Vanguard

Work in Progress

This article is currently a work in progress. As such, it may contain some editing notes in addition to information. Please be patient, it is being worked on and will be in a finished state before long!
Date noted: 2007-07-05

This article is about the enemy group and organization. For the badge, see Vanguard Badge.

History

During the Rikti War, shortly after the initial Rikti attack, The United Nations Security Council, led by Great Britain and France, formed an emergency umbrella organization to help coordinate hero resources in the worldwide war against the invaders. Called the Vanguard, this group was composed of some of the world's best and brightest heroes.

The Rikti had taken their toll and famous super groups like the Freedom Phalanx, the Dawn Patrol, Midnight Squad, Regulators, and Hero Corps were down to only the toughest and most powerful heroes. With its decentralized command structure and international recruiting base, only the Vanguard remained a viable, organized fighting force.

It sprang into action immediately, and began to effect stalemates similar to the one that had been reached in Paragon City. The aliens' advances were halted, but it seemed impossible to take back the territory they had already seized.

The Vanguard initiated a plan to strike back at the Rikti using a plan by Dr. Science. Leaving only skeleton crews to man defenses, the Vanguard was split into two teams. Alpha Team was led by Statesman and Omega Team was led by Hero 1. Alpha Team was much larger and consisted of over 1,000 heroes which launched a frontal assault on the Rikti. It was a costly attack and 800 of the heroes lost their lives. While the Alpha Team attacked the main body of Rikti troops, Omega Team slipped into the main Rikti portal base, through one of the portals and after a huge explosion from the other side, the portal was shut down. Only one hero, the utterly invulnerable Ajax, managed to survive the blast on this side of the portal. It is presumed that the heroes that went through the portal have perished.

Thanks to the heroics of the Vanguard, the Rikti War was over, or at least the first phase of it was. Both sides were nearly shattered in the process. The Vanguard and the other great hero organizations of the world scarcely existed anymore. With the exception of Statesman and a few others, all the world's greatest heroes had died in the war. Trillions upon trillions of dollars of damage had been done to the majority of the world's most populated cities. Paragon City was the worst hit of all. Once a shining beacon of light and prosperity, now much of it lay in ruins. It didn't take long for criminals to start reasserting themselves, and new heroes were needed. It was the beginning of a desperate time that would last for decades.

Today, the Vanguard objectives are the same that they were years ago during the Rikti War. The organization opposes the Rikti wherever they show up, and so, the Rikti War Zone is a primary concern for the group, where they keep a strong presence encircling the downed Rikti starship.

But the Vanguard has a dark side too: Dedicated to stop the Rikti by whatever means necessary, they gladly recruit metahumans without any kind of distinction, not caring about the past of any new recruits. In practice this means that the Vanguard accepts into its ranks heroes as well as villains. This open door policy is causing a lot of tension between the organization and Longbow, whose point of view about the matter is completely different. Despite the fact that both groups fight for the same side and want to see the Rikti defeated, some of the Longbow leaders, such as W. M. Dietrich are especially critical of Vanguard.

And while the Vanguard fights for the planet as a whole and even has known villains in its ranks, villain groups such as the Malta Group or Arachnos are openly hostile to them, making its ally list even thinner.

Fighting an alien race in an open war, distrusted by hero organizations and attacked by villain groups, the Vanguard faces an uncertain future ahead. Only time will tell if the Vanguard and its allies succeed in their goals.

Structural Hierarchy

The Vanguard is split into 5 main divisions: The Helm, The Gauntlet, The Shield, The Herald, and The Sword.

The Herald - The public relations division is ran by a heroine named Incandescent. She's not normally on-site as she's usually too busy abroad working with the UN.

The Shield - The security division headed up by the sisters Levantera and Borea. Sharing the leadership between the two of them, together they handle security and most defensive roles.

The Gauntlet - The main offensive branch is headed up by the hero known as Serpent Drummer. Most troops that are visibly seen taking physical action against the Rikti belong to this branch.

The Helm - The intelligence division, headed up by the mysterious Dark Watcher. This division is dedicated in gathering information to help keep the Rikti contained.

The Sword - The counter-intelligence and special ops division is a secret branch headed up by Gaussian, and handles all kinds of cloak-and-dagger works.

The Lady Grey is the overall commander of the Vanguard and is both powerful and well connected. It's believed that she has been around as long as Statesman and Recluse. She sets the overall strategy of the organization and has Dark Watcher as her second in command.

