"Good morning, Angels."

You are one third of an elite, crime-fighting team backed by an anonymous millionaire. Your mission is to take down evil men who think they're above the law. Your weapons of choice are guile, gadgets, guns (or wire-fu), and your formidable, feminine wiles. Oh, and there are warlocks.

Now, I gotta tell ya... I never really watched the 1970's show. I am, however, a big fan of the 2000 movie directed by McG. It's a candy-coated, technicolor, wire-fu classic. Regardless of your preferred source material, the premise is the same: a trio of hyper-competent, female, secret agents with the cash, intel, and expertise to take on anyone from corrupt politicians to powerful druglords. (If you're not familiar with either the show or the movies, Wikipedia will catch you up.)

Charlie's Sanctum is a natural choice for mission-based games and one-shots. The GM delivers some exposition via the characters of Bosley and Charlie (or the latter's signature speaker), then it's straight to the action! Infiltration, breaking and entering, surveillance, and bodyguard duty are common mission elements. Typical locations include glamorous parties, executive offices, penthouse apartments, posh nightclubs, parking garages, foggy wharfs, crowded streets, and dark alleys.

If this all sounds dreadfully derivative, you can count on the whole "demons" thing to put a new spin on it. Demonkind is a world-wide threat, so Charlie's Sanctum is a sprawling network of cells that spans the globe, each being composed of three Angels and one Bosley. Warlocks can't just be turned over the cops, so the Angels do much less evidence-gathering and much more burning their enemies to cinders. Their trademark gadgets go beyond wiretaps and tracking devices to include such esoterica as demon wards, holy relics, and incendiary ammunition.

Why is Charlie an anonymous millionaire? Maybe he's a retired spy who made too many enemies during the Cold War. Maybe he's an elected official who's funding his personal army with public money. Or maybe he's a powerful, ambitious Warlock who decided that the only way to beat the Sanctum was to control the Sanctum. Hell, maybe he's God.

The Angels

Angels come and Angels go, but the magic number remains the same. There are always three Angels, for reasons as immutable as they are unknowable. In the likely case that you've got more than three characters, fear not! Guest stars are a staple of the genre. They can be consultants, hired guns, crucial witnesses, or clients in search of lost relatives, stolen property, or some old fashioned payback. An intern or a trainee character has comedic potential.

All the Angels are extremely competent and extraordinarily bright. They are expert fighters (with fists or firearms, depending on your source material), so assume that they have all the necessary traits, skills, or whatever. I won't waste time on combat skills in the descriptions below. The Angels don't differentiate themselves by their fighting ability; they have more unique schticks that speak to their personalities.

The Good One

Blonde. She's always the blonde. The Good Angel isn't really the leader (the Angels don't have or need a leader), but she's definitely the cheerleader. Her schticks are quintessentially American, because she's the All-American girl. Bubbly, talky, friendly... and did I mention blonde?

• Cute - Believe it or not, this is her social skill.
• Cars - She drives 'em, fixes 'em, & jumps 'em off rooftops.
• Jock - A natural athlete and notorious pool shark.

The Bad One

Show me a detective agency without a criminal on the payroll and I'll show you a bankrupt detective agency. The Bad Angel comes from a shady past, full of petty theft, fistfights, and rock-n-roll boyfriends. She's often a red head, if only for the fiery symbolism, but brunettes can also be bad. Though relatively rehabilitated, she has little patience for doing things by the book.

• Hot - Wields her sexuality like a 2x4 to the face!
• Street Punk - Crime skills, underworld contacts, etc.
• Circus Kid- Magic tricks, acrobatics, balloon animals.

The Smart One

They're all smart, of course, but one is always more bookish than the others. The Smart Angel, invariably a brunette, often has a scientific or engineering background. She's good with computers and may have medical or military training. Her higher education comes with a certain refinement, which also makes her the pointman at high society functions. When she does decide to let her hair down, it's always in slow motion.

