DC Heroes RPG – Stock thugs and criminals stats

DC Heroes RPG

Tell me more about the game stats

This is a semi-technical article for the DC Heroes RPG.

It’s part of the “stock” series, with ready-to-use stats for stock NPCs in games.

Ordinary thugs

Stats are presented in rough order of fighting power and rarity in stories. From the weakest and most common to the rarest and most elite.

Run-of-the-mill street thug

Hardened street operators. Often gang members, or low-lives with faint connections to organised crime.

The basic thugs found throughout Gotham City, or whom Daredevil (Matt Murdock) used to harass at Josie’s seedy dockside bar, have these stats.

So mostly they’re here for quick brawl scenes that pose no threat to the heroes. Unless the Player Characters are unusually weak and/or inexperienced.

Dex: 03	Str: 02	Bod: 03
Int: 02	Wil: 02	Min: 02
Inf: 02	Aur: 02	Spi: 02
Init: 007		HP: 000

Skills:

Vehicles (Land): 02, Weaponry (Street): 03

Advantages:

Area Knowledge (their ’hood), Familiarity (Gang culture or street culture).

Connections:

Street (Low).

Drawbacks:

Depends with individual, may include a SIA to some drug.

Motivation:

Mercenary.

Occupation:

Lowlife.

Wealth:

003

Equipment:

Usually one of the following :

• Basic, generic melee weapon [BODY 03, EV 03]. Often a knife — such as a switchblade — or a bat. No need for more detailled stats.
• Poor quality handgun [BODY 01, Projectile weapons: 03, Ammo: 06, R#05]. Often a cheap .380 semi-automatic.

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Beefy street thug

Same as above – but markedly taller and bulkier. Most regularly hit the gym to pump iron and develop their musculature, though some are just plain big and strong (beer belly optional).

These guys (they’re almost always men) tend to be about 6’1” (1.85m) and 200-230 lbs. (90 to 105 Kg.).

Traditionally, this type is depicted as being dim and mentally slow.

Beefy street thugs will always spend their Hero Points to LDD the first RAPs they take.

Dex: 03	Str: 03	Bod: 03
Int: 02	Wil: 01	Min: 02
Inf: 02	Aur: 02	Spi: 02
Init: 007		HP: 002

Skills:

Vehicles (Land): 02, Weaponry (Street): 03

Advantages:

Area Knowledge (their ’hood), Familiarity (Gang culture or street culture).

Connections:

Street (Low).

Drawbacks:

Depends with individual, may include a SIA to some drug.

Motivation:

Mercenary.

Occupation:

Lowlife.

Wealth:

003

Equipment:

Sometimes use a generic melee weapon [BODY 03, EV 03 (04 w/STR)]. Often a bat or an improvised weapon such as a handy chair, more rarely a weapon such as a trench knife.

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Gun-toting gangster

The two archetypes above reflect older “urban wasteland” clichés of the 1970s and 1980s. But this profile represents the mad-dog, well-armed gang member. These tended to turn up either earlier (1930s Prohibition pulps) or later (1990s street gangs using their Second Amendment rights).

Whereas the iconic weapon of the old-school thug is the switchblade, for these men it’s the machine pistol used in a drive-by shooting.

When they appear in stories they are often members of a well-known, huge gang such as the Bloods, the Crips, the Gangster Disciples, MS-13, the Latin Kings, etc..

In comics, they are often street triggermen of varied styles and ethnicities, recruited by a fictional crime boss as expendable muscle.

For instance they could be sub-contractors for the Kingpin (Wilson Fisk) or Two-Face’s mob.

Dex: 03	Str: 02	Bod: 03
Int: 02	Wil: 02	Min: 02
Inf: 02	Aur: 02	Spi: 02
Init: 007		HP: 000

Skills:

Vehicles (Land): 02, Weaponry (Firearms): 03

Advantages:

Area Knowledge (their ’hood), Familiarity (Gang culture).

Connections:

Street (Low), their street set (Low).

Drawbacks:

Depends with individual, usually a SIA to meth or crack.

