Campaign created Friday, July 25, 2003 05:48:57 PM by Randi

Birds of Prey is based on the TV series of that name, which only aired for one season before being canceled, but was a great series (imho). Come to New Gotham City, where the women of the night fight evil and injustice. Interested? Email Randi.

This campaign is currently closed (March 2006). Contact GM TP if interested in being placed on the wait list (in case anyone leaves the game and a slot opens up).

PS (from Randi): I am no longer active in this game. It is now Greg's (Trickster Priest's) game, not mine. Please contact him with any questions. Thanks.



Legend tells of a caped crusader, Batman, guardian of New Gotham, and his one true love, Catwoman, the queen of the criminal underworld. Their passion left behind something extraordinary, a daughter, Huntress. Half metahuman, she has taken up her father's mantle and, under cover of the night, fights to protect the innocent and helpless. Joining her in this struggle, Oracle, who was once Batman's protege, Batgirl. She was caught in the crossfire of the war between Batman and Joker, now she fights crime a different way, a master of the cyber-realms and mentor and trainer to heroes. Together, they have taken in a young runaway, Dinah, a metahuman herself with powers to open hidden doors to the mind, powers that she is only beginning to explore. Together, these three are the protectors of New Gotham - the Birds of Prey.

But now the birds have flown away... or have they? For whatever reason, the original birds have gone, leaving an empty nest, and a really, really nifty computer system, database on metahumans and all. One of the birds may still be around, looking for help... and she may ask you to join her, or perhaps to take over for her.

Campaign Tone etc.

This will be a Dark Champions Campaign. The heroes are vigilantes, frowned on by officials and actively hunted by police, who consider you criminals, as bad as the real criminals, or maybe worse.

Required disad: Hunted by authorities, more powerful (there are many more of them than you), 14-, extensive non-combat influence, 30 points.

Morality: Gray. The world is similar to that of today, but a little darker, as reflected in the TV series and the Batman movies. The PCs should find themselves in moral dilemmas from time to time, but on the whole, criminals are evil, etc.

Realism: How real is a superhero game? Mostly, the world is as we know it today, even if a bit darker and grimmer. But there are these people with super powers. They are lower keyed than, say, Superman... but they exist nevertheless, and people know it. Due to politics and police actions, most metahumans hide their abilities, with some rare exceptions. Even those exceptions, such as the Black Canary (believed dead) don't usually actively associate with police. They work undercover, as vigilantes.

With the exception of the Justice League of America -- Batman, The Flash, Martian Manhunter, Superman, and Wonder Woman -- metahumans are, at best, accepted. Some aspire to be as good as the JLA. Some work in the dark. Many use their skills and talents for criminal purposes.

Outlook and seriousness: Very serious. Everything is episodic. If you go on a killing spree, there will be repercussions.

Importance of the Player Characters: Very. Crime is rampant (again) and the paranormal criminals are getting away with murder (literally), the mob rules the city, and the corrupt police don't do much about it, with very few exceptions. So it's up to you. Can you save the good people of New Gotham?

House Rules and campaign background

We will use Hero System 5th Edition rules.

Characters will be 100 base + 100 disads, and should have a good background story. If you spring up out of nowhere, there should be a reason detailed in your background. Keep in mind the genre: Batman movies and Birds of Prey TV Series.

All super characters will be female, in keeping with the spirit of the Birds of Prey TV Series. You may play a male competent normal if you wish (the police lieutenant, Jesse Reese, for example), but realize that you won't have super powers and the players with super powers may eclipse you. Competent normals may have martial arts, other skills, weapons, tech equipment, etc.

Everyone gets normal characteristic maxima at no cost. Hero Designer users, set your template to "Competent Normal" and then change the base and disad points to 100, 100. Make sure "Normal Characteristic Maxima" is checked on the Characteristics page. If you don't have Hero Designer, send your character info to me and I'll key it in for you. But Dan would be grateful if you buy a copy of the software from: http://www.herogames.com (free plug; it's good stuff!)

One of the charms of the series: the romantic subplots. I encourage these. They add to the enjoyment of the game. Keep it PG-13, though. If it goes beyond, take it to email. We want to keep our happy home.

