Mechanon
Encyclopedia
Mechanon is a fictional villain in the Hero Universe
, setting of the Champions
game. He was one of the first "master villains" created for the game and is still used in its publications today.
.
Mechanon and Defender are featured on the cover of the book Kingdom of Champions.
In the Fifth Edition of the game Mechanon's origin is unknown (although many theories exist). He simply appeared in the mid-1980s and made the first of many grandiose attempts to destroy the human race. Book of the Machine, a sourcebook dedicated to Mechanon, reveals its new (5th/6th edition) origins: it was made by scientists in the year 6000 AD, designed to be sent back in time to 5198 AD in order to prevent much of the damage from a series of natural disaster which had made the Earth of the 59th century all but uninhabitable, but an error in the time machine (as well as an undetected 'chronal storm') caused the 'Salvation Unit' to travel back to 1985, and inverted its core programming so that instead of working to preserve all organic life it would work to destroy (or replace) all organic life.
After breaking from the makers of the game, the comic briefly mentioned Mechanon again, his named changed to Mekano caused by subtle changes to history as a result of a spree of adventures throughout time. The character did not appear again, however.
Hero Universe
The Hero Universe is the "official" setting for the line of role-playing games published by Hero Games. All setting books published by the company are a part of this timeline...
, setting of the Champions
Champions (role-playing game)
Champions is a role-playing game published by Hero Games that is designed to simulate and function in a four-color superhero comic book world. It was created by George MacDonald, Steve Peterson, Bruce Harlick, and Ray Greer....
game. He was one of the first "master villains" created for the game and is still used in its publications today.
Fictional origin
In earlier editions of the game, Mechanon was a robot created to defend the headquarters of an unidentified superhero team, but a flaw in his computerized mind caused him to instead make it his mission to destroy all organic life. In the sourcebook Champions Universe (Fourth Edition version) it is specified that Mechanon was built by Defender of The ChampionsThe Champions (Hero Universe)
The Champions are a prominent superhero team in the Hero Universe, the official setting of the Champions role-playing game. They serve as an example of a balanced team dynamic, a team of NPC allies, or a source of pregenerated characters to allow players to bypass the game's lengthy character...
.
Mechanon and Defender are featured on the cover of the book Kingdom of Champions.
In the Fifth Edition of the game Mechanon's origin is unknown (although many theories exist). He simply appeared in the mid-1980s and made the first of many grandiose attempts to destroy the human race. Book of the Machine, a sourcebook dedicated to Mechanon, reveals its new (5th/6th edition) origins: it was made by scientists in the year 6000 AD, designed to be sent back in time to 5198 AD in order to prevent much of the damage from a series of natural disaster which had made the Earth of the 59th century all but uninhabitable, but an error in the time machine (as well as an undetected 'chronal storm') caused the 'Salvation Unit' to travel back to 1985, and inverted its core programming so that instead of working to preserve all organic life it would work to destroy (or replace) all organic life.
Powers and Resources
Mechanon is, offensively, one of the strongest supervillains in the Hero Universe. He possesses a wide variety of high-tech weapon systems powerful enough to enable him to battle entire teams of superheroes at once. Perhaps Mechanon's most dangerous quality, however, is his ability to learn from any defeats he suffers. If defeated or destroyed, automated factories Mechanon has set up in advance will reconstruct his body with new powers and defenses to prevent him from being defeated in a similar fashion again.Mechanon 3000
In the Galactic Champions setting, set in the early 31st century, Mechanon has returned after a millennium-long absence, now in the form of a head the size of a moon (approximately 1,000 kilometers in diameter). He has weapons more powerful than those of any known starship, along with an indeterminate number of fighter craft and robots nearly as powerful as his original robot body. He's described as "a powerful, almost elemental, force of destruction," implacably enslaving if not destroying any organic life he encounters.Alternate versions
In the suppliment "Champions in 3D", an alternate heroic version of Mechanon is introduced. He comes from a mirror-world called "Backworld" where the counterparts of heroes are villainous and the counterparts of villains are heroic.Appearances Outside the Game
Mechanon was featured in a two-part story in the comic book based on the Champions game. Previous defeats at the hands of the heroes of the comic were mentioned; in their first battle (which led to the formation of the team) Mechanon had been smashed to pieces by a car, in the second he was frozen solid by Icestar's powers, in the third the Rose used her psychic abilities to simply switch off his computer mind. Though Mechanon crafted an elaborate ruse to trap and then exterminate the Champions, he was ultimately defeated again. The Champions believed they had finally destroyed him once and for all.After breaking from the makers of the game, the comic briefly mentioned Mechanon again, his named changed to Mekano caused by subtle changes to history as a result of a spree of adventures throughout time. The character did not appear again, however.