JeffreyWKramer Posted September 4, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 4, 2004 Revised Mr. Muerte and El ToroIncorporating feedback from JmOz, here's the revised Mr. Muerte. Changes include building his HKA and HA into a Multipower (a dumb oversight on my part), restructuring the cost of his Followers such that I ended up giving him a larger, more versatile criminal organization for fewer points, and some points in bases. Mr. MuertePlayer: Val Char Cost 30 STR 20 23 DEX 39 20 CON 20 15 BODY 10 18 INT 8 20 EGO 20 30 PRE 20 6 COM -2 30 PD 24 20 ED 16 6 SPD 27 10 REC 0 40 END 0 60 STUN 20 6" RUN02" SWIM06" LEAP0Characteristics Cost: 222Cost Power END 42 Death Gaze: Killing Attack - Ranged 1d6+1, Invisible to Hearing, and Sight Groups, Source Only (Visible to Smell - Scent of Decay/Grave); +1/4), Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4), +1 Increased STUN Multiplier (+1/4), Does BODY (+1), Attack Versus Limited Defense (Power Defense; +1 1/2) (85 Active Points); Limited Power Power loses about a third of its effectiveness (Only vs. Living Beings; -1/2), Concentration (1/2 DCV; -1/4), Restrainable (Only by means other than Grabs and Entangles; Blinding/Blindfolding; -1/4) 4 37 Deadly Hands: Multipower, 37-point reserve 2u 1) Fists Like Sledgehammers: Hand-To-Hand Attack +5d6, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (37 Active Points); Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/2) 2u 2) Razor-Sharp Fingernails: Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 1d6+1 (2 1/2d6 w/STR), Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4), Armor Piercing (+1/2) (35 Active Points); Restrainable (-1/2) 1 7 Tireless: Strength 30, Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4) (7 Active Points) 30 Like Punching A Wall: Killing Attack - Ranged 1d6, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Damage Shield (+1/2), Persistent (+1/2), Continuous (+1) (52 Active Points); Always On (-1/2), Limited Power (Only When Struck) (-1/4) 20 Steel-Hard Skin: Damage Resistance (20 PD/20 ED) 12 Immovable: Knockback Resistance -6" 6 Indestructable: Lack Of Weakness (-6) for Normal Defense 6 Indestructable: Lack Of Weakness (-6) for Resistant Defenses 6 Indomitable Will: Mental Defense (10 points total) 48 Undead Body: Life Support (Eating Character does not eat; Immunity All terrestrial diseases and biowarfare agents; Immunity All terrestrial poisons and chemical warfare agents; Longevity Immortal; Safe in High Pressure; Safe in High Radiation; Safe in Intense Cold; Safe in Intense Heat; Safe in Low Pressure/Vacuum; Self-Contained Breathing; Sleeping Character only has to sleep 8 hours per week) 6 Blood Ritual: Healing BODY 4d6, Can Heal Limbs (45 Active Points); 1 Charge which Recovers every 1 Week (-2 1/2), Extra Time (1 Minute, Character May Take No Other Actions, -1 3/4), OAF Bulky Expendable (Difficult to obtain new Focus; Human Sacrifice; -1 3/4), Gestures (Requires both hands; -1/2), Incantations (Requires Incantations throughout; -1/2) 5 Darksight: Nightvision 9 Supernatural Senses: +3 PER with all Sense Groups 9 Magic Sense: Detect Magic 15- (Unusual Group), Discriminatory, Analyze, Range (22 Active Points); Concentration, Must Concentrate throughout use of Constant Power (1/2 DCV; Character is totally unaware of nearby events; -1), Extra Time (Full Phase, -1/2) Powers Cost: 247Cost Skill 3 Bribery 15- 3 Interrogation 15- 0 Language: Spanish (idiomatic) (4 Active Points) 2 Language: English (completely fluent) (3 Active Points) 2 Language: Latin (completely fluent) (3 Active Points) 1 Language: Central/South American Native Languages (basic conversation) 10 +2 with HTH Combat 3 Persuasion 15- 3 Stealth 14- 3 Streetwise 15- 6 Survival (Temperate/Subtropical, Tropical, Desert) 13- 5 WF: Common Melee Weapons, Small Arms, Garrote 5 KS: Crime and Criminals 15- 3 KS: Magic 13- 5 PS: Crime Lord 15- Skills Cost: 54Cost Perk 10 Money: Wealthy 75 125 Followers - 4 Starting Supervillains (200 Base/150 Disads), 21 Criminal Lieutenants/Specialists (150 Base/100 Disads), 50 Thugs, Bodyguards and Leg-Breakers (100/50) and 100 Mooks/Low-Level Criminals (75/25) 25 Two 100-Pt Bases Perks Cost: 110Cost Talent 3 Simulate Death Talents Cost: 3Val Disadvantages 5 Dependence: (Human Sacrifice Ritual) Takes 3d6 Damage (Difficult To Obtain, 1 Week) 15 Distinctive Features: Odor of Decay/Death (Concealable; Always Noticed and Causes Major Reaction; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses) 10 Distinctive Features: Undead/Aura of Evil (Not Concealable; Always Noticed and Causes Major Reaction; Detectable Only By Unusual Senses) 15 Distinctive Features: No Vital Signs (Not Concealable; Always Noticed and Causes Major Reaction; Detectable By Uncommonly-Used Senses) 5 Distinctive Features: Grayish Skin, Unusually Long Fingernails (Easily Concealed; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses) 20 Enraged: Berserk Attacked With Holy Items (Uncommon), go 11-, recover 14-, Berserk 5 Hunted: FBI 8- (As Pow, NCI, Watching) 5 Hunted: DEA 8- (As Pow, NCI, Watching) 10 Hunted: Gauntlet (Government-Sponsored Superhero) 8- (As Pow, Harshly Punish) 15 Physical Limitation: Cannot Enter Hallowed Ground/Holy Places (Infrequently, Fully Impairing) 15 Psychological Limitation: Hates/Fears Magic-Wielders (Common, Strong) 15 Psychological Limitation: Cruel and Sadistic (Common, Strong) 15 Psychological Limitation: Vengeful (Common, Strong) 30 Susceptibility: Touched By Holy Item; Takes Normal Damage Stun and Body (NND), 1d6 damage per Phase (Uncommon; Custom Adder) 10 Reputation: Ruthless Drug Kingpin/Crime Lord (Not Widely Known Outside Law Enforcement/Underworld), 11- (Extreme; Known Only To A Small Group) Disadvantage Points: 190Base Points: 350Experience Required: 96Total Experience Available: 96Experience Unspent: 0Total Character Cost: 636 Height: 1.82 m Hair: Black Weight: 88.00 kg Eyes: Brown Appearance: Jorge Salgado dresses stylishly, but his grayish pallor gives him an unhealthy appearance. He also emits the scent of death, though he uses strong colognes to hide this when he goes out in public (always surrounded by bodyguards and hirelings). He has long, well-groomed nails and speaks English fluently, though with a notable accent. Despite his villainous alias, Mr. Muerte does not wear a garish costume or otherwise favor the typical supervillain fashions. He has black hair, worn closely-cropped, and brown eyes.Personality: Salgado is motivated by nothing more than the desire for personal power, and he has no qualms about gaining said power by any means necessary. Salgado was a classic psychopath even before gaining his dark powers, and since then he's actively served and promoted evil for its own sake. He likes to be in charge, and as such, he's more often than not the dark figure behind the scenes, but he has no problem with getting his own hands dirty as dictated by necessity or by his own cruel desires. Few things scare Salgado. He has an intense hatred of holy symbols and items, and those who bear them, but he only fears such things if they are wielded by someone of great power. This happens only rarely, in part because few know that he has supernatural powers, and even fewer realize he is undead. He also hates and fears most others who know the ways of magic, as he knows they will likely recognize him for what he is, and may be able to destroy him. Quote:"Some men fear death. Some men bring death to others. I *am* death."Background: Long ago, Jorge Salgado was a member of El Salvador's feared death squads. When the evil regime that supported the squads fell, he became a mercenary and hired thug, mostly working for drug kingpins throught Central and South America. In 1989, while working in Nicaragua, he'd tired of being a toady for others and was seeking options that would let him be his own man, someone who gave the orders for once, rather than following them. After hearing tales of a reclusive and feared evil bruja, or witch, possessing the Evil Eye and other dark powers, Salgado sought this woman out. She recognized within him a capacity for great evil, and after receiving permission from the dark spirits she served, started teaching him the secrets of her black magic. He studied under the woman long enough to identify a path to greater power, then took that path - a magical ritual in which the bruja became Salgado's first sacrifice. Within a short time, Salgado had used his dark powers to kill his former employer and take his place in the Nicaraguan cocaine cartels. His methods also earned him an alies - Senor Muerte (Mr. Death). As his power grew, Salgado decided to branch out more on his own, eventually moving to the US, where he has facilitated the trafficking of cocaine and other narcotics. His profits from these activities made him quite wealthy, and his power grew even further as he used his gains to expand his criminal enterprises into areas such as slavery and murder-for-hire. Although he's been arrested, Salgado has never been convicted of a crime (most often because witnesses against him tend to disappear or die suddenly), and his dark powers and reputation continue to grow. The name Mr. Muerte has gradually become quite feared in the US, both within the law enforcement community and in the criminal underground. Powers/Tactics: The dark rituals Salgado performed transformed him into an undead being of great power. Supernaturally strong, incredibly durable and effectively immortal, Salgado can kill with his razor-sharp nails, his great strength or his very gaze, which causes targets to decay and die in a gruesome manner, leaving nothing but bones and rotted flesh. He does not possess all of the abilities common to vampires and other powerful, undead beings, but he also does not have their weaknesses to sunlight or their need to sleep in coffins. However, as an unholy being, he is vulnerable to holy items and substances and unable to enter holy places. In addition, he has to continue to dedicate human sacrifices to the dark powers in order to maintain his existence. This ritual is separate from the one he sometimes performs to heal himself on the rare occasions when he has been significantly wounded.Campaign Use: Mr. Muerte makes a good behind-the-scenes criminal mastermind for a group of lower-powered heroes, particularly those who concentrate their efforts on street-level crime. He would also make a great Hunted for a single, more powerful street-style hero. He is dangerous but not enough of a combat monster to present a great deal of direct threat to a group of high-powered flying bricks, energy-blasters and magic-masters, but his resources easily allow him to hire other villains - or assassins - to handle any of those who cross his path. More often than not, the heroes will first run into some of Mr. Muerte's criminal followers then face-off with the lesser supervillains in his employ (Bandido, La Diabla, El Toro, Machete) well before they encounter him directly. Note that Mr. Muerte's criminal organization is not small, and includes a significant number of skilled criminals. His "specialists" include skilled lieutanants, his private attorney (very skilled in business/finance law and criminal defense), his private accountant (great at hiding and laundering money) and paid informants/snitches in the FBI, DEA and local police department. These resources make it more difficult for PCs to put Mr. Muerty out of business, but they also provide careful PCs with potential targets for investigation, interrogation - or even disguised infiltration!And here's the revised version of El Toro, with slightly beefed-up defenses and some changes in martial maneuvers and Combat Skill levels.El ToroPlayer: Val Char Cost 40 STR 30 18 DEX 24 30 CON 40 20 BODY 20 5 INT -5 14 EGO 8 25 PRE 15 10 COM 0 20 PD 12 16 ED 10 4 SPD 12 14 REC 0 60 END 0 55 STUN 0 12" RUN122" SWIM08" LEAP0Characteristics Cost: 178Cost Power END 30 Tough as a Bull: Physical Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50% 3 Tough As A Bull!: Damage Resistance (4 PD/3 ED) 3 Toughness: Lack Of Weakness (-3) for Normal Defense 4 Big Lungs: Life Support (Extended Breathing) 20 Immovable Object: Knockback Resistance -10" Powers Cost: 60Cost Martial Arts Maneuver 4 Arm Bar: 1/2 Phase, +1 OCV, +0 DCV, Grab One Limb; 4d6 NND ; Target Falls 3 Body Slam: 1/2 Phase, +0 OCV, +2 DCV, 12d6 Strike; Target Falls; Must Follow Grab 4 Bull Rush: 1/2 Phase, +0 OCV, -2 DCV, 12d6 +v/5 Strike, FMove 5 Clothesline: 1/2 Phase, +1 OCV, +0 DCV, 10d6 +v/5; FMove 4 Crush: 1/2 Phase, +0 OCV, +0 DCV, 14d6 Crush, Must Follow Grab 3 Drop Kick: 1/2 Phase, +2 OCV, +1 DCV, 10d6 Strike; You Fall, Target Falls 4 Duck/Evade: 1/2 Phase, -- OCV, +5 DCV, Dodge, Affects All Attacks, Abort 3 Grab: 1/2 Phase, -1 OCV, -1 DCV, Grab Two Limbs, 60 STR for holding on 5 Head Bash/Stomp: 1/2 Phase, -2 OCV, +1 DCV, 14d6 Strike 5 Joint Break: 1/2 Phase, -1 OCV, -2 DCV, Grab One Limb; HKA 2d6 , Disable 4 Punch/Forearm Strike: 1/2 Phase, +2 OCV, +0 DCV, 12d6 Strike 4 Reversal: var Phase, -1 OCV, -2 DCV, 65 STR to Escape; Grab Two Limbs 4 Sleeper Hold: 1/2 Phase, -2 OCV, +0 DCV, Grab One Limb; 3d6 NND 8 +2 HTH Damage Class(es) Martial Arts Cost: 60Cost Skill 3 Acrobatics 13- 5 Acting 15- 7 Breakfall 15- 3 Climbing 13- 0 Language: Spanish (completely fluent) (3 Active Points) 1 Language: English (basic conversation) 5 PS: Pro Wrestling 14- 6 KS: Pro Wrestling 15- 3 Streetwise 14- 7 Teamwork 15- 12 +4 with Wrestling (Martial Arts Maneuvers) Skills Cost: 52Val Disadvantages 15 Distinctive Features: Huge, Hulking Man (Not Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses) 10 Distinctive Features: Mutant (Not Concealable; Always Noticed and Causes Major Reaction; Detectable Only By Unusual Senses) 25 Enraged: When Taunted (Common), go 14-, recover 11- 20 Psychological Limitation: Loyal to Mr. Muerte (Very Common, Strong) 15 Psychological Limitation: Stubborn (Common, Strong) 15 Psychological Limitation: Easily Manipulated by Women and Kids (Common, Strong) 20 Susceptibility: When Mind Controlled, 2d6 damage per Phase (Uncommon) 20 Enraged: When Someone Point Gun At/Shoots Him (Common), go 14-, recover 14- 10 Unluck: 2d6 Disadvantage Points: 150Base Points: 200Experience Required: 0Total Experience Available: 0Experience Unspent: 0Total Character Cost: 350 Height: 2.00 m Hair: Brown Weight: 130.00 kg Eyes: Brown Appearance: El Toro is a huge Mexican man, age 29. He wears expensive shirts (and sometimes suit jackets) over full-length wrestling pants (black with red trim), boots (red with black laces) and wears a red full-head mask, with black trim and short, soft, black horns. If he has time, he strips off his shirt and jacket before going into combat.Personality: El Toro is as strong, stubborn, temperamental and dumb as his namesake, but he's really not a very evil person. He's easily manipulated by kids or women, and readily offers to help either, and once he gets his mind set on something, he sticks with it - until something else distracts him, at least. El Toro is motivated mostly by praise and wealth. He sends much of his money back to his family in Mexico but otherwise lives well, buying expensive toys and watching pro wrestling matches in person or by pay-per-view. He doesn't really know about Muerte's dark powers, and would probably rethink his loyalties if he did, but for the moment he gladly serves Senor Muerte, as he's glad to be in the US. Quote:"You will learn to not anger El Toro! Prepare to be trampled!"Background: Juan Araujo was the seventh child of a large, poor family from Mexico City. He wasn't very bright, but he was abnormally strong, and given his great size and strength and his admiration for professional wrestling, it seemed naturally that he would himself be attracted to the ring. As a teenager, he'd earned the nickname El Toro (the bull) due to his strength and stubbornness, and he adopted that same name - and a red, full-head mask with (soft) horns - as his wrestling persona. Things went great for Juan for a few years. He was successful in the ring, achieving fame and financial success, and life seemed good, until a dishonest woman came into his life. She told Juan she was being harassed by a man and asked him to make him leave her alone. He gave his help readily, only to find that the man he'd crippled was a police officer, and that the woman was involved in her husband's drug business. All of a sudden El Toro found himself a wanted man. Forced to leave the ring, he fell further among bad influences, ending up acting as an enforcer and leg breaker for drug traffickers and mobsters. He eventually attracted Senor Muerte's attention, and came with Muerte to the United States. Powers/Tactics: For a big, dumb guy, El Toro is amazingly skilled, and he has a strong sene of the dramatic. Thus, he tends to use showy combat maneuvers like charges, body slams and drop kicks, rather than just grabbing a foe and crushing him into unconsciousness. Nonetheless, he doesn't think much about complex strategies and he's not the least bit subtle. His basic style is to take the fight directly to the foe. Compared to many bricks, he's fairly vulnerable to lethal attacks, and much more vulnerable to energy attacks than physical force, but he is very, very hard to take down in melee combat. Campaign Use: El Toro is one of Mr. Muerte's more powerful followers. He works well with the others and with Muerte's lesser underlings, though Bandido did make the mistake of pointing his pistols at El Toro once. Once was all it took, as the big man bowled him over and broke one of his arms much more quickly than he'd have thought possible.Thanks for the feedback, JmOz. Others are also welcome to offer feedback, of course. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffreyWKramer Posted September 5, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2004 Character #13 - Bee QueenBee Queen is another character originally created for my Street Hero campaign. She was a Hunted for one of the campaign's PCs, and saw a fair bit of play back in the day. Many of her Powers are worth more active points than is typical for such a campaign, but this is balanced by her relative weakness in some other areas and her generally non-combattant orientation. As always, comments would be welcome. In particular, I'd be interested in hearing others' opinions of the Power constructs. I've tried my best to represent the special effects, but some of the mechanics (including repeated use of a Limited Naked Advantage, which is the only way to apply the Partially Limited Power concept to Advantages) are a bit cclunky, and I wonder if anyone has any ideas how to better represent this character's special effects and distinctive motif.As always, I also hope some find the character to their liking. Bee QueenPlayer: NPC (Villain) Val Char Cost 13 STR 3 21 DEX 33 18 CON 16 10 BODY 0 18 INT 8 17 EGO 14 18 PRE 8 18 COM 4 7 PD 4 7 ED 3 7 SPD 39 7 REC 0 36 END 0 36 STUN 10 6" RUN02" SWIM02 1/2" LEAP0Characteristics Cost: 142Cost Power END 45 Robot Bees: Multipower, 90-point reserve, (90 Active Points); Limited Power Not In Heavy EM Fields, High Winds or Underwater (-1/2), IAF (Antennae Headgear; -1/2) 4u 1) Dizzying Drone: (Total: 78 Active Cost, 37 Real Cost) Drain DEX 1 1/2d6, 4 clips of 12 Charges (+0), Delayed Return Rate (points return at the rate of 5 per Minute; +1/4), Uncontrolled (+1/2), Ranged (+1/2), No Range Modifier (+1/2), Attack Versus Limited Defense (Hearing Group Flash Defense; +3/4), Continuous (+1) (67 Active Points); IAF (Antennae Headgear; -1/2), Not In Heavy EM Fields, High WInds or Underwater (-1/2) (Real Cost: 33) plus Naked Modifier: Indirect (Any origin, any direction; +3/4) for up to 15 Active Points, 4 clips of 12 Charges (+0) (11 Active Points); Cannot Bypass Completely/Tightly Sealed Barriers (-1/2), Not In Heavy EM Fields, High WInds or Underwater (-1/2), IAF (Antennae Headgear; -1/2) (Real Cost: 4) [12] 3u 2) Buzz Bomb: (Total: 90 Active Cost, 28 Real Cost) Killing Attack - Ranged 2 1/2d6, Explosion (+1/2) (60 Active Points); 4 Charges (-1), IAF (Antennae Headgear; -1/2), Not In Heavy EM Fields, High Winds or Underwater (-1/2) (Real Cost: 20) plus Naked Modifier: Indirect (Any origin, any direction; +3/4) for up to 40 Active Points (30 Active Points); 4 Charges (-1), Cannot Bypass Completely/Tightly Sealed Barriers (-1/2), IAF (Antennae Headgear; -1/2), Not In Heavy EM Fields, High Winds or Underwater (-1/2) (Real Cost: 8) [4] 3u 3) Big Sting: (Total: 85 Active Cost, 30 Real Cost) Killing Attack - Ranged 1d6+1, Penetrating (+1/2), Uncontrolled (+1/2), No Range Modifier (+1/2), Continuous (+1) (70 Active Points); Not In Heavy EM Fields, High Winds or Underwater (-1/2), IAF (Antennae Headgear; -1/2), 2 clips of 6 Charges (-1/2), No Knockback (-1/4) (Real Cost: 25) plus Naked Modifier: Indirect (Any origin, any direction; +3/4) for up to 20 Active Points (15 Active Points); Cannot Bypass Tightly/Completey Sealed Barriers (-1/2), Not In Heavy EM Fields, High Winds or Underwater (-1/2), IAF (Antennae Headgear; -1/2), 2 clips of 6 Charges (-1/2) (Real Cost: 5) [6] 3u 4) Bee Swarm: (Total: 79 Active Cost, 35 Real Cost) Energy Blast 2d6, 4 clips of 12 Charges (+0), Personal Immunity (+1/4), Penetrating (+1/2), Uncontrolled (+1/2), Continuous (+1), Mobile (+1), Autofire (3 shots; +1 1/4), Area Of Effect Nonselective (20" Radius; +1 1/4), Conforming (+1/2) (72 Active Points); IAF (Antennae Headgear; -1/2), Not In Heavy EM Fields, High Winds or Underwater (-1/2), No Knockback (-1/4) (Real Cost: 32) plus Naked Modifier: Indirect (Any origin, any direction; +3/4) for up to 10 Active Points, 4 clips of 12 Charges (+0) (7 Active Points); Cannot Bypass Tightly/Completely Sealed Barriers (-1/2), Not In Heavy EM Fields, High Winds or Underwater (-1/2), IAF (Antennae Headgear; -1/2) (Real Cost: 3) [12] 3u 5) Killer Bee Swarm: (Total: 77 Active Cost, 34 Real Cost) Killing Attack - Ranged 1/2d6, 4 clips of 12 Charges (+0), Personal Immunity (+1/4), Uncontrolled (+1/2), Continuous (+1), Mobile (+1), Autofire (3 shots; +1 1/4), Area Of Effect Nonselective (32" Radius; +1 1/2), Conforming (+1/2) (70 Active Points); IAF (Antennae Headgear; -1/2), Not In Heavy EM Fields, High Winds or Underwater (-1/2), No Knockback (-1/4) (Real Cost: 31) plus Naked Modifier: Indirect (Any origin, any direction; +3/4) for up to 10 Active Points, 4 clips of 12 Charges (+0) (7 Active Points); Cannot Bypass Tightly/Completely Sealed Barriers (-1/2), IAF (Antennae Headgear; -1/2), Not In Heavy EM Fields, High Winds or Underwater (-1/2) (Real Cost: 3) [12] 2u 6) Hypo-Bee: (Total: 83 Active Cost, 23 Real Cost) Killing Attack - Ranged (Sting) 1 point, Increased Maximum Range (250"; +1/4), Penetrating (+1/2), No Range Modifier (+1/2) (11 Active Points); 4 Charges (-1), IAF (Antennae Headgear; -1/2), Not In Heavy EM Fields, High Winds or Underwater (-1/2) (Real Cost: 4) plus Energy Blast 5d6, No Normal Defense (Defense is LS: Immunity Bee Stings/Zootoxins) (+1) (50 Active Points); 4 Charges (-1), Sting Must Do Body (-1/2), IAF (Antennae Headgear; -1/2), Not In Heavy EM Fields, High Winds or Underwater (-1/2), Linked (Killing Attack - Ranged (Sting); -1/4) (Real Cost: 13) plus Naked Modifier: Indirect (Any origin, any direction; +3/4) for up to 30 Active Points (22 Active Points); 4 Charges (-1), Cannot Bypass Tightly/Completely Sealed Barriers (-1/2), IAF (Antennae Headgear; -1/2), Not In Heavy EM Fields, High Winds or Underwater (-1/2) (Real Cost: 6) [4] 5u 7) Retriever Bees: Telekinesis (5 STR), Fine Manipulation, Increased Maximum Range (1,650"; +1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), No Range Modifier (+1/2), Area Of Effect (16" Radius; +1 1/2), Selective (+1/4) (70 Active Points); Cannot Bypass Tightly/Completely Sealed Barriers (-1/2) 0 3 Used To Bee Stings: Life Support (Immunity Bee/Wasp/Hornet Venom) 0 1 Busy As A Bee: Life Support (Sleeping Character only has to sleep 8 hours per week) 0 1 Stylish and Sexy: Sight Group Flash Defense (3 points) (3 Active Points); OAF (Glasses; -1) 0 15 Wing Pack: Flight 15", 1 Continuing Fuel Charge