• Sultry - Not as flirty as the others, but no less effective.
• Techie - Hacker, mechanic, & saboteur.
• Boom! - Explosives & demolitions.

Bad Men

In the Angels' world, demonkind is a patriarchy. It exploits male lusts and egos, uses them to keep the rest of humanity enslaved. There are female demoniacs, to be sure, but Charlie's Sanctum specializes in the tyranny of evil men.

Toby Hoffsteader

It's not about the clothes, it's about the lifestyle. Toby craves the runway lights, the penthouse suites, and the fabulous after parties. The only thing that ever stood between him and his dream was a complete and utter lack of talent. As luck would have it, his demons could offer him an excellent alternative: magic. Now, any garment Toby sews with his own hands possesses a supernatural allure that men find irresistible... when its worn by a woman.

This trick was enough to get Toby his own fashion label, but he soon found other applications. As his fame grew, he attracted a large stable of models, each more eager than the last to win his good graces. Whenever there's a client he wants to impress, or an enemy he wants to blackmail, Toby puts one of his girls in one of his dresses and sends her out as a concubine. His wardrobe may be a bit better than most, but a pimp is a pimp.

The poor girls want to be wanted, and Toby certainly gives them that, but the simple fact is that they're being used. Those who try to leave him end up dead. A beautiful corpse is the most likely start of any trail that leads to Hoffsteader.

• Rumplestiltskin - He can't sew worth crap, but men love his crap.
• Fabulous - His glamorous reputation greases many social wheels.
• Eccentric - Like all fashion moguls, he can get away with anything.

Senator Anderson

Adam never thought much of women. He's always been a part of the "old boys' club:" fraternities, country clubs, Masons, you name it. Unfortunately, connections can only get you so far. When his career stalled out in the early 90's, his demons began to whisper that they could grant him the power to "bend the wills of men." He accepted the offer and became a key player behind the scenes of millennial hysteria.

Much to his chagrin, he discovered that women are immune to his mind tricks. That's the trouble with Faustian bargains: literal interpretation. Suddenly, 51% of the population became a threat to him. Being a poor politician, he has responded by waging war on women's issues. He cuts budgets for women's shelters, opposes domestic abuse laws, and does his best to ruin the careers of any women who dare enter the political arena.

That last pastime is the most probable reason Senator Anderson might come to Charlie's attention. Another is that he uses his connections to run interference for other warlocks. He shuts down police investigations and sends Homeland Security after agents of the Sanctum. He destroys evidence, falsifies records, and blackmails anyone whose will he can't bend. The Angels are his worst nightmare.

• Silver Tongue - Can make men believe almost anything.
• Connected - Knows people at all levels of government.
• Wife Beater - At least, he would be if he were married.

Honky McGee

In any criminal investigations, if you follow the money long enough, it will lead you to a rich, white guy. If you follow those rich, white guys long enough, they'll lead you to this bastard. He's the corporate puppet-master of corporate puppet-masters. He's Kaiser friggin' Sozay.

When you're handling that much dirty money, traceability is your most dreaded enemy. Over time, this kingpin's greed and paranoia eroded his soul and allowed his demons to access the world of men. They erased all trace of his existence, except for his corporate influence. He's the faceless voice on conference call during the shareholder's meeting. He can vanish into a crowd of business suits like a ninja into a cloud of smoke.

Honky McGee, as his underground adversaries have dubbed him, is a natural arch-villain. No matter who the Angels tangle with, the money trail may ultimately lead to him. At least, it can almost lead to him. Nothing piques an investigator's curiosity like a string of dead ends. Similarities to Charlie's modus operandi cannot be overlooked. Are they two sides of the same coin, or Warlocks working both sides against the middle?

• Nowhere Man - Anonymity is the ultimate shield.
• Corporate Empire - Access to unlimited cash and personnel.
• Security!!! - Summons faceless goons to do his fighting for him.

Next Stop: To Be Determined...