path of conquest and empire-building. He thinks the best way to get that started would be to have to put down a revolt in part of the Dominion. He hires the PCs to explore a site in Kar- talia that is, unknown to them, of great sacred significance. When word leaks out, the Kartalians will revolt... and the heroes will be right in the middle of it. Cormar decides it’s time to take another wife, and a female PC strikes him as the perfect bride. An ardent course of wooing begins, and he keeps it up no matter how many denials he receives because he’s not the sort of person to take “No” for an answer. Either the PCs are going to gain a powerful enemy or find themselves embroiled in Atlan- tean politics on a high level... or both. The Atlan asks Cormar to head a diplomatic delegation to the Empire of Tellat, and “requests” that he take the PCs along. Burdened with these “young pups,” Cormar does his best to make their lives miserable... and then tries to engineer a diplomatic incident he can pin on them.
won’t back down from a fight, though he’ll try to disengage if it becomes apparent he’s overmatched (usually by numbers, not any one person’s skill). He loves making Presence Attacks.
Campaign Use: As revealed in the histories, Cormar eventually rebels against Vondarien and is defeated... but there’s no reason you can’t move his attempt to grab power up to the time of your Atlantean Age campaign. Suddenly the world of Atlantis is riven as two mighty men contend for the throne, and your heroes have to help the Atlan hold off the challenge!
To make Cormar tougher (for exam- ple, if you want him to server as a master villain who can fight all your PCs at once), increase all his spell Multipowers to 280- point reserves (and give him more spells) and have his enchanted armor provide Physical and Energy Damage Reduction, 50%, Resistant. He probably also needs some straightforward Mental Defense and Power Defense. To weaken him, reduce his spell Multipowers to 150-200 points each (or less) and his SPD to 4, and remove his Martial Arts packages.
Cormar makes an interesting Hunter. He’s quick to take offense and seek revenge, but he has to be very, very circumspect about it lest he expose his dark side to Atlantean society. Rarely does he involve himself in any of his schemes directly; he has underlings, hirelings, flunkies, and Summoned beings to do his dirty work for him. Appearance: Cormar is an Atlantean noble, and he looks the part: he’s 6’4” tall and extremely handsome, with blonde hair and blue eyes, plus a sort of arrogant way of standing and speaking borne of the confidence engendered by decades of
having never failed at anything he’s tried. Powerful in both wizardry and war, he wears an enchanted golden breastplate and matching bracers. A scarlet cape hangs from the shoulderpieces he wears to complement the breastplate. He carries on his hip the legendary magical blade Aurumgast, which looks scarcely larger or more durable than a rapier.
DALSITH
Dalsith, Cormar’s eldest son, is very much his father’s child. Their attitudes and conduct are virtually identical, and they’re thick as thieves, often more like brothers than parent and sibling. But if anything, Dalsith’s personal traits are even more extreme than Cormar’s. He realizes that even if Cormar succeeds in attaining greater power, he (Dalsith) will still have to wait centuries upon centuries for his own turn. As a result, his beliefs, and his methods of dealing with problems, are even more extreme. Dalsith’s character sheet is similar to his father’s, with a few key changes. First, he’s sublimated a lot of his frustra- tions and anger into acquiring greater personal power, and as a result is an even mightier wizard than Cormar (though no one besides Dalsith, not even Cormar, realizes this). His Multi- power reserves are: Air 280, Earth 250, Fire 280, Water 250, Light 240, Order 240, Arcane 230. (And of course he knows any spells his father can’t buy due to reserve size restrictions.) He’s studied Shadow and Chaos magic, two subjects many Atlanteans regard as suspicious if not taboo, extensively, and has even spent time in disguise among the Eshun- ans learning their arts of Conjuration.