lasting 1 Hour (+0) (30 Active Points); OIF (-1/2), Restrainable (-1/2) [1 cc] 24 Bugging Bee: Clairsentience (Sight Group And Normal Hearing), x16 Range (4800"), Increased Arc Of Perception (360 Degrees), Targeting, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (90 Active Points); Extra Time (1 Minute, -1 1/2), Only Places A Bee Can Go, Not In Heavy EM Fields, Water, High Winds (-1), Physical Manifestation (Robot Bee) (-1/4) 0 2 Recording System: Eidetic Memory (5 Active Points); OAF (Recording Device; -1), Linked (Bugging Bee; -1/2) Powers Cost: 114Cost Skill 10 +2 with all INT-based skills 4 +2 with Hypo-Bee 3 Bugging 13- 3 Computer Programming 13- 3 Concealment 13- 3 Demolitions 13- 3 Electronics 13- 3 Inventor 13- 3 Mechanics 13- 3 PS: Bee Keeping 13- 3 Scientist 2 1) SS: Aerodynamics 13- (3 Active Points) 2 2) SS: Biochemistry 13- (3 Active Points) 2 3) SS: Chemistry 13- (3 Active Points) 3 4) SS: Entomology 14- (4 Active Points) 2 5) SS: Robotics 13- (3 Active Points) 2 6) SS: Zoology 13- (3 Active Points) 3 Security Systems 13- Skills Cost: 57Cost Perk 40 Followers - 150 Base Points, 50 Disads 5 Money: Well Off Perks Cost: 45Val Disadvantages 25 Enraged: When Targeted/Shot At With Firearms (Common), go 14-, recover 11- 15 Hunted: Local Police Department 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Limited Geographical Area, Harshly Punish) 10 Physical Limitation: -5 on Vision Per Rolls w/o Glasses (Infrequently, Greatly Impairing) 15 Psychological Limitation: Obsessed With Bees//Irrational Attraction To Bee Motif (Common, Strong) 15 Psychological Limitation: Greedy (Common, Strong) 20 Psychological Limitation: Completely Amoral (Common, Total) 15 Psychological Limitation: Hatred of Firearms (Common, Strong) 15 Reputation: Crazy, Sometimes Deadly Bee-Motif Villain, 11- (Extreme) 5 Rivalry: Professional (Other Insect-Motif and Scientific Crooks/Thieves; Rival is More Powerful; Seek to Outdo, Embarrass, or Humiliate Rival; Rival Unaware of Rivalry) 15 Social Limitation: Secret Identity - Dr. Nancy Dreyfuss (Frequently, Major) Disadvantage Points: 150Base Points: 200Experience Required: 8Total Experience Available: 8Experience Unspent: 0Total Character Cost: 358 Height: 1.65 m Hair: Red Weight: 57.00 kg Eyes: Green Appearance: Nancy Dreyfuss has long, thick red hair and green eyes that sparkle brightly with madness. In her civilian ID, her grooming is careless and she favors loose-fitting clothing, lab coats or even bathrobe-and-slipper ensembles when she's too busy to bother with cleaning up and getting dressed. In contrast, she is very carefully-groomed as Bee Queen, wearing carefully-applied makeup and piling her hair high in a beehive hairdo. She wears bright yellow gloves, black go-go boots, a tight-fitting, low-cut, long-sleeved blouse with alternating yellow and black horizontal stripes and a black microminiskirt. She also wears a yellow headband with black antennae, and bright yellow, women's sunglasses of the large-lens style popular during the late 1950s and the 1960s; in her civilian identity, she favors large, simple glasses with black frames. She wears her Wing Pack on her back. The large, transparent wings resemble bee wings, while the rest of the pack is painted black with yellow trim.Personality: Bee Queen is amoral and greedy, and she suffers from a monomaniacal obsessive-compulsive disorder which frequently crosses over into psychosis. In lay terms, she's just plain nuts, and her nuttiness is focused on and around bees. While not truly psychopathic, her goals and obsessions are so important to her that the lives of normal humans don't really enter into her equations. Her only concerns are herself, her research, her plans and bees. She still dislikes firearms, though, and reacts viciously toward anyone who would use guns against her. She also seeks to demonstrate her true genius, and the superiority of bees and their ways, through trying to out-do other crooks who style themselves scientists and those who have insect-related costumes, powers and/or superhero identities.Quote:"You've been busy little bees, tracking me down and trying to thwart my plans. But I'm the Bee Queen, and I know all about busy... in fact, I've been busy preparing for you, and you'll find that my hive holds your doom! Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha!"Background: Dr. Nancy Dreyfuss graduated top of her engineering class, earning degrees in both electronic and mechanical engineering with specialties in aeronautics and robotics. She was highly recruited out of grad school, and though she wasn't particularly fond of things military - and outright detested firearms - she couldn't pass up an incredibly luctative offer from a top R&D firm with major defense contracts. She soon found herself leader of a team working on aerial surveillance drones and similar projects, and making more money than she'd ever really imagined. Always searching for inspiration and new ideas, and seeking alternatives to existing propulsion systems, Dr. Dreyfuss started researching natural flight design - i.e., flying animals. She soon focused her attention on insects, noting that many insects were natural marvels of engineering, and in short order she narrowed her attention to bees. When asked, she was unable to attribute her growing fascination with bees to anything specific, but she said she knew they held secrets she could unlock. Before long, this fascination developed into an obsession, and she spent days at a time without sleep, reading entomology textbooks and studying websites and journal articles on bees - every aspect of bees, not just their flight, at this point. She started missing meetings and getting behind on projects, and her statements became more bizarre. When she confided in another researcher that she thought bees were trying to speak to humans through their buzzing, her supervisors ordered her to seek psychiatric services; she refused, and two weeks later, after she released thousands of African bees into the company headquarters, she was fired. Dr. Dreyfuss was fine with that - being fired meant she could stay at home and pursue her research on her own. Within a few months, Dr. Dreyfuss had come to believe that bees were her path to untold wealth, power and knowledge. She started raising bees, and after eventually finding that bees were not particularly easy for humans to direct or command, started instead creating robots styled on bees. Even though her previous research career had made her a lot of money, she soon needed more cash on hand for her research, so she decided to use her first, relatively crude bee-bots to commit crimes. By that time she'd started referring to herself as variably as the Queen of the Bees, Queen Bee and the Bee Queen. She liked the sound of that one best, and it's what she's been using ever since. Powers/Tactics: The bulk of Bee Queen's Powers (her Multipower and Clairvoyance) are based around a common motif - tiny, finely-engineered robotic bees. She directs the bees with her headgear, which - while distinctive - is an Inobvious (but Accessible) Focus. The bees themselves emerge as needed from a large, hollow compartment which takes up much of the space in her Wing Pack. Some of the robots (especially the swarm ones and her "Bugging Bee") are actually bee size, but others, while designed to look like bees, are somewhat larger than actual bees. They are all too lightweight to function in heavy winds or water, and heavy EM fields interfere with the control signals Bee Queen's headgear emits. Bee Queen has designed bees for many purposes, including: viewing and listening in on remote locations; disorienting opponents with a loud, painful buzz (DEX Drain); directly attacking via sharp blades or drugged hypodermic stings; devastating flying bombs ("Buzz Bombs"); and even carrying off bunches of small objects (great for robbing jewelry stores and the like). Two of her Multipower Slots release large swarms of bee-size attack robots, which spread across large areas and repeatedly attack everyone in the area (other than Bee Queen; she can walk through these swarms harmlessly). The various attacks are bought with the Indirect Advantage, which allows them to attack from any angle, bypass cover and attack through many barriers, but note that this Advantage is Limited, such that the bees cannot simply bypass completely sealed barriers; for example, they would be able to attack freely through a chain-link fence or the teller windows at a bank, but not through most versions of a closed Force Wall (depending on special effect) or through the door of a tightly-locked room. Similarly, Bee Queen's Clairvoyance only allows her to view/listen into places where a bee could go, via stairwells, open vents, etc. Most of Bee Queen's attacks are purchased with the Continuous and Uncontrolled Advantages, meaning she can launch the attack then go about other business freely. These Powers were purchased as clips with a certain number of charges. Each "clip" represents either one robot bee or one swarm of bees, depending on the power in question, and the attack can be ended prematurely (and that "clip" expended completely) by targeting and destroying the bee(s) in question. This functions somewhat like the Physical Manifestation Limitation, in that the attacks can be disrupted by destroying the bees, but it is really more a special effect, as well as meeting the requirement that an Uncontrolled Powers must have some common or obvious way to turn it off. In these cases, large enough spread or Area of Effect attacks of the appropriate type will stop the swarm attacks, as will Change Environment with effects of heavy rain, high winds or intense Electromagnetic fields, while individually-targeted attacks can be stopped by successfully striking the individual bees (DCV 7) and doing 4 or more BODY damage, or if the bees take a like amount of damage from a Damage Shield or similar effect. Before striking, Bee Queen generally sends the "Bugging Bee" out to case the site, and she keeps it nearby in order to watch how the battle progresses. Note that her Clarisentience is purchased as a Targeting Sense, and along with the Indirect nature of her attacks, this lets her easily target opponents who are behind corners and such. Note that most of her attacks also have fairly extensive ranges, which means she doesn't always have to even be at the scene in order to launch an attack; if doing a bank heist, Bee Queen and her Drones may wait nearby and let the bees neutralize the opposition before going in and grabbing the loot, but if she robs a jewelry store, she might just send in a Buzz Bomb to shatter the display cases, then have her Retreiver Bees bring the loot back to a waiting getaway vehicle. When she does have to get closer to a conflict, Bee Queen still stays as far from the action as possible, via her ranged attacks and by using her Wing Pack, a set of artificial wings like those of a bee. Though Bee Queen has no real regard for human life, she isn't prone to purposeless murder. Thus, she tends to use her Bee Swarm, Dizzying Drone and Hypo-Bee attacks a lot. She tends to use the Buzz Bombs to blow open defenses that lie between her and her goals, or to make an opening through which her other robotic bees can attack, but she readily uses those or her other lethal attacks against tough opposition. She generally reserves her Killer Bee Swarm for groups of heavily-armed opponents, or to create mayhem in order to cover an escape. Bee Queen's drones (followers) are big, muscular, not-too-bright thugs who wear matching black slacks and tight-fitting, black-and-white striped shirts much like her own. She supplies them with a variety of gadgets as appropriate for a given plot, most often including non-lethat "stinger" guns (tasers) and brass knuckles. Campaign Use: Bee Queen has the potential to present heroes with unusual and interesting challenge, because while she herself isn't much of a challenge in combat (one or two hits by just about anyone will take her down), she can strike from very long range - or even without being at the scene of the crime. This means it might take the heroes awhile to figure out her tricks and a way of tracking her down, and the heroes might have to rely on investigation and deduction rather than super-powers. Bee Queen is inspired by a long tradition of garishly-costumed comic book burglars and robbers who commit crimes based around a particular motif - and who often have a bunch of goon followers to provide muscle back-up - not unlike Batman's classic opponents as lampooned on the old TV series. The GM should play this up, and use Bee Queen in plot-oriented (rather than fight-oriented) adventures. The GM should also keep in mind her intelligence, her careful preparation and the advantages offered by her long-range sensory and offensive abilities. Tunneling or smashing into a bank and getting into fist-fights with heroes is fine for the likes of Armadillo or Anklyosaur, but rather misses the mark for Bee Queen. Everything Bee Queen cares about involves bees in some manner. Bee Queen is thus most likely to be involved in a story for one (or both) of two reasons: either she is committing a crime that fits her bee motif, or she is going after cash and valuables in order to finance such a bee-related scheme. Some typical Bee Queen scenarios might be: 1) A local art or science museum is hosting an exhibit of DaVinci's sketches. Among these priceless artworks are some drawings he did of bees and some notes detailing his observations regarding bee flight. Of course Bee Queen wants those for herself! 2) Another museum holds pieces of amber that have rare and prehistoric insects - including primative bees! - preserved in them. Bee Queen decides to steal those, in hopes of pulling a "Jurassic Park" by drawing out DNA from the prehistoric bees and using it to clone swarms of bees that lived so long before humans evolved that people have no resistance to their venom - making it deadly! 3) Bee Queen has a new plot - to breed huge swarms of African killer bees and use them to hold the city hostage. She'll need money to finance this scheme - so she attacks a performance of the local symphony attended by the Mayor (and one or more heroes in their civilian identities), planning to grab valuables or maybe to hold the audience for ransom. She waits until the symphony starts their announced performance of "The Flight of the Bumblebee" to attack. Beyond that, the heroes may cross paths with Bee Queen due to her rivalry with other scientific or insect-related crooks, such as Brainchild or Hornet. Bee Queen isn't likely to Hunt superheroes, save any who happen to have bee-related powers and motifs. Those she'll target obsessively, seeking either to try to make them servants (as they should be, in her mind, since she's the Bee Queen), to humiliate them for daring to not serve her, or - if they have thwarted her plans - to kill them for daring to oppose her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffreyWKramer Posted September 5, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2004 Bee Queen's HDC file. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddHat Posted September 5, 2004 Report Share Posted September 5, 2004 Re: Sharing the Wealth (Nods to Enforcer84) Bee Queen: I like her a great deal, but I think I would have built most or all of her robo-bee swarms as Insect Swarms from the Hero System Bestiary, with the appropriate powers. She could have called them as slavishly loyal summons. Manipulator: Nice character! I've used very similar mentalist masterminds, but with Fully Invisible and Hide Effects of Powers as advantages. I like the idea of someone eventually pointing out to him that "Manipulator" is a terrible choice of name for a mentalist who hopes to hide his manipulation of others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffreyWKramer Posted September 5, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2004 Re: Sharing the Wealth (Nods to Enforcer84) Bee Queen: I like her a great deal, but I think I would have built most or all of her robo-bee swarms as Insect Swarms from the Hero System Bestiary, with the appropriate powers. She could have called them as slavishly loyal summons. Manipulator: Nice character! I've used very similar mentalist masterminds, but with Fully Invisible and Hide Effects of Powers as advantages. I like the idea of someone eventually pointing out to him that "Manipulator" is a terrible choice of name for a mentalist who hopes to hide his manipulation of others. Thank you for the comments, OddHat. I'm glad you liked the characters. I thought about giving Bee Queen a Summon Swarm ability (though I'd tend to use the revised Swarm stats I wrote up for Lowlife, above) and definitely think a more experienced version would have that, but I wanted her to be able to do some things "real" bees (even comic-book-real) probably wouldn't be able to pull off. For example, her being able to threaten/incapacitate crowds was essential to the character idea. Manipulator doesn't hide what he does from other villains, and he'd figure any who worked under him should pretty much expect that they might get manipulated and have only themselves to blame if they weren't strong enough to avoid that happening. He isn't particularly likely to announce his name to any targets or heroes, either. Giving him a rep (manipulative mentalist) among villains and con men is a good idea, though, and I might do that if I end up doing other revisions on him. I considered building him with the Invisible Powers build, but that is fairly expensive and I decided to do something a bit different and focus instead on him hiding his manipulations from the victims and leaving them confused via EGO+10/EGO+20 effects. This means other mentalists and people with Mental Awareness can spot him readily, of course, but one can't make life too easy on the villains. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddHat Posted September 5, 2004 Report Share Posted September 5, 2004 Re: Sharing the Wealth (Nods to Enforcer84) Thank you for the comments, OddHat. I'm glad you liked the characters. I thought about giving Bee Queen a Summon Swarm ability (though I'd tend to use the revised Swarm stats I wrote up for Lowlife, above) and definitely think a more experienced version would have that, but I wanted her to be able to do some things "real" bees (even comic-book-real) probably wouldn't be able to pull off. For example, her being able to threaten/incapacitate crowds was essential to the character idea. Which is cool and as it should be. Still, why not have her summon swarms of Robot Bees, who would be able to threaten/incapacitate crowds? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffreyWKramer Posted September 5, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2004 Re: Sharing the Wealth (Nods to Enforcer84) Still' date=' why not have her summon swarms of Robot Bees, who would be able to threaten/incapacitate crowds?[/quote']Well, as first built, she does do that, more or less, only the effect is bought differently than Summon Swarm. The AoE Autofire Continuous, Uncontrolled EB(Penetrating) and RKA attacks are essentially large-area swarm attacks, like one sees in movies featuring attacks by killer bee swarms - the primary difference between the two attacks is that one is potentially lethal, while the other isn't. These constructs also have the advantage (over Summoning) of automatically being slavishly loyal, which itself is balanced out by having to purchase Continuous/Uncontrolled for the attack (something not necessary with Summon). But, I liked your ideas, so I decided to go ahead and build the slot, using the slightly more potent Swarm write-up I used for Lowlife, and applying the necessary Advantages and Disadvantages to make the Power Construct consistent with her special effect (robotic bees) and MO (staying at a distance while sending the bees to do her dirty work). Now, I suppose one could quibble that the Robot Bee Swarms should have Life Support and such, but instead we'll just define these tiny robots as being pretty fragile (thus they can be damaged by attacks like NNDs of a sort that would normally not affect robots, such as gasses), and since they're so short-lived, things like sleep and eating are irrelevant.Anywhere, here's what I got:2u 8)Summon Swarm: Summon 8 85-Point Robot Bee Swarms, Ranged (+1/2), Increased Maximum Range (2,000"; +1/4), Slavishly Devoted (+1) (88 Active Points); 1 Charge (-2), Not In Heavy EM Fields, High Winds or Underwater (-1/2), IAF (Antennae Headgear; -1/2), Swarms Deactivate After 2 Turns (-1/4)I also decided to try out a close-range slot - which really is not a bad idea, because as originally built, Bee Queen really lacks anything in the way of close-range defense, other than her Drone followers. That comes out as:2u 9)Summon Bodyguard Swarm: Summon 32 85-Point Robot Bee Swarms, Slavishly Devoted (+1) (84 Active Points); 1 Charge (-2), IAF (Antennae Headgear; -1/2), Not In Heavy EM Fields, High Winds or Underwater (-1/2); Swarms Deactivate After 2 Turns (-1/4)So, with acknowledgements to OddHat, I present y'all with an alternative version of Bee Queen - significantly tougher for only 4 more points.ToMAYto, toMahto... like Bee Queen herself would probably say, as long as it involves bees, it's all good. Bee Queen v2Player: NPC (Villain)Val Char Cost 13 STR 3 21 DEX 33 18 CON 16 10 BODY 0 18 INT 8 17 EGO 14 18 PRE 8 18 COM 4 7 PD 4 7 ED 3 7 SPD 39 7 REC 0 36 END 0 36 STUN 10 6" RUN02" SWIM02 1/2" LEAP0Characteristics Cost: 142Cost Power END 45 Robot Bees: Multipower, 90-point reserve, (90 Active Points); IAF (Antennae Headgear; -1/2), Limited Power Not In Heavy EM Fields, High Winds or Underwater (-1/2) 4u 1) Dizzying Drone: (Total: 78 Active Cost, 37 Real Cost) Drain DEX 1 1/2d6, 4 clips of 12 Charges (+0), Delayed Return Rate (points return at the rate of 5 per Minute; +1/4), Uncontrolled (+1/2), Ranged (+1/2), No Range Modifier (+1/2), Attack Versus Limited Defense (Hearing Group Flash Defense; +3/4), Continuous (+1) (67 Active Points); IAF (Antennae Headgear; -1/2), Not In Heavy EM Fields, High WInds or Underwater (-1/2) (Real Cost: 33) plus Naked Modifier: Indirect (Any origin, any direction; +3/4) for up to 15 Active Points, 4 clips of 12 Charges (+0) (11 Active Points); Cannot Bypass Completely/Tightly Sealed Barriers (-1/2), Not In Heavy EM Fields, High WInds or Underwater (-1/2), IAF (Antennae Headgear; -1/2) (Real Cost: 4) [12] 3u 2) Buzz Bomb: (Total: 90 Active Cost, 28 Real Cost) Killing Attack - Ranged 2 1/2d6, Explosion (+1/2) (60 Active Points); 4 Charges (-1), IAF (Antennae Headgear; -1/2), Not In Heavy EM Fields, High Winds or Underwater (-1/2) (Real Cost: 20) plus Naked Modifier: Indirect (Any origin, any direction; +3/4) for up to 40 Active Points (30 Active Points); 4 Charges (-1), Cannot Bypass Completely/Tightly Sealed Barriers (-1/2), IAF (Antennae Headgear; -1/2), Not In Heavy EM Fields, High Winds or Underwater (-1/2) (Real Cost: 8) [4] 3u 3) Big Sting: (Total: 85 Active Cost, 30 Real Cost) Killing Attack - Ranged 1d6+1, Penetrating (+1/2), Uncontrolled (+1/2), No Range Modifier (+1/2), Continuous (+1) (70 Active Points); Not In Heavy EM Fields, High Winds or Underwater (-1/2), IAF (Antennae Headgear; -1/2), 2 clips of 6 Charges (-1/2), No Knockback (-1/4) (Real Cost: 25) plus Naked Modifier: Indirect (Any origin, any direction; +3/4) for up to 20 Active Points (15 Active Points); Cannot Bypass Tightly/Completey Sealed Barriers (-1/2), Not In Heavy EM Fields, High Winds or Underwater (-1/2), IAF (Antennae Headgear; -1/2), 2 clips of 6 Charges (-1/2) (Real Cost: 5) [6] 3u 4) Bee Swarm: (Total: 79 Active Cost, 35 Real Cost) Energy Blast 2d6, 4 clips of 12 Charges (+0), Personal Immunity (+1/4), Penetrating (+1/2), Uncontrolled (+1/2), Continuous (+1), Mobile (+1), Autofire (3 shots; +1 1/4), Area Of Effect Nonselective (20" Radius; +1 1/4), Conforming (+1/2) (72 Active Points); IAF (Antennae Headgear; -1/2), Not In Heavy EM Fields, High Winds or Underwater (-1/2), No