The character creation system of Champions
Online is a robust and amazing tool that allows users to make just about
anything their imagination can come up with. Want to play with it for fame and glory? We've given you some backstories to work with, and now we want you to show off your character creation talents and send them our way. We'll highlight the winners in upcoming issues of this new regular feature.

Here’s how it works: We give you the
basic details of a hero or heroine like their back story and some ideas
for powers, and you take it and run with the idea using the character
creator. Don’t feel you need to stick strictly to what powers
we’ve assigned them either. As the main idea of the character
remains intact, all’s fine.

This week we’ve got three skeleton
heroes to start with, and when you’ve created them simply take some
in-game screens of your creation and mail them to [email protected] with a brief description of how you came
up with the look and any other details for your masterpiece. The
winners will be featured in the next issue of Skin That Build, and showcased
for all the community to marvel at.

Without further adieu, the first
batch of concepts are on the next page. Get creating!

The
Balverine: Balverines were the werewolves of an ancient civilization
called Albion. Long thought extinct, or creatures of mere legend,
you can imagine how John Cowlett felt the night he was camping and attacked
by the massive furry and clawed beast. Just a day after he was
nearly mauled to death by a terrifyingly large Balverine, James discovered
he had the ability to change into one of the beasts at will and that
as The Balverine he had unimaginable agility, strength, and healing
powers… not to mention claws that could cut steel like butter.

This hero’s main method of bringing
down the forces of evil is the use of his exceptional agility, strength
and razor-sharp claws. The Balverine prefers to get all up in
his enemies’ business… where he promptly claws their faces off.
Also gifted with the strength of twenty men, it’s highly unlikely
for the Balverine to be pinned down in hand-to-hand combat. Not
many foes can tangle with him toe-to-toe. If he is, on an off-day,
given more than he can swallow, he has exceptional jumping abilities
and can leap away to safety faster than many heroes can fly.

The Broiler:
Once a mild mannered web designer, the Broiler now seeks to bring justice
to those miscreants who would inflict harm upon the innocent. His sad
tale began when rival gangs destroyed his a/c unit during a turf war.
Too broke to fix it, the Broiler was forced to endure the constant 90+
degree heat in his south Florida home. Eventually, the blistering heat
not only fried his computer, but forced his body to spontaneously combust.
Miraculously, he survived, and was transformed into…the Broiler.

The Broiler is now a living flame contained
inside a human body. To that end, everything about him suggests flames
and heat. His skin is now a reddish orange color, whilst his hair is
flaming yellows and red. Red, yellow, and orange make up the color palette
for this can’t-escape-from-the-heat hero. Flame motifs run over his
costume, reinforcing the flaming heat concept.

The Broiler is more of a ranged fighter.
He likes to blast his enemies with several heat blast attacks. He started
off with Firestrike, the base fire ranged attack, and Throw Fire, another
ranged fire attack which can generate energy (you use energy to use
your powers). Later on, he chose Fire Breath, which emits a cone of
flame in front of him, hitting multiple foes. This is handy, in that
once you hit a bad guy with a ranged strike, his buddies will run up
with him. In addition, he can fly by channeling the burning rate of
his fiery nature (Fire Flight). Attacking from the air is handy, but
it does drain the energy. Lastly, for his first stat increase, the Broiler
chose Super Endurance, which increases both his maximum energy and the
rate in which he draws energy from nearby fires. Very handy as that
the Broiler tends to go through energy pretty quickly.

Crimson Fate:
Orphaned at an early age, Crimson Fate was raised by the Sisterhood
of Blood, a group of female assassins. She never thought to question
her orders or upbringing until one fateful mission, during which time
a priest taught her that there was good in her and then sacrificed his
life for hers. Unnerved by the events, Crimson Fate realized that if
she had any hope for redemption, she would have to atone for her sins.
Thus, she now wields her deadly blade in the cause of righteousness.

Crimson Fate is a deadly melee fighter
with her high-tech sword. Basing her look on a black widow, she is clothed
in red and black. High-tech shoulder guards and elbow guards provide
some protection, but she relies more on dropping her opponent quickly
as opposed to defense. Her sword is strapped across her back for easy
access.

Since she’s a melee fighter, Crimson
Fate’s powers revolve around her sword use. She starts out with Reaper’s
Caress, her standard melee attack, and Reaper’s Touch, a melee attack
that does less damage, but does generate energy. In addition, Reaper’s
Touch can, on occasion, get additional swings. The next additional power
she chose was the Focus of the Unconquered Swordsman, a buff which increases
her slashing (sword) damage. Finally, she took Acrobatics as her travel
power as that she doesn’t have super powers per se; she’s just incredibly
trained.