The superhero MMOG City of Heroes can provide an excellent source of ideas for a Marvel Heroic Roleplaying game, or a whole setting for those looking for something with a little less “history” than the Marvel-verse. Under the new Gang’s All Here series, we’ll be writing up datafiles and tie-in options for some of the villain and hero groups from the game to allow you to run Paragon City-based adventures, or to just throw in a bit more colour to your own Marvel events.

Today, we’ll start with a fairly low-level group of thugs likely to be familiar to anyone who has paid a visit to The Hollows.

The Outcasts

The Outcasts are a street gang of mutants possessing an assortment of elemental based powers, mostly falling into the areas of electric, fire, earth, and ice manipulation. They generally form into “chapters” based along their power theme, and a degree of infighting and a level of rivalry has probably stopped them being as major a threat as they have the potential to be.  Despite this, they are quick to come together—under Frostfire’s leadership—in the face of opposition from other Paragon City gangs or heroes trespassing on their territory or disrupting their plans.

Overview

Aims

They’ll be happy when they claim the territory of the Hollows, crush their enemies and rival gangs, and end up running the streets of Paragon.

Acts

You might find them committing acts of vandalism and larceny, attempting to recruit new members via intimidation, or skirmishing with enemy gangs.

Ties

• Detest the Trolls for attempting to take over the Hollows.
• Frequently fight gang turf wars with their long-standing enemies, the Tsoo.
• Make the Paragon Police Department and other authorities nervous due to the strong potential shown by some of the gang members in their powers.

Notes

The Outcasts’ ranks are almost exclusively comprised of mutants; in City of Heroes, this isn’t of particular note, but if transposing the group into a setting such as Marvel where anti-mutant prejudice is a larger plot theme, you should add the Mutant Limit to all of the following datafiles.

Milestones

Image via City of Heroes website (Know Your Adversary), used without permission

If adding the Outcasts to your game, you may offer these Milestones to players wanting to invest their heroes further into the rise and/or fall of this villain group.

Down and Outcast in Paragon City
Police or heroes may decide to work undercover within the Outcast group to keep track of their operations and take down key targets.

1xp when you partake in a crime to establish or maintain your cover
3xp when you hurt an innocent or a friend to maintain your cover, or when you risk your cover by avoiding hurting someone.
10xp when your undercover work pays off and you deal a major blow to Outcast operations, or when you completely blow your cover in order to save an important aspect of your personal life.

Revenge Best Served Cooler
You have unpleasant personal history with the Outcasts, and you are determined to make them pay.

1xp when you declare you have history with a particular member of the Outcasts.
3xp when you take trauma from that Outcast.
10xp when you cause the Outcast member to be incarcerated, or you choose to kill them for what they did to you.

General Characters

Gang of Initiates

Team: 3d6
Distinctions: Gangbangers, Selfish and Stubborn

Gang Traits: Weapons d6, Swarm d8
SFX: Area Attack. Target multiple opponents. For every additional target, add d6 and keep +1 effect die.
Limit: Mob Cohesion. Defeat Team dice (with d8 stress) to reduce mob.

Trio of Outcasts

Team: 3d8
Distinctions: Superpowered Gangbangers, Selfish and Stubborn, Gang War Veterans

Elemental Gang
Weapons (guns, bats, knives) d6
Then choose three of the following, taking multiple of the same trait if desired for say, a trio of Coolers.
Coolers’ Ice d8 / Crushers’ Stone Fists d8 / Torchs’ Flares d8 / Chargers’ Bolts d8

SFX: Area Attack. Target multiple opponents. For every additional target, add d6 and keep +1 effect die.
SFX: Coordinated Assault. While 2d8 or more Team dice remain, use a second Elemental Gang power for free in an attack action.
SFX: Bad Elements. Step up complications inflicted with elemental powers.
Limit: Mob Cohesion. Defeat Team dice (with d10 stress) to reduce mob. For each Team die removed, also eliminate one element based power trait.

Paraphernalia

Hideouts

Outcasts frequently set up bases of operations in abandoned and Derelict buildings, usually either apartments or offices.  These hideouts usually feature Bored Guards or Squabbling Patrols that become unruly when they don’t see action on a frequent basis.

In the Hollows, the Outcasts may make their lair in the Maze of Networking Tunnels that run under the area, despite these frequently being Dangerous and Precarious and often Prone to Cave Ins.  The Outcasts will fight particularly hard to prevent such ground falling in to the hands of the Trolls.

Gear

Most of the lower ranks make do with baseball bats, crowbars, flick-knives, and—if they are lucky—the occasional pistol, all at a trait rating of d6.  Some of the more senior or more ambitious members procure a regular supply of slightly heavier artillery. Meanwhile, however, those who have acclimated to their elemental powers tend to eschew weapons in favour of their mutant abilities.

• Submachine Gunadds a d8 Weapon trait to a power set and the following SFX
  • Rapid Fire: Double Submachine Gun in an attack against a single target. Remove the highest rolling dice and add 3 dice for your total.
• Shotgunadds a d8 Weapon trait to a power set and the following SFX
  • Buckshot: target multiple nearby opponents with Shotgun. For every additional target, add d6 to your pool and keep +1 effect die.