Knockback (-1/4) (Real Cost: 32) plus Naked Modifier: Indirect (Any origin, any direction; +3/4) for up to 10 Active Points, 4 clips of 12 Charges (+0) (7 Active Points); Cannot Bypass Tightly/Completely Sealed Barriers (-1/2), Not In Heavy EM Fields, High Winds or Underwater (-1/2), IAF (Antennae Headgear; -1/2) (Real Cost: 3) [12] 3u 5) Killer Bee Swarm: (Total: 77 Active Cost, 34 Real Cost) Killing Attack - Ranged 1/2d6, 4 clips of 12 Charges (+0), Personal Immunity (+1/4), Uncontrolled (+1/2), Continuous (+1), Mobile (+1), Autofire (3 shots; +1 1/4), Area Of Effect Nonselective (32" Radius; +1 1/2), Conforming (+1/2) (70 Active Points); IAF (Antennae Headgear; -1/2), Not In Heavy EM Fields, High Winds or Underwater (-1/2), No Knockback (-1/4) (Real Cost: 31) plus Naked Modifier: Indirect (Any origin, any direction; +3/4) for up to 10 Active Points, 4 clips of 12 Charges (+0) (7 Active Points); Cannot Bypass Tightly/Completely Sealed Barriers (-1/2), IAF (Antennae Headgear; -1/2), Not In Heavy EM Fields, High Winds or Underwater (-1/2) (Real Cost: 3) [12] 2u 6) Hypo-Bee: (Total: 83 Active Cost, 23 Real Cost) Killing Attack - Ranged (Sting) 1 point, Increased Maximum Range (250"; +1/4), Penetrating (+1/2), No Range Modifier (+1/2) (11 Active Points); 4 Charges (-1), IAF (Antennae Headgear; -1/2), Not In Heavy EM Fields, High Winds or Underwater (-1/2) (Real Cost: 4) plus Energy Blast 5d6, No Normal Defense (Defense is LS: Immunity Bee Stings/Zootoxins) (+1) (50 Active Points); 4 Charges (-1), Sting Must Do Body (-1/2), IAF (Antennae Headgear; -1/2), Not In Heavy EM Fields, High Winds or Underwater (-1/2), Linked (Killing Attack - Ranged (Sting); -1/4) (Real Cost: 13) plus Naked Modifier: Indirect (Any origin, any direction; +3/4) for up to 30 Active Points (22 Active Points); 4 Charges (-1), Cannot Bypass Tightly/Completely Sealed Barriers (-1/2), IAF (Antennae Headgear; -1/2), Not In Heavy EM Fields, High Winds or Underwater (-1/2) (Real Cost: 6) [4] 5u 7) Retriever Bees: Telekinesis (5 STR), Fine Manipulation, Increased Maximum Range (1,650"; +1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), No Range Modifier (+1/2), Area Of Effect (16" Radius; +1 1/2), Selective (+1/4) (70 Active Points); Cannot Bypass Tightly/Completely Sealed Barriers (-1/2) 0 2u 8) Summon Swarm: Summon 8 85-point Robot Bee Swarms, Increased Maximum Range (2,000"; +1/4), Ranged (+1/2), Slavishly Devoted (+1) (88 Active Points); 1 Charge (-2), Not In Heavy EM Fields, High Winds or Underwater (-1/2), IAF (Antennae Headgear; -1/2), Swarms Deactivate After 2 Turns (-1/4) [1] 2u 9) Summon Bodyguard Swarm: Summon 32 85-point Robot Bee Swarm, Slavishly Devoted (+1) (84 Active Points); 1 Charge (-2), IAF (Antennae Headgear; -1/2), Not In Heavy EM Fields, High Winds or Underwater (-1/2), Swarms Deactivate After 2 Turns (-1/4) [1] 3 Used To Bee Stings: Life Support (Immunity Bee/Wasp/Hornet Venom) 0 1 Busy As A Bee: Life Support (Sleeping Character only has to sleep 8 hours per week) 0 1 Stylish and Sexy: Sight Group Flash Defense (3 points) (3 Active Points); OAF (Glasses; -1) 0 15 Wing Pack: Flight 15", 1 Continuing Fuel Charge lasting 1 Hour (+0) (30 Active Points); OIF (-1/2), Restrainable (-1/2) [1 cc] 24 Bugging Bee: Clairsentience (Sight Group And Normal Hearing), x16 Range (4800"), Increased Arc Of Perception (360 Degrees), Targeting, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (90 Active Points); Extra Time (1 Minute, -1 1/2), Only Places A Bee Can Go, Not In Heavy EM Fields, Water, High Winds (-1), Physical Manifestation (Robot Bee) (-1/4) 0 2 Recording System: Eidetic Memory (5 Active Points); OAF (Recording Device; -1), Linked (Bugging Bee; -1/2) Powers Cost: 118Cost Skill 10 +2 with all INT-based skills 4 +2 with Hypo-Bee 3 Bugging 13- 3 Computer Programming 13- 3 Concealment 13- 3 Demolitions 13- 3 Electronics 13- 3 Inventor 13- 3 Mechanics 13- 3 PS: Bee Keeping 13- 3 Scientist 2 1) SS: Aerodynamics 13- (3 Active Points) 2 2) SS: Biochemistry 13- (3 Active Points) 2 3) SS: Chemistry 13- (3 Active Points) 3 4) SS: Entomology 14- (4 Active Points) 2 5) SS: Robotics 13- (3 Active Points) 2 6) SS: Zoology 13- (3 Active Points) 3 Security Systems 13- Skills Cost: 57Cost Perk 40 Followers - 150 Base Points, 50 Disads 5 Money: Well Off Perks Cost: 45Val Disadvantages 25 Enraged: When Targeted/Shot At With Firearms (Common), go 14-, recover 11- 15 Hunted: Local Police Department 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Limited Geographical Area, Harshly Punish) 10 Physical Limitation: -5 on Vision Per Rolls w/o Glasses (Infrequently, Greatly Impairing) 15 Psychological Limitation: Obsessed With Bees//Irrational Attraction To Bee Motif (Common, Strong) 15 Psychological Limitation: Greedy (Common, Strong) 20 Psychological Limitation: Completely Amoral (Common, Total) 15 Psychological Limitation: Hatred of Firearms (Common, Strong) 15 Reputation: Crazy, Sometimes Deadly Bee-Motif Villain, 11- (Extreme) 5 Rivalry: Professional (Other Insect-Motif and Scientific Crooks/Thieves; Rival is More Powerful; Seek to Outdo, Embarrass, or Humiliate Rival; Rival Unaware of Rivalry) 15 Social Limitation: Secret Identity - Dr. Nancy Dreyfuss (Frequently, Major) Disadvantage Points: 150Base Points: 200Experience Required: 12Total Experience Available: 12Experience Unspent: 0Total Character Cost: 362 Robot Bee SwarmPlayer: NPC/Creature Val Char Cost -35 STR -45 14 DEX 12 10 CON 0 21 BODY 22 5 INT -5 5 EGO -10 10 PRE 0 8 COM -1 1 PD 1 1 ED -1 3 SPD 6 2 REC 0 20 END 0 27 STUN 1 1" RUN-100" SWIM-20" LEAP0Characteristics Cost: -32Cost Power END 26 Stinging: Killing Attack - Ranged 1/2d6, Personal Immunity (+1/4), Area Of Effect (One Hex; +1/2), 64 Charges (+1/2), Continuous (+1), No Normal Defense (Appropriate LS [immunity]; +1), Does BODY (+1) (52 Active Points); Not vs Opponents w/ Thick/Sturdy Full-Body Cover or PD Force Field (-1/2), No Range (-1/2) [64] 40 Swarm Form: Physical Damage Reduction, Resistant, 75% (60 Active Points); Conditional Power Not Vs. Area Effect/Explosion Attacks (-1/2) 0 7 Swarm Form: Energy Damage Reduction, 25% (10 Active Points); Conditional Power Not vs Area Effect/Explosion Attacks (-1/2) 0 24 Swarm Form: Desolidification (affected by Any Attack), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (60 Active Points); Does Not Protect Against Damage (-1), Cannot Pass Through Solid Objects (-1/2) 0 7 Winged Insects: Flight 5" (10 Active Points); Restrainable (-1/2) 1 5 Swarm Form: Increased Arc Of Perception (360 Degrees) with Normal Sight 0 8 Insect Legs: Clinging (normal STR) (10 Active Points); Limited Power Cannot Resist Knockback (-1/4) 0 Powers Cost: 117Total Character Cost: 85Val Disadvantages 20 Physical Limitation: Killed If Doused With Liquid Or Subjected To High Wind Or Heavy EM Field (Frequently, Fully Impairing) 15 Physical Limitation: Very Limited Manipulation (Frequently, Greatly Impairing) Disadvantage Points: 35Base Points: 50Experience Required: 0Total Experience Available: 0Experience Unspent: 0 Height: 1.65 m Hair: Red Weight: 57.00 kg Eyes: Green Appearance: Nancy Dreyfuss has long, thick red hair and green eyes that sparkle brightly with madness. In her civilian ID, her grooming is careless and she favors loose-fitting clothing, lab coats or even bathrobe-and-slipper ensembles when she's too busy to bother with cleaning up and getting dressed. In contrast, she is very carefully-groomed as Bee Queen, wearing carefully-applied makeup and piling her hair high in a beehive hairdo. She wears bright yellow gloves, black go-go boots, a tight-fitting, low-cut, long-sleeved blouse with alternating yellow and black horizontal stripes and a black microminiskirt. She also wears a yellow headband with black antennae, and bright yellow, women's sunglasses of the large-lens style popular during the late 1950s and the 1960s; in her civilian identity, she favors large, simple glasses with black frames. She wears her Wing Pack on her back. The large, transparent wings resemble bee wings, while the rest of the pack is painted black with yellow trim.Personality: Bee Queen is amoral and greedy, and she suffers from a monomaniacal obsessive-compulsive disorder which frequently crosses over into psychosis. In lay terms, she's just plain nuts, and her nuttiness is focused on and around bees. While not truly psychopathic, her goals and obsessions are so important to her that the lives of normal humans don't really enter into her equations. Her only concerns are herself, her research, her plans and bees. She still dislikes firearms, though, and reacts viciously toward anyone who would use guns against her. She also seeks to demonstrate her true genius, and the superiority of bees and their ways, through trying to out-do other crooks who style themselves scientists and those who have insect-related costumes, powers and/or superhero identities.Quote:"You've been busy little bees, tracking me down and trying to thwart my plans. But I'm the Bee Queen, and I know all about busy... in fact, I've been busy preparing for you, and you'll find that my hive holds your doom! Ah ha ha ha ha ha ha!"Background: Dr. Nancy Dreyfuss graduated top of her engineering class, earning degrees in both electronic and mechanical engineering with specialties in aeronautics and robotics. She was highly recruited out of grad school, and though she wasn't particularly fond of things military - and outright detested firearms - she couldn't pass up an incredibly luctative offer from a top R&D firm with major defense contracts. She soon found herself leader of a team working on aerial surveillance drones and similar projects, and making more money than she'd ever really imagined. Always searching for inspiration and new ideas, and seeking alternatives to existing propulsion systems, Dr. Dreyfuss started researching natural flight design - i.e., flying animals. She soon focused her attention on insects, noting that many insects were natural marvels of engineering, and in short order she narrowed her attention to bees. When asked, she was unable to attribute her growing fascination with bees to anything specific, but she said she knew they held secrets she could unlock. Before long, this fascination developed into an obsession, and she spent days at a time without sleep, reading entomology textbooks and studying websites and journal articles on bees - every aspect of bees, not just their flight, at this point. She started missing meetings and getting behind on projects, and her statements became more bizarre. When she confided in another researcher that she thought bees were trying to speak to humans through their buzzing, her supervisors ordered her to seek psychiatric services; she refused, and two weeks later, after she released thousands of African bees into the company headquarters, she was fired. Dr. Dreyfuss was fine with that - being fired meant she could stay at home and pursue her research on her own. Within a few months, Dr. Dreyfuss had come to believe that bees were her path to untold wealth, power and knowledge. She started raising bees, and after eventually finding that bees were not particularly easy for humans to direct or command, started instead creating robots styled on bees. Even though her previous research career had made her a lot of money, she soon needed more cash on hand for her research, so she decided to use her first, relatively crude bee-bots to commit crimes. By that time she'd started referring to herself as variably as the Queen of the Bees, Queen Bee and the Bee Queen. She liked the sound of that one best, and it's what she's been using ever since. Powers/Tactics: The bulk of Bee Queen's Powers (her Multipower and Clairvoyance) are based around a common motif - tiny, finely-engineered robotic bees. She directs the bees with her headgear, which - while distinctive - is an Inobvious (but Accessible) Focus. The bees themselves emerge as needed from a large, hollow compartment which takes up much of the space in her Wing Pack. Some of the robots (especially the swarm ones and her "Bugging Bee") are actually bee size, but others, while designed to look like bees, are somewhat larger than actual bees. They are all too lightweight to function in heavy winds or water, and heavy EM fields interfere with the control signals Bee Queen's headgear emits. Bee Queen has designed bees for many purposes, including: viewing and listening in on remote locations; disorienting opponents with a loud, painful buzz (DEX Drain); directly attacking via sharp blades or drugged hypodermic stings; devastating flying bombs ("Buzz Bombs"); and even carrying off bunches of small objects (great for robbing jewelry stores and the like). Two of her Multipower Slots release large swarms of bee-size attack robots, which spread across large areas and repeatedly attack everyone in the area (other than Bee Queen; she can walk through these swarms harmlessly). The various attacks are bought with the Indirect Advantage, which allows them to attack from any angle, bypass cover and attack through many barriers, but note that this Advantage is Limited, such that the bees cannot simply bypass completely sealed barriers; for example, they would be able to attack freely through a chain-link fence or the teller windows at a bank, but not through most versions of a closed Force Wall (depending on special effect) or through the door of a tightly-locked room. Similarly, Bee Queen's Clairvoyance only allows her to view/listen into places where a bee could go, via stairwells, open vents, etc. Most of Bee Queen's attacks are purchased with the Continuous and Uncontrolled Advantages, meaning she can launch the attack then go about other business freely. These Powers were purchased as clips with a certain number of charges. Each "clip" represents either one robot bee or one swarm of bees, depending on the power in question, and the attack can be ended prematurely (and that "clip" expended completely) by targeting and destroying the bee(s) in question. This functions somewhat like the Physical Manifestation Limitation, in that the attacks can be disrupted by destroying the bees, but it is really more a special effect, as well as meeting the requirement that an Uncontrolled Powers must have some common or obvious way to turn it off. In these cases, large enough spread or Area of Effect attacks of the appropriate type will stop the swarm attacks, as will Change Environment with effects of heavy rain, high winds or intense Electromagnetic fields, while individually-targeted attacks can be stopped by successfully striking the individual bees (DCV 7) and doing 4 or more BODY damage, or if the bees take a like amount of damage from a Damage Shield or similar effect. Bee Queen also has two Multipower Slots which also summon swarms of robot bees, but these swarms function (and are fought) as creatures, and are destroyed by heavy EM fields, high winds or being drenched in water; they also function for only a brief time, burning out only two turns after activation. Before striking, Bee Queen generally sends the "Bugging Bee" out to case the site, and she keeps it nearby in order to watch how the battle progresses. Note that her Clarisentience is purchased as a Targeting Sense, and along with the Indirect nature of her attacks, this lets her easily target opponents who are behind corners and such. Note that most of her attacks also have fairly extensive ranges, which means she doesn't always have to even be at the scene in order to launch an attack; if doing a bank heist, Bee Queen and her Drones may wait nearby and let the bees neutralize the opposition before going in and grabbing the loot, but if she robs a jewelry store, she might just send in a Buzz Bomb to shatter the display cases, then have her Retreiver Bees bring the loot back to a waiting getaway vehicle. When she does have to get closer to a conflict, Bee Queen still stays as far from the action as possible, via her ranged attacks and by using her Wing Pack, a set of artificial wings like those of a bee. Though Bee Queen has no real regard for human life, she isn't prone to purposeless murder. Thus, she tends to use her Bee Swarm, Dizzying Drone and Hypo-Bee attacks a lot. She tends to use the Buzz Bombs to blow open defenses that lie between her and her goals, or to make an opening through which her other robotic bees can attack, but she readily uses those or her other lethal attacks against tough opposition. She generally reserves her Killer Bee Swarm for groups of heavily-armed opponents, or to create mayhem in order to cover an escape. Bee Queen's drones (followers) are big, muscular, not-too-bright thugs who wear matching black slacks and tight-fitting, black-and-white striped shirts much like her own. She supplies them with a variety of gadgets as appropriate for a given plot, most often including non-lethat "stinger" guns (tasers) and brass knuckles. Campaign Use: Bee Queen has the potential to present heroes with unusual and interesting challenge, because while she herself isn't much of a challenge in combat (one or two hits by just about anyone will take her down), she can strike from very long range - or even without being at the scene of the crime. This means it might take the heroes awhile to figure out her tricks and a way of tracking her down, and the heroes might have to rely on investigation and deduction rather than super-powers. Bee Queen is inspired by a long tradition of garishly-costumed comic book burglars and robbers who commit crimes based around a particular motif - and who often have a bunch of goon followers to provide muscle back-up - not unlike Batman's classic opponents as lampooned on the old TV series. The GM should play this up, and use Bee Queen in plot-oriented (rather than fight-oriented) adventures. The GM should also keep in mind her intelligence, her careful preparation and the advantages offered by her long-range sensory and offensive abilities. Tunneling or smashing into a bank and getting into fist-fights with heroes is fine for the likes of Armadillo or Anklyosaur, but rather misses the mark for Bee Queen. Everything Bee Queen cares about involves bees in some manner. Bee Queen is thus most likely to be involved in a story for one (or both) of two reasons: either she is committing a crime that fits her bee motif, or she is going after cash and valuables in order to finance such a bee-related scheme. Some typical Bee Queen scenarios might be: 1) A local art or science museum is hosting an exhibit of DaVinci's sketches. Among these priceless artworks are some drawings he did of bees and some notes detailing his observations regarding bee flight. Of course Bee Queen wants those for herself! 2) Another museum holds pieces of amber that have rare and prehistoric insects - including primative bees! - preserved in them. Bee Queen decides to steal those, in hopes of pulling a "Jurassic Park" by drawing out DNA from the prehistoric bees and using it to clone swarms of bees that lived so long before humans evolved that people have no resistance to their venom - making it deadly! 3) Bee Queen has a new plot - to breed huge swarms of African killer bees and use them to hold the city hostage. She'll need money to finance this scheme - so she attacks a performance of the local symphony attended by the Mayor (and one or more heroes in their civilian identities), planning to grab valuables or maybe to hold the audience for ransom. She waits until the symphony starts their announced performance of "The Flight of the Bumblebee" to attack. Beyond that, the heroes may cross paths with Bee Queen due to her rivalry with other scientific or insect-related crooks, such as Brainchild or Hornet. Bee Queen isn't likely to Hunt superheroes, save any who happen to have bee-related powers and motifs. Those she'll target obsessively, seeking either to try to make them servants (as they should be, in her mind, since she's the Bee Queen), to humiliate them for daring to not serve her, or - if they have thwarted her plans - to kill them for daring to oppose her. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffreyWKramer Posted September 5, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 5, 2004 Character #14 - TriadThe next character is another character originally created for my old Street Hero campaign. I kept the basic idea and power set for the 5E rewrite, but expanded on the magical aspects of his backstory and origin and used that as a reason to add a couple of minor magical abilities to help make him a more flexible and interesting character. Triad isn't the only duplicating martial artist/weapon-master character out there, but hopefully some will find him interesting. As always, comments are welcome, and I hope you enjoy.TriadPlayer: NPC (Villain) Val Char Cost 20/30 STR 10 24 DEX 42 15 CON 10 15 BODY 10 13 INT 3 14 EGO 8 20 PRE 10 14 COM 2 10/16 PD 6 10/14 ED 7 5 SPD 16 7/9 REC 0 30 END 0 42/47 STUN 9 6" RUN02" SWIM09"/11" LEAP0Characteristics Cost: 133Cost Power END 62 Three Who Are One: Duplication (creates 2 285-point Duplicates) 0 10 Strength Of Three: +10 STR, Not When Duplicated (+0) (Modifiers affect Base Characteristic) 1 10 The Healing Presence Of Three In One: Healing (Regenerate 1 Body Per Minute) 1 BODY, Can Heal Limbs, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Persistent (+1/2) (30 Active Points); Extra Time (Regeneration-Only) 1 Minute (-1 1/2), Self Only (-1/2) 0 15 Psychic Link: Mind Link , With Both Duplicates, Number of Minds (x2), Psychic Bond 0 16 The Spirit Weapon Of Zhou Fuyaun: Multipower, 20-point reserve, all slots Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Affects Desolidified Any form of Desolidification (+1/2) (40 Active Points); all slots OAF (Nine-Dragon Trident; -1), Required Hands Two-Handed (-1/2) 1u 1) Blade: Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 1d6+1 (2 1/2d6 w/STR) (20 Active Points); OAF (Nine-Dragon Trident; -1), Required Hands Two-Handed (-1/2) 0 1u 2) Shaft: Hand-To-Hand Attack +4d6 (20 Active Points); OAF (Nine-Dragon Trident; -1), Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/2), Required Hands Two-Handed (-1/2) 0 9 Spirit Strike: Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 1d6+1, Affects Desolidified Any form of Desolidification (+1/2), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (40 Active Points); Only vs. Supernatural Beings (-1 1/2), OAF (Nine-Dragon Trident; -1), No STR Bonus (-1/2), Linked (Blade; -1/4) 0 2 Reach Advantage: Stretching 1", Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (7 Active Points); OAF (Nine-Dragon Trident; -1), Only To Cause Damage (-1/2), Always Direct (-1/4), no Noncombat Stretching (-1/4), No Velocity Damage (-1/4) 0 4 Many Blades: +2 with HTH Combat (10 Active Points); OAF (Nine-Dragon Trident; -1), Required Hands Two-Handed (-1/2) 12 Skin Wards: Armor (4 PD/4 ED) 0 20 Skin Wards: Physical Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50% (30 Active Points); Not vs. Magical Attacks (-1/2) 0 3 Great Leap: Leaping +5" (9"/11" forward, 4 1/2"/5 1/2" upward) (5 Active Points); Requires An Acrobatics Roll (-1/2) 1 Powers Cost: 165Cost Martial Arts Maneuver 4 Bind: 1/2 Phase, +1 OCV, +0 DCV, Bind, 35 STR / 45 STR 4 Block: 1/2 Phase, +2 OCV, +2 DCV, Block, Abort 4 Dodge: 1/2 Phase, -- OCV, +5 DCV, Dodge, Affects All Attacks, Abort 4 Leaping Strike: 1/2 Phase, +2 OCV, -2 DCV, Weapon +1 DC +v/5; FMove 3 Legsweep: 1/2 Phase, +2 OCV, -1 DCV, Weapon +2 DC Strike, Target Falls 4 Strike: 1/2 Phase, +0 OCV, +2 DCV, Weapon +3 DC Strike 5 Takeaway: 1/2 Phase, +0 OCV, +0 DCV, Grab Weapon, 35 STR / 45 STR to take weapon away 2 Weapon Element: Polearms and Spears, Staffs 4 +1 HTH Damage Class(es) Martial Arts Cost: 34Cost Skill 6 +2 with Martial Maneuvers 1 +1 With Strike When Using Nine-Dragon Trident 5 +1 with DCV 5 Acrobatics 15- 3 Breakfall 14- 10 Defense Maneuver I-IV 3 Stealth 14- 3 Streetwise 13- 3 Teamwork 14- 0 Language: Cantonese (idiomatic) (4 Active Points) 2 Language: Mandarin (completely fluent) (3 Active Points) 3 Language: English (completely fluent) 3 KS: Kung-Fu 12- 3 WF: Common Melee Weapons, Staffs