History TabletopGame / Champions

** The Destroyers (later Deathstroke) started out as a fairly generic villain team, but as the setting was developed they devolved into an entire team of Butt Monkeys, even hiring an image consultant in an attempt to help them seem impressive again. After the continuity reboot they were eventually brought back but they'd lost two-thirds of their membership in an especially disastrous stroke of bad luck. The survivors have been in jail so long hardly anybody remembers them anymore.

* ExpandingThrownWeapon: A collection of {{Lethal Joke Character}}s in ''Adventurers Club'' magazine included Planet-Man, who had the ability to shrink planets down to pocket size and hold them there indefinitely. He would attack by taking a marble sized planet out of his pocket, throwing it at his target, turning off the shrinking and teleporting away: leaving his target to attempt to dodge a planet.

* TricksterGod: The members of C.L.O.W.N., a team of prankish supervillains created to give the GM a means to inject some humor into a campaign that's gotten too serious, were inspired to take on their powers and join the team by one of these working behind the scenes.

* AnimalWrongsGroup: In the ''Dark Champions'' supplement is a group known as [[FunWithAcronyms W.E.B.]] (While Earth Burns), an EcoTerrorist group who's leadership plans on wiping out eighty percent of the human population in order to protect the environment.

In addition to spearheading support for an entire genre, ''Champions'' has also been influential as the first and best-developed [[TabletopGames Tabletop Game]] to use [[PointBuy point-based character creation]][[note]]Well, one of the first, depending on definitions[[/note]], allowing players to precisely define their characters using a budget of points which were spent on powers and attributes whose costs were play-balanced against each other. It specifically introduced the concept of acquiring character ''flaws'' in order to gain extra points. It was also one of the first [=RPGs=] to do away with [[CharacterClass character classes]] and [[CharacterLevel character levels]]. These innovations heralded what is sometimes called the Second Generation of RPG design; most modern roleplaying games use a variation of character points in defining their characters (Steve Jackson of Steve Jackson Games specifically credits ''Champions'' for shaping and guiding his thoughts when he began developing ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}''). ''Champions'' itself went on to become the skeleton to ''two'' other universal systems by the end of the 1990s: the HERO System, and Fuzion.

Also, in 2008, Hero Games brought out a licensed supplement for the ''ComicBook/PS238'' setting. It contains a simplified version of the Hero System rules for players just starting to use Hero System.

** In the ''TabletopGame/HeroSystem'' supplement ''TabletopGame/FantasyHero'', the Free City of Weyrcliff has the Dusty Dog Tavern.

* PsychicChildren: PSI (Parapsychologial Studies Institute) kidnaps children with psychic powers and brainwashes them into loyal minions.

* ProgressivelyPrettier: Mind Slayer, who went from [[http://rhinobunny.com/images/mindslayer.jpg this]] in 5th Edition to [[http://images.mmosite.com/photo/2009/03/29/championcom4_a3o30L11V77.jpg this]] in ''VideoGame/ChampionsOnline''.

* HumongousMecha: IHA (or GENOCIDE, depending on the editon) have the Minutemen robots. Also, there are Mega-Destroids, and Red Doom gave us 1980s Soviet Battlemechs.

* HypnosisProofDogs: In some editions, this is explicitly a part of mind-affecting powers--in order to affect animals, you have to buy it with extra points (or sacrifice the Human mind category.)

** Hero System supplement ''Fantasy Hero Companion''. All six types of demon (Demon Lord, Fire Demon, Amorphous Horror, Deceiver, Hordling and Hell Hound) have to obey anyone who knows their true name.
** The Hero/''TabletopGame/{{Rolemaster}}'' supplement ''Mythic Egypt'' has the requirement of knowing the target's true name for a fair bit of its magic, most notably mind-affecting spells. Djinn (presented as the setting's elf [[{{Expy}} expies]] rather than the more familiar GenieInABottle stereotype and an available player character race) have the problem of all sharing the ''same'' true name whose secret has already gotten out...