Motivation:

Mercenary.

Occupation:

Lowlife.

Wealth:

003

Equipment:

One or both of those :

• Poor quality handgun [BODY 01, Projectile weapons: 03, Ammo: 06, R#05]. Often a cheap .380 semi-automatic tucked into their pants.
• Poor quality machine pistol [BODY 02, Projectile weapons: 04, Ammo: 06, R#06, Advantage: Autofire]. Often a TEC-9 converted to automatic fire — see our modern firearms articles. Some may have a submachinegun instead – but we suggest using the same stats.

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Outlaw biker

Criminals with a lifestyle centred around their bike, often called “one-percenters”.

Their activities in fiction center around smuggling, drug-trafficking and acting as itinerant mercenaries and thieves.

They may be part of small OMG (outlaw motorcycle gang) or affiliated to a chapter of a major OMG. Such as the Hell’s Angels, the Pagans, the Outlaws, the Mongols, or the Bandidos.

Fictional outlaw bikers populate such 1990s movies as Stone Cold, Masters of Menace or Beyond the Law. More recently, 2008-2014 series Sons of Anarchy brought ample exposure to outlaw bikers stories.

Older fiction usualy depicts outlaw bikers as being large, strong, violent types – essentially modern-day barbarian raiders. In game terms, these will expend their Hero Points on either the EV of their first attack, or their first LDD attempt.

Dex: 02	Str: 03	Bod: 03
Int: 02	Wil: 02	Min: 02
Inf: 02	Aur: 02	Spi: 02
Init: 006		HP: 003

Skills:

Vehicles (Land): 04, Gadgetry: 03, Weaponry (Melee, firearms): 03

Bonuses and Limitations:

Gadgetry only to build, repair and maintain motorbikes, choppers, trikes and similar vehicles.

Advantages:

Area Knowledge (Highways in their home state), Expertise (Drinking), Familiarity (the routes to major biker events, motorcycle mechanics, biker culture), Iron Nerves.

Connections:

Their gang (High), Underworld (Low), Local law enforcement officers (Low).

Drawbacks:

• Usually a SIA toward some drug.
• Bikers who are shady types but not dangerous criminals often have a Mistrust.
• Often a MIA toward the OMG lifestyle and/or partying and drinking.
• Sometimes a MIH of motorbikes who aren’t their preferred type or brands.

Motivation:

Thrill.

Occupation:

Criminal or semi-criminal.

Wealth:

003

Equipment:

• Always a hog – that is a Harley-Davidson or Valkyrie motorbike, as opposed to sports bikes and imports [STR 03 BODY 05, Running: 06, R#02].
• One or more weapons from among the following :
  • Melee weapon [BODY 03, EV 03 (04 w/STR)]. Usually a knife, bat or brass knuckles.
  • Chain [BODY 03, EV 03 (04 w/STR), Stretching: 01]. At least 4 feet long.
  • Poor quality handgun [BODY 01, Projectile weapons: 03, Ammo: 06, R#05]. Often a cheap .380 semi-automatic.
  • Decent-quality handgun [BODY 03, Projectile weapon: 04, Ammo: 07, R#03]. Usually a classic all-American semi-automatic. Which often means a Colt M1911 .45 ACP variant.
  • Repeater Shotgun [BODY 04, Projectile weapons: 06 (Diminishing), Range: 03, Ammo: 07, R#03, Recommended STR: 02, Advantage : Scattershot, Limitation: Projectile weapons has No Range – use the Range given next instead, Drawback: Very Long Reload]. Preferably a pump-action American shotgun, such as the ubiquitous Remington 870.

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Professional henchperson

The hired help for super-villains. During the Silver AgeSuper-hero comics from the late 1950s to the early 1970s. and Bronze AgeSuper-hero comics from (roughly) the mid-1970s to the early 1990s. these guys often have colourful uniforms, coordinated with their boss’.

These also represent the bulk of the manpower for organisations such as Hydra, Cobra, H.I.V.E., etc.