Skills Cost: 50Val Disadvantages 5 Distinctive Features: Chinese Tattoos On Arms, Chest And Back (Easily Concealed; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses) 5 Distinctive Features: Magical Aura (Not Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable Only By Unusual Senses) 15 Enraged: If Honor Questioned/Impugned (Common), go 8-, recover 11- 10 Hunted: Shugoshin 8- (As Pow, Capture) 15 Hunted: Chinese Demon And Minions 8- (Mo Pow, Harshly Punish) 20 Psychological Limitation: Honorable: Honest, Always Keeps His Word (Common, Total) 15 Psychological Limitation: Avoids Endangering Innocents (Common, Strong) 15 Psychological Limitation: Seeks To Test Self Against Other Martial Artists/Weapon Masters (Common, Strong) 15 Psychological Limitation: Either Very Respectful Or Hateful/Distrustful Toward Wizards/Sorcerers (Uncommon, Total) 15 Social Limitation: Secret Identity - Zhou Xudong (Frequently, Major) 20 Social Limitation: Subject To Orders Given By Ho Chow Wu (Very Frequently, Major) Disadvantage Points: 150Base Points: 200Experience Required: 32Total Experience Available: 32Experience Unspent: 0Total Character Cost: 382 Height: 1.70 m Hair: Black Weight: 75.00 kg Eyes: Brown Appearance: Zhou Xudong is a very fit-looking Chinese man with a muscular, athletic build. As Triad, he wears a sleeveless black tunic, loose-fitting black pants, black slipper-style shoes and a tight-fitting black hood that covers his entire face other than the eyes. In his combined form, he also wears a belt sash decorated with three bands of color - gold, white and red - and his nine-dragon trident is decorated with thin ribbons of these three colors, but when duplicated, one duplicate has a gold sash and ribbons, one has red and his own belt and sash are white. His duplication is accompanied by a brief glow of either gold or red, which flows off his body to form the duplicates. The nine-dragon trident, or gao loon cha, is a fearsome-looking polearm described thus in THE ULTIMATE MARTIAL ARTIST: "This Chinese polearm consists of a 6' shaft with a trident on top, plus two crossbars further down (turned at 90 degrees to one another) which bear an indescribable array of flanges and protrusions." These are designed to provide OCV bonuses for specific maneuvers (Block, Bind, Disarm and Takeaway), but in Triad's skilled hands, it provides Combat Skill Levels with all HTH maneuvers. Personality: Triad is torn between personal honor and an oath that puts him at service to an evil man who considers honor a sign of foolishess and weakness. Since Ho Chow Wu will not release him from the oath, Triad tries to manage as best he can while waiting for his period of servitude to expire. He suspects (correctly) that Ho enjoys tormenting him by giving him assignments which test his honor. He responds through total commitment to displaying and defending his honor, and displaces his frustration by seeking out duels with other martial artists and weapon experts. Triad tends to be quiet, saying little except to respond to questions, when asked for his opinion or when his honor is threatened or questioned. He tends to come off as arrogant toward other martial artists and he is in fact generally overconfident, but he behaves in a respectful manner toward anyone who proves himself a better fighter - though that won't stop him from seeking a rematch. Due to his experiences, Triad has a very dichotomous view of those who practice magic. If a given sorcerer proves to be a man of honor and wisdom, Triad regards him with great respect and trust, but otherwise he hates and mistrusts wizards and sorcerers and targets them in combat, above even other martial artists. Quote:'You are but one while I am three. Acknowledge that I am your better and you will be allowed to retreat unharmed, or fight and you will suffer certain defeat. Those are your only options."Background: By all rights, Zhou Xudong should have been a hero, albeit a tragic one. He regrets that circumstances have made this not the case, and hopes to one day become what he could and should have been, but for now he accepts the fate he has been dealt. Heroes are nothing new to the Zhou bloodline. Many of Xudong's ancestors have been fabled warriors, and one, Zhou Fuyaun, was one of the greatest heroes of ancient China. 1500 years ago, Zhou Fuyaun, won a great victory over a major demon, banishing that creature from Earth for 3000 years or until the Zhou bloodline ended. But times changed, and China and her people changed with them. By the time Xudong was an adult, few in China believed the old tales, and to Xudong they were just legends, though he and his brothers, Qinglin, Xueju and Dezhu, continued one aspect of the family tradition by studying the martial arts and becoming excellent students. Then history and old resentments caught up with the Zhou bloodline. The demon Zhou Fuyaun defeated had grown tired of his banishment and decided to speed his release along by sending his mortal minions and some minor demons to end the Zhou bloodline by killing the four brothers, none of whom had yet married or fathered a son. Unprepared for an attack by sorcerers and demons, the Zhou family fared poorly. One of the brothers, Xueju, and their parents were killed, and the remaining three brothers fled, seeking assistance and guidance from their kung-fu teacher. The teacher reminded Xudong and his brothers of the family legends and the conditions of the demon's banishment. He also presented them with an item of great power - the Spirit Weapon of Zhou Fuyaun, handed over to the school centuries ago for safekeeping until such time as it was needed again. The teacher also warned them that they might need more than martial skill in order to face evil sorcery, and suggested they seek out a sorcerer of their own. He further recommended they talk to a local gangster renowned for helping people find whatever they needed or wanted, if they were willing to pay his price. The gangster, Gu Zhilun, said he not only knew of a sorcerer, but in fact was owed a debt by one. He agreed to have the sorcerer provide what help he could to the brothers, but only for a steep price: they had to swear an oath that one of them would give the gangster his loyal service for a periond of ten years once their quest was completed. Seeing no better options, they agreed, with the condition that whomever served Gu would be allowed to serve in a manner which preserved personal honor. Gu kept his side of the deal and introduced the three brothers to an wise and aged wizard. The wizard told them where to find the sorcerers who had attacked them. He also etched mystic symbols upon their skin and empowered the symbols with magic, making the brothers resistant to injury (though moreso against mundane than magical attacks) and allowing each of the brothers to draw upon the life force of the others, strengthening them all. Armed with this protection, their own kung-fu skills and the Spirit Weapon, the brothers went to confront the sorcerers and their demonic allies. Although the Spirit Weapon made short work of the demons, the sorcerers proved even more dangerous than expected. After a pitched battle, Qinglen and Dezhu lay mortally wounded. Xudong expected to fall shortly as well, but as his brothers' souls departed for heaven, he felt their life energies flow into his body through the mystic tattoos, strengthening him and healing his wounds. He fought back against the evil sorcerers with a fury, and, calling upon his brothers' spirits to assist him to final victory, he felt their energies flow back out of his body, forming into separate bodies - each armed with a duplicate of the Spirit Weapon! The sorcerers could not stand against this power and soon lay dead at Xudong's feet as his brothers' life energies flowed back into his body. After this great but costly victory, further tragedy befell Xudong. As the last surviving brother, he went to serve Gu Zhulun as promised, only to find that the gangster had decided to retire, and had sold Xudong's service to an associate in the United States, the crime lord Ho Chow Wu. Since he had agreed to obey Gu and Gu ordered him off to America, Xudong had no choice. He soon came to regret the deal he'd made with Gu, because while Gu was an honorable man in his way and always wiling to help those in need if the price was right, Xudong found Ho Chow Wu to be corrupt and thoroughly evil man, involved in unspeakable evils such as the human slave trade. Though Xudong maintains his personal honor, he feels it dishonorable to serve so dishonorable and evil man to the best of his ability. In order to maintain his honor, Xudong wears a disguise, so that the shame of serving Ho Chow Wu does not stain his personal and family name. Ho has no problem with this, as he likes the idea of having a masked supervillain in his service. Inspired by Xudong's ability to become three people, Ho chose a supervillain name for him - Triad - which both reflects the nature of his powers and also evokes the image of the old-time Chinese gangs, or triads. Ho uses him as a guard, enforcer or, on occasion, assassin. During a conflict with the Yakuza, Ho sent him to San Francisco, where he ended up battling the mystic swordsman/martial artist Shugoshin; that battle ended inconclusively, and both are looking forward to a rematch. Meanwhile, the banished demon continues to plot, and plans further attacks aimed at gaining an early end to his banishment through Triad's death. Powers/Tactics: Triad's most notable power is the ability to create two duplicates of himself by manifesting his brothers' life force into two separate bodies, each sharing his memories and skills and most of his powers (everything other than the Duplication, Mind Link, extra STR and Regeneration). He has a constant psychic link with the two duplicate selves, which allows for instantaneous mental communication and is handy for coordinating strategy in combat. However, the presence of two extra life forces within his body also provides some advantages when he is not duplicated - namely, he is much stronger and is able to quickly heal grievious injuries. Triad also wields a powerful, ancestral magical weapon, the Spirit Weapon Of Zhou Fuyaun. This item is indestructable, and due to it's connection to Triad's bloodline, copies of it are created if he is holding it when he Duplicates (this is dependent on the duplicates being phyically manifest, and if a duplicate is disarmed, the copy of the Spirit Weapon disappears when the duplicates recombine). This weapon does extra damage to supernatural beings (spirits, undead, demons, lycanthropes, etc., but excluding wizards and other beings that wield magic but are not innately supernatural creatures). It can harm ghosts and other incorporeal beings as easily as solid ones, and is even capable of damaging Astral beings (though Triad does not possess any abilities which allow him to perceive the Astral Plane). When striking magical or Desolid beings, the Spirit Weapon flashes with sparks of magical energy. The Spirit Weapon can be used with all of Triad's martial maneuvers, and the weapon itself gives him +2 levels with these manevers and all other hand-to-hand combat maneuvers. In addition to his magical weapon and the abilities related to Triad's duplication abilities, his arms, back and chest are covered with mystically-charged tattoos which make his skin extremely durable and make him highly resistant to non-magical, physical attacks (the Damage Reduction does not not apply to enchanted weapons, magical spells which do physical damage or the inherent attacks of supernatural beings such as werewolves, demons, spirit beings or the undead). He is also skilled at fighting bare-handed with kung-fu maneuvers and is capable of impressive acrobatic leaps. Triad is very skilled at coordinating combat maneuvers as three people and at incorporating his duplication into combat. When possible, he prefers for all three selves to surround and gang up on a single opponent rather than fighting two or three opponents at once. By using the Teamwork skill, all three of him can often achieve Coordinated Attacks for purposes of stunning and Multiple Attacker Bonuses. Note that creating a duplicate is a half-phase action, so he can either create one duplicate and do another half-phase action (such as a half-move or attack), or create two duplicates in one round. Note also that upon being created, each duplicate gains can perform a full phase of actions. If he is already in HTH combat before duplicating, Triad most often creates one duplicate while performing either Block (all levels on OCV) or Dodge (relevant levels on DCV) and the duplicate attempts a Bind, Takeaway, Legsweep or Strike (as most appropriate for a given opponent); on the next phase, he repeats this routine, with the first duplicate attempting a Legsweep and the second a Takeaway, Bind or Strike. If he is not in HTH and not being targeted by any ranged fghters, Triad will spend his whole phase to create two duplicates, each of which will rush forward doing Leaping Strike, which can be combined with a full move. When all three are fighting a single opponent, they usually surround him or her in a "triangle" pattern, attempting to keep at least one of his selves behind the opponent (thus putting the opponent at 1/2 DCV vs. that self). One common tactic is for that self to perform a Legsweep on the opponent, then for the other two to attempt to Coordinate the Strike maneuver against the now-prone (1/2 DCV) opponent. The first time he faces a given foe, Triad prefers to start HTH combat before Duplicating, as unexpectedly creating a second self qualifies as a Surprise Move, thus providing himself and that Duplicate at least a +1 OCV bonus, +2 with a failed PER or Danger Sense check, or +3 if the roll fails by 5 or more. Campaign Use: Triad is a straight-forward, combat-oriented character, though the duplication and unusual choice of weapons makes him stand out somewhat from the typical villainous martial artist. Since he doesn't have a reputation, unless a PC has extensive knowledge of the Martial World or the Asian-American underworld, Triad's duplication ability is likely to catch heroes by surprise. Triad's history puts him in servitude toward an Asian crimelord, but the GM needn't feel constrained by this; if he isn't interested in that part of Triad's back-story, he could have Ho Chow Wu lend Triad's services out to another criminal, or even make a permanent transfer of service. The GM might also use Triad's backstory regarding the banished demon as inspiration for a story. Perhaps the heroes learn that the only way to keep this major demon from returning to earth is to work with someone they know as a villain... or perhaps Triad approaches the heroes for help on his own, after the demon sends another, tougher group of minions after him. This story would work best if the heroes have already encountered Triad and come to know him as a villain before they face possibly working with him as allies. Triad would make a good Hunted for a martial artist or street-level hero. In this role, he might be seeking to defeat the hero to prove his own prowess, or he might be sent after a hero who has become a thorn in the side to Ho Chow Wu or some other criminal served by Triad. Played well, his combination of arrogance and underlying honor should make him an interesting and memorable foe, alternately respectable and annoying. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffreyWKramer Posted September 7, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2004 Character #15 - Malleable ManI'm taking a break from the street-level characters for a day. This guy is a revised version of an old player character of mine, one I played consistently for a few years back during and after grad school. He's essentially just a fun character, a riff on the stretching/body malleability concept, ala Plastic Man. The biggest changes to bring him up to speed for 5E were to change one Hunted from a campaign-specific character to one of the characters from the established Champions Universe with a very similar personality/concept (Holocaust), and to just play around with the extra points now allowed for starting characters. His VPP also includes a few powers not typically allowed in VPPs, but they are definitely within character concept in this case - for example, he can expand his nose/sinuses to heighten his sense of smell. Mr. Fantastic recently did this in an issue of the Marvel Knights FF book, "4", but I had the idea first, way back when. :)I had a lot of fun playing this guy back in the day, and I hope to play him again someday, if I ever get a chance to play Champions, rather than being the GM all the time.I hope y'all enjoy him.Malleable ManPlayer: JWK Val Char Cost 20/35 STR 10 20 DEX 30 25 CON 30 15/18 BODY 10 13 INT 3 17 EGO 14 20 PRE 10 18 COM 4 20 PD 16 20 ED 15 5 SPD 20 10 REC 2 50 END 0 40/43 STUN 2 16" RUN02" SWIM014"/17" LEAP0Characteristics Cost: 166Cost Power END 30 Stretching Powers: Elemental Control, 60-point powers 37 1) The Long Reach of Malleable Man!: Stretching 9", Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (67 Active Points) 0 15 2) Constrictng: +40 STR, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (60 Active Points); No Figured Characteristics (-1/2), Can Only Be Used With Grab/Squeeze, Clinging and Damage Shield. (-1/2) 15 3) Flexi-Dodge: +12 with DCV (60 Active Points); Costs Endurance (-1/2), Only vs Attacks/Threats Malleable Man is Aware Of (-1/2) 6 50 Malleable Form Powers: Multipower, 50-point reserve 3u 1) Mega-Punch!: Hand-To-Hand Attack +5d6, Area Of Effect Accurate (One Hex; +1/2), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (50 Active Points); Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/2), Cannot Be Used With Grab/Squeeze (-1/4) 0 4u 2) The Big Grab!: Naked Modifier to STR 60: Area Of Effect Accurate (up to One Hex; +1/2) for up to 60 Active Points, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (45 Active Points) 0 2u 3) Suffocation Attack: Energy Blast 3d6, Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4), No Normal Defense (LS: Self-Contained Breathing; +1), Continuous (+1) (49 Active Points); No Range (-1/2), Must Follow Grab or Damage Shield (-1/2) 2 3u 4) Liquid Form: Desolidification (affected by Cold), Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4) (50 Active Points); Cannot Pass Through Solid Objects (-1/2) 2 40 Minor Malleability Powers: Variable Power Pool (Can Add Appropriate Special Powers and Skill Levels As Powers, But Must Take "Costs END" Limitation On Such Powers), 20 base + 20 control cost, Cosmic (+2) (50 Active Points); Stretching/Body Alteration Powers Only (-1/2) 0 1) Slingshot!: +20 STR (20 Active Points); No Figured Characteristics (-1/2), Only For Throwing (-1/2) Real Cost: 10 2 0 2) Super-Expansion!: Growth (+15 STR, +3 BODY, +3 STUN, -3" KB, 728 kg, -2 DCV, +2 PER Rolls to perceive character, 4 m tall, 2 m wide), Costs END Only To Activate (+1/4) (19 Active Points) Real Cost: 19 1 0 3) Gotta Pull Myself Together!: Healing BODY 2d6 (20 Active Points) Real Cost: 20 2 0 4) Really, Really Deep Breath: Life Support (Extended Breathing: 1 END per 20 Minutes) (4 Active Points) Real Cost: 4 0 0 5) Make A Big Bubble: Life Support (Extended Breathing: 1 END per 5 Minutes), Usable Simultaneously (up to 8 people at once; +1) (6 Active Points) Real Cost: 6 1 0 6) Hey, Batta Batta Batta!: Missile Deflection (Thrown Objects) (5 Active Points); Costs Endurance (-1/2) Real Cost: 3 1 0 7) Body Parawing: Gliding 10", Usable Simultaneously (up to 2 people at once; +1/2) (15 Active Points) Real Cost: 15 1 0 8) Body Surfing: Gliding 8", Usable Simultaneously (up to 2 people at once; +1/2) (12 Active Points); Water Gliding - Only Along Surface Of Water (-1/4) Real Cost: 10 1 0 9) Super-Springing!: Leaping +10" (14"/17" forward, 7"/8 1/2" upward) (Accurate) (15 Active Points) Real Cost: 15 1 0 10) The Long Legs Of The Law!: Running +10" (16" total) (20 Active Points) Real Cost: 20 2 0 11) Climb The Walls: Clinging (normal STR) (10 Active Points) Real Cost: 10 0 0 12) Olfactory Excellence!: (Total: 15 Active Cost, 9 Real Cost) Discriminatory with Normal Smell (5 Active Points); Costs Endurance (-1/2) (Real Cost: 3) plus Tracking with Normal Smell (5 Active Points); Costs Endurance (-1/2) (Real Cost: 3) plus +5 PER with Normal Smell (5 Active Points); Costs Endurance (-1/2) (Real Cost: 3) Real Cost: 9 3 0 13) Close To The Ground: +5 with Stealth (10 Active Points); Costs Endurance (-1/2) Real Cost: 7 1 0 14) I Need A Hand Here....Ah, There's One Now: Extra Limbs (Any Number) (1) (5 Active Points); Costs Endurance (-1/2) Real Cost: 3 1 10 Ooey-Gooey Insta-Grapple!: Clinging (normal STR), Damage Shield (+1/2) (15 Active Points); Costs Endurance (-1/2) 1 5 Hard To Hurt: Hardened (+1/4) (5 Active Points) applied to PD 5 Hard To Hurt: Hardened (+1/4) (5 Active Points) applied to ED 19 Hard to Hurt: Damage Resistance (10 PD/10 ED/10 Power Def.), Hardened (+1/4) (19 Active Points) 0 30 Super-Durable Body: Physical Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50% 0 16 Super-Durable Body: Energy Damage Reduction, 50% (20 Active Points); Not vs. Cold (-1/4) 0 5 Malleable Body: Lack Of Weakness (-5) for Normal Defense 0 5 Malleable Body: Lack Of Weakness (-5) for Resistant Defenses 0 5 Malleable Mind: Mental Defense (8 points total) 0 10 Adaptable Physiology: Power Defense (10 points), Hardened (+1/4) (12 Active Points); Not vs. Cold (-1/4) 0 Powers Cost: 309Cost Skill 3 Breakfall 13- 3 Deduction 12- 3 Shadowing 12- 3 Stealth 13- 3 KS: Comics, Comic Strips and Cartoons 12- 7 PS: Cartoonist/Comic Artist 16- 3 AK: Campaign City 12- Skills Cost: 25Val Disadvantages 10 Dependent NPC: Dr. Lisa Lanning (Girlfriend) 11- (Normal; Useful Noncombat Position or Skills) 10 Dependent NPC: Mindy Mayhew, Police Detective (Sister) 11- (Normal; Useful Noncombat Position or Skills) 5 Distinctive Features: Malleable/Very Durable Skin/Flesh (Easily Concealed; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses) 15 Hunted: Holocaust 8- (Mo Pow, Harshly Punish) 5 Hunted: Foxbat 8- (As Pow, Mildly Punish (Embarrass)) 5 Hunted: Ogre 8- (Less Pow, Harshly Punish) 10 Hunted: Would-be Crimelord Villain 8- (Less Pow, NCI, Harshly Punish) 10 Hunted: Supervillainous Thief 8- (As Pow, Harshly Punish) 5 Hunted: Cold-Based Villain 8- (As Pow, Mildly Punish (Embarrass/Defeat)) 20 Psychological Limitation: Code Against Killing (Common, Total) 15 Psychological Limitation: Smartass - Jokes, Taunts Villains, etc. (Very Common, Moderate) 15 Psychological Limitation: Protects Innocents (Common, Strong) 15 Social Limitation: Secret Identity - Matt Mayhew (Frequently, Major) 5 Vulnerability: 1 1/2 x STUN Explosions (Uncommon) 5 Vulnerability: 1 1/2 x BODY Explosions (Uncommon) Disadvantage Points: 150Base Points: 200Experience Required: 150Total Experience Available: 150Experience Unspent: 0Total Character Cost: 500 Height: 1.85 m Hair: Brown Weight: 91.00 kg Eyes: Green Appearance: Matt wears black boots, a dark green domino mask, dark green pants and gloves, a black, v-cut, sleveless shirt with most of the front taken up by a light green, stylized "M" design, and a yellow belt with an "M" belt buckle. He has medium-length brown hair, combed straight back.Personality: As Malleable Man, Matt Mayhew fights crime for the adventure and simply because it's the right thing to do. His style is loud, energetic, full of humor and a bit self-aggrandizing, as demonstrated by his tendency to give his powers and fighting maneuvers goofy, bombastic names. He has a strong sense of right and wrong, and is careful to gauge the level of force he uses against an opponent so as to not inflict damage. He is also careful to avoid causing harm to bystanders or putting them at risk, and if he has to choose between protecting the innocent and letting a criminal go free, he'll choose to protect the innocent every time, with the only possible exception being if letting the criminal go free would certainly cause even greater harm.Quote:"Whoa, cool