Second, his enchanted items are different. His armor is similar to Cor-
mar’s, but not quite as powerful (Armor [16 PD/16 ED], Hardened). Instead of Aurumgast he wields the magic spear Icetooth, whose large, distinctively-shaped head is recognized throughout Atlantis and the world. In addition to its thrust (HKA 4d6, Armor Piercing, STR Mini- mum 25) it has a variety of ice- and cold- based powers: Icy Blast (Energy Blast 16d6); Storm Of Jagged Hail (RKA 3d6, Indirect [from above], Area Of Effect [12” Radius], Continuous); Freezing Slumber (Energy Blast 8d6, NND [defense is LS (Safe Environment: Intense Cold)]). He rarely carries his spear, since he’s not much of a warrior and it’s large and ungainly, but does sometimes have his Spar of Attunement, a powerful magical crystal about a foot long, with him as he goes here and there in Atlantean society. (It provides +6 with Magic spells/powers and an Aid Magic 6d6, all Magic spells/ powers simultaneously, that he can use six times per day.) His Blasting-Wand is Atlantean standard. Lastly, he wears an amulet known as the Talisman of Blessed Fortune (Luck 6d6, OAF).
Dalsith looks very much like his father, but his hair and eyes are dark, and so is his countenance — he always seems to have a look of bitterness or envy about him, despite being one of the best-known and most-accomplished nobles in the Dominion. He wears an Atlantean tunic and pants in his favorite color, sea green, but dispenses with the typical shoulderpieces and simply wears his black cloak wrapped tightly around his shoulders; he clasps it at his throat with a cloak-pin in the shape of a hawk’s head. So that he doesn’t have to have flesh-to-flesh contact with others, he wears flared gloves on his hands most of the time.
75+ Disadvantages
10 Physical Limitation: Near-Human Intelligence (Frequently, Slightly Impairing)
5 Physical Limitation: Reduced Leap, cannot leap (Infrequently, Slightly Impairing)
15 Physical Limitation: Very Limited Manipulation (Frequently, Greatly Impairing)
10 Physical Limitation: Huge (16m tall; -6 DCV, +6 to PER Rolls to perceive) (Frequently, Slightly Impairing)
691 Experience Points
Total Disadvantage Points: 826
Ecology: The Anthelean Worm is a monster that’s haunted the wild parts of Anthele for decades, if not centuries. It consumes large animals, often cattle and sheep, but enjoys human flesh as well. Personality/Motivation: Normal animal motivations, though it also seem to be motivated by a certain malice. Powers/Tactics: The Anthelean Worm enjoys the favor of Ares for some reason, which makes it extremely difficult to kill. Many a hero has lost his life to the Worm’s incredibly lethal bite and sting... and even those who found a way to wound it before dying discovered the monster heals with great swiftness.
The Worm is bold and aggressive, but surprisingly stealthy given its size, and clever to boot. If possible it lies in wait for those who hunt it, then turns the tables on them with an ambush. It picks the biggest, toughest-looking target first and goes right after him, often using a multiple-power attack to bite and sting him simultaneously. It flees only if reduced to 25% of its BODY or less, using its Burst Of Speed to escape pursuers and then hiding via Stealth or Tunneling.
Campaign Use: The Anthelean Worm is an example of how to take an “ordinary” monster — in this case a giant serpent — and “Atlanteanize” it, making it a unique monster specific to the Atlantean Age setting. Its greater power and the favor of the god Ares make it a more “mythical” and deadly beast than ordinary gigantic reptiles.
Appearance: This fearsome monster haunts the forests and swamps of Anthele. It resembles a gigantic serpent, its body twice as big around as that of a large man and dozens of feet long. Its head looks something like that of a tradi- tional European dragon, with long, sharp fangs that constantly drip deadly venom. Tipping its tail is an equally deadly sting.
H
ere are a few monsters from the Atlantean Age that you can use to threaten your players. Beyond this small sampling there are plenty of creatures in The HERO System Bestiary, Monsters, Minions, And Maraud-ers, and other Hero Games books that are appropriate. Some, such as the
Harpy, Lamia, Leomachus, Mer-Folk, Sphinx, and Roc, are suitable pretty much just as they are. For others you may need to make them tougher, more powerful, or more mag- ical. In some cases, as with the Anthelean Worm described below, you can create a great Atlantean monster by taking a standard monster, making it bigger and mightier, and giving it an Atlantean “hook” like a connection to one of the gods or being the subject of a Vasaran prophecy. For example, a giant from Monsters, Minions, And Marauders might be the son of a god, and thus gifted with even greater strength and some unusual magical powers that make it a real challenge for your heroes.