** In the adventure ''The Island of Doctor Destroyer'', the title island Destruga holds the secret base of Doctor Destroyer, from which he plans to launch a Hypnoray satellite and MindControl the entire world.\\
\\
In ''Classic Organizations'', after being destroyed in its original location Neutral Ground relocates to this exact island, turning from a fairly posh ''club'' for supers of all kinds into an island ''resort'' in the process. Doctor Destroyer's legacy is brought up in the relevant chapter and used as a plot point in at least one example adventure outline.

* JetPack
** ''Gadgets!''. The Rocket Pack allows powered flight at a speed of 65 m.p.h. in combat and 130 m.p.h. out of combat, with a maximum flight duration of 1 hour.
** ''Enemies''. The supervillain Lazer uses one which allowed him to fly at 65 m.p.h. Interestingly, it is powered by his own Endurance rather than an onboard fuel supply.
** ''Enemies II''. The supervillain Death Commando, a member of Deathstroke, has such a device that allows him to travel up to up to 40 meters before having to be re-charged (more like a jump pack).
** Organization Book 2 ''PRIMUS and DEMON''. After DEMON steals the Earth Crown of Krim from PRIMUS headquarters, a Morbane (supervillain) wearing a jet pack flies with it to the local DEMON base.

* NotWearingTights: Had a few characters who specifically refuse to wear costumes, like the Bastion of Budapest from ''European Enemies'' whose handlers tried to make him wear one but he hated it and they ultimately agreed to just let him wear a suit.

* DarkerAndEdgier: ''Dark Champions''
* DarkMagicalGirl: Talisman

* DimensionLord: the TropeNamer, with Skarn the Shaper and Tyrannon the Conquerer (who are both also {{Multiversal Conqueror}}s).

* {{Doorstopper}}: The Fifth Edition rulebook can stop ''[[PocketProtector bullets]]''. The Sixth Edition was split into two volumes due to its size, stacked together it's even larger than Fifth.

* DumpStat

* EmotionEater

** Supplement ''Champions Universe'' (2002). The supervillain Samhain feeds off the fear and terror in the minds of human beings. Its superpowers include the [[SupernaturalFearInducer ability to induce such fear using mind control]].

* EverybodyHatesHades

* EvilLuddite / EvilReactionary: This is the shtick of the villain Retrograde in ''High Tech Enemies''. His power allows him to transform high tech items into low tech, non-functioning equivalents, such as transforming a suit of PoweredArmor into a suit of medieval knight's armour.

* ExpansionPackPast

* {{Expy}}

* TheFace: A character with a high Presence score and lots of Presence based skills.
* FantasyMetals: "Questionite", a fantastic metal that never bends nor breaks. Make a "Questionite Shield" to block, bash, and throw or "Questionite Claws" to slice and dice and still make julienne fries.

* FlyingBrick: The most common of superhero archetypes is naturally a common one here.
** There is also what players call the 'Demi-Brick' who has less strength and toughness in exchange for quicker reactions and a wider array of powers.

* FragileSpeedster: Oddly every character that shows up in the earlier editions of Champions is this to a varying degree. The Body stat is how much damage a character can take without dying and like almost every other stat, the human maximum for it is 20 while the average is 10. Likewise Dex is the same thing. Almost every character in Champions has a a Body of 10 only, with most brick characters having 12 or 14. The character with the highest Body stat is Hulk expy, Grond. Grond clocks in at 18, so he's not quite as tough as a maximum human being. If your game-master allows you to buy strong killing attacks with the "No Normal Defense" advantage or similar, you can easily kill any character in the game in a single shot. Conversely, even Brick characters that have low character point totals are superhumanly agile and fast, most chunky muscle-types have a Dex of 23 even while their background stories describe them as being sluggish and clumsy.

