specifically hypersaturated the bold pink of the laser blasts to mimic the coloring from the crossover, and I love her rendition of one of the most terrifying X-villains of the early 1990s.

Finally, take a look at two of Vic Shane's contributions to the book. The Cultureborn Adamant is inspired heavily by obscure Wildstorm character, Union, and is a supercop/bodyguard for the Culture. He's designed as a CR 14 challenge, and can take on a spaceship on his own. Tough with cool powers, substituting an enchanted adamantine spear for Union's justice stone and glowing quarterstaff projected from it. Finally, we've got an elite troop for the Republic of Cebrary, a Stormfront Elite. You'll fight these guys at every level of the campaign. He's visually inspired by Jim Lee's design for the Genoshan Magistrates, obviously.

Look for another preview in the next couple days, and the book in a week or two.

Happy Fourth of July,
CHRIS

Bullshit.

I'm on my lunch break at work and I just wanted to comment briefly on the shooting at the Congressional baseball game in Arlington, VA this morning. More specifically, I want to just say something about Republican lawmakers attempting to retcon history and sweep all the right-wing acts of terrorism under the carpet because of this recent act of leftist terrorism.

"This could be the first political rhetorical terrorist attack." Said Representative Rodney Davis (R-IL).

Bullshit.

Ask Dr. George Tiller about 'political rhetorical' terrorism. Oh wait, you can't.

A Republican shot him in the face.

CHRIS

Coming Soon: Psi-Watch Mega-Bestiary

Over the last few weeks, I've been working hard on a massive bestiary for my Psi-Watch Campaign Setting. As yet, this bestiary is unnamed. Right now, this bestiary stands at 170 creatures, which is dramatically bigger than Closed: Monsters of the Army of God, and a slight bit bigger than both volumes of the Black Bestiary put together. About 40-ish of those creatures you've seen before in volume 1 and 2 of the Psi-Threats series, the rest are all new.

There's a lot of political subtext to this, as in many ways the alternate-1993 of the revised Psi-Watch world speaks to the state of America circa 2017. Take a look at the opening essay for the bestiary - the 'xxxx' placeholder text indicates where the book's eventual title will go when I decide on it. After that, take a look at one of the main named badguys of the setting: Evil Cyborg Mike Pence.

Next time, I'll preview some of the new art I'm gathering for the setting and showcase a few more comic inspired bad guys, including some epic-level monsters.

So here's the opening essay, inspirations list and your introduction to President Mike Spencer (subtle, right?) who I hope is a cap-stone villain and challenging fire-fight for your Psi-Watch adventuring party. The illustration of President Spencer is by John Picot who's done double duty on this book.

1993 Equals 2017

I’d been toying with creating a revised setting for Psi-Watch since the publication of Black Operators. I wanted to take the setting back in time and make it a period piece: a superheroic tribute to the early 1990s. As 2015 and 2016 unfolded, the idea of looking backward to my adolescence got more and more appealing, and I began to notice cultural parallels between the two decades. Trump’s virulently racist, right-wing campaign, combined with the visceral conservative pushback against #Black Lives Matter, proved that despite the fact America had elected Barack Obama in the interval, it was not significantly more evolved or any less bigoted than it was on the night Rodney King got beaten. When the monster was finally elected, I started thinking even more seriously about the project.

It was a joke that appeared on Tumblr, an internet meme, that finally pushed this new, 1990s-flavored bestiary out of the theoretical stage and into full production. Somebody online made an image comparing the loathesome homophobe VP Mike Pence with the fictional Reverend William Stryker, with the caption “Why does Mike Pence always look like he’s going to introduce legislation to outlaw the X-Men?”

Well, ka-boom.

The last pieces fell into place.

I’d always, and purely for my own amusement, stated that in the Psi-Watch reality George HW Bush had been blasted by some Iraqi metahuman in the early 1990s. So build on that, and you’ve got an ultra-conservative, anti-mutant (as a visceral and well-established metaphor for homophobia) Republican running in place of the atomized Bush and beating Clinton. All of a sudden, even putting aside the superheroes, mutants and psychics running around, 1993 starts looking a whole lot different, a whole lot darker. A lot more in need of heroic adventurers.

