The Family Villain Backgrounder
By
5YearPlan,
Posted on: 2006-10-10 11:18 in CoH and CoV General Discussions
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This is the same drug that, in a small percentage of the users, lets you see into other dimensions. 
Increased strength is clearly the primary effect, but not the only one.
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Just curious what the source for this is, because I haven't read the novels and I do know there are some missions/storyarcs I've missed on the hero side. I very well could've just not come across this information.
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There's some information on this in the City History
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For the longest time I wrote off the super strength-using Capos as using some kind of hi-tech gear too, based on their enemy info. The Family outright drops Black Market Supergear as one of their salvage, so I imagine not all their gravity control and super strength comes from 'dine. Taking drugs doesn't make your tommy gun shoot harder, after all.
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Ever since I found out that even the hellions and skulls are "beyond average human abilities" I've figured that the Family not only have SS gear, probably built into thier suits, but due to thier access to underground money sources probably have Tommy Guns that hit as hard as an M-50 with each bullet. It was how I justified that thier bullets could actually hurt, they're bullets designed to invidually take down a squad of tanks(vehicle, not the AT).
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Are we ever going to find out who was running that mysterious Superadine lab?
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I'd say Nemesis.
I have no actual backup to support that claim, but I blame Nemesis for everything. I swear it seems he's been responsible for over half of everything that's happened in Paragon's history, and more. Hell, it's probably Nemesis' fault I woke up before my alarm this morning. And I'm sure it was part of some grand, over-arching scheme to collect the unused sleeping energy of the world's populace to fuel a hypnobomb or somesuch.
Curse you, Prince of Autonomy! /e shakefist
Edit after Infamousbrad's post snuck in before mine: Hah! I knew it! 
...oh crap, does this mean there really IS a steam-powered hypno-bomb?
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Y'know, I blaim Nemesis for starting the Rikti War... no really, I do...
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Well, he does have advanced interdimensional technology... ...Oh great, now I'm paranoid.
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I've thought this exact same thing, except that it doesn't seem as if Nemmy ever actually took any advantage of the invasion situation, either as it was hapening or in the years since.
...which, of course, doesn't mean that isn't exactly what he WANTS us to think, so as to distance himself from the evernt and stay unnoticed as he works upon his other machiavelian schemes...
...but then again, he probably KNEW that some of us would come up with that hypothesis, which is exactly what he wants us to believe, when in truth he's actually just did it to give himself a few months to it back and sip tea without being barged in on by heroes while they fought off the rikti...
...unless THAT is what he wants us to think!!
...I hate Nemesis.
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This is the same drug that, in a small percentage of the users, lets you see into other dimensions. Increased strength is clearly the primary effect, but not the only one.
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Just curious what the source for this is, because I haven't read the novels and I do know there are some missions/storyarcs I've missed on the hero side. I very well could've just not come across this information.
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There's some information on this in the City History
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Thanks for the link. On the one hand it makes me doubt the Superadine theory a little more actually, considering that it's been extensively studied with no mention of Gravity Control effects... the only other effects besides increasing strength/endurance being hallucinations and the dimensional awareness/shifting evidenced in less than 1% of the addicted population.
On the other hand, I suppose it opens up the possiblity for Superadine to be altered for yet other effects. Or perhaps the Gravity Control is a manifestation of being able to place another being between two dimensions and open portals to a dimension filled with flying pool tables, forklifts and cabinets.
Eh... still feels like a little bit of a stretch to me given how much dimensional powers should change the Family's operations (shipping by boat and storing in warehouses when you have people that can manipulate otherdimensional spaces?), but I guess that's what I'll use to rationalize their powers from now on.
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For the longest time I wrote off the super strength-using Capos as using some kind of hi-tech gear too, based on their enemy info. The Family outright drops Black Market Supergear as one of their salvage, so I imagine not all their gravity control and super strength comes from 'dine.
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That's the two sources I drew my explanation from as well.
I don't see how Gravity Manipulation via Technology is an infeasible explanation. Don't forget the Black Market in this universe is filled with Rikti Tech, not to mention all the other insane devices that exist (Mutate-O-Tron? Nemesis Tech? Freakshow Cybernetics? Advanced Crey Stuff?), making it a rather nice, ubiquitous term.
