Wonder Man NPC For a Survive This!! Vigilante City campaign set in a Public Domain Super Heroes (PDSH) version of New York City

 Fred Carson was a radio engineer who enjoyed traveling. While on a trip to Tibet, he met a yogi who put him through a series of rigorous tests. Fred passed, proving that he had the physical and moral strength to do good. As a reward, the yogi gave him a magic ring. Fred used it to fight for humanity and justice as Wonder Man.

Wonder Man is a high-tier "MegaHuman" NPC for Survive This!! Vigilante City RPG, a powerful, almost godlike figure whose immense powers make him a true force of nature in the urban landscape.

Wonder Man (NPC)

Character Background

Originating in Mystery Comics #1-4 (1944), Wonder Man was an innocent man who found himself with a powerful, magic ring. This ring, a gift from a mysterious figure known only as the "Lama" (unrelated to the Green Lama), granted him the strength of Samson, the speed of Mercury, and the vitality of Atlas. In Vigilante City, the ring is a potent artifact that gives him near-unlimited power, but he remains a somewhat naive, powerful force for good. He operates as a one-man army against the most significant threats to the city.

Attributes

Wonder Man's stats are incredibly high, reflecting his nearly unparalleled power when in hero mode.

Attribute	Score (Bonus)
STR	24 (+7)
DEX	18 (+4)
CON	22 (+6)
INT	12 (+1)
WIS	16 (+3)
CHA	14 (+2)
SURVIVAL	5

• Hit Points (HP): 150 (Vastly resilient)
• Stun Points (SP): 50 (Vast pool for reality manipulation/power use)
• Armor Class (AC): 22 (Near invulnerability + superhuman speed)

Powers & Abilities

Wonder Man's powers are derived from his magic ring and are always active.

• Godlike Strength: He possesses the strength of Samson, allowing him to perform impossible feats of strength, lift buildings, or shatter steel with a punch.
  • Effect: Unarmed attacks deal 4d6+7 blunt damage. He can lift/carry objects as an impossibly large creature (essentially whatever the plot requires).
• Near Invulnerability: With the vitality of Atlas, he is almost impervious to harm from conventional sources.
  • Effect: Damage Reduction 20 against all physical and energy attacks. Only highly potent magical or super-science weapons can truly harm him.
• Super Speed & Flight: He possesses the speed of Mercury, allowing him to move faster than the eye can track and fly.
  • Effect: Can fly at incredible speeds (200+ ft as a move action) and has advantage on all Dexterity checks and saving throws. Can make two extra attacks per round due to speed.
• Rapid Healing: His vitality allows him to recover from wounds at an accelerated rate.
  • Effect: He regains 2d6 HP at the start of his turn in combat.
• Heat Vision (Optional): Some versions of these high-powered heroes had eye beams.
  • Attack (Ranged): +10 to hit; Damage: 3d8 energy damage (range 100 ft.); costs 3 SP per use.

Weapons & Equipment

Wonder Man uses no weapons; his body is the ultimate weapon.

• The Magic Ring: The source of his power. If the ring is removed, he becomes a regular, average human again.
  • Vulnerability: The ring can be a target for villains. Removing it requires a successful grapple check or a cunning plot device.
  • 
    
    
    

NPC Roleplaying & Story Hooks

• Motivation: Using his seemingly limitless power to fight "evil and injustice," often in a very black-and-white moral framework.
• Personality: Earnest, sincere, and perhaps a bit naive due to his sudden acquisition of power. He is a straightforward problem solver who often prefers punching the problem until it stops moving, though he has a strong moral compass.
• Appearance: A classic red and blue costume with a prominent "W" emblem on his chest.
• Hooks:
  • A powerful magical villain discovers the secret of Wonder Man's power and manages to steal his ring, de-powering him. The PCs are the only ones who can retrieve it from the villain's magically-protected lair.
  • Wonder Man is fighting an immense, city-leveling threat but is distracted or outmatched in a tactical sense. He needs the PCs to handle the secondary objectives (saving civilians, shutting down a power source) while he keeps the main threat busy.
  • The "Lama" who granted the ring returns, demanding it back, and the PCs must help Wonder Man prove his worthiness to keep his powers.