powers! Those orange power bolts go great with the purple cape, man! But I've got even cooler powers... so prepare to feel the Mighty Mega-Punch!"Background: Growing up, Matt Mayhew was always pretty unremarkable except for two things - a good sense of humr and exceptional artistic skills. From a very early age, these skills combined to make him interested in cartooning. He pursued that dream, even though his parents and older sister never considered art to be a very practical skill; in fact, Matt was a real disappointment to his dad, a career police officer, who felt Matt should do something more serious. Despite this lack of support, Matt became quite successful in his field. Matt didn't take much of anything seriously until he happened to attend a party where a pretty girl caught his eye. When the girl in question, Lisa Lanning, turned out to be a renowned research chemist, Matt initially thought her out of his league, but he couldn't get her out of her mind, and he devoted himself to trying to grab her attention. Dropping by her lab at the University to ask her out for lunch, Matt found a group of thugs and the costumed villain Holocaust roughing her up; it turns out Holocaust had heard about a project of hers which he believed would benefit one of his nefarious plans. Matt tried to defend Lisa but quickly ended up badly wounded, unconscious, tossed into a vat of experimental polymer liquid and left for dead. However, shortly after the villains left, he emerged from the vat, surprisingly unharmed and possessed of amazing powers, including the a resilient, flexible and malleable body. Having overheard Holocaust's plans, Matt sped to save Lisa, and managed to do so after a prolonged fight and lots of luck. Afterward, Lisa asked him what he planned to do with his powers. Dismayed by her resposne when he said he planned to ignore them and go on with life, he asked what she thought he should do. "Use them to help people...to save lives, like you did mine. Be a hero!" Matt wasn't too sure about that idea at first, but he decided to try it out, in order to impress Lisa. He designed a suitably comic-book uniform and chose a name that fit his newfound powers - Malleable Man - then set about fighting crime. To his surprise, he found he was pretty good at it... and that a lot of the time, it was a blast. Having won Lisa long ago, Matt remains a hero because it's the right thing to do... but while he takes that duty seriously, he refuses to let it be a drag, and is always quick to crack a joke at some villain's expense. Only two people know that Matt Mayhew is Malleable Man - Lisa and his sister, Mindy, a police detective. Powers/Tactics: Exposure to experimental chemicals (perhaps affected by Holocaust's powers) made Matt Mayhew's body extremely pliable and durable. He is able to stretch any part of his body, constrict opponents, shift his body to a tar-like or even liquid consistency and avoid attacks by stretching out of their way - or even by opening a hole in his body! He can also produce a wide range of effects such as shrinking, growing, bouncing or leaping great distances by turning his legs spring-like, run quickly by stretching his legs, glide by flattening his body into a parafoil form, make his senses more acute by changing the shape of his sensory organs or easily hide by flattening himself. Malleable Man is extremely skilled with his powers, and has figured out how to use his stretching to attack indirectly and add velocity to his punches. Malleable Man has two significant weaknesses. First, explosions tend to tax the limits of even his malleability. Second, his flexible form doesn't deal as well with intense cold as with other sorts of attacks. Campaign Use: Note that Foxbat is listed as "As Possible" in his notations as a Hunted. This is obviously not true for the version of Foxbat presented in CONQUERERS, KILLERS AND CROOKS, so one can treat this Hunted as representing either an improved, more experienced version of Foxbat, or the frequency of the Hunted at 11- - though Foxbat at 11- really is enough to drive most people insane. The version of Ogre listed as a Hunted is the revised one presented in THE ULTIMATE BRICK, and is much the same as the CK&C version but with the addition of a large "Brick Tricks" Multipower. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffreyWKramer Posted September 7, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2004 Character #16 - Reverend StreetThis character is another from my old Street Hero campaign, revised for 5E - though the actual revisions were extremely minor in this case. The biggest change was making his Stunning Blow ch'i power a NND attack, rather than a no-range Ego Attack.There's an important difference between this entry and the previous Street Hero characters I've presented - namely, while the others have been NPCs, this one (Reverend Street) was a player character in the campaign. Though revised slightly, the original character concept was created by Andy Bell, a guy who played in the campaign. The background presented here is mine, but based on details I recall from Andy playing the character. The Rev, as people called him, was a truly stand-out character - one of the ten or so best I've ever had the pleasure of taking part in one of my campaigns - and definitely one of the high points of that campaign. Though obviously inspired by Daredevil - and also by Daredevil's mentor, Stick - as played by Andy (complete with distinctive vocal inflection and copious quotations of Bible verse) he had a strong flavor all his own.I hope you enjoy him as much as I enjoyed having him in my campaign. Reverend StreetPlayer: Andy Bell Val Char Cost 10 STR 0 26 DEX 48 21 CON 22 12 BODY 4 13 INT 3 17 EGO 14 20 PRE 10 8 COM -1 6/12 PD 4 4/8 ED 0 5 SPD 14 10 REC 8 42 END 0 40 STUN 12 6" RUN02" SWIM03" LEAP1Characteristics Cost: 139Cost Power END 12 Quarterstaff: Multipower, 30-point reserve, (30 Active Points); all slots OAF (Staff; -1), Required Hands Two-Handed (-1/2) 1u 1) Staff Strike: Hand-To-Hand Attack +4d6, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (30 Active Points); OAF (Staff; -1), Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/2), Required Hands Two-Handed (-1/2) 0 1u 2) Deflect Attacks: Missile Deflection (Any Ranged Attack) (20 Active Points); OAF (Staff; -1), Required Hands Two-Handed (-1/2) 0 1u 3) Defensve Stance: +2 with DCV (10 Active Points); OAF (Staff; -1), Costs Endurance (-1/2), Required Hands Two-Handed (-1/2) 1 2 Long Reach: Stretching 1", Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (7 Active Points); OAF (Staff; -1), Only To Cause Damage (-1/2), Always Direct (-1/4), No Velocity Damage (-1/4), No Noncombat Stretching (-1/4) 0 12 Stunning Blow: Energy Blast 4d6, No Normal Defense (Rigid Armor, PD Force Field, Lack of Weakness; +1) (40 Active Points); OAF (Staff; -1), No Range (-1/2), Required Hands Two-Handed (-1/2), Linked (Staff Strike; -1/4) 4 7 Expert Strike: Find Weakness 12- with Strike (15 Active Points); OAF (Staff; -1) 0 8 Reinforced Longcoat: Armor (4 PD/6 ED) (15 Active Points); Activation Roll 14- (-1/2), IIF (Longcoat; -1/4) 0 6 Kevlar Vest: Armor (6 PD/4 ED) (15 Active Points); Activation Roll 11- (-1), OIF (Vest; -1/2) 0 10 Man's Best Friend: Mind Link , With Lucky (Animal Companion), Psychic Bond 0 37 Can't Sneak Up On Me!: Spatial Awareness (Unusual Group), Discriminatory, Increased Arc Of Perception (360 Degrees), Range 0 12 Awareness: +4 PER with all Sense Groups 0 Powers Cost: 109Cost Martial Arts Maneuver 4 Block: 1/2 Phase, +2 OCV, +2 DCV, Block, Abort 4 Disarm: 1/2 Phase, -1 OCV, +1 DCV, Disarm; 20 STR to Disarm 4 Dodge: 1/2 Phase, -- OCV, +5 DCV, Dodge, Affects All Attacks, Abort 4 Fast Strike: 1/2 Phase, +2 OCV, +0 DCV, 4d6 Strike 3 Legsweep: 1/2 Phase, +2 OCV, -1 DCV, 3d6 Strike, Target Falls 4 Strike: 1/2 Phase, +0 OCV, +2 DCV, 4d6 Strike 1 Weapon Element: Staffs Martial Arts Cost: 24Cost Skill 8 +4 with Quarterstaff (Martial Maneuvers + Missile Deflection) (20 Active Points); OAF (Staff; -1), Required Hands Two-Handed (-1/2) 3 +1 with Martial Maneuvers 3 Acrobatics 14- 3 Conversation 13- 3 KS: Theology 12- 4 AK: City Knowledge 13- 1 Language: English (w/Braille literacy) (idiomatic; literate) (5 Active Points) 3 Oratory 13- 3 PS: Minister 13- 3 Stealth 14- 5 Streetwise 14- 4 Survival (Urban) 13- 1 WF: Staffs Skills Cost: 44Cost Perk 1 Fringe Benefit: Right to Marry: Can perform the marriage ceremony 30 Follower (Animal Companion) Perks Cost: 31Cost Talent 3 Lightsleep Talents Cost: 3Val Disadvantages 10 Dependent NPC: Rosemary Jackson, Soup Kitchen/Shelter Worker 8- (Normal) 10 Distinctive Features: Street Person - Scruffy, Ragged Clothing, Etc. (Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses) 10 Distinctive Features: Talks To Self And Dog (Easily Concealed; Always Noticed and Causes Major Reaction; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses) 10 Money: Destitute 25 Physical Limitation: Blindness (All the Time, Fully Impairing) 15 Psychological Limitation: Paranoid (Common, Strong) 15 Psychological Limitation: Self-Sufficient, Does Not Like To Be Indebted To/Dependent On Others (Common, Strong) 10 Psychological Limitation: Feels Compelled To Preach The Gospel/Sermonize (Common, Moderate) 10 Reputation: Crazy Street Preacher, 11- 20 Social Limitation: Homeless, Appears Mentally Ill (Very Frequently, Major) 15 Social Limitation: Public Identity - Rev. Leon Streit (Frequently, Major) Disadvantage Points: 150Base Points: 200Experience Required: 0Total Experience Available: 0Experience Unspent: 0Total Character Cost: 350 LuckyPlayer: NPC (Animal Companion) Val Char Cost 10 STR 0 20 DEX 30 15 CON 10 10 BODY 0 8 INT -2 10 EGO 0 20 PRE 10 8 COM -1 5/7 PD 3 3/4 ED 0 4 SPD 10 5 REC 0 30 END 0 34 STUN 11 10" RUN82" SWIM03" LEAP1Characteristics Cost: 80Cost Power END 8 Bite: Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 1/2d6 (1d6+1 w/STR) (10 Active Points); Reduced Penetration (-1/4) 1 5 Tough Skin: Armor (2 PD/1 ED) 0 12 Sharp Senses: +4 PER with all Sense Groups 0 4 Kenn Nose: +2 PER with Smell/Taste Group 0 5 Wolf Eyes: Nightvision 0 3 Wolf-Dog Ears: Ultrasonic Perception (Hearing Group) 0 30 He'll Find Ya: Targeting with Hearing Group and Normal Smell 0 5 He's Got Some Bloodhound In Him: Tracking with Normal Smell 0 25 That's Why He's Named Lucky, Fool!: Luck 5d6 0 Powers Cost: 97Cost Martial Arts Maneuver 3 Flying Tackle: 1/2 Phase, +0 OCV, -1 DCV, 2d6 +v/5 Strike; You Fall, Target Falls; FMove 3 Pin: 1/2 Phase, +1 OCV, -1 DCV, Grab Three Limbs, STR 25, Must Follow Flying Tackle/Takedown 3 Takedown: 1/2 Phase, +1 OCV, +1 DCV, Weapon Strike; Target Falls 4 Weapon Bind: 1/2 Phase, +1 OCV, +0 DCV, Bind, 20 STR 1 Weapon Element - Bite and: Empty Hand Martial Arts Cost: 14Cost Skill 15 +3 with HTH Combat 3 Breakfall 13- 5 Concealment 12- 5 Stealth 14- 3 Tactics 11- 3 Teamwork 13- Skills Cost: 34Total Character Cost: 225Val Disadvantages 15 Physical Limitation: Animal Intelligence (Frequently, Greatly Impairing) 15 Physical Limitation: Very Limited Manipulation (Frequently, Greatly Impairing) 25 Psychological Limitation: Loyal To/Protective Of Rev. Street (Very Common, Total) 5 Susceptibility: Flash vs. Smell/Taste Group, 1d6 damage Instant (Uncommon) 5 Vulnerability: Ultrasound Attacks (Uncommon) 10 Vulnerability: 2 x Effect Flash vs. Smell/Taste Group (Uncommon) Disadvantage Points: 75Base Points: 150Experience Required: 0Total Experience Available: 0Experience Unspent: 0 Height: 1.80 m Hair: Black (gray streaks) Weight: 75.00 kg Eyes: Brown Appearance: Rev. Street looks very much like the homeless street person he is. He owns only two sets of clothing, wearing one while the other is in the wash or in his backpack. He keeps himself as clean as possible by bathing at the local shelter, as he believes - and frequently extolls - the adage "Cleanliness is next to godliness", but he still often carries the scent of the street with him. Street is a rail-thin African-American man. He's 35 years old but appears significantly older, with deeply-lined features and many streaks of grey through his long, somewhat matted hair. He has a short, unevenly groomed beard and wears old combat boots, loose-fitting, ragged slacks held up by a well-worn leather belt, and a faded t-shirt (either red or blue, depending on the day). Atop the shirt he wears a Kevlar vest, and atop everything else he wears a heavily-reinforced, well-worn black longcoat, day or night, rain or shine, summer or winter. He also wears cheap black sunglasses and a nearly-shapeless, rumpled, wide-brim hat - though he takes off the hat when he goes inside, of course ("I may be poor but I got manners, fool!"). He also carries a well-worn, 6' quarterstaff and a sturdy sport-duffel bag, in which he carries his few belongings (extra change of clothing, sandpaper, rags and varnish for maintaining his staff, an old Army blanket and a heavily-read, Braille edition of the Bible (King James Standard Edition). Lucky is a large mutt of uncertain parentage, with the best guess being a German shepherd/wolf mix, as he has typical shepherd coloration/patterns, but is much more massive and has fur that is longer, thicker and less course than that of a German shepherd. Personality: Reverend Street has mild paranoid tendencies and often views even mundane things as having a greater meaning or purpose than most perceive - i.e., a place in God's plan. He does not experience full-fledged psychotic delusions or hallucinations, though some might think otherwise when they observe him talking to himself and talking to his dog (he can communicate with Lucky by thought alone, but he's so used to being alone that he tends to habitually speak out loud when thinking something, unless he puts his mind to not doing so). Some professionals might diagnose him as having a schizotypal personality disorder, but Street himself dismisses that as "rich doctor psychobabble" and asserts that when Jesus returns, people will probably think he's crazy, too. Despite his paranoia, Rev. Street is a very compassionate person. He helps out those he can, and he firmly believes he serves God's and is performing a good deed by preaching His word to any and all. He is quick to help out any in need, and he'll often hand out his last couple dollars to a poor family in need of food, figuring he and Lucky can get by dumpster-diving, since they both have good enough noses to not eat something that's gone bad. He receives a Social Security Disability check each month, but ends up giving most of it to missions, shelters and those in need, keeping only enough to maintain his few belongings and meet the most basic of needs. He uses a local shelter and soup kitchen as a place to bathe, do laundry and pick up an occasional meal (which he figures he earns by giving the shelter a substantial part of his check each month), but he stays there only if he or Lucky is ill or injured, as otherwise he figures someone else needs the bed more, as he's tough enough to get by on the streets. One person he trusts completely is Rosemary Jackson, a middle-aged woman who volunteers at the shelter and serves food at the soup kitchen. Most evenings he walks home with her to make sure she gets home safe, and she passes along information about people needing help, criminal activities and other things he needs to know for his "mission." Quote:"Boy, you sure are thick! What part o' 'that girl needs help' don't you understand? God made me blind so's I wouldn' be tempted an' distracted by pretty things. I'm tryin' ta figure out if he made you stupid for some reason, or if you come ta that all on yer own!"Background: Though born blind, Leon Streit was never coddled. His father was an Army veteran and a devout Christian who believed that faith, discipline and hard work were enough to get anyone by, and he made sure that would hold true for his son - blind or not. Having heard about people in Japan and China who could fight and even do archery even though they were blind, h signed Leon up for karate classes at the Y starting at age six and insisted he continue through high school. At the same time, Leon's mother emphasized Christian values such as compassion and sacrifice, and demonstrated them to him by taking him along as she did charity work. Leon attended a special school for blind children and did well. He decided to go on to the seminary, to become a minister himself, and did well there, too, though others noted that he seemed to be a bit... strange. Sometimes he believed others were talking about him behind his back, and he occasionally mentioned a growing belief that God had plans for him far beyond him being a minister. He graduated, received his ordination and was assigned to a ministry as an assistant pastor, but did poorly on the job; some found his views extreme, and others felt him judgmental, particularly when he started to speak out against those who had nice homes, new cars and expensive clothes but gave very little when the collection plate went around. He preached the virtues of discipline and self-denial, and angered man of the wealthy parish supporters when he stated that those who take low-paying jobs as missionaries and shelter workers were much better Christians than those who gave donations and attended church regularly but didn't take the time to get their hands dirty doing God's work. He was reassigned to a different church with the same result, and when he started asserting that those speaking out against him were out to get him because they were jealous he was more a true servant of God, he was referred for mental health services. He refused to attend therapy or take medication, and in short order he found himself without a job or income. He refused to turn to his family for help, insistent that he would make do on his own, and decided that the streets would be his ministry. He's been ever since, preaching to those who will listen, chastising the immoral behavior he observes and helping out those he can. He's prevented muggings and rapes, chased off drug dealers and pimps and stood up to street gangs. He doesn't really trust most cops, as he's been harassed by police in the past, but he's developed tentative alliances with some street-level vigilante crimefighters, passing them information and, with time, getting gradually more involved in their activities and emulating their style on his own - though always adding his unique spin on things. He's starting to make a name for himself, and certainly it's only going to be a matter of time before he starts making some persistent enemies. That idea doesn't bother Reverend Street, though... he figures God won't send anything his way unless he can handle it or unless He has a lesson for somebody in mind. Powers/Tactics: Although Reverend Street is blind, his years of martial arts training have taught him how to reach outward with his ch'i, which grants him superhumanly acute senses and an almost mystic awareness of his surroundings. On top of being a skilled martial artist and an expert with the quarterstaff, Street's ch'i mastery also grants him combat abilities, including the ability to sense weak spots in an opponent's defenses, deflect incoming ranged attacks and exert his ch'i through the staff as he strikes in order to inflict an unusually powerful, stunning blow. Of course, as a devout Christian, Street himself wouldn't talk about "pagan nonsense" like ch'i - he attributes his abilities to "the grace of God and lots of years of study at the school of hard knocks." Who's to say that isn't the case, and that even if his abilities are ch'i related, ch'i, as a natural force permeating the universe, isn't one aspect of God's plan? Street also uses "the grace of God" to explain his psychic link with his animal companion, Lucky - not to mention the dog's uncanny good luck. He encountered Lucky - a stray - a couple years ago, and there seemed to be an immediate connection - kindred souls, almost. That connection developed over time into something mystical, as first Lucky seemed to be able to understand Street's words, then with time Street could perceive things from Lucky's POV. The link allows the pair to work well as a team, and since the link allows Lucky to understand Rev. Street's desires and instruction on a mental level, even if he doesn't undestand his speech, he appears to observers to be an incredibly intelligent animal. Campaign Use: Rev. Street isn't your standard superhero, but he's very capable and makes a colorful and interesting addition to a street-level campaign. Other player characters might encounter him as an ally or - if they can win his tentative trust - a source of information, or he might also serve as something of a moral compass (if rather a cranky one). Alternately, Reverend Street is point-balanced as a starting player character if someone wants to use him in a campaign. Though competent, he really isn't well-suited toward fighting world-conquerers or dimensional overlords of the sort encountered by standard, four-color heroes, but he would fit very well into a bronze/iron-age street-level campaign. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddHat Posted September 7, 2004 Report Share Posted September 7, 2004 Re: Sharing the Wealth (Nods to Enforcer84) Reverand Street & Lucky: Wow, great character! Well done. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffreyWKramer Posted September 7, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 7, 2004 Re: Sharing the Wealth (Nods to Enforcer84) Reverand Street & Lucky: Wow' date=' great character! Well done.[/quote'] Thank you. As I noted, I was honored to have them in the campaign. I do notice a couple minor errors/typos, though. The Rev's Kevlar vest should not be included on his PD/ED (I must have forgotten to hit "do not add to totals" on that one), and he has a Multipower slot called "Defensive Stance" (I left off the i). Also, Lucky's bonuses to Smell PER rolls should be listed as "Keen Nose", not "Kenn Nose." There might be a few others. That'll teach me to proofread better in the future before posting. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OddHat Posted September 7, 2004 Report Share Posted September 7, 2004 Re: Sharing the Wealth (Nods to Enforcer84) Thank you. As I noted, I was honored to have them in the campaign. I do notice a couple minor errors/typos, though. The Rev's Kevlar vest should not be included on his PD/ED (I must have forgotten to hit "do not add to totals" on that one), and he has a Multipower slot called "Defensive Stance" (I left off the i). Also, Lucky's bonuses to Smell PER rolls should be listed as "Keen Nose", not "Kenn Nose." There might be a few others. That'll teach me to proofread better in the future before posting. I thought "Kenn Nose" was the Rev's way of pronouncing "keen". Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffreyWKramer Posted September 10, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 10, 2004 Character #17 - AnimagusThis character idea just came to me today, more or less out of nowhere. He's kinda-sorta like DC's Animal Man, but with some pretty major differences. I think he'd be a fun character to play some time, if I ever get a chance. Meanwhile, hopefully some of you will have some fun with him, or at least enjoy reading about him.As always, comments are appreciated.AnimagusPlayer: JWKramer Val Char Cost 20 STR 10 20 DEX 30 20 CON 20 20 BODY 20 18 INT 8 15 EGO 10 20 PRE 10 10 COM 0 8/17 PD 4 8/15 ED 4 5 SPD 20 8 REC 0 40 END 0 40 STUN 0 6" RUN02" SWIM04" LEAP0Characteristics Cost: 136Cost Power END 57 Animal Powers: Variable Power Pool, 40 base + 17 control cost, Powers Can Be Changed As A Half-Phase Action (+1/2), No Skill Roll Required (+1) (90 Active Points); Limited Class Of Powers Available "Real-World" Animal Abilities Only, Must Be Size-Proportional (-1), Major Side Effect - 30 Pts of Disadvantages (Distinctive Features, Physical Limitations, Psychological Limitations or Vulnerabilities) Appropriate To the Animal(s} Channeled At The Time, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (-1) 0 1) Crocodile Skin: Armor (3 PD/3 ED) (9 Active Points) Real Cost: 9 0 0 2) Rhino Hide: Armor (6 PD/4 ED) (15 Active Points) Real Cost: 15 0 0 3) Elephant Strength: +20 STR (20 Active Points); No Figured Characteristics (-1/2) Real Cost: 13 2 0 4) Proportional Strength Of An Ant: +40 STR (40 Active Points); No Figured Characteristics (-1/2) Real Cost: 27 4 0 5) Spider Climbing: Clinging (normal STR) (10 Active Points) Real Cost: 10 0 0 6) Fly Like An Eagle: Flight 10" (20 Active Points); Restrainable (-1/2) Real Cost: 13 2 0 7) Eyes Like A Hawk: +6 versus Range Modifier for Sight Group (9 Active Points) Real Cost: 9 0 0 8) Eyes Of The Tiger: Nightvision (5 Active Points) Real Cost: 5 0 0 9) Echolocation: Active Sonar (Hearing Group) (15 Active Points) Real Cost: 15 0 0 10) Octopus Arms: (Total: 31 Active Cost, 21 Real Cost) Extra Limbs (4) (Real Cost: 5) plus +20 STR (20 Active Points); No Figured Characteristics (-1/2), Only For Grab/Squeeze (-1/2) (Real Cost: 10) plus +3 with Grab (Real Cost: 6) Real Cost: 21 2 0 11) Horned Toad Blood Squirt: Sight Group Flash 4d6 (20 Active Points); Limited Range - 6" Max (-1/4) Real Cost: 16 2 0 12) Camouflage: Invisibility to Sight Group , Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Persistent (+1/2) (40 Active Points); Normal Sight Only (-1), Dependent On Terrain/Cover (-1/2) Real Cost: 16 0 0 13) Tiger Claws: Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 1d6+1 (2 1/2d6 w/STR) (20 Active Points); Restrainable (-1/2) Real Cost: 13 2 0 14) Jump Like A Flea: Leaping 20" (20 Active Points) Real Cost: 20 2 0 15) Porpoise Lungs: Life Support (Extended Breathing: 1 END per Minute) (2 Active Points) Real Cost: 2 0 0 16) Cheetah's Swiftness: Running 20" (40 Active Points) Real Cost: 40 4 108 Animal Summoning: Variable Power Pool (Can Summon One Or More Animal Worth 300 Or Fewer Total Points), 60 base + 48 control cost, Amicable (All Summoned Animals Slavishly Devoted) (+1), Cosmic (+2) (180 Active Points); Only To Summon "Real World" Animals (-1), Extra Time (Full Phase, -1/2) 0 1) Summon Tyranosaurus: Summon 300-point Dinosaur (60 Active Points) Real Cost: 60 6 0 2) Summon Tigers: Summon 16 200-point Tigers (60 Active Points) Real Cost: 60 6 0 3) Summon Elephant: Summon 200-point Elephant (40 Active Points) Real Cost: 40 4 0 4) Summon Swarm: Summon 85-point Insect Swarm (17 Active Points) Real Cost: 17 2 0 5) Master of Swarms: Summon 256 85-point Insect Swarms (57 Active Points) Real Cost: 57 6 Powers Cost: 165Cost Skill 3 Deduction 13- 3 Paramedics 13- 3 Shadowing 13- 3 Stealth 13- 3 Survival 13- 3 PS: College Professor 13- 2 Language: Latin (fluent conversation) 5 SS: Zoology 15- 3 SS: Biology 13- Skills Cost: 28Cost Talent 15 Beast Speech 6 Combat Luck (3 PD/3 ED) Talents Cost: 21Val Disadvantages 10 Dependent NPC: Courtney "CK" Kane, Anthropologist/Girlfriend 8- (Incompetent; Useful Noncombat Position or Skills) 5 Distinctive Features: Magical Aura (Not Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable Only By Unusual Senses) 20 Enraged: When Takes BODY Damage (Common), go 11-, recover 11- 35 Enraged: Berserk When Cornered (Uncommon), go 14-, recover 8- 10 Hunted - Mystery Hunted(s) 10 Psychological Limitation: Hatred Of Cruelty To/Slaughter Of Animals (Uncommon, Strong) 5 Psychological Limitation: Flattered By Praise/Press Attention (Uncommon, Moderate) 15 Psychological Limitation: Extremely Curious (Common, Strong) 10 Psychological Limitation: Moral Crisis - Troubled By How Readily He Engages In Lethal Combat (Common, Moderate) 15 Social Limitation: Secret Identity - Dr. Harlan Drake (Frequently, Major) 15 Susceptibility: When Hit With Flash vs. Currently-Enhanced Sense/Sense Group, 2d6 damage Instant (Common) Disadvantage Points: 150Base Points: 200Experience Required: 0Total Experience Available: 0Experience Unspent: 0Total Character Cost: 350 Height: 1.80 m Hair: Light Brown Weight: 84.00 kg Eyes: Green Appearance: Dr. Harlan Drake is a physically-fit, tanned man with light brown hair and green eyes. He tends to dress in professor-chic, favoring comfortable slacks, sweaters and sport jackets. As Animagus, he wears a wolf-fur vest that leaves much of his chest and abdomen bare, brown leather pants, and black leather boots, belt and wristbands. The belt and wrist bands are decorated with feathers and claws. He also wears a mask that covers his whole head other than his nose and the lower part of his face. The mask is feline in appearance,is painted colors and patterns evoking a leopard's markings, and includes protrusions shaped and placed to resemble ears. Personality: Animagus is a superhero with an unusual mission, in that he cares about animals as strongly as he does people and seeks to make people respect and care about animals as more than entertainment or food. He's not used to getting attention from the press or having adoring fans, but he's found he enjoys both. In contrast, he is not at all fond of how his connection to the animal world seems to sometimes overwhelm his own, rather sedate personality when he is in dangerous situations, and he's very troubled by how readily he uses lethal force against opponents, and how his moral inhibitions against harming others don't even seem to enter his mind in the heat of combat. He has maintained the intellectual curiousity which made him a scientist in the first place, but has had no problem incorporating magic - something he knows to be real, from first-hand experience - into his worldview. Quote:"Humans lie. They are wasteful. They take more than they can use or possibly need, and all too often they kill and destroy just for pleasure or out of spite. And yet it is considered an insult to call a person an animal. That is quite ironic, because for many humans, having an animal's morality and common sense would be a vast improvement."Background: College zoology prof Harlan Drake and his girlfriend Courtney Kane, an anthropologist, were on sabbatical together in Zaire when the decided to investigate reports of large-scale poaching, hoping to find some evidence which would force the authorities to take action. They befrinded a small village, where they learned that the poachers were actually revolutionaries why financed their insurgencyby capturing and killing rare and endangered animals and selling their ill-gotten gains to exotic animal collectors and those trafficing in ivory, furs and animal parts. The pair was also told that the village had been threatened, but that their elder was a powerful sorcerer who had called down insect swarms upon the poachers and forced them to flee. The next day, Drake and his girlfriend got far too close to the action as they stumbled across the poachers slaughtering a band of gorillas. Just as the poachers prepared to kill them, the old man emerged from the jungle, backed by dozens of baboons, monkeys, serpents and even a few leopards. However, even as the tide seemed to be turning against the poachers, one of them got off a good shot, badly wounding the man. The poachers fled, and Drake and Courtney managed to get the old man back to the village , but he warned that they'd be back, as they couldn't afford to leave witnesses alive. "We have no choice," the sorcerer said. "I am dying, and your willingness to risk your life for their sake shows that you truly care about the animals...so as I pass from this world, I pass on my abilities to you, as best I can." The old man reached out , and Drake's mind was overwhelmed with images, sensations and urges - the experience of life from the animal point of view. Mating. Predation. Life. Death. Through all of it, Drake heard the man's voice in his head, guiding him, explaining the abilities and the burden he'd been granted. "You will be one with the animals, and also their servant and their master. You are charged to watch over them and to inspire others to do the same, and the spirits of all beasts will obey your will, and protect you and all humans. You will be able to summon animal spirits and draw upon their powers, or give them physical form and command them to fight your enemies." Harlan Drake, a man of science, could not believe these things... yet at the same time, he absolutely knew them to be true. When he again became aware of his surroundings, the old man was dead and Courtney was shaking him, shouting that the poachers had returned. As he heard gunfire and screams, he reached his consciousness out into the jungle and called to him the savage fury and sharp senses of the leopard, the agility of the monkey... and as he felt this power flow into him, he felt his hands transform into clawed paws, his facial structure shift to something more simian. Reaching further, beyond the mortal veil into the spirit realms, he sought among the spirits of animals past... feeling his heart race as they bowed to him, all... lions, bears, tigers... even animals long, long past, including mammoths, smilodons and dinosaurs. The poachers surrounded the sorcerer's hut and prepared to fire when the door burst open and they were attacled and stampeded by animals of every sort... lions, boars, eagles, poisonous snakes, bison, swarms of biting insects and scorpions...and behind them, the white man, horribly changed. Drake lept upon the attackers, roaring, rending, even biting... smelling their fear, tasting their blood... feeling more alive than ever. He had slipped so far into an animal mindset that when he heard a shout, he only vaguely recognized the words, but he stopped in his tracks as he saw the lead poacher holding Courtney, a gun to her head. Then it was the poacher's turn to freeze, and Drake could smell the man's urine flow freely as the air shifted and solidified behind him, taking the form of something huge and scaly... a prehistoric horror that bent forward and finished the poacher's life with a single chomp. Drake and Courtney stayed among the villagers for a time, but the people did not trust a white man to watch out for their welfare, and Drake had already decided he had to perform his duties in his own way - through educating others and through demonstrating the majestic power of the animal world by example. He decided to use his powers to be a hero to men as well as animals, and designed a costume and a flashy name - Animagus - designed to hide his true identity while also symbolizing his oneness with the animal world. Powers/Tactics: Animagus is mystically connected to the Blood Tide, an aspect of the Astral Plane that reflects the ideas, thoughts and dreams of animals. This connection grants him a wide variety of abilities, but also causes him some problems. Animagus is able to draw upon the abilities of various animals, though doing so causes him to take on certain physical and mental traits typical of the animals he channels. For example, if he calls upon the abilities of a tiger, his hands might turn into clawed paws (HKA, with the Physical Limitation "Very Limited Manipulation", and his eyes may turn catlike at the same time he gains Nightvision. Similarly, he may take on animal personality traits (Psychological Limitations) such as "Easily Startled" if he calls upon a rabbit's burrowing ability or "Irritable/Easily Angered" if he channels a wolverine's toughness, or be temporarily more Vulnerable to some things - for instance, taking extra effect from ultrasonic attacks if he mimics a dog's hearing. When drawing upon an animal's abilities, he mimics said abilities at the same level they exist in animals - for example, a tiger's claws are not 2 1/2d6 HKAs - though in the case of very large or very small animals, these abilities may be scaled up or down due to differences in size. Thus, a flea's jump is very impressive compared to its tiny size but fairly small by human standards, but when he channels a flea's abilities, Animagus's leaps are impressive on the human scale; or, if Animagus takes on the strength of an elephant, he becomes much stronger than a normal human, but not quite as strong as an elephant simply becaus he's so much smaller than an elephant. In addition, the abilities he draws upon may impose physical transformations and limitations consistent with the same ability in real animals. Thus, Animagus grows feathered wings when he wishes to fly like a hawk, and his skin becomes hard and thick when he mimics rhino armor. Note that animagus can call upon the abilities of multiple animals at the same time, within the limits imposed by the active and real points in his VPP, and that when he does so, the Side Effect Disadvantages can reflect any of those animals. Thus, if he wants to see like an owl while having a tiger's clawed hands and the tough skin of an alligator, he may receive any of a number of temporary Distinctive Features (large, round, yellow eyes and/or rough, scaly skin), Physical Limitations (cold blooded) or Psychological Limitations. Note also that when in doubt, some Psychological Limitations are very common among animals - Fear of Fire, for example, is shared by most non-aquatic mammals. Animagus can also summon animal spirits from the Astral Plane and give them physical bodies. These summoned animals obey him to the best of their ability and without question (perhaps they lack normal animal self-preservation instincts because they are already dead), but they gain no special abilities by being spirits. They retain animal intelligence, though they will generally understand Animagus' directions pretty well assuming the directions are not too complex. Animagus can only summon and draw upon the abilities of natural animals native to Earth. The abilities of mythic and magical beasts are off limits, because such creatures are human concepts and have no part in the animal parts of the Astral Plane, while those of alien animals are off limits because the spirits of such animals dwell in the Astral Planes associated with their home planets. However, he can summon the spirits and channel the abilities of extinct animals - including dinosaurs. Animagus is also able to magically communicate with and understand all animals due to his connection to the Blood Tide. It is also the source of his casual acceptance of violence and death when he draws upon animal powers, and his tendency toward to lash out savagely when he is physically harmed or trapped. Animagus can channel a wide variety of animal abilities, which offers him a wide variety of tactical options. When he is in - or expecting - combat, he tends to channel a mix of generally-useful offensive abilities (HKA or enhanced strength), armor or other defensive abilities (rhino hide, for example) and improved movement (flight, running, clinging or leaping). If straight-forward offense is ineffective or not appropriate to the situation, he can switch to more unusual attacks, such as spitting venom - or squirting jets of blood from his eye ducts into the eyes of a close opponent, as does the horned toad. Out of combat, Animagus can draw upon more esoteric and subtle powers, including animal senses, natural camoflage/protective coloration or even the ability to regrow lost body parts, as do earthworms and some reptiles. Similarly, Animagus' Summoning VPP can provide him a lot of offensive punch - he can Summon packs of wolves, huge insect swarms, a pride of lions or even a tyrannosaurus or mammoth - but he can also summon animals to protect others, provide transportation, or scout ahead, come back and tell him what they saw. Campaign Use: Animagus is an unusual hero with an interesting array of powers. His personal offensive and defensive powers are not at the level of those of many heroes, but they are quite versatile - and his Summoning abilities more than make up for any personal offensive deficit. If a GM in a given campaign worries that the offensive capacity of the Summoning Pool is too powerful, possible options include putting Charges on the VPP, reducing the Pool size (40 points still allows for tigers, lions or bears, but not elephants or tyrannosauruses), Limiting the VPP to one active Summons at a time, or allowing him to summon only one of any given type of animal at once, rather than groups of less-powerful animals. Points saved from such changes could be well-spent on more skills, Combat Skill Levels or Damage Reduction (Animal Toughness). Animagus is point-balanced as a starting character. Alternately, if the GM likes, with minimal alteration, he could serve as a villain - just make him more extremist in his views about animal rights. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JmOz Posted September 10, 2004 Report Share Posted September 10, 2004 Re: Sharing the Wealth (Nods to Enforcer84) I'm back...sorry about the delay, but I have been sick Today: Bandido Okay, dislike gunbunnies first of all (sorry). MP is illegal do to the includion of link as a common limitation (as a GM I might consider allowing it at the -1/4 not the -1/2) I would as a GM NEVER allow the x2 rule to be used for a second gun that is intended to be used at the same time: In my game you would have to pay full points for it or make a build around it (AF-2, big attack with Reduced Pen, etc...). (x2 is good for some things bad for others) You can save some points by making the drains a single drain with the any one ability of a F/X (F/x is reasonable stat loss do to wounds). Make Lucky shot work with defensive shot (if he changes style of pistol it will still work) Background: Not bad, but not the high calibur I have come to expect either. I did like the bit about the FF belt, I was going to say how it did not fir but you tied it in quite nicely Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JmOz Posted September 10, 2004 Report Share Posted September 10, 2004 Re: Sharing the Wealth (Nods to Enforcer84) Re: Ricochet II Like the origin, always have had a soft spot for people who take up a mantle Build wise: You would save a few points buy increaseing STR +10 and dropping the boots and gloves Dizzing MOves might be better built using the CE rules some FMove manuvers will let her function as a faster speedster than she really is I would call the talks fast "Eaisly Concealable" personaly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffreyWKramer Posted September 11, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2004 Re: Sharing the Wealth (Nods to Enforcer84) I'm back...sorry about the delay' date=' but I have been sick[/quote'] Not a worry. I'm glad for your commentaries, and also glad you're doing better. Today: Bandido Okay, dislike gunbunnies first of all (sorry). Nothing to be sorry about there. I generally don't like such characters, either. The bandit motif is a good one to include in a group of crliminals like this, though, as it's a very prominent Central/South American criminal archetype, and it more or less calls for guns in any sort of modern interpretation. So, at least I tried to do something different with the theme - namely the effects from the Skilled Shot Multipower. MP is illegal do to the inclusion of link as a common limitation (as a GM I might consider allowing it at the -1/4 not the -1/2) Are you certain on that? The only rules I can find regarding Linked and MPs dictate that if you buy a Power outside the MP and link it to a Multipower Slot (i.e., apply the Linked Limitation to the outside Power), that Power can't work by itself or with another slot. There's nothing I see in the rules that says you can't have a Multipower which is itself Linked to something outside the MP (other than an EC - that is clearly verboten), so long as the MP itself does not then function independently - and in this case, the MP does not function independently. As such, unless you can show me a specific ruling to the contrary, I'm inclined to believe a) it's legal, and the -1/2 is correct, since the MP has a lower Active Point value than the primary attack (the RKA). As supportive evidence, I note that Hero Designer had no problems with the construct, either in the build or when I did validation on the Modifiers. There's clearly no rule built into HD that prevents one from Linking a MP with something else. So, if I'm wrong on this one, Simon missed something, too. I would as a GM NEVER allow the x2 rule to be used for a second gun that is intended to be used at the same time: In my game you would have to pay full points for it or make a build around it (AF-2, big attack with Reduced Pen, etc...). (x2 is good for some things bad for others) In this case, I can definitely see your point, at least philosophically. That one is *very* much a GM call. I tossed it around both ways and went with it in this case. I wanted the character to have the option of firing either one or both guns, and of firing at the same or different targets (increased flexibility), which argues against the Big Attack/Reduced Penetration or the Autofire option. I also wanted to have Bandito need to roll two separate attacks in order to do a lot of damage to one target, and defining the attack as two weapons, vs. one Power with two linked Foci, puts the construct under Two Weapon Fighting rules (since it's a copy, it is the same power twice, which means Multiple-Power Attack does not apply). For what it's worth, I ran point costs. If I bought it as a 4d6 RKA +1 Stun Multiple with the same Advantages, Reduced Pen and OAF (Multiple Foci, can use at half effect with only one gun), and two clips of 7 shots, the cost is only 1 point greater than if I'd bought two guns for the same points, and buying it as the big, RedPen RKA would not have required the (rather expensive) Two Weapon Fighting Skill (but would, of course, limit Bandito to attacking one target at a time). Beyond that, if I buy it as one big Power, his Levels with any pistol would apply to it at full value, rather than having to divide the levels between the two pistols as is the case with the current build. One attack roll at +5 gives much better odds of doing a lot of damage than do two attack rolls with +5 divided between them in some manner, and with each roll having the potential to do only half as much damage as the one big one. For that matter, one attack roll at +5 would also make the chance of hitting with both Autofire attacks higher if you built it as a 2-shot Autofire. Note also that doing the construct as requiring Two-Weapon Fighting turns using both weapons - and thus having the high damage potential - into a Full Phase action, which is not the case with a Multiple Power Attack, Autofire or the big, Reduced Penetration attack. Thus, in the long run, this build makes Bandito a more flexible but less lethal gun bunny than would the other options - which I personally think is a good thing in superhero games, where guns should be dangerous but not dominant. As such, saving one or two points for a bit more flexibility but significantly worse chance of doing lots of damage isn't a bad trade-off, IMHO. You are correct, though, that it is well within a GM's rights to require someone to buy the two separate guns. For what it's worth, Nightwind, in MILLENNIUM CITY, does 2WF and is also built with the second gun = 5 pts routine. You can save some points by making the drains a single drain with the any one ability of a F/X (F/x is reasonable stat loss do to wounds). You're right! That actually saves 2 points (I can't fold the Negative CSLs or Running Drain into that) and makes the Drain vastly more versatile! I'll change that when I do a revision. Make Lucky shot work with defensive shot (if he changes style of pistol it will still work). That's not a bad idea, either. The down side is, he couldn't then combine Find Weakness with the two-gun style, because Two Weapon Fighting itself is based on a combat maneuver (Rapid Fire, in the case of Ranged 2WF), and you can't use a martial maneuver with a different combat maneuver. I'll give that one some thought, though. Background: Not bad, but not the high calibur I have come to expect either. I did like the bit about the FF belt, I was going to say how it did not fit but you tied it in quite nicely Any specific suggestions for livening up the background? You're right, as written it sorta lacks zing... but then again, this *is* a gunbunny character. As