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Are we ever going to find out who was running that mysterious Superadine lab?
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I'd say Nemesis.
I have no actual backup to support that claim, but I blame Nemesis for everything. I swear it seems he's been responsible for over half of everything that's happened in Paragon's history, and more. Hell, it's probably Nemesis' fault I woke up before my alarm this morning. And I'm sure it was part of some grand, over-arching scheme to collect the unused sleeping energy of the world's populace to fuel a hypnobomb or somesuch.
Curse you, Prince of Autonomy! /e shakefist
Edit after Infamousbrad's post snuck in before mine: Hah! I knew it!
...oh crap, does this mean there really IS a steam-powered hypno-bomb?
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Y'know, I blaim Nemesis for starting the Rikti War... no really, I do...
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Well, he does have advanced interdimensional technology... ...Oh great, now I'm paranoid.
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I've thought this exact same thing, except that it doesn't seem as if Nemmy ever actually took any advantage of the invasion situation, either as it was hapening or in the years since.
...which, of course, doesn't mean that isn't exactly what he WANTS us to think, so as to distance himself from the evernt and stay unnoticed as he works upon his other machiavelian schemes...
...but then again, he probably KNEW that some of us would come up with that hypothesis, which is exactly what he wants us to believe, when in truth he's actually just did it to give himself a few months to it back and sip tea without being barged in on by heroes while they fought off the rikti...
...unless THAT is what he wants us to think!!
...I hate Nemesis.
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I recall reading somewhere that Nemesis, unlike the other villains, actively fought the Rikti, and the losses he sustained is the reason he didn't take over in the aftermath or something.
I also recall Praetorian Nemmy is like a freedom fighter kind of, right? Or at least opposed to Tyrant?
Aw, my screenshot didn't win...
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I recall reading somewhere that Nemesis, unlike the other villains, actively fought the Rikti, and the losses he sustained is the reason he didn't take over in the aftermath or something.
I also recall Praetorian Nemmy is like a freedom fighter kind of, right? Or at least opposed to Tyrant?
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I don't remember seeing either of these details before. which isn't to say they're not true, but rather to point out that I have the memory of a sieve. A sieve with a big hole in the bottom.
Anyhow, if that is the case, then I'm sure it was just a calculated loss on Nemmy's part to make us THINK he was opposed to the Rikti invasion 
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For the longest time I wrote off the super strength-using Capos as using some kind of hi-tech gear too, based on their enemy info. The Family outright drops Black Market Supergear as one of their salvage, so I imagine not all their gravity control and super strength comes from 'dine.
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That's the two sources I drew my explanation from as well.
I don't see how Gravity Manipulation via Technology is an infeasible explanation. Don't forget the Black Market in this universe is filled with Rikti Tech, not to mention all the other insane devices that exist (Mutate-O-Tron? Nemesis Tech? Freakshow Cybernetics? Advanced Crey Stuff?), making it a rather nice, ubiquitous term.
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For me it's just about consistency of application. The technology used by Nemesis, Freakshow, Crey, Rikti, etc. is very visible and recognizeable. A Family Capo just looks like a guy in a suit but the closest you get to that using technology-based powers would be the Crey Infiltrators and such who generally have visible bionics. I consider Crey to be much more advanced technologically than the Family so I figured the super strength came from Superadine which is more strongly tied to the Family.
Anyway, this is just something that always nagged at my mind a bit (along with how the Tsoo don't wipe the Family off the map) and ultimately it's probably not a concern for 99.9% of the players.
Don't recall hearing of a Preatorian Nemisis.
And Nemisis fighting in the Rikti war sounds right. He wants to be the one ruling the world, after all. Not let other people do it.
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The way I've looked at it, Nemesis was totally missing, he was just a threat from the past until after the Rikti war, it's my idea that he was traveling dimensions in that time and started the invasion as a way to get back home, after all, how else would he have gotten such an intimate knowledge of Rikti biology so as to create androids of them that PATCH INTO the Rikti hive mind.
The Rikti invasion was Nemesis' way of thining out the number of heroes, I get he felt that with less heroes and the world in tatters, there would be minimal resistance to his army (who see themselves as a sort of Police force, calling all heroes vigilanties)...