Amazing Man NPC For a Survive This!! Vigilante City campaign set in a Public Domain Super Heroes (PDSH) version of New York City

 Amazing Man is a powerful NPC for Survive This!! Vigilante City RPG, a "MegaHuman" who combines peak human conditioning from mystical training with potent, unique powers, earning him the nickname the "Green Mist".

Amazing Man (NPC)

In 1914, an orphaned child named John Aman was chosen by the Tibetan Council of Seven to be trained to both mental and physical perfection. Aman was also given an injection of an experimental formula that would allow him to become invisible, the effects were temporary and he would need to inject himself weekly. When he was 25, he was ready to fight crime in the outside world. He returned to America and did just that, by stopping a railroad president from causing more train derailment. He was helped by  Zona Henderson, a female investigator, but later traded her out for her kid brother,  Tommy the Amazing Kid. Amazing Man's powers include super strength, invulnerability, and the ability to make himself disappear in a cloud of green vapour. It is because of that last power that he is also known as the "Green Mist." Amazing Man's arch-enemy is The  Great Question, an evil telepath who was exiled from the Council of Seven after Aman exposed his true nature.

In his second adventure, he is kidnapped. While a willful prisoner, the Great Question telepathically causes the villainous aspects of Aman to come to the fore, actually physically transforming his face to match his new evil. Eventually, Aman is able to shake off the effects

Character Background

John Aman was an orphan chosen for his physical potential and trained for 25 years by the mystical Council of Seven in Tibet. This rigorous training granted him mental and physical perfection, which, combined with a special chemical solution, gave him superhuman powers, including super-strength, invulnerability, and the ability to turn into a cloud of green vapor. He now fights crime, driven by the teachings of the Council, opposing his arch-nemesis and former council member, the evil telepath known as the Great Question.

Attributes

Amazing Man's stats reflect his balance of physical might, resilience, and wisdom gained from his training.

Attribute	Score (Bonus)
STR	18 (+4)
DEX	16 (+3)
CON	18 (+4)
INT	14 (+2)
WIS	16 (+3)
CHA	12 (+1)
SURVIVAL	4

• Hit Points (HP): 80 (Immense toughness and stamina)
• Stun Points (SP): 35 (Used for powers)
• Armor Class (AC): 18 (Invulnerability + agility)

Powers & Abilities

Amazing Man relies on his powers, which are always active or triggered by his chemical solution.

• Super Strength & Invulnerability: Amazing Man possesses incredible strength and can withstand tremendous damage.
  • Effect: Unarmed attacks deal 2d6+4 blunt damage. He has Damage Reduction 10 against physical attacks. He can lift/carry objects as a large creature.
• Invisibility (Green Mist): He can turn himself invisible in a cloud of green vapor.
  • Effect: Amazing Man can spend 3 Stun Points to become invisible for 1d4+1 rounds (or a scene at GM discretion). While invisible, attacks against him have disadvantage. This power is temporary and requires access to his chemical solution for extended use.
• Super Speed/Agility: His training granted him speed and agility beyond a normal human.
  • Effect: +3 bonus to Initiative rolls and Dexterity saving throws.
• Healing: Amazing Man has enhanced healing capabilities.
  • Effect: He regains an additional 1d4 Hit Points at the start of his turn in combat.

Weapons & Equipment

Amazing Man relies mostly on his fists, but carries essential items for his methods.

• Vial of Chemical Solution: Carries several doses needed to activate his invisibility power. The supply is a minor vulnerability, as running out means no more "Green Mist".
• Simple Clothes: He often operates in simple attire to blend in, relying on his powers for protection.

NPC Roleplaying & Story Hooks

• Motivation: To use his skills and abilities to fight evil and help those in need.
• Personality: Stoic, focused, and disciplined, a result of his monastic upbringing. He is a man of action rather than words.
• Appearance: Often depicted in simple blue trousers and a red shirt, blending in until his powers are needed. He is physically imposing.

• Hooks:
  • Amazing Man's arch-nemesis, the Great Question, is telepathically controlling key city officials, and John Aman needs the PCs to act as a distraction while he confronts the villain on the astral plane.
  • The PCs discover a unique chemical formula being sold on the black market, which turns out to be a potent, addictive knock-off of the "Green Mist" solution, drawing Amazing Man into their investigation.
  • Amazing Man is wounded by an experimental weapon and must rely on the PCs to find the rare, mystical ingredients needed for his enhanced healing to fully recover.

