Stochastic
Feb 28th, '09, 09:47 AM
Hey. I know this is going to seem really silly, but it actually worked out very well.
'Superhumans' are a legitimate minority in our setting (half of a generation was transformed), and it is very x-man-esque in that they are an oppressed minority.
So, our Villain, Dr Larry Ebson, is many of the predictable archetypes: He's a misguided genius, an inventor, a man with at least a marginally sympathetic story. The 'twist' I gave him was that, rather than being a 'mad scientist', he was a sad scientist - driven by grief rather than your more standard motivations of anger, fear or even delusions of grandeur.
Here's the guts portion of the character.
Larry Ebson
Player:
Val Char Cost
12 STR 2
14 DEX 12
13 CON 6
12 BODY 4
26 INT 16
29 EGO 38
20 PRE 10
18 COM 4
2/17 PD 0
3/18 ED 0
6 SPD 36
5 REC 0
28 END 1
25 STUN 0
6" RUN 0
2" SWIM 0
2" LEAP 0
Characteristics Cost: 129
Cost Power
10 Mental Defense (31 points total)
30 Mental Mastery: Elemental Control, 60-point powers
56 1) Hypnosis: Ego Attack 17d6 (Human class of minds), Armor Piercing (+1/2) (255 Active Points); IAF Fragile (-3/4), Gestures (Complex; -1/2), Eye Contact Required (-1/2), Does Not Provide Mental Awareness (-1/4), Subject To Range Modifier (-1/4), Visible (-1/4), Normal Range (-1/4), Incantations (-1/4)
15 2) Force Field (15 PD/15 ED/15 Mental Defense/15 Power Defense) (60 Active Points); Ablative BODY Only (-1/2), Extra Time (Delayed Phase, Only to Activate, -1/4), Activation Roll 15- (-1/4)
16 3) Hypnotic Suggestion: Mind Control 8d6 (Human class of minds), Cumulative (96 points; +3/4) (70 Active Points); IAF (-1/2), Gestures (Complex; -1/2), Eye Contact Required (-1/2)
30 4) Supplant Will: Mind Control 6d6 (Human class of minds), Area Of Effect (3" Radius; +1) (60 Active Points)
51 Depression-Powered Gadget Pool: Variable Power Pool, 45 base + 6 control cost, (67 Active Points); VPP Can Only Be Changed Between Adventures (-1/2); all slots OAF Bulky Fragile Expendable (Difficult to obtain new Focus; -2)
0 1) Suicide Inducer: Major Transform 1d6 (Normal Person into Suicidally Depressed Person, Leaving the Effected Area), Explosion (+1/2), MegaScale (1" = 10 km; +1/2), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Persistent (+1/2) (45 Active Points); OAF Bulky Fragile Expendable (Difficult to obtain new Focus; -2), Limited Target (Normal Person; -1/2) Real Cost: 13
Powers Cost: 208
Cost Skill
15 +3 with Mental Combat
3 Computer Programming 14-
3 Criminology 14-
3 Deduction 14-
3 Demolitions 14-
3 Electronics 14-
3 Forgery 14-
3 Inventor 14-
2 KS 11-
0 Language: English (idiomatic) (4 Active Points)
4 Language: French (idiomatic)
3 Mechanics 14-
3 Navigation 14-
2 PS: Psychologist 11-
2 SS: Psychology 11-
10 +1 Overall
3 Systems Operation 14-
3 Weaponsmith 14-
Skills Cost: 68
Cost Perk
40 Follower [Notes: Several "low powered" superhero henchmen that Dr Ebson meets through the support groups that he hosts.]
3 Reputation: Respected Doctor (A medium-sized group) 11-, +3/+3d6
2 Deep Cover
Perks Cost: 45
Total Character Cost: 450
Pts. Disadvantage
25 Dependent NPC: Henchmen 14- (Slightly Less Powerful than the PC; Useful Noncombat Position or Skills; Group DNPC: x8 DNPCs)
40 Enraged: Berserk Suffering of Mutants (Common), go 14-, recover 8-
20 Hunted: Vector Control Center 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
10 Hunted: Misguided Heros 11- (Less Pow, Capture)
20 Psychological Limitation: Depression (Very Common, Strong)
20 Social Limitation: Administrative Duties (Very Frequently, Major)
15 Social Limitation: Minority (Frequently, Major)
Disadvantage Points: 150
Base Points: 300
Experience Required: 0
Total Experience Available: 0
Experience Unspent: 0
He recruits followers from group therapy sessions he runs, he gets the money to power his operations from your standard villainy of bank heists and the like.
The 'crux' of the story involved his invention : a device that caused 'normals' to grow depressed and eventually kill themselves. The PCs in my game ended up discovering and tracking down the device by triangulating the increased occurrence of suicides (one of them had a computer link to governmental databases).
But there are several different stories one might run with him.