President Michael Spencer (the even worse-than-real, Cyborg Mike Pence) becomes the centerpiece of a web of superhuman opponents, monstrous psions, military-trained undead, and secret, bio-mechanical cults that threatens the world.

XXXX is one of the largest and most wide-ranging bestiaries ever produced by Otherverse Games, dwarfing Closed: Monsters of the Armies of God, The Complete Nemesis Bestiary and both volumes of the Black Bestiary even if you added them together. Included are more than XXXXX monsters. While the entire casts of Psi-Threats Volume I and II are included, those XXX monsters, mecha and supersoldiers represent only a tiny portion of the collected cast, most of which are all new.

A handful of themes dominate XXXXX. In addition to the politics of Psi-Watch’s 1993, several hidden cults and secretive organizations threaten the world. Elements of the Lovecraft Mythos are thrown into the pot with comic book in-jokes and homages, and an absolutely original version of Lovecraft’s Nyarlahotep has emerged as one of this dangerous, war-torn setting’s greatest threats. Mutant culture is caught between cyber-tech bigots, gigantic Watchtower Mecha and the slave-trading Republic of Cebrary at one extreme, and the other-dimensional sadism of Eugenicist Demons at the other. The psion-led, eugenic cult of the Huxley Emergence fights a secret war for control over the planet, and keeps a frightful psychic WMD called the Murder Mind in deep stasis, ready to be unleashed if Emergence’s rivals for the planet ever gain the upper hand.

It’s not all politics though. XXXX is a love letter to the kind of comics I grew up reading. Heroes might storm secret military bases, killing their way through troops in an orgy of hyper-colorful violence, only to confront a Necrofficer staging a military coup. Or they might trade blows with a high-flying, nuclear powered Luminate or be stalked by Lady Entropia’s trio of terrifying minions.

Some new elements introduced in XXXX will be expanded on in future world books. A loose coalition of First Nations tribes, protected by skillful meta-human defenders controls vast swaths of formerly American territory and form one of the most effective resistances to the Spencer Administration. An alternate reality where the Roman Empire never fell treats Psi-Watch’s Earth as a ready source of slaves and entertainment, sending sadistic Box Office Editors to recapture runaway slaves and exceptionally lucky freedom fighters who escaped to Psi-Watch’s Earth. Anthropomorphic adventurers (and the founders of a new, rough alt-rock style called Growl) hail from the city of Cat’s Cradle, which was called Omaha, NE back in the days before all its citizens grew fur. The Lagniappe Thieves Guild in New Orleans is a relic of the Underground Railroad that has evolved into a dashing, romantic band of thieves, spies and assassins.

Inspiration and Media List for Psi-Watch 1992

At its simplest, Psi-Watch is an affectionate homage to the superhero comics of the early 1992s, particularly Marvel’s X-Titles and the first crop of Image Comics. Like these inspirations, Psi-Watch’s heroes are tough, battle hardened psions, aliens, cyborgs and mutants who wage secret wars in the shadows of the modern world.

Particuarly good sources of inspiration for Psi-Watch are listed below. Some are obvious, other sources of inspiration less so.

Comics and Graphic Novels

The following authors and artists are especially influential in my conception of Psi-Watch.

Authors: Brandon Choi, Chris Claremont, Chuck Dixon, Larry Hama, Dan Jurgens, Dwayne McDuffie, Warren Ellis

           

Artists: J. Scott Campbell, Jae Lee, Jim Lee, Rob Liefeld, Joseph Michael Lindser, Joe Madureia, Todd McFarlane, Wilce Portacio, Joe Quesada, Marc Silvestri, Mike Turner

DC Comics

Armageddon 2001 annuals

Batman: Sword of Azreal

The Bloodlines Annuals

The Death of Superman and Reign of the Supermen, Knightfall and Emerald Twilight storylines