Benefits

Despite the group's overall situation and its relations with the rest of the world, metahumans who join the Vanguard may reap the benefits of their services:

Vanguard Badges

Just joining the Vanguard will net your char a badge. Continued action against the Rikti during Invasions and Rikti Ship Raids will yield more.

Member of Vanguard

You are now a member of Vanguard and can earn Merits for defeating Rikti.
(Note that it is imperative that your char has the "Member of the Vanguard" medal if you want to earn Merits!)

Demolitionist

You have helped place 10 bombs on the crashed Rikti ship in the Rikti War Zone.

Master At Arms

You have defeated the Rikti Master At Arms from the crashed ship in the Rikti War Zone.

Vanguard Merits

Main Article: Vanguard Merit

The first thing a metahuman must do after joining the Vanguard is earn its favor. This can be done by earning Vanguard Merits through tasks such as completing missions and defeating Rikti troops in the War Zone, or attacking the Rikti Ship. Once enough Merits have been earned, they can be spent on different perks at special worktables located within the Vanguard base.

Costume Pieces

Main Article: Vanguard Costume Pieces

The Vanguard can outfit recruits with the same Impervium armor their troops use in battle. Each piece must be earned seperately.

(Note that the Vanguard armor pieces are just costume pieces at the tailor and don't grant characters any special resistances nor benefits.)

Temporary Powers

Main Article: Vanguard Temporary Powers

After fighting a highly-advanced alien race for years, the Vanguard has new technology to offer its allies: Heavy Assault mechs, psi-weapons, and even spells are all available to metahumans.

Weapon Customization

Main Article: Weapon Customization

Along with Vanguard armor costume pieces, some of the Vanguard's weaponry can also be bought to add to characters' costumes. Among these weapons are things like the Vanguard Redding Rifle and Vanguard Claws, as well as other Vanguard weaponry which the Vanguard troops don't even use!

Contacts

Models

Male NPC models

Female NPC models

Heavy Assault model. Not to scale; this model is over 20 feet tall.

Enemy Types

Currently, not every branch of the Vanguard may be found in game. The following Vanguard soldiers can be found, mostly as neutral or ally to heroes and villains.

Vanguard Shield

Minions

Vanguard Soldier

Vanguard is a group backed by the United Nations, and headed up by Lady Grey. Their soldiers are specifically outfitted in Impervium armor and with high tech as well as magical weaponry to fight the Rikti. Everything they do is centered around containing the Rikti menace on our world.

Powers

Burst Ranged, Lethal, Low Damage, Foe -Defense
Rapid fire rifle. Can reduce target's defense.

Bayonet Melee, Moderate Damage (Lethal/Energy), Damage over Time (Lethal), Foe -Resists (Lethal/Energy)
Your resistances have been weakened.

Flashbang Grenades (Ranged, Targeted Area of Effect, No Damage) Foe -Accuracy, -Defense
You've been partially blinded by the Flashbang Grenades. Your Accuracy and Defense are reduced.

Conference Security

Picture MIA

Vanguard is a group backed by the United Nations, and headed up by Lady Grey. Their soldiers are specifically outfitted in Impervium armor and with high tech as well as magical weaponry to fight the Rikti. Everything they do is centered around containing the Rikti menace on our world.

(Note: Conference Security is a group of NPCs found in the mission Help with Conference Security from Serpent Drummer. They actively fight the Rikti; however, if you defeat their enemies around them, they will remain in place and not attack further unless provoked.)

Lieutenants

Vanguard Adept

Vanguard is a group backed by the United Nations, and headed up by Lady Grey. Their soldiers are specifically outfitted in Impervium armor and with high tech as well as magical weaponry to fight the Rikti. Everything they do is centered around containing the Rikti menace on our world.

Powers

Defense Aura (Point Blank Area of Effect, Energy) Foe -Endurance, Sleep
Your Endurance has been drained and you are in a state of shock.

Ice Blast Ranged, Moderate Damage (Cold/Smash), Foe -Recharge, -Speed
Ice Blast hurls shards of ice at foes and Slows their attacks and movement for a time. Slower recharge than Ice Bolt, but more damage. Damage: Moderate, Recharge: Moderate.

Life Drain Ranged, Negative, Foe -Accuracy, Self + Hit Points
The Sorcerer taps the powers of the netherworld to steal some life from a target foe and reduce his chance to hit. Some of that life is then transferred to the Sorcerer.

