I’m not sure what programming language GURPS Character Assistant is built in, but Dundjinni and HeroDesigner are Java programs. Here lies the problem… HeroDesigner requires at least Java 6 (or maybe 5?) to function properly. Dundjinni requires Java 4. Anything newer than that causes the software to not operate properly. The Dundjinni developers claim that there is a bug in the newer versions of Java. I firmly believe that the API changed in some class that they use and since the software is no longer being developed, they can’t bring it “up to spec” to use the new API.

That’s neither here nor there. I want to use both pieces of software, but can’t… or can I?

Here are the basics of what I did to make both pieces of software happy:

1. Install Java 4 (aka 1.4) in C:\Program Files\Java\java4
2. Install Dundjinni
3. Install Java 6 (aka 1.6) in C:\Program Files\Java\java6
4. Install HeroDesigner
5. Write a batch file (remember those???) to point Dundjinni to the 1.4 Java. See below for the batch file.
6. Modify the Dundjinni desktop icon to point to the new batch file instead of the exe.
7. Profit!

Here’s the batch file for those that need it. This took me about 20 minutes of Googling for answers and about a minute to write.

@echo off
set JAVA_HOME="C:\Program Files\Java\java4"
set PATH=%JAVA_HOME%\bin;%PATH%
set CLASSPATH=%JAVA_HOME%
cd "C:\Program Files\Fluid\Dundjinni"
"C:\Program Files\Fluid\Dundjinni\dundjinni.exe"

I really hope this helps someone out there that wants to run the latest and greatest Java for everything, but still allow Dundjinni to work properly.

Mutant

This is a case of a human born with some sort of abnormality that causes them to be superhuman. Wolverine has his super hearing and senses. Professor X has his mental capabilities. Iceman can control water and make it colder to the point of being useful. There are many cases of mutants being used in comics, and I’m not going to list them all off here.

Alien Life Form

Alien life forms are typically done in a manner where they are human-like, but not always. In every case, they have some power or ability that makes them more potent than the average human. The best example of an alien life form is Superman. In another case, an alien life form can alter a human to augment their abilities. Venom, from the Spiderman comics, comes to mind in this case.

Experiment Gone Wrong/Right

There are times when a person tries to enhance themselves experimentally and things just don’t go quite as planned. This usually turns a person in a supervillain instead of a superhero, but it can go both ways. The first example of an experiment creating a superhuman is the Green Goblin from the Spiderman comic series.

(Industrial) Accident

Ah, the proverbial accident creating something new and intriguing. The case where Daredevil is stricken blind by a chemical spill is the first thing that jumps into my mind. One of the first Champions characters that I ever made on my own was a oil rig worker who was caught in explosion and had a drill bit fused to his right arm. He discovered that the oil tycoons were to blame for the death of his friends and his disfigurement and broke out into the world as a hero named, you guessed it, Drillbit, to bring down corrupt corporations and restore justice to the world. Another accidental superhero creation is the well-known story of Spiderman where he’s bitten by a radioactive spider in a science lab. This could feasibly be classified under an experiment gone wrong, but the intent was not to create a spider to bite someone and turn them into a superhero, so I’m throwing Spiderman under the accident column.

Extraordinary Training

There are times when a normal human can push themselves to new heights and become superhuman. This can come through exotic training, strange rituals or extreme force of will to become the best at something. Again, I’ll mention Daredevil because of his acrobatics training. Batman and Robin fall under this category as well along with Elektra, Kato and many others.

Gadgets

Some superheroes gain their ability to fly, swing from rooftops or hurl stunning rays at their enemies through the use of an object or focus. The classic example is Batman, but don’t forget the Spiderman’s web-slinging ability comes from a gadget as well (unless you watch the movie and not read the comics.) Many others make use of objects to enhance their superheroness as well. Think about the Silver Surfer’s surfboard. Without it, he can’t fly.

Genetic Manipulation

This is  a relatively new advancement in comics, and I stopped reading them long ago. I can’t think of any examples off the top of my head, but this would be where a normal human has their base DNA modified to allow them to become more than their normal selves.

Surgical Enhancements

By using surgery to add armor plating, claws, unbreakable bones and more to a person, they can become a superhero. Wolverine’s adamantium skeleton is probably top on my list of surgical enhancements. Of course, without his mutant healing powers, he would have never survived the surgery.

Gift

Sometimes a person is just blatantly given super powers. This is true in the case of the Silver Surfer. He was a normal fella (for his world) until Galactus came along and spared his planet in exchange for the Silver Surfer working for the world eater. Silver Surfer was granted the powers of surviving in space, his surf board and his energy blasts. These are all gifts.

Magic

This is rarely used in comic books, but invoking ancient, other-worldly or extra-dimensional powers can be used to grant someone superhero status.

Exposure to a Strange Force/Chemical

The traditional comic book exposure was to radiation or “space rays” or something similar. This is how the Fantastic Four came into being. They were perfectly normal astronauts until strange radiation from the sun altered their basic DNA or chemical structure and turned them into who they became.

So, there’s my list of possible origins of super powers. Did I miss any? I’m sure that I did, so sound off in the comments and let me know where my post lacked. I’ll be happy to hear what other people have to say.

When I first came across Buddy he was running a Champions game at the FLGS, and it happened in the time slot just before my regular AD&D game. I had time to spare, so I asked (rather shyly, I might add) if I could join his game. He opened me with welcome arms, and said he would gladly make me a character during the week, and I could join in the next Saturday. To keep things simple, he asked me to pick a comic book character that I would like to play, and he would build me out a PC. I was on a Silver Surfer kick at the time (and he’s still my favorite comic book character), so I picked that character to go with. He asked me for a name, and I totally blanked. I didn’t want to just go with “Silver Surfer” because that name was already taken. I figured I would go original, and I spluttered out, “Silva.”

He was happy with the name, so I figured I hadn’t committed a faux pas early on in the game. He created my character during the week, and I joined in the group the following Saturday. I had an absolute blast with Silva. I’d swoop all over the place. One session I learned, the hard way, what an OAF (obvious accessible focus) really meant in Champions nomenclature. A Bad Guy took away my surf board, and I was reduced to walking/running everywhere for the rest of the game. I bemoaned my pathetic fate of being bound by gravity and played it up quite well. I still had my ranged blast, though, and no one could take that away from me. Life was good.

I still miss gaming with Buddy. Moving away from my home state was a hard thing to do, and leaving behind Buddy, Mike, Tiffany, Chris, Jason and the rest of the gang was the hardest part of moving away. I try to get a good Champions/Hero game going from time-to-time, but it rarely gets beyond the character generation phase of things. Everyone seems to love making characters, but doesn’t delve too deeply into the system when it come to gaming. *sigh*