* FromCamouflageToCriminal: Several of the supervillains were Vietnam veterans who put the contacts they made or the skills they used to work in a life of crime. The list of these characters includes Lazer, Death Commando, and Bullet.
* FunWithAcronyms

* {{Gamemaster}}: Not the first game to use this term -- generic knock-offs of Tabletopgame/DungeonsAndDragons began using the term almost immediately -- but perhaps the most well known, thus making ''Champions'' the TropeNamer.
* GangInitiationFight: In the Tuala Morn setting (''Fantasy Hero''), anyone wishing to join a King's warband must challenge a current member to a fair and non-lethal fight. Winning doesn't guarantee acceptance, but losing guarantees rejection.

* HealingFactor
** Supplement ''Fantasy Hero Companion''. Demon lords can regenerate 4 Body (HitPoints) per turn (12 seconds).

** Supplement ''Enemies''. Binder and Plasmoid were supercriminals who had joined together to commit crimes. They decide to steal a gold shipment at the same time as the supervillain Black Star and get into a fight with him. After watching Plasmoid and Black Star battle for a while, Binder decides that they should work together and offers Black Star a place on the team. Black Star accepts.

* HitPoints: Most characters in the HERO System have two kinds of hit points: STUN, and BODY. When you run out of STUN, you're knocked out. When you run out of BODY, you are dying. Automatons can be built with the "has no STUN" power, which means they cannot be knocked out, only killed. In both cases, having even one point left usually means you're just fine. (One important exception: if you take enough STUN damage in one go, you're briefly, well, stunned -- with lowered defenses, non-persistent powers turning off, and forced to lose your next action to recover -- regardless of how many points you may have remaining.)

** Supplement ''Champions III''

** Supplement ''Fantasy Hero Companion''. All demons have the following disadvantages: Take double Body damage from holy weapons, lose 3-18 Endurance points per 12 seconds in contact with holy ground, and lose 3-18 Stun points per 12 seconds in contact with holy water.
* HomeFieldAdvantage: From the supplement ''Enemies III''. The villain Red Rapier knows he isn't really powerful enough to take on superheroes by himself, so he tries to even the odds by luring them onto his own turf. He tries to trick a hero (or heroes) into entering a building he has filled with tricks and traps.

* HulkSpeak: Grond and Ogre
* HumongousMecha: IHA (or GENOCIDE, depending on the editon) have the Minutemen robots. Also, Mega-Destroids, and Red Doom which gave us 1980s Soviet Battlemechs.

In addition to spearheading support for an entire genre, ''Champions'' has also been influential as the first and most well-developed [[TabletopGames Tabletop Game]] to use [[PointBuy point-based character creation]], allowing players to precisely define their characters using a budget of points which were spent on powers and attributes whose costs were play-balanced against each other. It specifically introduced the concept of acquiring character ''flaws'' in order to gain extra points. It was also one of the first [=RPGs=] to do away with [[CharacterClass character classes]] and [[CharacterLevel character levels]]. These innovations heralded what is sometimes called the Second Generation of RPG design; most modern roleplaying games use a variation of character points in defining their characters (Steve Jackson of Steve Jackson Games specifically credits ''Champions'' for shaping and guiding his thoughts when he began developing ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}''). ''Champions'' itself went on to become the skeleton to ''two'' other universal systems by the end of the 1990s: the HERO System, and Fuzion.

The intellectual property rights to the ''Champions'' setting are now held by Creator/CrypticStudios, the original developers of the {{MMORPG}} ''VideoGame/CityOfHeroes''. They bought the setting outright rather than licensing it, and it is now used as the setting of their new game, ''VideoGame/ChampionsOnline''. The IP is licensed back to the original developers (who still own the underlying Hero System) for the pen-and-paper game. (Cryptic themselves are now owned by Perfect World Enterprises.)

* AdjectiveAnimalAlehouse

*** Early editions of ''Champions'' also had a sample hero character named Crusader, who was pretty much Franchise/{{Batman}} without the arsenal of gadgets -- though later versions gave him a few more of those -- or perhaps more ComicBook/{{Daredevil}} with a more bat-eared costume.