First Aired October 2002

Last Aired February 2003



Show Stars

Ian Abercrombie	Alfred Pennyworth
Dina Meyer	Barbara Gordon
Shemar Moore	Jesse Reese
Mia Sara	Harley Quinn
Ashley Scott	Helena Kyle
Rachel Skarsten	Dinah Lance

SEASON ONE
- Unaired Pilot
- Pilot
- Slick
- Prey for the Hunter
- Three Birds and a Baby
- Sins of the Mother
- Primal Scream
- Split
- Lady Shiva
- Nature of the Beast
- Gladiatrix
- Reunion
- Feat of Clay
- Devil's Eyes

Sites to check out:

http://www.tvtome.com/tvtome/servlet/ShowMainServlet/showid-6836/

http://www.birdsofpreyonline.com/

unspecified	Amicus suggested I keep a journal of all the things we do as the Birds of Prey. Since he's usually right about these kinds of things, I'll give it a try. ~Seraph
July 26th	It all happened on this day. We met up in an alley next to the clock tower cause some of Al Hawke's creeps were trying to get in. Grendel already knew about the secret hideout, but me and the others were just passing by when the fight started. I wonder where I would be now if I had just run away. Me, Ghost, Deadeye, and Erika were invited inside after capturing the creeps. That's when I met Amicus. He didn't have a name at that point and he had a female voice. My powers changed him though. We also met Batman for the first time that night. He asked us to help him find out what happened to missing Birds of Prey. He suggested we start at Arkham Asylum.
July 27th	The others headed out there very early in the morning to Arkham Asylum. They didn't find Harlequinn, but they did find Slick. He's that meta that can turn into water. He almost drowned Deadeye, but he doesn't do too well against electrical shock. Then, they headed to the sewers underneath the asylum trying to find Slick. Instead, they rescued another meta named Mystara. They swam back out through the sewers (ew) and ended up near the piers. I went over and picked them up. It was on the beach that we met Kestrel and learned that she needed some help finding someone. After dropping Mystara off someplace safe, we headed to Axis Chemical to find Derek Ferrari. We did find him, but he was beaten up really bad. Kestrel called 911 and so we had to run to get out of there before the cops arrived. At least Mr. Ferrari got the help he needed. I almost got caught, but Deadeye helped me escape. We dropped Kestrel off and then headed back to the clock tower for some much needed rest.
August 1st	I'm really glad I gave Kestrel a radio, cause she got ambushed by some men. They wanted to use her to get info out of her father. I got to hear the whole thing over the radio and I sent the others to go help. Unfortunately, they couldn't stop them before they got away in a van. The others followed them though to a warehouse on the docks. They threw Kestrel into a makeshift jailcell, but the others broke her out. They got out of the goons that they work for Hawke, but still weren't sure why they attacked Mr. Ferrari. Then they decided someone should just go visit Mr. Ferrari in the hospital to find out what Hawke was after. We also met new people that night cause they were drawn to the warehouse by the gunfire. Raptor, Nocturna, and even a police detective named Grant. It turned out that Grant's partner was actually a meta named Seer. She ended up helping us out a lot. Even though we met new people, we also lost a good friend. Deadeye left that night and I haven't seen or heard from him again. I hope he's still okay. After dropping Deadeye off, they others go to the apartment of one of the guys that kidnapped Kestrel. I ended up going back to the scene after a weird phone call from the Seer (I didn't know who she was at the time) cause I didn't want the police to find any evidence. I met up with Grant and Seer and we decided to all meet at Gordon's to talk. It was also that night that I discovered that Amicus's program got transferred to my mind.
August 5th	After a few days of trying to put different life stuff in order, we all met up at Gordon's Bar. I convinced everyone to get together and talk. It was me, Kestrel, Grendel, Ghost, Raptor, Seer, and that police detective Grant. We talked for awhile and decided to go after Hawke by finding his new drug plant. It was also that night I learned that my father, Dick Grayson, was still alive. I had no idea then that I was going to be adopted as the granddaughter of one of the wealthiest men in the world.
August 5th	I went back to the clock tower with just Nocturna as the others talked in the bar a little longer. I showed her the computers and she met Amicus. I think she was shocked when my hair and eyes changed. We talked a little about fathers when mine suddenly showed up. I dropped down from the skylight and was right there in front of me. I never knew my father was the Nightwing. He told me my mother was probably Terri Sanderson and he never knew she was with child or he wouldn't have let her abandon me.