This is total, 100% guess work and me making [censored] up... so no spoiler tags.
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I've thought this exact same thing, except that it doesn't seem as if Nemmy ever actually took any advantage of the invasion situation, either as it was hapening or in the years since.
...which, of course, doesn't mean that isn't exactly what he WANTS us to think, so as to distance himself from the evernt and stay unnoticed as he works upon his other machiavelian schemes...
...but then again, he probably KNEW that some of us would come up with that hypothesis, which is exactly what he wants us to believe, when in truth he's actually just did it to give himself a few months to it back and sip tea without being barged in on by heroes while they fought off the rikti...
...unless THAT is what he wants us to think!!
...I hate Nemesis.
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That's actually the reason I love Nemesis so much. You never really know what's going on. Plus, all the steam-powered super-technology and shiny brass epaulets.
PS
If you're reading this, mission-design people, I wanna go to a parallel dimension ruled by Nemesis. Elite Boss-class tanks roaming the streets, snipers on the roofs, troops drilling in public squares, clouds of smoke in the sky...basically read William Gibson & Bruce Sterling's "The Difference Engine" and add a military edge to it.
Please?
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I've thought this exact same thing, except that it doesn't seem as if Nemmy ever actually took any advantage of the invasion situation, either as it was hapening or in the years since.
...which, of course, doesn't mean that isn't exactly what he WANTS us to think, so as to distance himself from the evernt and stay unnoticed as he works upon his other machiavelian schemes...
...but then again, he probably KNEW that some of us would come up with that hypothesis, which is exactly what he wants us to believe, when in truth he's actually just did it to give himself a few months to it back and sip tea without being barged in on by heroes while they fought off the rikti...
...unless THAT is what he wants us to think!!
...I hate Nemesis.
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That's actually the reason I love Nemesis so much. You never really know what's going on. Plus, all the steam-powered super-technology and shiny brass epaulets.
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Hehe, as do I. The hate to which I refere is a loving sort of hate. A game friend and I have discussed creating a site dedicated to The Nemesis conspiracy, into which we would insert illogical connections to everything which happens in the game world being a result of Nemmy's morbidly malicious mechanical machinations.
But then I remember that I'm lazy, and promptly abandon the idea for ice cream.
Awesome backgrounder, Arctic. THe "Godfather" font on the header was a nice touch. =P
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The way I've looked at it, Nemesis was totally missing, he was just a threat from the past until after the Rikti war, it's my idea that he was traveling dimensions in that time and started the invasion as a way to get back home, after all, how else would he have gotten such an intimate knowledge of Rikti biology so as to create androids of them that PATCH INTO the Rikti hive mind.
The Rikti invasion was Nemesis' way of thining out the number of heroes, I get he felt that with less heroes and the world in tatters, there would be minimal resistance to his army (who see themselves as a sort of Police force, calling all heroes vigilanties)...
This is total, 100% guess work and me making [censored] up... so no spoiler tags.
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...Actually, having played a character to 50, and Having done every possible mission I could, I can say that's not a poor assumption; the game doesn't explictlly state this, but there's strong implications: When nemesis Fled the Freedom Phalanx after his failed attempt to take over the United States, he fled througha dimensional portal to a random dimension- They don't ever explicitlly state *which* dimension it is, however, based on some other clues you bump into in Nemesis missions, plus the Rikti Nemesis Android you uncover, the very strong implications that it was the Rikti World that Nemesis went to.
Combine that with the fact a couple Rikti Missions explain their invasion due to something causing their enviroment to catastrophically fail, and having traced the cause to someone back in *our* dimension... Well, it makes you think...
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You know what I was really hoping to find out in this article?
An explanation of why/how Consiglieres are gravity controllers.
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Since The Family seems to be coming a bit more to the forefront, would you guys consider correcting two minor mistakes.
There is only one Consigliere in a Family, and likewise only one Underboss. Since the roles of both of these two is administration, they would NEVER be seen out on the streets leading a group of men. It's about as incongruous as seeing the Vice President of the U.S. of A. doing the work of a beat cop.
They simply wouldn't be peppered all over Indy Port and Striga Isle the way we see them - the "bosses" of those groups would be capos and skippers.