** Grond is the Abomination or perhaps the [[ComicBook/TheIncredibleHulk Hulk]].

* TheArchmage: There are various examples in the game lore, like The Master from ''The Circle and M.E.T.E.'', who doesn't even have a character sheet and is meant to be used purely as a plot device. When the setting developed more, the title of "Archmage" became the Champions universe's equivalent to Marvel's [[ComicBook/DoctorStrange Sorcerer Supreme]] as the setting's most powerful mystic hero. It eventually became a plot hook that Earth's Archmage was killed about a hundred years ago and it's been vacant ever since. The mystical community's getting really worried about what'll happen when a big time magical conqueror tries to attack an Earth that doesn't have an Archmage's protection (leaving it open for a player's wizard hero to assume the mantle).

* BadassNormal: Numerous examples throughout the world, such as Nighthawk, Green Dragon, Seeker, Utility and Thunderbird. Binder is a particularly noteworthy example; he gets his badass points for taking on superheroes with a Glue Gun - and winning (specifically, he's on a team with a couple of very powerful energy-blasting types--he sets the heroes up and his buddies fry them).

* [[BreathWeapon/TabletopGames Breath Weapon]]

** Several villains who existed mainly for laughs and to get beat up, such as Bulldozer and Power Crusher.

* CatGirl: Lynx; a rabid anime fan and lover of Cat Girls turned supervillain after she got a genetic upgrade. She always wanted to be one and this being a super heroic world there was somebody who could make her one...pity he was evil.

* CityOfAdventure: Millennium City

* ContinuityReboot: The ''Champions'' universe was rebooted in 5th Edition. It was done with the intent to have a coherent history and setting from the beginning, instead of one slowly taking shape around the various sourcebooks being released like had happened up until then. Said Reboot also ignored the AudienceAlienatingEra that was the ''Champions New Millenium'' Reboot.

*** Early editions of ''Champions'' also had a sample hero character named Crusader, who was Franchise/{{Batman}} without the arsenal of gadgets. Though later versions gave him a few more of those.

** GENOCIDE is similar to Marvel's various anti-mutant groups, complete with Sentinel-like Minutemen Robots. The IHA [[note]] Institute for Human Advancement [[/note]] that took their place is less transparently evil and opposed to superhumans in general, not just mutants.

** UNTIL was also similar to S.H.I.E.L.D., right down to the I in both names standing for International.

** Subverted somewhat with Orion, whose origin is so close to that of ComicBook/GreenLantern that it's almost satirical...up until the point where a two-bit thug knocks pilot Harold Jackson out and steals his cosmically powerful weapons.

* BewareMyStingerTail: Ankylosaur

* BurningTheShips: In the history of the Tuala Morn setting (for ''Fantasy Hero''), the ancestors of the Tualans were refugees hunting for a new homeland. Once they decided to settle in Tuala Morn, their leader scuttled their ships as a sacrifice to the sea gods, thanking them for their aid.

%%* OurVampiresAreDifferent: Stalker, Mexican Vampire lord.

* SlidingScaleOfIdealismVsCynicism: The ''Champions'' universe, as depicted, is very much on the Idealism end, but the setting is also set up so it can be depicted as a lot darker and grittier. ''Dark Champions'' is on the other end, albeit still in the same universe. It's like comparing [[{{Franchise/Superman}} Metropolis]] to [[{{Franchise/Batman}} Gotham]], really.

** ''Magazine/WhiteDwarf'' magazine #67 adventure "Peking Duck". All of the supervillain Shadow Dancer's Elemental Control - Negative Energy powers don't work in the light. Other of her powers require shadows to be present, and bright light will prevent her from using them. Last, she becomes nauseous in sunlight, which will make it difficult to use the powers she has left.
** The comics also had a couple villains who were extra vulnerable to light attacks because of the "darkness of their souls." That is they're so completely evil physical light's become extra-damaging to them.

* WizardingSchool: Organization Book ''The Circle and M.E.T.E.''. The Circle is a group of superheroes who are being trained by The Master in magical techniques.

