Ways to Build a Skitter Look-Alike

[JBPuffin]

As with so many game systems before, I'm taking a stab at HERO; unlike most, however, I'm kind of struggling on the exact crunch to use to end up with what I want the character to be. Basically I want someone who belongs on the Avengers in power level, with the difference being that he comes from a world filled with supers of that caliber already which puts him somewhat in the background by comparison.

 

Thread's Title refers to, as no doubt quite a few supers fans might have recognized, Worm, the web serial written by Wildbow (which I loved until the ending, whereupon I cast it from my Olympus of Literature in memory of my beloved Taylor). This character's powerset is practically identical, but its cause and his origins are quite different.

 

Here's what I've got so far.

Zoltán Juhász, aka Sokaság (Swarm in Hungarian)

Hungarian 30-something Male. Insect controller - distant control, receives sensory input (multiple levels of overlay; can turn it completely off, use it in place of normal sense entirely, or some sort of hybrid), gives commands and can have them do nifty things. Fights with insects and a spear while wearing a bulletproof, lightweight "carapace" which only mildly restricts his movement. Intelligent (IQ 140ish), not especially strong or resilient but trained for parkour and spearfighting, Doctorate in Entomology and training as a Forensic Entomologist (CSI stuff with a focus on his bugs).

 

Using some stuff from the book's archetyping help: Power-Oriented Superhero on 500 points (75 pts Complications, max 40 pts for a single Comp.), 185 pts for Characteristics, 75 for Skills, 240 for Powers (subject to tweaking based on advice)

 

Full Bio

Zoltán’s world began and ended with his studies; his family shipped him away to America at a young age “for his sake,” which left him in a small immigrant community with nothing but his book and street smarts to keep him afloat. He survived by picking through trash, which is how he discovered his innate rapport for insects. This connection and his astonishing grades paved the way for his doctorate of forensic entomology at 25. Zolt thought that this would be enough for him to live on, but after working for several years for the local crime scene investigation unit, he realized that bringing justice to the dead simply wasn’t enough. So, he’s taken to the streets again, only this time it’s to clean them up.

Zolt’s most recent excursion was a simple job with a twist. Thanks to his swarm, he was able to locate a hub of mobsters meeting in an abandoned warehouse. He sent in a preliminary wave of insects – roaches, flies, nothing special – and smiled inwardly from his nearby outpost at the lack of serious danger to his minions. Donning his costume of black-brown accented with acid green and grabbing his spear, Sokaság walked up to the entrance and knocked on the door. His greeter, a burly goon, was taken out with a single jab of the butt of the spear into his heavyset jaw. The bullets flew shortly afterward, but soon dissipated as Sokaság brought out the scorpions, recluses, and hornets to take his assailants down. He made his way to the focal point of the meeting, stepping over writhing thugs absentmindedly as he focused on his insects’ perception of the world – and groaned as they detected the presence of Chroma, one of his associates, bound and unconscious in the middle of a circle of criminals. Gripping his weapon more tightly, Zolt burst into the room shortly after his bugs infiltrated it. Their guns were no match for his carapace-suit and quickly fell from their owners’ hands as the stings piled up. Once his foes had received their comeuppance, Zoltán cut Ashleigh’s rope bonds, put his spear on his back, and rode his swarm out, Chroma fast asleep in his arms.

Sokaság is of extraordinary intelligence and conditioned, but no natural athlete; what ability he does have has been channeled into spearfighting and parkour. He’s somewhat shy in conversation and doesn’t have many friends outside his superhero team – his “hive” – but holds firm to them with immense ferocity. On an ethical level, Zolt reacts emotionally rather than by any sort of code; he doesn’t steal or lie or act lewdly, but violence is natural in the insect world, and retaliation is survival for many of his swarm. His connection to the minds of bugs has also made him more “primal”, as his apathy towards violence shows. Instinct is his bread and butter, and his CSI training in combination with this makes him a decent detective. From a superhuman perspective, Sokaság’s primary ability is his connection with insects; he can control them from a distance, use their sensory organs to scout out locations, and order them to attack and otherwise cooperate with each other to accomplish tasks. On top of this, he has a decent amount of cash from his job and a custom-built combat carapace (wings not yet included) that is bullet-resistant and light enough to allow for Sokaság’s freerunning.

 

Thanks for any help y'all can provide this novice  .