Green Lantern (post-Emerald Twilight, featuring Kyle Rayner)

Hellblazer (inspiration for modern magic campaigns)

Kingdom Come

The New Gods and others (1970s series by Jack Kirby)

Preacher (inspiration for modern magic campaigns)

The Ray (first Quesada mini-series)

Superboy (1990s series) and Supergirl (Peter David series) 

Sandman and Death: The High Cost of Living (inspiration for modern magic campaigns)
Superman/Batman: Supergirl (Mike Turner)

Watchmen

           

Marvel Comics

Daredevil (Frank Millar’s 1980s run and Man Without Fear especially)

Deathlok

Exiles

Force Works, Fantastic Force (and other mid-90s spinoffs of classic comic titles)

Ghost Rider, Midnight Sons and other spinoffs (inspiration for modern magic campaigns)

G.I. Joe and G.I. Joe: Special Missions

Guardians of the Galaxy (Jim Valentino)

Iron Man (especially the Armor Wars storyline)

New Mutants and Magik mini-series (1983 series)

Punisher and Punisher: Warzone

Spiderman 2099 and other 2099 titles

The Ultimates

Uncanny X-Men, X-Men, X-Force, Wolverine and other x-titles (especially the Age of Apocalypse, Second Coming, X-Tinction Agenda, and Executioner’s Song storylines)

X-Force (all incarnations, from the Liefeld era to the current incarnation)

Image Comics

Bloodstrike (current incarnation)

Deathmate (especially the Black issue)

Cybrid

Cyberforce and its spinoff series and mini-series

Cybernary

Fathom (Mike Turner)

Gen 13 and Team 7 (especially the first Dixon written Team 7 miniseries)

The Maxx (inspiration for modern magic campaigns)

Prophet (current incarnation)

The Savage Dragon

Shaman’s Tears (inspiration for modern magic campaigns)

Spawn and the Angela miniseries (inspiration for modern magic campaigns)

Stormwatch and the Authority (especially the later, Warren Ellis issues)

Wetworks

Wild C.A.T.s (the early Jim Lee issues especially)

Witchblade (inspiration for a modern magic campaign)

Youngblood, Team Youngblood, Bloodstrike and other Rob Liefeld concepts

Milestone Comics

Blood Syndicate (especially the Demon Fox storyline for modern magic campaigns)

Shadow Cabinet

Static

Valiant Comics

Both the classic 90s issues and the current incarnation of these titles are equally good sources of inspiration.

Bloodshot (and Rai)

Dr. Mirage (inspiration for modern magic campaigns)

Harbinger

Ninjak

X-O Manowar

Other Publishers

Alien Legion (Marvel/Epic)

Dawn (Sirius) (inspiration for modern magic campaigns)

Deathmatch (Boom! Studios)

Hellboy and The BPRD (Dark Horse) (inspiration for modern magic campaigns)

Grendel (Dark Horse)

G.I.Joe and The Cobra Files and related works (IDW)

John Bryne’s Next Men (Dark Horse)

Comics Greatest World (Dark Horse)

Johnson & Stroman’s Tribe (three different publishers over three issues)

Judge Dredd (2000 AD)

Prime, Freex, The Strangers, others (Malibu)

Tarot, Witch of the Black Rose (Broadsword Comics) (inspiration for modern magic campaigns)

Games (pen and paper and electronic)

The Mortal Kombat series (Acclaim)

The Metal Gear Solid series (Konami)

The Street Fighter series (Capcom)

Rifts, Ninjas & Superspies, Heroes Unlimited, TMNT and Other Strangeness (Palladium)

Shadowrun (FASA/Catalyst)

Underground (Mayfair)

X-Men Legends and related titles such as Marvel Ultimate Alliance (Activision)

Novels

The Burke novel series (Andrew Vachss)

The Great and Secret Show (Clive Barker)

Imagica (Clive Barker) (inspiration for modern magic campaigns)

Keeper and others (Greg Rucka)

Neuromancer, Mona Lisa Overdrive, and others (William Gibson)