always, thank you for your comments, JmOz! They are sincerely appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffreyWKramer Posted September 11, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2004 Re: Sharing the Wealth (Nods to Enforcer84) Re: Ricochet II Like the origin, always have had a soft spot for people who take up a mantle Thank you. I like them too... and I think you'll like one of my upcoming characters on the thread, who is part of a family line of heroes. Build wise: You would save a few points buy increaseing STR +10 and dropping the boots and gloves I thought about it, but I like the idea of her not being particularly strong. The HA may not be as cost-effective, but it fits better with character conception. Dizzing MOves might be better built using the CE rules Hm, good idea. And, more cost effective. I always forget to consider CE for odd effects. Doing it as CE/No Range allows me to add in something I forgot the first time around - Personal Immunity. Without that, she'd be dizzying herself when she was in the area. Revising it also lets me drop a Limitation, so it affects all in the target area, whether they're attacking her or someone else. The revised Power reads: Dizzying Moves: Change Environment 4" radius, -2 OCV, Personal Immunity (+1/4) (25 Active Points); No Range (-1/2), Requires An Acrobatics Roll (-1/2) That - and corrections to a few typos - are included in the revised document(attached). Some FMove manuvers will let her function as a faster speedster than she really is. Good point - and a very good thing to add to a more experienced version of the character, for certain. I would call the talks fast "Eaisly Concealable" personally Well, it's both talking and moving abnormally quickly. The way I see it, she's new to her speed boost, so she has to make a conscious and ongoing effort (and maybe an EGO roll if she's surprised or trying to keep it supressed for a long time) to hide it. It's something she could buy down with xp, though, reflecting her adjustment to her superspeed. Thanks for the feedback again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffreyWKramer Posted September 11, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2004 Character #18 - Team PlayerTeam Player is the first of four NPC heroes who fill specific roles in my Champions campaigns - namely, they work with/at Stronghold, to help make sure villains on their way to Stronghold get there and stay where they belong. I'll present the others later.As always, feel free to use Team Player or any of the other characters I present here in your own campaigns, altered as you see fit. Comments are always welcome, and appreciated.Team PlayerPlayer: NPC (Hero) Val Char Cost 20 STR 10 20 DEX 30 20 CON 20 15 BODY 10 18 INT 8 14 EGO 8 20 PRE 10 14 COM 2 20 PD 16 20 ED 16 4 SPD 10 8 REC 0 40 END 0 45 STUN 10 9" RUN64" SWIM24" LEAP0Characteristics Cost: 158Cost Power END 81 Many Selves: Duplication (creates 8 329-point Duplicates) 0 12 Private Network: Mind Link , Specific Group of Minds (Other Selves), Number of Minds (x8) (25 Active Points); Only With Others Who Have Mind Link (-1) 0 8 Reinforced Boots/Gloves: Hand-To-Hand Attack +2d6, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (15 Active Points); Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/2), IIF (Boots and Gloves; -1/4) 0 20 Sturdiness: Damage Resistance (20 PD/20 ED) 0 3 Eye Protection: Sight Group Flash Defense (5 points) (5 Active Points); OIF (Mask; -1/2) 0 3 Ear Protection: Hearing Group Flash Defense (5 points) (5 Active Points); OIF (Mask; -1/2) 0 8 Multitude of Minds: Mental Defense (15 points total) (12 Active Points); Linked (Private Network; -1/2) 0 10 Unusual Physiolgy: Power Defense (10 points) 0 13 Communications Gear: High Range Radio Perception (Radio Group), Concealed (-8 with High Range Radio Perception PER Rolls) (20 Active Points); OIF (Radio Transmitter/Receiver Built Into Mask; -1/2) 0 Powers Cost: 158Cost Martial Arts Maneuver 4 Martial Block: 1/2 Phase, +2 OCV, +2 DCV, Block, Abort 4 Martial Disarm: 1/2 Phase, -1 OCV, +1 DCV, Disarm; 35 STR to Disarm 4 Martial Dodge: 1/2 Phase, -- OCV, +5 DCV, Dodge, Affects All Attacks, Abort 4 Martial Strike: 1/2 Phase, +0 OCV, +2 DCV, 7d6 Strike 3 Martial Throw: 1/2 Phase, +0 OCV, +1 DCV, 5d6 +v/5, Target Falls 5 Offensive Strike: 1/2 Phase, -2 OCV, +1 DCV, 9d6 Strike 4 +1 HTH Damage Class(es) Martial Arts Cost: 28Cost Skill 12 +4 with Martial Maneuvers 3 Breakfall 13- 3 KS: Superbeings 13- 3 KS: Law 13- 3 KS: Football 13- 0 Language: English (idiomatic) (4 Active Points) 3 Language: Spanish (completely fluent) 3 Paramedics 13- 4 PS: US Marshal 14- 4 PS: Corrections Officer 14- 3 Stealth 13- 3 Streetwise 13- 5 Tactics 14- 7 Teamwork 15- 4 WF: Small Arms, Karate Weapons, Staffs Skills Cost: 60Cost Perk 3 Fringe Benefit: Federal/National Police Powers 3 Fringe Benefit: Security Clearance Perks Cost: 6Val Disadvantages 10 Distinctive Features: Mutant (Not Concealable; Always Noticed; Detectable Only By Unusual Senses) 15 Hunted: Annihilator 8- (Mo Pow, Harshly Punish) 20 Hunted: VIPER 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Harshly Punish) 25 Hunted: Numerous Current and Former Stronghold Inmates 11- (Mo Pow, PC has a Public ID or is otherwise very easy to find, Harshly Punish) 20 Psychological Limitation: Unfailingly Honest and Ethical (Common, Total) 15 Psychological Limitation: Protective Of Civilians/Fellow Officers (Common, Strong) 15 Psychological Limitation: Show-Off; Likes To Demonstrate/Use Powers At Any Opportunity (Common, Strong) 10 Reputation: Famous Duplicating Fed/Prison Guard, 11- 20 Social Limitation: Subject To Orders (Federal Marshal/Corrections Officer) (Very Frequently, Major) Disadvantage Points: 150Base Points: 200Experience Required: 60Total Experience Available: 60Experience Unspent: 0Total Character Cost: 410 Height: 1.90 m Hair: Blonde Weight: 100.00 kg Eyes: Blue Appearance: Team Player is a tall, athletic-looking, Caucasian man in his early 30s, with short, neatly-cut blond hair and blue eyes. As Team Player he wears a uniform consisting of a red, long-sleeved shirt, blue pants, a white hood with built-in goggles, radio gear and ear coverings and which exposes the lower part of his face, and blue gloves and boots trimmed with a white stripe. When amused, Team Player flashes a wide, toothy smile. Team Player carries identification cards which confirm his status as a DOPSA-registered, special operative for the US Department of Justice, assigned to the US Marshals Service and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Personality: Team Player is unflaggingly ethical, honest and loyal - everyone one could wish for in a federal agent, and what most hope for in a superhero. He's always had strong morals, and his personal tragedy has only strengthened his belief that the law is the best defense against the world's evil and injustice. At the same time, he is not a grim, humorless drone. He maintains a real enjoyment of his mutant abilities and tends to show them off for the slightest reason. He's also known to toss out a few barbs and wisecracks when fighting criminals, but not to an extent that interferes with him doing his job, and he's very much no-nonsense and in-charge when planning and leading an operation that might put others at risk. Having the unmasked face of one of his duplicates on the cover of PEOPLE and on heavy CNN rotation a few years back put an end to Team Player having a Secret Identity, but given how little of a personal life he maintains and that his facial features aren't particularly distinctive, this isn't enough of a Disadvantage to him to qualify as Public Identity. Quote:"Okay, when I give the word, four of me are going to rush forward and try to get over the barricade and on the two heavy weapons guys. At the same time, two of me are going to try to circle around behind from the right and two from the left. I'm staying here to coordinate. You two, when I tell you to do it, lob the smoke grenades at points b and c on this diagram. That will provide the rest of me with some cover. The rest of you, suppression fire. Is everyone clear on that? Okay. Remember. This is not a drill, and goony uniforms aside, these guys are no joke. These are trained VIPER operatives and cold-blooded killers. PRIMUS isn't going to be here for probably ten minutes yet, so we're on our own until then, and if at all possible, we are *not* letting these guys get away. Grenades ready? Now!"Background: Jake Marston grew up in a good family, in a pleasant,upper-middle-class suburb of Kansas City, KS. He was a pretty normal kid until age 15 - athletic, well-liked, a good student, just starting to think about his future and develop a serious interest in girls. Back then, he was undecided between pursuing his dream of being a pro football player - the coach even said he had the makings of a pretty good quarterback - or go the more practical route and become a cop, like his dad. As it happens, on one fateful day, events on the practice field made the choice for him. Earlier in the day, Jake and a teammate had exchanged heated words, and the teammate had promised to get back at him during practice. As it turns out, the teammate had enlisted a friend, and they both tried to take revenge on Jake. During a scrimmage, they both gave him a cheap shot after a play was over. Jake hit the ground, hard... and when he stood up, there were two of him! Both were steaming mad, and as everyone else on the field watched, stunned, each decked one of the attackers before Jake even realized what was going on. That hard slam had somehow awakened a previously-dormant mutation. In short order, Jake found that not only could he duplicate himself, but that now he was also extremely resistant to damage. He could take the hardest punch or slam any of his teammates could give him, and even if it knocked him down, he didn't feel a thing other than the impact. Jake knew that with super-powers, his chances in legitimate professional sports were nil, but he could see right away how his skills might serve him well in law enforcement. So, out of high school he went to the University of Kansas to study criminal justice, planning to then attend law enforcement academy and perhaps even apply for the FBI. As it turns out, Jake wasn't the only one who recognized his potential. The US government was always looking for super-powered operatives, and he was highly recruited by the Secret Service and the US Marshals Service. He ended up going for the later, as he preferred a more in-the-field approach to law enforcement than the typical Secret Service operation. Given that his powers were fairly difficult to hide, the Marshals Service decided to make him an openly-superhuman operative with a secret identity. He liked the name his superiors suggested, since it reflected both his sense of comraderie and his powers, so he readily took on the mantle of Team Player. Team Player was a successful Marshal. He was involved in some high-profile cases and was personally responsible for capturing the the super-villain terrorist Annihilator and for foiling an attempt by VIPER to free two of its superpowered operatives en route to long sentences at Stronghold. Then things went downhill for him, in a big way. Four years ago, another Stronghold prisoner transfer went very bad. VIPER managed to free two superhuman criminals - Diamondback and Tornado - and two Marshals were killed. One was a close friend to Team Player. Before a cross-country manhunt resulted in Team Player recapturing the villains (and apprehending several non-superhuman VIPER operatives in the process), they had claimed the lives of an FBI agent and two other Marshals - one of them Team Player's fiance. Further, the fight with the two villains and a group of VIPER agents cost the lives of two of Team Player's duplicates and resulted in his secret identity being revealed, as part of the fight was caught on live news footage and clearly showed his face (his mask of one duplicate having been torn away while fighting Diamondback). It didn't take long before someone paired the face on the news footage with a name, and two days later - despite federal protection - Team Player's a bomb blast killed his parents and destroyed their home. Team Player took a brief leave from active duty after suffering so many losses in a short period of time. At first he wasn't sure if he wanted to continue in law enforcement, but at the same time, he also knew that there would always be attempts to free convicted super-villains from Stronghold, or keep them from getting there, and he wanted to do all he could to prevent such attempts from succeeding. He finally thought up a plan and presented it to his superiors. Under this plan, Team Player would continue as a Federal Marshal, but serve as the Marshals liason to Stronghold and coordinator of interagency activities (primarily prisoner transfers), and also serve as one of Stronghold's on-site, superhuman security operatives. The plan was thoroughly discussed and authorized, and Team Player started a new career. Like each of Stronghold's superops, Team Player serves two three-month shifts a year on-site at Stronghold, where he is essentially on-call 24/7 to deal with any situations which might arise. He mostly spends this time at Stronghold, but sometimes goes off-site as part of a prisoner transfer team. The other six months of the year, he continues his liason duties, often while serving in-field as a Marshal or covering the Marshals Service end of prisoner transfer detail. At this point, he has many months of vacation leave saved up, but he is too dedicated to his duties to take more than a few weeks off for personal time. When he does take personal time, he often spends it in Millennium City, as he has started to develop a relationship with another superhuman government operative, the FBI special operative Teknique, who is stationed in Millennium City. Powers/Tactics: Team Player's is a mutant, with natural superhuman powers. His primary power is the ability to create additional copies of himself. Currently he can create up to eight such copies, for a total of nine versions of himself. Each copy has the same memories, personality, skills, powers and physical attributes (i.e., everything on Team Player's character sheet other than Duplication - including the Mind Link, which means he and all his duplicates can all link up with each other). Team Player's mutation also makes him extremely resistant to damage, and his mutant physiology is resistant to many effects which attack biological processes. Each of Team Player's selves possesses the ability to mentally link itself to any or all of the others, and while this does not make the other selves susceptible to psionic abilities that target any individual self, the multiplicity of thought patterns does somewhat shield the mind-linked selves from mental attacks. In addition to his mutant superpowers, Team Player (and each of his selves) is in excellent physical condition, has considerable expertise with basic unarmed combat, and is well-trained in a variety of skills relevant to law enforcement.. Team Player also knows a lot about American football. Campaign Use: Team Player is one of Stronghold's current superhuman operatives (there are four; each serves two three-month rotations at Stronghold a year, and these rotations overlap such that there are always two superhumans on duty at Stronghold. He is thus most likely to be encountered by the PCs during visits to Stronghold, or as part of a team sent to facilitate the transfer of a captured supervillain from another location to Stronghold. Sanctioned superheroes might well be asked to assist (and thus have an opportunity to meet Team Player) with transfers of supervillains they have captured, especially if a rescue/escape attempt is rumored or predicted as likely to occur. When taking part in a transfer, Team Leader will be in charge of a team of well-trained, well-armed agents (use stats for PRIMUS or UNTIL personnel and gear), consisting of four agents per captive villain. Alternately, if the campaign is set in Millennium City, the PCs may meet Team Player through his involvement with Teknique. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lapsedgamer Posted September 11, 2004 Report Share Posted September 11, 2004 Re: Sharing the Wealth (Nods to Enforcer84) Thanks for sharing. Not only are these good character conceptions, but they really fit into the that whole late Silver/Bronze Age, feel. It is just like reading those old comics looking when you look at the backgrounds. Redeemer and Reverend Street are great. I would be all over a mini-series starring the two of them versus Reverend Night or a similar conspiracy. Great work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffreyWKramer Posted September 11, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 11, 2004 Re: Sharing the Wealth (Nods to Enforcer84) Thanks for sharing. Not only are these good character conceptions' date=' but they really fit into the that whole late Silver/Bronze Age, feel. It is just like reading those old comics looking when you look at the backgrounds. Redeemer and Reverend Street are great. I would be all over a mini-series starring the two of them versus Reverend Night or a similar conspiracy. Great work.[/quote'] Thank you! I'm glad you've liked the characters, and hope you continue to enjoy the thread. Your comment also reminds me to do the write-up for Reverend Knight one of these days. If people are interested in seeing write-ups for any of the other characters mentioned in some of the write-ups, let me know. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffreyWKramer Posted September 12, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 12, 2004 Character #19 - Living SteelThis character is another of my campaign's super-powered Stronghold operatives, though the text also describes options for recasting him in a villainous role. Either way, I think he's something a bit different, and hopefully interesting.As I believe in giving credit where due, I tip my hat to OddHat, who offered a ppower-build suggestion that I utilized in making this character. The initial idea was inspired by NoMan, from the old T.H.U.N.D.E.R. AGENTS comics, the character specifics were my own idea, the suggestion for how to express the essential powers in Champs terms was OddHat's... and the responsibility for any problems the final product may have is mine alone. I expect some aspects of this build, and the way the character's motif is reflected in the power set, may be controversial. If so, I'd be glad to hear others' ideas about how they'd express the same concepts in HERO terms. As always, comments, critiques and discussion are welcome, and I hope you enjoy this character and that some of you find use for him in your campaigns.Living SteelPlayer: NPC (Hero) Val Char Cost 15 STR 5 10 DEX 0 10 CON 0 10 BODY 0 23 INT 13 14 EGO 8 10 PRE 0 14 COM 2 6 PD 3 5 ED 3 4 SPD 20 5 REC 0 20 END 0 23 STUN 0 4" RUN-121" SWIM-10" LEAP-3Characteristics Cost: 38Cost Power END 4 Networked Minds: Mind Link , With Robot Followers, No LOS Needed (20 Active Points); OAF Immobile (Control System; -2), Extra Time (1 Turn (Post-Segment 12), Only to Activate, Booting Up System, Initiating Cerebral Interface; -3/4), Not Through Heavy EM Interference Or Anything That Would Block High-Energy Wireless Transmissions (-1/2), Concentration (1/2 DCV; -1/4), Does Not Provide Mental Awareness (-1/4), Limited Transmission Range - 50 km (-1/4) 0 3 One With The Machine: Mind Control 2d6 (standard effect: 6 points) (Machine class of minds), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (15 Active Points); OAF Immobile (Control System; -2), Only vs. Robot Followers (-1), Linked (Networked Minds; -1/2), Not Through Heavy EM Interference Or Anything That Would Block High-Energy Wireless Transmissions (-1/2), Does Not Provide Mental Awareness (-1/4), Concentration (1/2 DCV; -1/4) 0 22 Just Like Being There: Clairsentience (Sight And Hearing Groups, Radar And Radio Perception/Transmission), +3 to PER Roll, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Based On EGO Combat Value (Mental Defense applies; +1) (107 Active Points); OAF Immobile (Control System; -2), Only To Use Follower's Senses (Uses Own PER Roll) (-3/4), Not Through Heavy EM Interference Or Anything That Would Block High-Energy Wireless Transmissions (-1/2), Concentration (1/2 DCV; -1/4), Linked (Networked Minds; -1/4) 0 4 Motorized Wheelchair: Running +4" (4" total), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (12 Active Points); OAF (Wheelchair; -1), Only On Appropriate Terrain (-1/2), Turn Mode (-1/4), no Noncombat movement (-1/4) 3 Hard To Move: Knockback Resistance -3" (6 Active Points); OAF (Motorized Chair; -1) 0 9 Comunication Systems Array: High Range Radio Perception (Radio Group), Concealed (-8 with High Range Radio Perception PER Rolls) (20 Active Points); OAF Fragile (Radio Receiver/Transmitter; -1 1/4) 0 72 Inventions: Variable Power Pool (Gadget Pool), 60 base + 12 control cost, (90 Active Points); Powers Can Be Changed Only In Workshop/Laboratory (-1/2), Limited Class Of Powers Available (Weapons and General Campaign-Level Super-Science) (-1/2), All Powers Must Be OAF or OIF (-1/2) 16 .44 Magnum: Killing Attack - Ranged 2d6, +1 Increased STUN Multiplier (+1/4) (37 Active Points); OAF (Pistol; -1), 4 clips of 6 Charges (Clips = autoloader; -1/4) [6] Powers Cost: 133Cost Skill 10 +2 with INT Skills 9 +3 with Small Arms 3 Electronics 14- 3 Computer Programming 14- 3 Hoist 14- 3 Interrogation 11- 3 Inventor 14- 3 KS: Law 14- 3 KS: Super-Beings 14- 3 AK: Home City 14- 3 Mechanics 14- 3 Paramedics 14- 3 PS: Corrections Officer 14- 3 PS: Police Officer 14- 3 Scientist 2 1) SS: Cybernetics 14- (3 Active Points) 2 2) SS: Mathematics 14- (3 Active Points) 2 3) SS: Mechanical Engineering 14- (3 Active Points) 2 4) SS: Physics 14- (3 Active Points) 3 5) SS: Robotics 15- (4 Active Points) 3 Streetwise 11- 3 Systems Operation 14- 2 WF: Small Arms 3 Weaponsmith 14- Skills Cost: 80Cost Perk 228 Followers x8 3 Fringe Benefit: Federal/National Police Powers 5 Contact: Daniel Collins (Contact has significant Contacts of his own, Contact has useful Skills or resources, Good relationship with Contact) 11- 2 Fringe Benefit: Concealed Weapon Permit (where appropriate) Perks Cost: 238Val Disadvantages 15 Enraged: If Personally Injured/Assaulted (Uncommon), go 11-, recover 11- 15 Hunted: Various Former/Current Stronghold Inmates 8- (Mo Pow, Harshly Punish) 5 Hunted: Blowtorch 8- (Less Pow, Harshly Punish) 20 Physical Limitation: Unable To Walk (Frequently, Fully Impairing) 10 Physical Limitation: Suffers Effects Of Sight/Hearing Flashes vs. Mind-Controlled Robot Followers (Infrequently, Greatly Impairing) 15 Psychological Limitation: Overconfident When Fighting Through Robot Followers (Common, Strong) 15 Psychological Limitation: Police Officer Code Of Duty/Ethics (Common, Strong) 20 Psychological Limitation: Smart-Ass; Can't Resist Bad Jokes, Wisecracks And Insults When Fighting Via Robot Followers (Very Common, Strong) 15 Social Limitation: Secret Identity - Tim Cook (Frequently, Major) 15 Social Limitation: Subject To Orders (Corrections Officer) (Frequently, Major) 5 Unluck: 1d6 Disadvantage Points: 150Base Points: 200Experience Required: 139Total Experience Available: 139Experience Unspent: 0Total Character Cost: 489 Living Steel Robotic Body Val Char Cost 50 STR 40 20 DEX 30 0 CON -20 20 BODY 20 0 INT -10 0 EGO 0 30 PRE 20 10 COM 0 15 PD 36 15 ED 45 4 SPD 10 0 REC -20 0 END 0 12" RUN120" SWIM-21" LEAP-9Characteristics Cost: 152Cost Power END 42 Heavy Omni-Blaster: Multipower, 75-point reserve, all slots 32 Charges (+1/4) (94 Active Points); all slots OAF (Blaster ; -1), Beam (-1/4) 3u 1) Multi-Spectrum Blaster: Energy Blast 10d6, Affects Desolidified (+1/2) (75 Active Points); OAF (Blaster ; -1), Beam (-1/4) 0 3u 2) Pulse Beam: Energy Blast 15d6 (75 Active Points); OAF (Blaster ; -1), Beam (-1/4) 0 3u 3) Synaptic Disruptor Beam: Energy Blast 7d6+1, No