[Hyper-Man]

You may want to repost this in the Champions forum as well.

 

This forum is more focused on specific ability/power builds & rules than full character builds.  The genre forums are where folks typically post most full character builds.

 

HM

[Lucius]

 

Grabbing some ideas from a character I did long ago:

 

Sensorium, all slots Clairsentience Only (-½) 53

2) Infrared Perception (Sight Group) (5 Active Points); Clairsentience Only (-½) 0 3

3) Ultraviolet Perception (Sight Group) (5 Active Points); Clairsentience Only (-½) 0 2

4) Ultrasonic Perception (Hearing Group) (3 Active Points); Clairsentience Only (-½) 0 0

5) Mental Awareness; Clairsentience Only (-½) 0 5

6) Detect A Class Of Things: Minds 13- (Mental Group), Sense (7 Active Points); Clairsentience Only (-½) 0 2

7) Bump Of Direction (3 Active Points); Clairsentience Only (-½)

 

165 Clairsentience (Sight, Mental, Touch, Smell/Taste And Hearing Groups), 16 Perception Points, Adjacent, Discriminatory, Increased Arc Of Perception (360 Degrees), Microscopic: x1,000, Mobile Perception Point (can move up to 12m per Phase), Targeting, Tracking, Transmit, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½), No Range Modifier (+½) (248 Active Points); Perceivable (Obvious to Mental Awareness (although the mentally aware may not understand WHAT they're percieving) and perception points are all insects or similar creatures who may be percieved ; -¼), Vulnerable Perception Points Something like an Area Effect attack that would destroy all insects in a given area creates a "dead spot" at least until more insects can be brought in (-¼) 0

 

100 Hive Powers: Variable Power Pool, 50 base + 100 control cost 0

 

1) Change Environment (-3 to Sight Group PER Rolls(cloud of insects) -2 to Hearing Group PER Rolls (buzzing) Long-Lasting 5 Minutes, Varying Combat Effects), Personal Immunity (+¼), Indirect (Source Point can vary from use to use, path is from Source Point to target; +½), Area Of Effect (8 2m Areas; +1 ¼), Mobile (1m per Phase; +½) (93 Active Points); Extra Time (1 Turn (Post-Segment 12), Only to Activate, -¾), Restrainable (Only by means other than Grabs and Entangles - insect repellant or insecticide; -¼) Real Cost: 46 9 0

 

2) Stinging Swarm: Killing Attack - Ranged 1d6-1, Area Of Effect (4m Radius; +¼), Damage Over Time, Lock out (cannot be applied multiple times) (2 damage increments, damage occurs every Minute, can be negated by First Aid for stings/bites; +¼), +2 Increased STUN Multiplier (+½), Constant (+½), Attack Versus Alternate Defense (Life Support: Immune to insect/spider venom, impermeable defenses, alien physiologies; All Or Nothing; +1), Does BODY (+1), Indirect (Source Point can vary from use to use, path can change with every use; +1) (55 Active Points); 3 Continuing Fuel Charges lasting 1 Minute each (stingers run out of poison, mosquitoes too full to bite, etc; -¼) Real Cost: 44 [3 cc]

 

 

3 Animal Handler (Insects & Arthropods, Rodents) 9-

 

 

Lucius Alexander

 

The fleas of a thousand palindromedaries

[JBPuffin]

@Hyper-Man - Ah, that makes sense. I think I'll do that. However,

@Lucius - That is suuuuper helpful. In all honesty, that powerlist covers everything I'd imagine Sokaság doing at this level anyway. Thanks! I'll copy it to his bio-file as soon as possible (Character sheet's too small to write all that jazz in the box. >.>)

[JackValhalla]

I'd be keeping this one simple. Telepathic mind control, probably cumulative, area effect megascale, with limitations. Should fit neatly into AP limits The bestiary already has write-ups for swarms and spiders, use those as need be. And a clairvoyance, only through another's eyes, only insects, with a lot of rapid multipliers to let you use it dozens or hundreds of times per phase to simulate the super-multitasking that Skitter demonstrated. Both of these should be relatively low-cost RP, and at or under AP campaign limits. Even lower RP if you take an EC, linked power or Unified Power, which is appropriate considering Panacea's interference at the bank. 

 

Unless the megascale telepathic mind control only let you give one command per phase?