Atoman NPC For a Survive This!! Vigilante City campaign set in a Public Domain Super Heroes (PDSH) version of New York City

 Atoman is a formidable, high-powered NPC for Survive This!! Vigilante City RPG, classified as a "MegaHuman" with substantial energy-based powers, reflecting his origin as a being of raw atomic energy.

While working as a nuclear scientist at the "Atomic Institute," Barry Dale absorbs the "power of the atom" through unconscious exposure to nuclear materials and gains superpowers as a result. As described by Barry himself: "Evidently my body is so geared as a result of working on radium and uranium that it can explode atoms and give me atomic strength." He uses his new abilities -- such as super strength, flight, speed, invulnerability, "atomic vision," and the ability to heat his body so that he can weld metal with his hands -- to fight crime.

Atoman (NPC)

Character Background

Originally the scientist Barry Dale, a lab accident exposed him to a surge of atomic energy, transforming him into a being of pure power. Now, as Atoman, he fights crime with incredible strength, the power of flight, and devastating control over atomic energy. He is a force of nature in the urban landscape, often acting as a high-powered guardian against threats too great for street-level heroes. He is driven by a strong sense of justice and the desire to use his potentially destructive powers for good.

Attributes

Atoman's attributes reflect his immense power, resilience, and scientific intellect.

Attribute	Score (Bonus)
STR	20 (+5)
DEX	14 (+1)
CON	20 (+5)
INT	16 (+3)
WIS	14 (+2)
CHA	12 (+1)
SURVIVAL	4

• Hit Points (HP): 90 (Immense toughness)
• Stun Points (SP): 45 (Vast pool for energy projection)
• Armor Class (AC): 20 (Nigh-invulnerability from atomic form)

Powers & Abilities

Atoman uses Stun Points to activate his powerful, energy-based abilities.

• Immense Strength: Atoman possesses strength on par with the strongest heroes, capable of lifting tanks or punching through concrete walls.
  • Effect: Unarmed attacks deal 2d6+5 blunt damage. He can lift/carry objects as a gargantuan creature.
• Nigh-Invulnerability: His body of atomic energy makes him almost impervious to harm.
  • Effect: Damage Reduction 15 against all physical and energy attacks.
• Flight: Atoman can soar through the air at high speeds.
  • Effect: Can fly at a speed of 120 ft as a move action. Costs 1 SP per round of flight.
• Atomic Energy Beams: He can project powerful beams of destructive energy from his hands.
  • Attack (Ranged): +8 to hit; Damage: 4d6 energy damage (range 120 ft.); costs 4 SP per use.
• Atomic Blast (Area of Effect): A more powerful, area-affecting burst of energy.
  • Effect: All creatures in a 20-foot radius sphere must make a Dexterity saving throw (DC 17) or take 6d6 energy damage (half on a successful save); costs 8 SP per use.
• Self-Sustenance: Atoman does not need to eat, sleep, or breathe.
  • Effect: Immune to environmental effects like vacuum or extreme temperatures.

Weapons & Equipment

Atoman has no need for traditional weapons, relying entirely on his powers.

• The Atom-Light: A flashlight-like device used in the original comics to blind enemies.
  • Effect: Targets must make a Constitution saving throw (DC 15) or be blinded for 1d4 rounds.
• Costume: A simple, form-fitting blue and red suit that can withstand his powers and the rigors of battle.

NPC Roleplaying & Story Hooks

• Motivation: Using his power responsibly to protect the public from large-scale threats, particularly those involving science gone wrong or supervillains with destructive capabilities.
• Personality: Serious, burdened by his power, but ultimately a force for good. He is a logical thinker due to his scientific background.
• Appearance: A tall, powerful man in a blue and red outfit, often with a large "A" logo.
• Hooks:
  • A massive, city-destroying threat (giant robot, alien invasion, etc.) appears, and Atoman is the only one capable of truly fighting it, but he is overwhelmed and needs the PCs' strategic support.
  • Rick Ray (Atoman's alter ego) seeks the PCs' help in his lab to contain a volatile energy source, forcing them to work alongside his human side before the hero persona is needed.
  • Atoman is temporarily weakened and needs the PCs to protect him while he recharges his powers, making him a vulnerable, high-value target for his enemies.