Scrappers are just like chainsaws. Somewhat hard to handle, EXTREMELY dangerous, and by far the most fun when wielded by the slightly insane.
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The way I've looked at it, Nemesis was totally missing, he was just a threat from the past until after the Rikti war, it's my idea that he was traveling dimensions in that time and started the invasion as a way to get back home, after all, how else would he have gotten such an intimate knowledge of Rikti biology so as to create androids of them that PATCH INTO the Rikti hive mind.
The Rikti invasion was Nemesis' way of thining out the number of heroes, I get he felt that with less heroes and the world in tatters, there would be minimal resistance to his army (who see themselves as a sort of Police force, calling all heroes vigilanties)...
This is total, 100% guess work and me making [censored] up... so no spoiler tags.
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...Actually, having played a character to 50, and Having done every possible mission I could, I can say that's not a poor assumption; the game doesn't explictlly state this, but there's strong implications: When nemesis Fled the Freedom Phalanx after his failed attempt to take over the United States, he fled througha dimensional portal to a random dimension- They don't ever explicitlly state *which* dimension it is, however, based on some other clues you bump into in Nemesis missions, plus the Rikti Nemesis Android you uncover, the very strong implications that it was the Rikti World that Nemesis went to.
Combine that with the fact a couple Rikti Missions explain their invasion due to something causing their enviroment to catastrophically fail, and having traced the cause to someone back in *our* dimension... Well, it makes you think...
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I remember this being mentioned in the Nemesis Rex storyline too. Our Nemesis ran away to the dimension of Nemesis Rex (where he had successfully taken over the world) and the two of them messed with dimensions and poked into the Rikti dimension.
Or something like that. It's been a while since I did those missions and they're not part of a storyarc.
While the article was interesting, I found some of the information lacking. I think a more complete report on the Family can be found here.
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You know what I was really hoping to find out in this article?
An explanation of why/how Consiglieres are gravity controllers.
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"Pure" Superadine?
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And/or Black Market Tech.
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Mutation could be a possible explanation, but to have such a consistent mutation among that level of Family seems highly unlikely.
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I went for the mutation explanation when I created my Family connected character. (Adriana Draco of the Young Paragons on Freedom.)
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I'm no writer.. but this double redouble kinda bugged me
"Back Alley Brawler redoubled his efforts to put a dent in the drug trade on Paragons streets"
"Additionally, they redoubled their efforts to deal in Superadine"
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Very nice. I really enjoyed this one.
I suspect that the effects of Superadine depend on your psychological makeup: To the trolls it gives super strength, regeneration and durability. To the Skulls it gives "Dark" powers, etc. etc.
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Och rosor i ett sprucket krus
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I suspect that the effects of Superadine depend on your psychological makeup: To the trolls it gives super strength, regeneration and durability. To the Skulls it gives "Dark" powers, etc. etc.
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I'm pretty sure the Skulls get their dark powers from their death cult magic stuff. They don't use the Superadine, they just mass-produce it.
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I suspect that the effects of Superadine depend on your psychological makeup: To the trolls it gives super strength, regeneration and durability. To the Skulls it gives "Dark" powers, etc. etc.
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I'm pretty sure the Skulls get their dark powers from their death cult magic stuff. They don't use the Superadine, they just mass-produce it.
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The game is vauge about that, at times it cites Hellions and Skulls using SUpradyne, other times it mentioned magical sources of power- Though they seem to be nowhere the level of abusers than Trolls are.
Maybe Dyne enhances your receptiveness to *any* power, mystical or no- Trolls are just the results if someoen with no powers takes Dyne?
Tygara - 50 Claws/Regen/Power Scrapper, Virtue- Member of Kitties on the Prowl.
Shadeburn - Dark/Rad Defender, Virtue- Member of Catch 'Em Crew
Nature Boy' - Elec/Ice Blaster, Virtue - Member of Young Phalanx
For the longest time I wrote off the super strength-using Capos as using some kind of hi-tech gear too, based on their enemy info. The Family outright drops Black Market Supergear as one of their salvage, so I imagine not all their gravity control and super strength comes from 'dine. Taking drugs doesn't make your tommy gun shoot harder, after all.
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