August 6th	As Ghost went to check out Hawke's place, Kestrel went to see her dad in the hospital. Things really didn't go as planned though. Eric, a scientist that worked with her dad, showed up and injected her dad with the serum they were working on. Then Grant and Seer showed up and Eric, not knowing they were good guys, injected himself. So, we decided it would be best to bring both Kestrel's dad and Eric to the clock tower for observation. Raptor and Grendel headed out to help with the transportation, but Nocturna was attacked by Slick at the same time. Meanwhile, Ghost was following a captive scientist in the hands of Hawke's men. They took the scientist to a warehouse on the east side of town. When she heard that Nocturna got captured, she ran to help. Seer and Kestrel got Eric up to the lab in the clock tower with no trouble. After hooking him up, they left to get Mr. Ferrari. I felt so guilty that I couldn't do more to help Nocturna. Even though we just met, I felt a connection to her. So, with some urging from Amicus, I put on Batgirl's old suit and rushed out to help my friend. Nocturna had been taken by Slick and Harlequin. I'm not exactly what they wanted to do with her, but no one is really sure what those two are thinking.
August 6th	It turned out that Nocturna didn't need much rescueing. We then headed over to get that scientist out of Hawke's grip. It turned out that he was working on an antidote for the serum they injected into Mr. Ferrari. There was a battle and Grendel was lost through some kind of extra-dimensional portal. They got the serum and brought it back where they treated both Mr. Ferrari and Dr. Eric. I started feeling really worried about having Amicus in me. I wasn't sure what to think and it was starting to play alot on my mind. Maybe that's what made me talk about it on the balcony at the party....See below.
August 17th	Seer contacted me and told me we should go to a costume ball. She had a vision that something was going to happen. All of us, me included, weren't prepared for what did go down. It looked like Riddler and his group of goons tried to take over the ball and steal from the guests, but it was just an illusion. Ra Al Ghoul had set up the whole thing. I'm not sure if he was originally after me, but it ended up that he wanted me. He kidnapped me right off the balcony and transported both of us all the way to Greece. He wanted Amicus and used his magic to transport Amicus's program into a real body. At least he picked a cute one. ;) The others came to my rescue and with some outside help including Batman, we were brought back to Gotham City. We also met some new friends that night including Morigan and Reggie. Nocturna ended up hooking up with Reggie. Oh, and Morigan is really good with magic. It was her that found out where Al Ghoul took me. We found out later he went into some kind of stasis, but he might be back for Amicus one day.
August 18th	After returning from Greece, we all met up at Wayne Manor. It turns out that Bruce Wayne is my grandfather. Not exactly by blood, but close enough. My dad even offered to let me stay there. I do visit the place often, but I usually end up crashing at the clock tower in Amicus's room. We also got to meet Wonder Woman and Batman. We decided to take up where Batgirl left off with helping out the town since the police can't seem to do anything and most of them are being paid by Hawke anyway.
August 30th	I got news over the computer that the cops found three dead metahumans in a warehouse. Why everything seems to happen in warehouses, I will never know. It looked like they were burned to a crisp. Raven and I decided to go talk to this meta hating reporter and see if he knew anything. Well, I got kidnapped again and I was with Raven that time. Callifan, the reporter, drugged both of us and stuffed us in his trunk. Thankfully, the others came to our rescue and got us out. I decided then to stay in the clock tower. Too bad I don't follow my own advice. While we were talking to the reporters, the others headed to the warehouse where the bodies were found. They found this strange contraption that transfers meta powers from a meta to someone else. It kills the meta though. That's how Hawke got his meta powers, the cheater. After we got back to the clock tower, Kestrel said she really needed to go spend time with her dad who was still recooperating and also moving to Florida. I hope she ended up okay.
September 3rd	We all decided to break into the Conservatory. It's owned by Hawke and we were pretty sure that Lara, Raptor's sister, was inside. We were right. It was a little tricky, but we got her out. Morigan's spells came in handy. Raven fought with Hawke and held her own really well. Too bad Hawke was released from prison after we did all of that to capture him. Nocturna got asked by Reggie to travel with him around the world. Gosh, I'm jealous, but I'll miss my friend too. Erika also decided to leave for her own motives.
