The Seven Wonders of the Villain World
The team’s members:
- Gnosis, a telepathic psychiatrist. He acts as the planner and coordinator for the team. In his secret identity, he is a consulting psychologist specializing in supers.
- D-SOL-8, an enigmatic cyborg from the future. He is a high-tech combatant, but has his own hidden agenda.
- Glom, a hyperactive kinetic manipulator. She acts as a versatile support, harassing heroes and backing up her teammates.
- The Hand, a stage magician whose tricks are mystically impenetrable. The extent of her powers are unclear.
- Khyrrsz, a Neanderthal god of blizzards and battle. They are a brutal physical and mystical powerhouse.
- Motormouth, a fast-talking technopath in the body of a mashed-up robot. She’s a gadget-equipped fighter.
- Veneer, a suave spy who can flatten herself into two dimensions. She’s a skilled operative and infiltrator.
The villains operate in groups of two or three at a time. Their typical operations are complex, well-planned, with multiple objectives and plenty of contingencies. They steal valuable tech, kidnap experts who can further their goals, and steal the secrets of the leaders and luminaries of society.
Playing the Seven Wonders
As a team, the Seven Wonders should be like dark reflections of a typical hero team. They will cooperate toward group goals, but will also bicker, gossip, and even flirt amongst themselves from time to time. They don’t have some overwhelming or unstoppable superpower. Instead, the source of their effectiveness is their tight cooperation.
Each member has a niche on the team, but each of them have some overlap. The Hand will get the team to or from a destination, or perform seemingly impossible tasks like teleporting heavy loads away. Motormouth and Veneer gather intel via electronic and analog means, respectively. Motormouth and D-SOL-8 team up when technology is involved. D-SOL-8, Motormouth, and Khyrrsz are the strongest physical fighters. Glom accompanies other villains, acting as support or distraction to let them do their tasks. Glom and Veneer are the best at getting into places they aren’t wanted. And so on.
Variations
Origin
- Did the Seven Wonders emerge during this generation of heroes? Perhaps they started during the last generation, but spent time in stasis or another dimension before returning. This would give them a relationship with the PC’s mentors and predecessors, and give the PCs more knowledge about how to beat them.
- Did Gnosis really unite the team on his own, or was he led to do it (possibly by D-SOL-8)? It might be interesting to imagine a villain team that came together as accidentally as a typical group of PC heroes.
Cooperation
- Gnosis is the linchpin of the team. The assumption is that villains, as a class, find it harder than heroes to cooperate.
- Despite this, some real friendships have formed within the team. Without Gnosis, could the other Seven Wonders continue on?