Anyways. I just thought I'd share, in case anyones looking for weird villains.
'Superhumans' are a legitimate minority in our setting (half of a generation was transformed), and it is very x-man-esque in that they are an oppressed minority.
So, our Villain, Dr Larry Ebson, is many of the predictable archetypes: He's a misguided genius, an inventor, a man with at least a marginally sympathetic story. The 'twist' I gave him was that, rather than being a 'mad scientist', he was a sad scientist - driven by grief rather than your more standard motivations of anger, fear or even delusions of grandeur.
Here's the guts portion of the character.
Larry Ebson
Player:
Val Char Cost
12 STR 2
14 DEX 12
13 CON 6
12 BODY 4
26 INT 16
29 EGO 38
20 PRE 10
18 COM 4
2/17 PD 0
3/18 ED 0
6 SPD 36
5 REC 0
28 END 1
25 STUN 0
6" RUN 0
2" SWIM 0
2" LEAP 0
Characteristics Cost: 129
Cost Power
10 Mental Defense (31 points total)
30 Mental Mastery: Elemental Control, 60-point powers
56 1) Hypnosis: Ego Attack 17d6 (Human class of minds), Armor Piercing (+1/2) (255 Active Points); IAF Fragile (-3/4), Gestures (Complex; -1/2), Eye Contact Required (-1/2), Does Not Provide Mental Awareness (-1/4), Subject To Range Modifier (-1/4), Visible (-1/4), Normal Range (-1/4), Incantations (-1/4)
15 2) Force Field (15 PD/15 ED/15 Mental Defense/15 Power Defense) (60 Active Points); Ablative BODY Only (-1/2), Extra Time (Delayed Phase, Only to Activate, -1/4), Activation Roll 15- (-1/4)
16 3) Hypnotic Suggestion: Mind Control 8d6 (Human class of minds), Cumulative (96 points; +3/4) (70 Active Points); IAF (-1/2), Gestures (Complex; -1/2), Eye Contact Required (-1/2)
30 4) Supplant Will: Mind Control 6d6 (Human class of minds), Area Of Effect (3" Radius; +1) (60 Active Points)
51 Depression-Powered Gadget Pool: Variable Power Pool, 45 base + 6 control cost, (67 Active Points); VPP Can Only Be Changed Between Adventures (-1/2); all slots OAF Bulky Fragile Expendable (Difficult to obtain new Focus; -2)
0 1) Suicide Inducer: Major Transform 1d6 (Normal Person into Suicidally Depressed Person, Leaving the Effected Area), Explosion (+1/2), MegaScale (1" = 10 km; +1/2), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Persistent (+1/2) (45 Active Points); OAF Bulky Fragile Expendable (Difficult to obtain new Focus; -2), Limited Target (Normal Person; -1/2) Real Cost: 13
Powers Cost: 208
Cost Skill
15 +3 with Mental Combat
3 Computer Programming 14-
3 Criminology 14-
3 Deduction 14-
3 Demolitions 14-
3 Electronics 14-
3 Forgery 14-
3 Inventor 14-
2 KS 11-
0 Language: English (idiomatic) (4 Active Points)
4 Language: French (idiomatic)
3 Mechanics 14-
3 Navigation 14-
2 PS: Psychologist 11-
2 SS: Psychology 11-
10 +1 Overall
3 Systems Operation 14-
3 Weaponsmith 14-
Skills Cost: 68
Cost Perk
40 Follower [Notes: Several "low powered" superhero henchmen that Dr Ebson meets through the support groups that he hosts.]
3 Reputation: Respected Doctor (A medium-sized group) 11-, +3/+3d6
2 Deep Cover
Perks Cost: 45
Total Character Cost: 450
Pts. Disadvantage
25 Dependent NPC: Henchmen 14- (Slightly Less Powerful than the PC; Useful Noncombat Position or Skills; Group DNPC: x8 DNPCs)
40 Enraged: Berserk Suffering of Mutants (Common), go 14-, recover 8-
20 Hunted: Vector Control Center 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)
10 Hunted: Misguided Heros 11- (Less Pow, Capture)
20 Psychological Limitation: Depression (Very Common, Strong)
20 Social Limitation: Administrative Duties (Very Frequently, Major)
15 Social Limitation: Minority (Frequently, Major)
Disadvantage Points: 150
Base Points: 300
Experience Required: 0
Total Experience Available: 0
Experience Unspent: 0
He recruits followers from group therapy sessions he runs, he gets the money to power his operations from your standard villainy of bank heists and the like.
The 'crux' of the story involved his invention : a device that caused 'normals' to grow depressed and eventually kill themselves. The PCs in my game ended up discovering and tracking down the device by triangulating the increased occurrence of suicides (one of them had a computer link to governmental databases).
But there are several different stories one might run with him.
Anyways. I just thought I'd share, in case anyones looking for weird villains.