** There was a running gag amongst the fandom that if Seeker appeared unconscious on the cover, then it was a good book. The cover of ''European Enemies'' (widely considered the worst Hero supplement ever published), conversely, featured Seeker kicking one of the featured villains.

* ContinuityReboot: The ''Champions'' universe was rebooted in 5th Edition. Said Reboot also ignored the AudienceAlienatingEra that was the ''Champions New Millenium'' Reboot.

* EldritchAbomination: The Kings of Edom and their more powerful minions are obviously based on Creator/HPLovecraft's Franchise/CthulhuMythos, though aren't quite focused on (their being {{sealed|evil in a can}} helps) as that would change the tone and genre from SuperHero to... [[CosmicHorrorStory something else]] as the strongest are effectively impossible to truly defeat.

* EmperorScientist: Malachite.

* MonsterClown: Black Harlequin.

** Mechanon is ComicBook/{{Ultron}}; however, in the current edition he has moved away from his directly copied origins. Mechanon also share similarities with ComicBook/{{Brainiac}}, particularly the Bronze-Age skeletal one.

* ChummyCommies[=/=]DirtyCommunists[=/=]RenegadeRussian: The game's setting shows an amusing evolution in its treatment of Soviet characters. ''Red Doom'', a 3rd edition supplement, was published in 1988, and depicted a pair of official Soviet superteams -- "The Supreme Soviets", who were basically loyal to the state, if only because that suited their ambitious leader, Colonel Vasalov, and who thus tended to operate in the range from {{Worthy Opponent}}s to DirtyCommunists, and their auxiliary team, the "Comintern", who were created as something of a dumping-ground for less reliable or more independent-minded supers, and who could thus be more likely to come across as ChummyCommies. (Both included non-Russian members.) However, the switch to 4th edition came around the time of Soveit collapse, and by the time the characters were updated in ''Classic Enemies'' (1991), they needed major changes. One group, "Red Doom", had gone rogue, with Colonel Vasalov aiming to depose President Gorbachev and take over Russia, thus falling into the RenegadeRussian category (though the team still had several non-Russian members); the other characters had become an independent hero team, the "New Guard", albeit still loyal to their various homelands and so potentially able to operate at cross-purposes to western heroes, making them basically ChummyCommies who weren't especially communist.

** The Infinity Man is clearly based on the Beyonder.

** Subverted somewhat with Orion, whose origin is so close to that of ComicBook/GreenLantern that it's almost satirical...up until the point where a two-bit thug knocks him out and steals his cosmically powerful weapons.

* HilarityEnsues: The ending line of a lot of irreverant plot seeds in character supplements is "Wackiness ensues." Usually for ones where an NPC starts dating a PC.

* BaseballEpisode: One of the plot suggestions from the book ''Allies'': the players and one of the other hero teams from the book meet to play baseball, for anything from a simple charity outing to settle a dispute between warring alien factions.

* ContinuityReboot: The ''Champions'' universe was rebooted in 5th Edition. Said Reboot also ignored the DorkAge that was the ''Champions New Millenium'' Reboot.

In addition to spearheading support for an entire genre, ''Champions'' has also been influential as the first and most well-developed [[TabletopGames Tabletop Game]] to use [[PointBuy point-based character creation]], allowing players to precisely define their characters using a budget of points which were spent on powers and attributes whose costs were play-balanced against each other. It specifically introduced the concept of acquiring character ''flaws'' in order to gain extra points. It was also one of the first [=RPGs=] to do away with [[CharacterClass character classes]], and ''the'' first RPG to do away with [[CharacterLevel character levels]]. These innovations heralded what is sometimes called the Second Generation of RPG design; most modern roleplaying games use a variation of character points in defining their characters (Steve Jackson of Steve Jackson Games specifically credits ''Champions'' for shaping and guiding his thoughts when he began developing ''TabletopGame/{{GURPS}}''). ''Champions'' itself went on to become the skeleton to ''two'' other universal systems by the end of the 1990s: the HERO System, and Fuzion.

* FlyingBrick: The most common superhero archytypes is naturally a common one here.