The Repairman Jack novel series (F. Paul Wilson)

Rainbow Six and others (Tom Clancy)

The Wild Cards novel series (George RR Martin, editor)

Television and Movies

The A-Team

Aeon Flux (animated series moreso than the film)

Aliens

Blackhawk Down

Bloodsport

The Crow (inspiration for modern magic campaigns)

Dark Angel

Die Hard

Equilibrium

GI Joe The Movie (1980s)

Hellraiser film series (inspiration for modern magic campaigns)

Knight Rider (classic and mid-2000s revamp)

Lethal Weapon film series

New Jack City

Nightbreed

Predator (and its sequels)

Rambo (2008 film especially)

Red Dawn (original)

Robocop

Spawn (animated series)

Species

The Transporter

Terminator & T-2

Three Kings

Top Gun

Universal Soldier film series

New Languages

The following languages are unique to the Psi-Watch Campaign Setting.

Culture –An elegant and overly complex language which borrows some linguistic cues from Middle Eastern languages, spoken by the Culture and many client species throughout the galaxy. A common trade argot.

Scarred – The language of the Bleeding Ghosts, a whistling, clicking, growling language with few vowels, which has become the trade language of the Galactic Scar, due in part to the Bleeding Ghosts’ sheer dominance.  

Zeth – Competes with Scarred for the most common trade-tongue of the Galactic Scar. The messy, chaotic language incorporates sound profiles and words from many, many other species.  

President Spencer – CR 15

Medium LE Monstrous Humanoid (human, light cyborg, watchtower)

XP 51,200

Init +3 Senses Darkvision 60 ft, lowlight vision, perceive unencrypted radio/television/wifi signals, Mutant Detection Range 5 miles, Perception +26 (+36 to detect concealed Mutants)      

Languages English

Defense

AC 23 Touch 14 Flatfooted 19 (+3 DEX, +1 dodge, +4 natural, +5 armor)

HP 19d10 +76 hp (181 HP)

FORT +15 REF +9 WILL +15

Immune cyborg immunities, Psionics ; 50% chance to ignore critical hits (armor)

Resist Acid 10, Cold 10, Electricity 10, Fire 10, Pleasure 10

Weaknesses Cybernetic Security Risk -1, Unhealing

Offense

Spd 40 ft

Melee +23/+18/+13/+8 slam (1d10+5 bludgeoning plus 2d6 electrical plus stunned 1 minute (F-DC 12+electrical damage negates) ) 

Ranged two +22 palm darts (1d10 piercing plus conversion therapy (F-DC 24 negates), 18-20/x2, 100 ft range increment, single shot)

Psi-Like Abilities (ML 19^th Concentration +21) 

At Will – brainlock (augmented to affect virtually any creature, W-DC 20)

-          crisis of breath (affect up to 4 creatures in 20 ft burst, DC 18)

-          incite passion (W-DC 16)

3x/day – psychic crush (W-DC 20; 6d6 damage on successful save)

1x/day – apopsi (W-DC 21)

- crisis of life (W-DC 21)

            - psychic chiurgury

Spell-Like Abilities (CL 19^th Concentration +21)

1x/day – Summon (1d4+1 Watchman Type I Mecha or 2d4 Tanks, 100%)

1x/day – Summon (1d3 Warbirds, 100%)

Statistics

Str 20 Dex 16 Con 18 Int 14 Wis 18 Cha 14

Base Atk +19 CMB +24 CMD 37

Feats Ability Focus (conversion therapy), Deflect Arrows, Dodge, Improved Precise Shot, Mobility, Pinpoint Targeting, Point Blank Shot, Power Attack, Precise Shot, Shot on the Run

Skills Bluff +24, Diplomacy +24, Knowledge (behavioral sciences, business, civics, history, local, religion) all at +24, Perception +26 (+36 vs concealed Mutants)

Gear +3 buff coat of medium fortification, access to the “nuclear football”

Ecology

Environment any

Organization accompanied by high level bodyguards including Combat Mentats, Pundit Clones and Rushmore Combat Androids

Treasure double standard (including gear, in lair)

Special Abilities

Conversion Therapy (SU)
President Spencer’s palm-mounted dart launcher fires nanite-laced toxins that shut down mutant powers and occult abilities.