Comic book fans have sometimes wondered where all these peoples got their training, as they often operate super-science equipment. The Marvel Universe ended up featuring school for henchmen, run by the villainous Taskmaster (Anthony Masters).

Our stats assume the existence of an “henching scene”. These are social circles where henchmen can learn which villain is recruiting, what is they pay and benefits, exchange favours, etc.

DC comics occasionally feature dialogue between Gotham City henchmen who have worked for the Riddler, Two-Face, Scarecrow, Black Mask, some versions of the Joker, etc..

Dex: 03	Str: 02	Bod: 03
Int: 02	Wil: 02	Min: 03
Inf: 02	Aur: 02	Spi: 02
Init: 007		HP: 002

Skills:

Vehicles (Land): 03, Weaponry (Firearms): 03.
Most will also have 03 APs in a specialist skill such as Military Science (Demolition), another Vehicles Subskill, Martial Artist, another Weaponry Subskill, a Thief Subskill, etc..

Advantages:

Area Knowledge (their city), Familiarity (High technology operation).

Connections:

Street (Low), Henching scene (Low).

Drawbacks:

Henchmen are less likely than most criminals to have Drawbacks.

Motivation:

Power.

Occupation:

Criminal.

Wealth:

004

Equipment:

Varies depending on their organisation. If you have no idea of what would work, they’ll have a Submachinegun [BODY 04, Projectile weapons: 05, Ammo: 07, R#02, Advantage : Autofire].

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Mob associate or wiseguy

An experienced operator with genuine connections with a mob (“associate” or “connected guy”), or an actual made man.

This is the sort of manpower that will be deployed when clashing with the Mafia, the Triads, the Yakuza, the Cartels, the Mafya and other brand-name criminal organisations. Or with crimelords such as Hammerhead or Black Mask.

These men (they’re almost always men) are more experienced, older, better-connected, and have a defter touch than the gun-toting gangsters. Chiefly because fictional depictions of gangs like the Bloods or Crips tend to under-estimate their size and sophistication (also, racism).

Dex: 03	Str: 02	Bod: 03
Int: 02	Wil: 02	Min: 03
Inf: 02	Aur: 02	Spi: 03
Init: 007		HP: 004

Skills:

Charisma (Intimidation): 03, Vehicles (Land): 02, Weaponry (Firearms): 03

Advantages:

Area Knowledge (their city), Familiarity (Mob lore), often a Language (Cantonese, Italian, Japanese, Sicilian, Russian, etc.).

Connections:

Street (Low), Underworld (Low).

Drawbacks:

Depends with individual.

Motivation:

Power.

Occupation:

Criminal.

Wealth:

004

Equipment:

Medium-calibre handgun [BODY 03, Projectile weapon: 04, Ammo: 15, R#03].

If expecting violence, most will have one weapon among those:

• Repeater Shotgun [BODY 04, Projectile weapons: 06 (Diminishing), Range: 03, Ammo: 07, R#03, Recommended STR: 02, Advantage: Scattershot, Limitation: Projectile weapons has No Range – use the Range given next instead, Drawback: Very Long Reload].
• Submachinegun [BODY 04, Projectile weapons: 05, Ammo: 07, R#02, Advantage: Autofire]. In some case assault rifles or carbines will be depicted, but submachinegun stats will nevertheless be used.
• Double-Barrelled Sawed Off Shotgun [BODY 04, Projectile weapons: 07 (Diminishing), Range: 02, Ammo: 02, R#04, Recommended STR: 03 Advantage: Scattershot, Limitation: Projectile weapons has No Range – use the Range given next instead, Drawback: Long Reload. Note: EV can be raised to 08 Diminishing by shooting both barrels at once, expending two Ammo and increasing Recommended STR to 04].

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Riddler’s henchmen

We have a specific article about these guys, since they have a distinctive, uniform look and capabilities.

They’re thus not quite “stock”. But you might reuse the stats in your stories.

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Melee mobster

These men are usually criminal associates (that is, with tangible connections to a mob). They specialise in close combat.