September 5th	I decided to treat Tara and Lara to a dinner and Amicus tagged along. Raven was being boring and no fun as she went to go check out another warehouse and talk to the cops. Dinner turned out to be a little too exciting. Harlequinn used a helicopter and grabbed Amicus right from the restaurant. I'm so glad Raptor can fly cause she went after them. But, the chopper crashed and the cops blamed her even though she rescued both Amicus and Harlequinn. Too bad she got out of prison later. Amicus had to go to the hospital and it was a little trickly explaining who he was and everything. He turned out to be okay even though I was a nervous wreck.
September 9th	They let Amicus out of the hospital. He had to rest at the clock tower, but he seemd to be okay. He did almost give me a heart attack by working himself up too much, but it turned out okay. Raven, Raptor, and I talked a lot about how to handle Hawke. Raven even went to the metabar to talk to Gideon about the metas Hawke stole powers from. we came up with some ideas on how to handle him, like using lead based paint. I'm still working on freezing his assets. Raven and Raptor also tried to get into the old Joker base by Arkham Asylum. Since it was still under water, they gave up.
September 16th	While the others were out checking on a lead, the came across a woman being mugged by two men. It turned out it was Mockingbird, but we didn't know her yet. Raven and Raptor did a great job, but I noticed they were being videotaped by someone. Against my instincts, I decided to go check out who was doing the taping. I know, it was stupid to go alone. It turned out to be Penguin and he knocked me out with some kind of gas. I woke up in one of those industrial size laundry bins in the basement of some building. Penguin grabbed me again and was going to use me as bait to get Batman. Thankfully, I was rescued by some woman named Catfish. She said her and her boys have been watching Penguin for awhile. I wasn't too sure I could trust Catfish and I was right. She drugged me too and I found myself again knocked out. The others came to my rescue though and got me out. We even kidnapped some kid that can hurt you by screaming. Raptor also caught Penguin. We dropped Penguin and the kid off at the police station.
September 17th	Raven has a date. ^.^ She met him at the same apartment building that Penguin was using. She went there to check out some clues and met the guy. I think they're going to dinner and then a baseball game. Raptor and Mockingbird decided to try and get some info out of a cop that framed MB's dad. MB went as her father and tried to appear as a ghost to the guy. It didn't go well. Lara got hurt when a cop car cut her off and caused a car accident. Lara is okay after Raven healed her. Amicus asked me to marry him. O.O And I said yes. ^.^
September 18th	Nocturna is back. :D She came back early this morning. Weird things are happening to her and she's come to ask for help. I hope we can figure out what's going on with her body so she can go back and be with Reggie. I'm glad to see my friend again though. 4 pm - While some of the others were still sleeping (we work at night), Shannon started making dinner and me and Nocturna decided to sparr. Boy, was that a bad idea. Nocturna's programming kicked in or something and she attacked me. She took me down with one move and then tried to kill me, or so people tell me cause I was unconcious after the first hit. Luckily, Nocturna stopped herself and the others rushed to my rescue. We decided then it was best to keep me and Nocturna seperate. It seems that Nocturna is suppose to hurt anyone in the 'bats' family. Raven took Nocturna to see a doctor friend of hers. I think they're going back later to visit him for treatment. They also asked Morigan and Phantom Stranger to come help Nocturna. I really hope all of them can find a cure for her. I want to be with my friend again. 6 pm - While the others met with Morigan and Phantom Stranger over dinner, Amicus took me out to dinner. We talked for awhile and I decided to go stay with my dad at Wayne Manor. After dinner, Amicus went back to the clock tower while I headed to Wayne Manor.
September 18th - part 2	7 pm - The others decided to go to Shannon's place to pick up some of her stuff. They might go shopping too. I really wish I could go with them. Instead, I got to hang out with my dad and talk. That was fun until we got the results back on this test he did on me. He helped me get fitted with a battle suit so I could go with him on patrols. I was so excited until the computer told me I might be pregnant. I can't believe it. How am I suppose to tell Amicus he might be a dad? How do I tell the others? Maybe I'll just wait until I'm sure I know its true. Dad says I have to wait a few days anyway to know for sure. I hope I can still go on patrol with him.
June 7, 2004	Daniel Ethan Johns is born
July 1st, 2004	Dinah Appeared in the Clock Tower