Steve Fortune & Professor Plague — A Friendship Turned Rivalry

Some heroes and villains are destined to become enemies.

Steve Fortune and Howard Plague were destined to become something much more complicated.

This duo is a story about friendship, ambition, hope, and the tragedy of two brilliant people who saw the same world and came to completely different conclusions.

The Man of Fortune and Professor Plague were originally created during my very first superhero tabletop campaign. Steve Fortune was my character. Howard Plague was created and played by my best friend. What started as a simple hero and scientist partnership quickly became one of the most memorable relationships at the table.

Steve was the eternal optimist. The man who believed anyone could be saved, that people could change, and that doing the right thing mattered even when nobody appreciated it.

Howard was the genius who stood beside him. His closest friend. The man who helped build his technology and supported his dreams.

Together, they became the heart of the campaign.

And then came the discovery that changed everything.

Howard uncovered the truth behind Steve's creation. He discovered the secrets of Victor Fortune, the Grand Architect, and learned that the hero he admired was never supposed to exist as a hero at all.

Steve was created as a tool.

A replacement.

A product of someone else's evil plan.

And Howard couldn't accept that.

Because if Steve—the kindest person he knew—could come from something so terrible, what did that say about the world?

Professor Plague was born from that question. He isn't a villain because he hates Steve. He's a villain because he loves Steve.

Howard believes Steve is too good for the world. He believes the people Steve saves don't deserve him. He believes every smile, every sacrifice, and every heroic act only delays the inevitable suffering waiting ahead.

In his mind, he isn't destroying Steve's dream. He's freeing his best friend from a fate he was never meant to escape. Steve Fortune represents the belief that your choices define you. Professor Plague represents the belief that your destiny defines you.

One fights for hope. The other fights because he believes hope itself is a cruel lie.

These two characters were so much fun that they refused to stay in one campaign. Steve and Howard became staple characters in every future game we ran in the Nokriverse, returning again and again because their rivalry was too much fun to leave behind.

Now they are here for you.

Step into the world of the Nokriverse and experience the story of a friendship that became a war.

Can Steve save the man who helped create his greatest inventions?

Can Howard prove that the world is beyond saving?

Or will two old friends destroy each other trying to prove they are right?

I hope you have as much fun with Steve Fortune and Professor Plague as we did creating them.