They are normally seen in comic books or martial arts movies, as they tend to break suspension of disbelief in other media.

These gentlemen are often — but not always — depicted as part of an Asian mob, such as the Yakuza or the Triads. And wield melee weapons popularly associated with those cultures.

In comic books, melee combat is a perfectly viable tactic even against opponents armed with guns. So those who engage in it are often presented as tougher and more dangerous than their gun-wielding colleagues.

Dex: 03	Str: 03	Bod: 03
Int: 02	Wil: 02	Min: 03
Inf: 02	Aur: 02	Spi: 03
Init: 007		HP: 005

Skills:

Charisma (Intimidation): 03, Vehicles (Land): 02, Weaponry (Melee): 04

Advantages:

Area Knowledge (their city), Familiarity (Mob lore), possibly a Language (Cantonese, Italian, Japanese, Sicilian, Russian, etc.).

Connections:

Street (Low), Underworld (Low).

Drawbacks:

Depends with individual.

Motivation:

Power.

Occupation:

Criminal.

Wealth:

004

Equipment:

Melee weapon [BODY 04, EV 04]. These weapons tend to appear along predictable ethnic lines – Italian- and Russian-flavoured gangsters with bats, Japanese ones with a katana or a nunchaku, Chinese ones with a hatchet or sabre, Jamaican ones with a machete, yadda yadda.

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Hitman

A low-cinematic killer for hire and firearms expert. Excels at eliminating unimportant characters, but out of his depth against persons with some narrative immunity.

In fiction those work singly or in pair, and prefer a precise and professional hit. Though they are sometimes depicted as using more realistic methods such as planting explosives in the target’s car.

Hitmen will usually spend their HPs on the EV of their killing shot.

Dex: 03	Str: 02	Bod: 03
Int: 03	Wil: 03	Min: 03
Inf: 02	Aur: 02	Spi: 03
Init: 008		HP: 005

Skills:

Military science (Demolition): 03, Vehicles (Land): 03, Weaponry (Firearms): 04

Advantages:

Familiarity (Mob lore), possibly a Language (Cantonese, Italian, Japanese, Sicilian, Russian, etc.).

Connections:

Underworld (Low).

Drawbacks:

Depends with individual.

Motivation:

Mercenary.

Occupation:

Assassin.

Wealth:

004

Equipment:

• Shades [BODY 01, Shade: 01].
• Silenced handgun [BODY 02, Projectile weapon: 03, Ammo: 09, Thief (Stealth – only to muffle the shot): 03, R#03].
• Sniper Rifle [BODY 01, Projectile weapon: 06, Range: 08, Telescopic vision: 04, Ammo: 06, R#02. Limitation: Projectile weapon has No Range – use the Range given next instead].

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Soldiers

In some cases, criminal organisations will be able to deploy trained, experienced, well-armed soldiers as part of their operations.

The most famous real-world example of this would be Los Zetas  (a rogue unit of special forces troops who entered the drug trafficking business). But there have been examples in comics for a while – such as the commando troops sent by the Yakuza after Shado and Green Arrow during the late 1980s.

For those, use the stats for generic soldiers of the proper level of skill.

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Huge muscular fighters

These are full-time bodybuilders and fighters with a visibly superior physique. They are often 6’2” (1.88m) and 230 lbs. (104 Kg.) or more. They usually have a background in boxing, mixed martial arts or the like – plus an impressive level of physical strength.

Few henchmen, bodyguards and enforcers qualify for these stats. Particularly the huge STR.

Huge muscular fighters will usually keep their Hero Points for LDD.

Dex: 04	Str: 04	Bod: 04
Int: 02	Wil: 02	Min: 03
Inf: 02	Aur: 02	Spi: 02
Init: 008		HP: 005

Skills:

Charisma (Intimidation): 03, Vehicles (Land): 02

Advantages:

Usually none.

Connections:

Henching scene (Low).

Drawbacks:

Usually none.

Motivation:

Mercenary.

Occupation:

Athlete/fighter.

Wealth:

004

Equipment:

Usually none.