A target damaged by President Spencer’s darts loses access to any racial trait requiring conscious activation, and cannot cast arcane spells, or use Supernatural or Spell-Like abilities requiring conscious activation. (Conversion therapy does not affect divine spellcasting nor psionic abilities.)

While under this effect, the target’s sexual orientation changes to heterosexual, and their gender changes to match their genetic sex, if different, for the purpose of determine what powers and abilities affect them. This may limit use of sex-linked powers and abilities. This secondary effect of conversion therapy cannot affect a character with the Iron Heart feat.

This effect remains in place on the target until they receive a remove disease spell or similar effect. An initial DC 24 FORT Save negates the effect of a particular dart, but new attacks require additional FORT Saves. The save DC is CON-based and includes the bonus for Ability Focus.

Electro-Shock Impact (SU)
President Spencer inflicts an additional +2d6 points of electrical damage with a successful melee attack. The target is stunned for 1 minute after the impact unless they succeed at a FORT Save (DC 12 _+ the electrical damage inflicted).

Target Lock (EX)

All creatures with the Watchtower subtype within 100 ft of President Spencer will hold their action until the President acts. If the President attacks a target with either the Mutant or Patriot subtype, all Watchtower robots within this aura receive a +4 bonus on attack and damage rolls against the designated target. They will attack this target exclusively until it is destroyed. If the Watchtower mecha use their Flame Thrower Purge special attack instead, increase the fire damage inflicted by +2d6. Only a single target may be designated this way at any given time.

Psionic Immunity (SU)
President Spencer is immune to any psionic power that allows power resistance.

Nature

As America rebuilt from the meta-human assassination of President George H.W. Bush shortly after America declared victory in Desert Storm, former Indiana governor and anti-mutant firebrand Michael C. Spencer won a hard-fought campaign for the Republican candidacy. Appealing to enraged masses of Reagan-era conservatives, a new breed of anti-mutant activist and Evangelical Christians convinced the End Times were at hand, Spencer’s strident message carried him into the White House, easily defeating the Democratic nominee, Bill Clinton.

Within days of being sworn in, President Spencer began carrying out the “Contract with Humanity” he and his colleagues promised during the election. In addition to a deliberate rollback of hard won rights for women, minorities, LGBT citizens and the poor, Spencer’s cabinet began overturning the civil rights Mutants and Hard Genes had taken for granted since the late 1970s. The Watchtower Program, dormant since the Carter Administration, reawakened. Heavily armed, federal troops replaced federal funding in Mutant communities in LA, Detroit and elsewhere. The nascent Mutant community formed in the wake of the McDuffie, MO Crisis was treated as public health emergency, and many new mutants were forced into quarantine camps.

President Spencer is a tall, rigid man in his 60s, with the delivery of a revival preacher and an intense, gunslinger’s stare. His current body is a façade: shortly after taking the oath of office, President Spencer accepted a full cybernetic retrofit. Cyber-surgeons loyal to the Cult of Nyarlathotep rebuilt the President as a front-line warrior against Mutant corruption. Alliance with a secret order of Egyptian pagans rankled the Evangelical Spencer, but he reluctantly accepted the cult’s secret aid in order to purge the Mutant stain from the human genome. Now, while President Spencer can still pass for human, his cyber-chassis makes him more powerful than any last-gen Watchtower mecha.

For now, President Spencer fights his battles against Mutants and other undesirable Americans in the courts and on conservative airwaves. However, when the war against Mutants finally goes hot, Spencer will lead America’s armies as a post-human Commander in Chief. Unknown to any but his closest aids and political allies, President Spencer has drafted secret (and likely illegal) executive orders to be put into place during ‘times of genetic emergency’ that give him effectively unlimited powers.