Creating a Survive This!! Vigilante City campaign set in a Public Domain Super Heroes (PDSH) version of New York City

 Creating a Survive This!! Vigilante City campaign set in a Public Domain Super Heroes (PDSH) version of New York City is an excellent way to capture the Golden Age of comics feel using a flexible, OSR-inspired system.

The "Public Domain" aspect means you have free rein to use classic characters, locations, and concepts without copyright restrictions.

Campaign Concept: The Post-War Boom & Shadow

The year is 1947. World War II is over, and New York City is booming. However, the shadows of conflict remain. GIs are returning with new skills, but also new traumas. Organized crime is flourishing, and a new wave of technologically-advanced or magically-gifted villains is emerging, capitalizing on post-war anxiety and atomic age science.

The characters are new heroes rising to fill the void left by wartime heroes, navigating a city grappling with a rapidly changing moral landscape.

Key Campaign Themes

• Golden Age Grittiness: The tone should be noir-ish and grounded. Heroes have powers but aren't god-like; they get hurt, they deal with police skepticism, and they face real danger.
• Technological Marvels vs. Street-Level Crime: The villains range from simple mob bosses to scientists wielding bizarre atomic-age weapons.
• Moral Ambiguity: The line between a "vigilante" and a "hero" is often blurred.
• A Living City: NYC is a central character, with its diverse boroughs, iconic landmarks, and hidden underworlds.

Campaign Hub: "The Liberty Legion" (PDSH Team)

Instead of a single headquarters, the characters might operate out of an old, abandoned firehouse in Greenwich Village, functioning as an unofficial base of operations. The PCs form a new hero team, perhaps named "The Liberty Legion" or "The City Spirit."

Key Locations

• The Docks of the East River: Perfect for smuggling operations, organized crime meetings, and late-night fights.
• Times Square: A bright, crowded centerpiece for major villainous attacks and public disruptions.
• Lower East Side Tenements: Gritty urban landscape for street-level crime and poverty-related investigations.
• The Baxter Building/Stark Tower stand-in: The science-hero "Dr. Tomorrow" (PD character) operates a high-tech lab that the PCs might interact with for gadgets or information.
• Central Park: A surprisingly dangerous location at night, used for secretive meetings and monster appearances.

Public Domain Heroes and Villains

Integrate existing PD characters as NPCs:

Heroes (Allies/Mentors)

• The Green Mask: An established hero who provides cryptic advice or asks the PCs to handle specific cases he is too busy for.
• Miss Victory: A patriotic hero focusing on large-scale threats, perhaps providing backup in major battles.
• The Flame: A powerful elemental hero who is sometimes an unreliable force of nature, requiring the PCs to manage the collateral damage of his presence.

Villains (Antagonists)

• The Claw: A classic pulp villain, a master criminal with clawed hands and a penchant for international espionage. His organization can be the main street-level threat.
• Black Owl: Not the heroic version, but a criminal using the identity. A tech-savvy villain using advanced optics and sound dampening gear for high-tech heists.
• Dr. Fu Manchu (or a similar pastiche): A master mind focusing on chemical warfare and mind control, a primary user of strange science against the city.

Campaign Starters and Adventure Seeds

1. The Dockside Smugglers: The PCs receive a tip about strange cargo coming through the East River Docks. They discover that The Claw's organization is importing a powerful "magnetic weapon" designed to paralyze military defense systems.
2. The Times Square Terror: A bizarre, atomic-age monster (a giant insect or reptilian creature created by experimental science gone wrong) appears in Times Square, causing chaos and attracting media attention. The PCs must stop it without causing massive civilian casualties.
3. The Chemical Conspiracy: A series of unexplained deaths involving victims laughing uncontrollably points toward a new chemical developed by "The Clown" (from the previous prompt) or Dr. Fu Manchu. The PCs must track down the source before it's released into the city's water supply.

Using Vigilante City Rules

• Use the "Classless" character creation in Vigilante City to let players build unique heroes based on PD characters or original concepts fitting the era (e.g., a "mystery man" using a fedora and fists, a "science hero" with gadgets, or a "strong man" with enhanced physiology).
• Emphasize the DANGER mechanic. Golden Age heroes get beaten up. Combat should feel risky and dramatic.
• The modular rules make it easy to quickly stat out PD villains and their unique gadgets or powers using the system's simple framework (Health, Defense, Damage, Ability Checks).