Named Characters

NOTE: The following are archetypes of common elite gang members rather than actual individuals. Heroes may meet three different Shockers out on the streets, for instance. Actual named members (such as Frostfire, the gang’s leader) will feature in more detail in an upcoming Action Scenes! involving the Outcasts and the Trolls.

Volt

Affiliations: Solo d4, Buddy d6, Team d8
Distinctions: Shows Potential, Thug

Electrical Thug
Sub-machine Gun d8, Electrical Influence d6

SFX: Charged Brawl. When using Electrical Influence in a melee attack, step up physical stress inflicted on living or electrical targets by +1.
SFX: Rapid Fire. Double Submachine Gun in an attack against a single target. Remove the highest rolling dice and add 3 dice for your total.
Limit: Gear. Step up or add d6 to the doom pool and shutdown Electrical Thug power set. Spend d6 from the doom pool to recover the Power Set.

Specialties: Combat Expert

Shocker

Affiliations: Solo d4, Buddy d6, Team d8
Distinctions: Live Wire, Thug, All Flash…

Electrical Mutant
Electrical Blast d6, Electrical Control d8, Flight d6

SFX: Electrical Absorption. On a successful reaction against an electromagnetic-based attack action, convert your opponent’s effect die into an Electrical Mutant stunt or step up an Electrical Mutant power for your next action. Spend d6 from the doom pool to use this SFX if your opponent’s action succeeded.
SFX: Conductive. Against targets in or on a conductive material, such as water or metal, step up physical stress inflicted by +1. Target multiple opponents in the same situation, add a d6 for each extra target and keep an additional effect die.
Limit: Grounded. Step up or add d6 to the doom pool and shutdown Electrical Mutant vs. grounding or electricity-dampening attacks. Spend d6 from the doom pool to recover the Power Set.

Specialties: Combat Expert, Menace Expert

Match

Affiliations: Solo d6, Buddy d4, Team d8
Distinctions: Warming Up To Crime, Thug

Fiery Thug
Submachine Gun d8, Fire Influence d6

SFX: Scorch. When using Fire Influence in a melee attack, step up physical stress inflicted on living or flammable targets by +1.
SFX: Rapid Fire. Double Submachine Gun in an attack against a single target. Remove the highest rolling dice and add 3 dice for your total.
Limit: Gear. Step up or add d6 to the doom pool and shutdown Fiery Thug power set. Spend d6 from the doom pool to recover the Power Set.

Specialties: Combat Expert

Scorcher

Affiliations: Solo d6, Buddy d4, Team d8
Distinctions: Hot-Headed, Thug, Determined

Fiery Mutant
Fire Blast d6, Fire Control d8

SFX: Fiery Shield. On a successful reaction against physical melee action, inflict physical stress with your effect die at no cost, or step up +1 by spending d6 doom.
SFX: Sparks. Add a d6 and step up effect die +1 when inflicting fire based complications.
Limit: Extinguished. Step up or add a d6 to doom when you step up physical stress or complications inflicted by ice, water, or other extinguishing materials.

Specialties: Combat Expert, Menace Expert

Block

Affiliations: Solo d8, Buddy d6, Team d4
Distinctions: Solid Gang Member, Thug

Earth Thug
Shotgun d8, Earth Influence d6

SFX: Buckshot. Target multiple nearby opponents with Shotgun. For every additional target, add d6 to your pool and keep +1 effect die.
SFX: Stone Fists. Add a d6 to pool for an attack action and step back the largest die -1. Step up physical stress inflicted by +1.
Limit: Uprooted. Step up or add a d6 to doom and shut down Earth Thug power set when prevented from making contact with the ground.

Specialties: Combat Expert

Brick

Image via City of Heroes website (Know Your Adversary), used without permission

Affiliations: Solo d8, Buddy d4, Team d6
Distinctions: Solid Gang Member, Thug, Hard-Headed

Earth Mutant
Hurl Boulder (Blast) d8, Earth Control d8

SFX: Shaky Ground. Add a d6 and step up effect die +1 when inflicting earth based complications.
SFX: Stone Fists. Add a d6 to pool for an attack action and step back the largest die -1. Step up physical stress inflicted by +1.
Limit: Uprooted. Step up or add a d6 to doom and shut down Earth Mutant power set when prevented from making contact with the ground.

Specialties: Combat Expert, Menace Expert

Chiller

Affiliations: Solo d8, Buddy d6, Team d4
Distinctions: Cold, Thug

Ice Thug
Shotgun d8, Ice Influence d6

SFX: Buckshot. Target multiple nearby opponents with Shotgun. For every additional target, add d6 to your pool and keep +1 effect die.
SFX: Chillax. Add a d6 and step up effect die +1 when inflicting ice based complications or assets.
Limit: Can’t Stand the Heat. Step up or add a d6 to doom when you step up physical stress or complications from heat or fire.

Specialties: Combat Expert

Freezer

Affiliations: Solo d8, Buddy d4, Team d6
Distinctions: Cool Customer, Thug, Icy Demeanour

Ice Mutant
Ice Blast d6, Ice Control d8

SFX: Chillax. Add a d6 and step up effect die +1 when inflicting ice based complications or assets.
SFX: Stay Frosty. Replace Ice Control with 2d6 for your next action.
Limit: Can’t Stand the Heat. Step up or add a d6 to doom when you step up physical stress or complications from heat or fire.

Specialties: Combat Expert, Menace Expert