Vanguard Sergeant

Vanguard is a group backed by the United Nations, and headed up by Lady Grey. Their soldiers are specifically outfitted in Impervium armor and with high tech as well as magical weaponry to fight the Rikti. Everything they do is centered around containing the Rikti menace on our world.

Powers

Bayonet Melee, Moderate Damage (Lethal/Energy), Damage over Time (Lethal), Foe -Resists (Lethal/Energy)
Your resistances have been weakened.

Burst Ranged, Lethal, Low Damage, Foe -Defense
Rapid fire rifle. Can reduce target's defense.

Flashbang Grenades (Ranged, Targeted Area of Effect, No Damage) Foe -Accuracy, -Defense
You've been partially blinded by the Flashbang Grenades. Your Accuracy and Defense are reduced.

Willie Pete Round (Ranged) Targeted Area of Effect, Lethal/Smash Damage, Foe Knockback
The explosion from this Fragmentation Grenade affects all within the blast and can knock them back.

Bosses

Vanguard Colonel

Vanguard is a group backed by the United Nations, and headed up by Lady Grey. Their soldiers are specifically outfitted in Impervium armor and with high tech as well as magical weaponry to fight the Rikti. Everything they do is centered around containing the Rikti menace on our world.

Powers

Willie Pete Round (Ranged) Targeted Area of Effect, Lethal/Smash Damage, Foe Knockback
The explosion from this Fragmentation Grenade affects all within the blast and can knock them back.

Burst Ranged, Lethal, Low Damage, Foe -Defense
Rapid fire rifle. Can reduce target's defense.

Curse of Weariness (Ranged, Lethal, Foe -Defense) Cursed
You are tired. Your endurance total has been reduced.

Plasma Blast (Ranged, Energy) Foe -Regeneration
Plasma burns are hard to heal. The burns have halted your Regeneration rate.

Flashbang Grenades (Ranged, Targeted Area of Effect, No Damage) Foe -Accuracy, -Defense
You've been partially blinded by the Flashbang Grenades. Your Accuracy and Defense are reduced.

Bayonet Melee, Moderate Damage (Lethal/Energy), Damage over Time (Lethal), Foe -Resists (Lethal/Energy)
Your resistances have been weakened.

Vanguard Wizard

Vanguard is a group backed by the United Nations, and headed up by Lady Grey. Their soldiers are specifically outfitted in Impervium armor and with high tech as well as magical weaponry to fight the Rikti. Everything they do is centered around containing the Rikti menace on our world.

Powers

Ball Lightning (Ranged, Energy) Foe -Endurance, Sleep
Your Endurance has been drained and you are in a state of shock.

Defense Aura (Point Blank Area of Effect, Energy) Foe -Endurance, Sleep
Your Endurance has been drained and you are in a state of shock.

Freezing Sphere (Ranged, Cold/Smash), Foe -Recharge, -Speed, -Accuracy
Your Accuracy, Attack rate and Running speed are reduced by the Freezing Sphere.

Ice Blast Ranged, Moderate Damage (Cold/Smash), Foe -Recharge, -Speed
Ice Blast hurls shards of ice at foes and Slows their attacks and movement for a time. Slower recharge than Ice Bolt, but more damage. Damage: Moderate, Recharge: Moderate.

Life Drain Ranged, Negative, Foe -Accuracy, Self + Hit Points
The Sorcerer taps the powers of the netherworld to steal some life from a target foe and reduce his chance to hit. Some of that life is then transferred to the Sorcerer.

Elite Bosses

Vanguard HVAS

Main Article: Vanguard HVAS

Vanguard is a group backed by the United Nations, and headed up by Lady Grey. Their soldiers are specifically outfitted in Impervium armor and with high tech as well as magical weaponry to fight the Rikti. Everything they do is centered around containing the Rikti menace on our world.

Powers Air Bomb DoT (Fire), Knockback
You have been knocked back by the explosion and are on fire

Energy Barrage Knockback
You have been knocked back

Grenade Targeted AoE Lethal/Smash, Knockback
Grenade!

Plasma Blast -Regeneration
Plasma burns are hard to heal. The burns have halted your Regeneration rate.

Seeker Drones Disorient, -DMG, -ACC, -Perception, Low DMG(Energy)
The Seeker Drones have Disoriented you and reduced your Damage, Accuracy and Perception range

Tear Gas Hold
The Tear Gas has left you choking and helpless