Nunc autem uri!

[Dannyalcatraz]

(Now, you will burn!)

Soooo, I had this idea for a fire/heat themed superhero from an alternative dimension where Rome didn’t fall, but who is now trapped in the home setting for the campaign. Think...a version of the original Marvel Iron Man villain Firebrand, but with high-tech centurion-like armor and gear.

His secret ID would be something like Marcus Celsius, but his super ID would be something like Incendimus. Perhaps he has a “rocket pilum”, monofilament energy sword and a force shield to go with his powered armor.

I’m looking for input. I’m a HEROphile, so I’m not necessarily looking for game mechanics- I can figure that out on my own. I’m looking for system-neutral ideas for powers and abilities, yes, but MOST importantly, looking for roleplaying ideas to make him seem more Roman and thus different, plus ideas on why he’s trapped here.

I’m thinking he’s going to be a bit harsher, almost like Judge Dredd. But beyond that? Kinda drawing blanks.

Any ideas?

 

[Morrus]

His armour heats up so nobody can touch him.

 

[Parmandur]

When I think "Classical Roman," I think of three big traits that would stand out compared to a modern American:

1. Ridiculous levels of misogyny, beyond the pale of almost any modern society.

2. Strong superstition and decision making based on omens: point 1 might spring from this.

3. Firm belief in the Law, as a cosmic force: linked with point 2 to a fair extent.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

Hmmmm...maybe some kind of Oracle A.I. built into his armor to read signs and portents.

 

[monsmord]

He's going to be pretty short for a superhero; even a large Roman male would be less than six feet. Some of this can be attributed to diet, diseases, etc., but even if your other-dimensional Rome solved all that, it could be interesting to keep him at a shorter stature for roleplaying purposes.

As for how he got here, maybe he died over there, went to the Underworld, there were shenanigans, and he came out here. Or he quested into the Underworld while living, got lost, etc. Or made a move on Prosperina, and ran, got lost, etc. Perhaps Dis Pater, as he read the scroll that meted the fate of the dead, got his Latin wrong (a bad translation from the Greek), and thus exiled Celsius to our world by accident? Or maybe he believes he's dreaming while wandering Erebus...

If you take an Underworld angle, perhaps he can see or sense spirits, speak with the dead, or by touch tell which region the Underworld they'd be assigned to if they died at that moment. Not very fiery, I know. Maybe his armor is a gift of the Underworld (or an Underworld treasure he's stolen - maybe a quest item he found too good to give up), so it's not just proof against fire, but against otherworldly agents and powers, and grants him the equivalent of detect lies/illusions/spirits/etc.

 

[TarionzCousin]

Socks with toes. #Romediditfirst

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

@monsmord

I’m not sure I like the idea of him dying, but perhaps entering Pluto’s realm on a quest like the Greek legend of Orpheus would be appropriate. Only, he wasn’t up to the task, and his hubris was punished by transdimensional exile. Perhaps he even went back multiple times, and he got ousted into a variety of dimension not his own. Today, he is either resigned to his fate or in between attempts.

I think I want to keep his powers mainly tied to his high-tech armor. Some supernatural abilities might work, but I don’t want them to be the main shtick. But if he DID go to the underworld as a living man, it’s not outside of the realm of possibilities that the quest changed him in some way.

His secret ID would be something like Marcus Celsius, but his super ID would be something like Incendimus. Perhaps he has a “rocket pilum”, monofilament energy sword and a force shield to go with his powered armor.

New idea for supers ID: Sol Invictus. Divinities or demigods acting as superheroes and mortals adopting immortal IDs are relatively common in comics, so why not?

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

I’m thinking SI’s armor will have a “solar crown” of spikes that illuminate.

His “Pilum” will be a shoulder-mounted compact particle accelerator with a slow recharge. Powerful, but limited.

I’m still tossing around ideas for the “Scutum”.

His time in the Underworld has made him sensitive to the presence of unseen spirits.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

On the scutum, should I go for either a typical modern riot shield like this PROTECH INTRUDER G2

or something more high-tech?

The Protech looks the part of a classic Roman scutum, but is more like something a Capt. America style character might use.

Ultratech forcefields or an impossibly compactable retracting deployable scutum concealed within one arm of the suit would be more Iron Man style.

 

[Morrus]

So we're talking sci-fi Romans?

Laser pilums, helms with HUDS... I mean, Romans are defined by their military structure, and we have to decide why they still use that rather than modern (or futuristic) tactics; we don't line up and march towards the enemy now, let alone in the future. And they were famous for that.

Are we keeping the tech the same but skinning it as sci-fi? Or altering it to the point that the tactics change, at which point, what makes it "Roman"?