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Evil karateka

This type of henchman — an experienced hand-to-hand combat specialist — is seldom seen outside of martial arts stories.

They can also appear as sparring partners for martially adept crime lords such as the Kingpin, as early opponents in martial arts tournaments, etc..

And of course as advanced students from that rival dojo. You know the one.

Note that these stats can also work for a former heavyweight boxer. Though the archetype is less common and people tend to associate “martial arts” with Asia.

Dex: 04	Str: 03	Bod: 03
Int: 02	Wil: 02	Min: 03
Inf: 02	Aur: 02	Spi: 03
Init: 010		HP: 005

Skills:

Martial artist: 04

Advantages:

Familiarity (Martial arts lore), possibly a Language.

Connections:

Underworld (Low), Evil dojo (Low).

Drawbacks:

MIA toward brutality, Attack Vulnerability (-1CS OV/RV when kicked by the princess at the end of the game  ).

Motivation:

Mercenary.

Occupation:

Mercenary.

Wealth:

004

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Evil weapon master

The same type as above, but fighting with a melee weapon.

Dex: 04	Str: 03	Bod: 03
Int: 02	Wil: 02	Min: 03
Inf: 02	Aur: 02	Spi: 03
Init: 008		HP: 005

Skills:

Weaponry (Melee): 04

Advantages:

Familiarity (Martial arts lore), possibly a Language.

Connections:

Underworld (Low), Evil dojo (Low).

Drawbacks:

MIA toward brutality.

Motivation:

Mercenary.

Occupation:

Mercenary.

Wealth:

004

Equipment:

Typical choices are one of the following:

• Nunchaku [BODY 05 /STR/ 04, EV 03 (04 w/STR), Limitation : /STR/ only for Grappling]. There too, simplified stats since these are nigh-faceless opponents.
• Bo staff [BODY 04, EV 04].
• Kusari-gama [BODY 05, EV 03 (04 w/STR), Extra limb: 04, Stretching: 00, R#02].
• Katana [BODY 06, EV 04].

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Spandex-clad henchmen

Competent, well-trained, determined professionals.

The name comes from the Bronze Age observation that henchmen with a skin-hugging, colourful uniform tend to be depicted as more formidable than henchmen in normal clothes.

Nowadays these henchmen will have a more military-looking uniform. The henchmen of Syndrome in The Invincibles are exactly halfway between both dress codes.

These henchmen tend to be the province of :

But even master villains will not routinely deploy this level of henchmen. Since in most cases less well-trained and driven personnel will work just as well.

Dex: 03	Str: 03	Bod: 03
Int: 03	Wil: 02	Min: 03
Inf: 02	Aur: 02	Spi: 03
Init: 010		HP: 005

Skills:

Martial artist: 04, Vehicles (Land): 03, Weaponry (Firearms): 04 and probably 3 or 4 APs in a specialist skill such as Military Science (Demolition), another Vehicles Subskill, another Weaponry Subskill, a Thief Subskill, etc.

Advantages:

Familiarity (Operation of high-tech equipment).

Connections:

Henching scene (Low), perhaps one or more current or former employer (or lieutenant thereof) (Low).

Drawbacks:

Usually none.

Motivation:

Mercenary.

Occupation:

Mercenary.

Wealth:

004

Equipment:

Traditionally, a futuristic-looking handgun [BODY 04, Projectile weapon: 04, Ammo: 15, R#03]. More recently, this type of henchman sports futuristic military gear, such as:

• HIGH-TECH BODY ARMOUR [BODY 05, Radio communication: 06, Shade: 02, Skin armour: 02, Bonus: Skin armour works against energy attacks, Drawback: Real armour].
• High-tech assault rifle [BODY 04, Projectile weapons: 06, Ammo: 10, R#02, Advantage: Autofire]. In some cases it may even be an energy weapon with Energy blast or Laser beam instead of Projectile weapons, though the R# will likely be 4 instead.
• Perhaps even a mission-specific piece of gear, like a jetpack, a special sensor, stealth equipment, a vehicle, a special-purpose weapon….