Normal Defense ([Vibratory Powers, Malleable Form Powers, Desolidification Powers]; +1) (74 Active Points); OAF (Blaster ; -1), Beam (-1/4) 0 3u 4) Particle Beam: Killing Attack - Ranged 5d6 (75 Active Points); OAF (Blaster ; -1), No Knockback (-1/4), Beam (-1/4) 0 3u 5) Hardened Particle Field: Entangle 5d6, 10 DEF (75 Active Points); OAF (Blaster ; -1), Beam (-1/4) 0 3u 6) Enervation Ray: Drain STR 5d6, Ranged (+1/2) (75 Active Points); OAF (Blaster ; -1), Beam (-1/4) 0 3u 7) Neural Inhibitor Ray: Drain DEX 5d6, Ranged (+1/2) (75 Active Points); OAF (Blaster ; -1), Beam (-1/4) 0 3u 8) Synaptic Overload: Sight, Mental and Hearing Groups, Spatial Awareness and Radar Flash 11d6 (75 Active Points); OAF (Blaster ; -1), Beam (-1/4) 0 30 Big, Metal Fists: Hand-To-Hand Attack +6d6, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (45 Active Points); Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/2) 0 25 Endurance Of Steel: Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (25 Active Points) applied to STR 12 Endurance Of Steel: Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (12 Active Points) applied to Running 60 Robot Body: Automaton (Takes No STUN) 0 15 Robot Body: Does Not Bleed 0 10 Robot Body: No Hit Locations 0 15 System Shielding: Power Defense (5 points) 0 51 Robot Body: Damage Resistance (15 PD/15 ED/5 Power Def.) 0 36 Knockback Resistance -6" 0 40 Robot Body: Life Support (Immunity All terrestrial diseases and biowarfare agents; Immunity All terrestrial poisons and chemical warfare agents; Safe Environment: Zero Gravity; Safe in High Pressure; Safe in High Radiation; Safe in Intense Cold; Safe in Intense Heat; Safe in Low Pressure/Vacuum; Self-Contained Breathing) 0 5 Robotic Sensors System: Infrared Perception (Sight Group) 0 5 Robotic Sensors System: Ultraviolet Perception (Sight Group) 0 20 Robotic Sensors System: Radar (Radio Group), Increased Arc Of Perception (360 Degrees) 0 3 Robotic Sensors System: Ultrasonic Perception (Hearing Group) 0 25 Communication System: High Range Radio Perception (Radio Group), Concealed (-8 with High Range Radio Perception PER Rolls), Tracking 0 Powers Cost: 418Cost Skill 24 +3 with All Combat 10 Penalty Skill Levels: +5 vs. Range Modifier with Weapons Array Skills Cost: 34Total Character Cost: 604Val Disadvantages 15 Physical Limitation: Vulnerable To Cyberkinesis (EGO 5) (Infrequently, Fully Impairing) 15 Physical Limitation: Weighs 800 kg (Frequently, Greatly Impairing) 25 Physical Limitation: Insensate and Non-Sentient (All the Time, Fully Impairing) 15 Physical Limitation: Bulky, Loud, Easy To See (+4 PER Rolls to perceive) (All the Time, Slightly Impairing) 15 Physical Limitation: No Sense Of Touch, Taste or Smell (All the Time, Slightly Impairing) 10 Physical Limitation: Poor Fine Manipulation (Frequently, Slightly Impairing) 10 Vulnerability: 1 1/2 x BODY Magnetic Attacks (Common) Disadvantage Points: 105Base Points: 499Experience Required: 0Total Experience Available: 0Experience Unspent: 0 Height: 1.82 m Hair: Gray Weight: 111.00 kg Eyes: Hazel Appearance: Tim Cook is a thickly-built, slightly overweight, Caucasian man in his early 40s. He keeps fairly fit through weight training and regular exercise, despite his physical impairment. He is almost always armed, with his .44 Magnum if nothing else. He wears his hair in a buzz cut. The Living Steel robots are tall, wide, vaguely man-shaped robots, with squat, domelike heads and large forearm/lower limb assemblies. They are mostly covered with well-polished steel armor plating, other than a few places (the speaker, through which Tim has the robots "speak", for example); even the sensors, while visible, are well-covered. The omni-blaster is a large, stylized pistol, far too large for a normal human being to use, and resembling the sorts of ray guns and future-weapons drawn by Jack Kirby and other classic comic book artists. It makes a lot of noise and fires beams of crackling energy. Personality: Tim Cook really felt fulfilled as a police officer, but having nearly died in the line of duty once, even with high technology he doesn't feel up to putting himself directly into harm's way, and he'd rather fewer other people put themselves unnecessarily into harm's way. At the same time, he gets a lot of satisfaction out of doing things that make others safer - including putting and keeping criminals behind bars, where they belong. When using the Living Steel robots as his proxies in combat, Tim is not himself at risk of harm. While his distance from the risk doesn't cause him to lose sight of the big picture or fight stupidly, it does allow him to have some fun while doing his duty. Thus, he smarts off to opponents, doesn't worry overmuch about defensive maneuvers and utilizes the high strength of the robots to full effect. In person, Tim is more subdued, but not at all afraid to speak his mind. He's gotten as used to his disability as one can get used to something like that, and he treats it as a fact he has to work around, not something to whine and be morose about. He's very serious about his research, and he spends a lot of time working on new innovations and keeping up with the scientific literature. Quote:"That's your best shot? That didn't hurt me a bit. Of course, nothing you do can hurt me. I don't even feel it. On the other hand, I can definnitely put the hurt on you. But I'm done talking. I'll just show you."Background: As far back as he could remember, Tim Cook never wanted to be anything but a cop. He stuck with that goal through high school and college, and upon graduating with a two-year Administration of Justice degree, he applied to the police academy. With tough work, he got through that training and thus achieved his goal. He was a police officer, and glad to be one. Four years later, even though police work was often tedious, stressful or both, he didn't regret the choice at all. He'd received very good work reviews and was considering going for the big promotion, from patrolman to detective. In fact, he was discussing that with his partner when they received a call about a suspicious vehicle parked in a downtown alley. Responding to the call, Tim and his partner found the car, parked but running, with someone behind the wheel. With his partner providing back-up, Tim approached the vehicle to talk to the driver. He heard a noise behind him and spun to see the driver's accomplice coming through the back door of a liquor store he'd just burglarized - but not quickly enough to respond as the accomplice fired. Tim felt the bullet tear through his abdomen and spine, then mercifully felt nothing for awhile. When Tim regained consciousness, he learned that his partner had shot the accomplice, the driver was arrested and charged... and that he would never walk again. His career of being a police officer - his dream - was over. By the time he finished rehab, where he'd learned to function without his legs, Tim decided he didn't want to just retire and struggle to get by on his disability benefits. He decided to seek new dream, and went to college. Tim had always been good with cars and simple mechanical and electrical repair, but now that he couldn't just focus on police work, he found he had a previously-undeveloped knack for science, and particularly for practical scientific applications. Tim ended up earning degrees in mechanical and electrical engineering and went on to do graduate work in robotics and cybernetics, focusing his research efforts on developing assisted-mobility technology for people with injuries like his. As his research progressed, Tim became interested in cutting-edge research and theory regarding cybernetic man/machine interfaces. Such technology held the promise of eventually leading to external powered prostheses that would let a paralyzed person move his or her limbs by thought, but there were problems developing devices that comfortably and safely moved in human-like ways. Tim also thought if one fixed problems with transmitting instructions, one could use the same general idea to operate robotic systems from a distance, and without concerns about meshing machine movement and functioning with human tissue... and how this technology might allow police officers to operate from afar, thereby avoiding the risk of injury in dangerous situations like the one that had cost him the use of his legs. Tim knew an idea as different as his would probably meet a lot of opposition - particularly from law enforcement officers, who accepted risk as part of their job and who, as a group, would generally not take kindly to the idea of technology replacing direct policing. Thus, he decided to develop and test out his ideas himself, so he could demonstrate their value through example. Working on his own, he deveopled crude prototype technology, starting with a cerebral interface transmitter device that let him operate simple remote-controls via mental command. Next he started work on more complex robots, and learning how to control their movements via the cerebral transmitter. Within a couple of years he'd solved most of the basic problems, then focused on improving the distance he could transmit his thoughts and the complexity and effectiveness of the robots he could direct. Within a couple of years, he had developed a man-shaped robot which he could control from a couple miles away, and which was equipped with sensors through which he could view the robot's surroundings as the robot saw them (much like the vantage point provided in popular "shooter" video games. Tim's first two field tests went well enough, though he really didn't do anything other than test the system out. Then, on the third try, his police scanner picked up word of officers in hot, high-speed pursuit of suspects in a liquor store holdup. As luck would have it, Tim and the robot were nearby, so he had the robot run to what he guessed would be the car's path. Sure enough, he saw it through the robot's visual sensors, so he had the robot run out into the car's path. This early robot wasn't nearly as sophisticated, powerful or bulky as the later models, so it wasn't able to stop the car, but the collision - not to mention the surprise of seeing a robot in his headlights - caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle and slam into a street light. The police arrived immediately afterward, and though the robot was destroyed, Tim considered the episode a success. He also learned some good lessons from it, including the need for stronger and sturdier robots (something he'd anticipated anyhow) and the value of having multiple robots, in case one or more were destroyed in action. Over time, Tim improved his basic technology a great deal, and his robots even moreso, and he eventually started equipping the robots with energy weapons, to provide them with ranged attack options. He (or, more correctly, the robot he was directing at the time) eventually went up against - and defeated - some super-villains, including Blowtorch, Bulldozer and Howler. By then, lots of people had heard the name Tim uses for his robotic proxies - Living Steel. In one of his early adventures, Living Steel met the hero Red Rocket, who introduced him to an important resource - Dr. Daniel Collins, formerly the superhero Microman. Collins shared some of his own advanced robotics expertise with Tim and also helped him refine the robot's weapons. Collins and Red Rocket also provided references for Tim when he applied for DOPSA sanction, and when Red Rocket accepted a job offer from Stronghold, he suggested Tim come with him. Stronghold's warden and government supervisors didn't know quite what to make of Tim and the Living Steel robots, but Tim was clearly an intelligent and skilled scientist with a good crimefighting record. Beyond that, Tim's physical handicap - something that would normally disqualify him from the sort of job he was applying for - was not a factor since his robots would be handling most of the dangerous work. Warden Wildman decided to give Tim a chance, and he hasn't been disappointed in the least. Like each of Stronghold's superhuman operatives, Tim/Living Steel serves two three-month shifts a year on duty, usually at Stronghold but occasionally taking part in prisoner-transfer operations. He's on-call pretty much 24/7 during those three month shifts, and gets three months off in between each shift, as well as a good salary and benefits. While at Stronghold, Tim spends most of his time in a his quarters, which doubles as a workshop/lab; his meals are delivered, and his quarters includes exercise equipment and internet and datbase access. Stronghold's administrators has done a very good job of keeping Tim's connection to Living Steel a secret from all but the other superops and the highest administrators; as far as the other staff and inmates know, Living Steel is an AI or disembodied intelligence that transfers itself between different robot bodies (a ruse Tim carefully planted, starting very early in his career), while Tim Cook is a "special research consultant" - and, in fact, Tim's scientific and technical knowledge does often come in handy when Stronghold staff encounter some technical puzzle or need to figure out how to handle particularly difficult inmates. Tim keeps two Living Steel robots in his workshop (which also includes the equipment necessary to repair any that are damaged), while six are secreted away at strategic locations within Stronghold during his duty shifts (thus allowing him to get them to a trouble scene very quickly). When Tim is on off-site duty, he travels with three back-up robots and his control gear in a panel truck several miles from expected problems, while one robot under his control stayst closer to any likely action. During his three-month off-duty times, Tim takes a couple of robots and the control gear with him, in case of an emergency, but tends to focus on enjoying his downtime more than fighting crime. Tim is pretty happy at this point. Being a super-powered corrections officer isn't the same as being a cop, but it isn't bad; he figures keeping crooks behind bars is almost as important as putting them there in the first place. Beyond that, his success as Living Steel, at Stronghold and on his own, has attracted some attention from higher-ups who know his secret, and some pilot projects to test his ideas for use in dangerous police and military situations, such as disarming and disposing of bombs. To date, nobody else has had nearly the success Tim has had with his mental-transmission technology, possibly because few who have tried are as smart as him. Getting a robot to perform even fairly simple movements via this method takes months of intense training for most people. Tim has inquired about getting some other super-science and cyberkinetics folk in on the project, to see if there aren't ways to fine-tune and simplify his technology; so far that hasn't happened, but at least people are paying attention to his ideas. Powers/Tactics: Tim Cook has no super-powers, unless you count his exceptional - but completely human-level - intelligence and scientific knowledge. Instead, he uses cutting-edge technology to fight alongside and against superhumans on an equal footing. Specifically, he uses technology to transmit his mental commands to a sophisticated robot, effectively controlling its actions with his own thoughts. He is also able to access the information gathered by the robot's sophisticated electronic sensors, effectively perceiving (o his monitor screens) what he would if he was standing in the robot's place, with the same types of senses. Tim can also transmit his own (electronically altered) voice through the robot. None of these effects are technically psionic; Tim's mental commands are relayed to the robot, and the robot's sensory data to Tim's control system, via sophisticated, encrypted transmission devices that have more in common with cel phone or wireless modem technology than actual psionic powers. As such, Tim's mental connection with the robots does not register as a mental power, and it does not make him vulnerable to attack via mental powers, but it can be perceived (at -8 due to Concealment) by senses attuned to high-energy transmissions, and can be blocked by heavy EM fields, thick metal sheilding and other things that are capable of blocking such transmissions. The Living Steel robots are not functional unless controlled by an outside force - either Tim, or someone with cyberkinetic abilities (Mental Powers vs. Machine minds). Although they contain power and sensory systems, the robots themselves have no programming, artificial intelligence or other capacity for independent action. The robots are not active in any manner unless Tim or someone else is controlling one; linking his mind to one of the robots activates that robot. The robots possess great strength and are extremely durable. They can also run quickly, though their high weight often leaves cracked sidewalks and damaged pavement in their wake. Each robot is equipped with a large omni-blaster pistol that magnetically attaches to one leg when not in use. This pistol is capable of a variety of powerful energy attacks and is built to be inoperable to anyone other than the robot (personal focus). The omni-blaster pistol contains neither power reserves nor any sort of trigger or control mechanism; each robot contains a self-recharging power-system to power the weapon, and when the weapon is held, this connects the pistol to the power supply and to the mental link, through which Tim (or another user) selects among the attack options and gives the mental command to fire. When controlling the robots, Tim uses his own PER rolls, intellegence, etc., with the robot's physical attributes, Combat Skill Levels, etc. PRE attacks against the robots function against Tim's PRE, since he is the one in control, but PRE attacks Tim makes through the robots use the robot's PRE. Tim can direct the robot to perform Skill-related activites within the limits of the robot's physical abilities. Tim's combat options with the Living Steel robots essentially come down to using the robot's incredible strength and hand-to-hand attack, using the omni-blaster, or utilizing objects as thrown weapons, cover or as small AoE attacks. Tim is a smart fighter with a lot of experience, and he is capable of utilizing these options intelligently and in a creative manner. He avoids using lethal force when possible, but he really likes being able to cut loose against really tough foes, and if he can manage to get a tough foe worn down, he likes to finish fights with a Living Steel haymaker. The equipment Tim uses to encode and transmit his thought commands to his robots and direct/utilize the robot sensors is fairly bulky, as it consists of a set of components equal in size to five computer towers, a large-size computer monitor with speakers, the cerebral interface headgear and cables and power cords necessary to connect and power the various components. The devices Tim makes via his gadget pool, on the other hand, tend to be either small and portable, for his own use (usually personal weapons), or large and intended to be utilized by one of the Living Steel Robots (typically a special-purpose weapon or defensive field designed to nullify an anticipated opponent's attacks, take advantage of known Vulnerabilities, etc.). For example, if Tim knew his robots were likely to be going up against someone with matter transmutation powers, he would likely make a field generator device that boosted the robot's Power Defense, whereas he might make a flame-thrower gun if he expected the robot to have to face a cold-based villain who was vulnerable to heat. He always builds foci intended for the robots as personal foci. Campaign Use: As written, Tim/Living Steel is most likely to be encountered either during the course of his duties for Stronghold (perhaps the PCs visit Stronghold for some reason, or assist with a prisoner transfer), or while he is on vacation somewhere (in which case he might be doing some solo crime fighting, but would more likely be simply responding to a crisis because he happened to be on the scene). Of course, if the GM wanted to ignore the background and change around details regarding contacts, motivation, Hunteds and any connection to Stronghold, the GM could also use Living Steel as a villain, and have Tim using the robots to commit crimes either on his own or as part of a villain team. An evil version of Tim Cook could even be the mastermind behind a villain team, possibly staying hidden and using the Living Steel robots to lead the team by proxy. As a villain, he's liable to be somewhat vexing to PCs, as they might trash a robot only to have another one appear soon after while Tim remains at home, safe from capture unless the heroes figure out some way to trace his transmissions or otherwise connect him to the crimes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffreyWKramer Posted September 14, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2004 Character #20 - EmpyryusThis is a character I came up with this morning. The idea came to me all of a sudden, and was inspired in part by comments on these boards. More specifically, discussion of high-level characters, and someone's comment in regard to GALACTIC CHAMPIONS that he or she was somewhat disappointed by the Empyrean character (Thayla) presented in that book, as she was pretty much a standard brick, without the "near complete control over... body processes and vast and varying mental abilities promised in the Empyrean write-up in CHAMPIONS UNIVERSE. It occurred to me I should go ahead and write up an Empyrean villain of very high-power. Beyond that, I can always use some good opponents for the heroes in my campaign, the New Sentinels (Horus-Re, Starguard, Microman II, Warp, Warmaster Fielan and Princess Cyrande). Well, I think I came up with one.This guy is a tough customer, but he's supposed to be. He's intended to fight a team of very tough, high-point-cost heroes. He can obviously be scaled back for lower-powered campaigns. If you want to use him, feel free to do as you will with him. As always, I appreciate comments, critiques and whatever.SPOILER WARNING:NEW SENTINELS PLAYERS - Read No Further!! Doing so will only reduce your enjoyment and surprise when I use this fellow! I apologize for the inconvenience, but I really couldn't resist posting him. You'll get to meet him soon enough. Now, on with the show....EmpyryusPlayer: NPC (Villain) Val Char Cost 70 STR 60 30 DEX 60 40 CON 60 20 BODY 20 25 INT 15 29 EGO 38 30 PRE 20 22 COM 6 14/44 PD 0 14/44 ED 6 7 SPD 30 25 REC 6 100 END 10 75 STUN 0 6" RUN02" SWIM014" LEAP0Characteristics Cost: 331Cost Power END 105 Bioenergy Blast: Energy Blast 14d6, Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4), Personal Immunity (+1/4) (105 Active Points) 4 87 Empyrean Battle Might: Multipower, 87-point reserve 2u 1) The Omega Blow: Hand-To-Hand Attack +17d6+1 (87 Active Points); 3 Charges (-1 1/4), Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/2), Extra Time (Full Phase, -1/2), Costs Endurance (-1/2), Increased Endurance Cost (x2 END; -1/2) 18 9u 2) Energy Mastery: Variable Advantage (+1/2 Advantages; +1) for up to 70 Active Points of Bioenergy Blast, Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4) (87 Active Points) 3 9u 3) Omni-Power: Variable Advantage (+1/2 Advantages; +1) for up to 70 Active Points of STR, Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4) (87 Active Points) 3 6u 4) Bio-Disruption: Energy Blast 7 1/2d6, Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4), No Normal Defense (Full Life Support, Bio-Control Powers, Hardened Power Defense; +1) (85 Active Points); No Range (-1/2) 4 9u 5) Psionic Crush: Ego Attack 6d6 (Human and Alien and Additional Class of Minds classes of minds), Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4) (87 Active Points) 3 8u 6) Matter Manipulation: Major Transform 3d6-1 (Anything to Anything (Physical Transforms Only, Healed By Appropriate Transform or Other Empyreans' Psi/Energy Powers), Improved Target Group - Turn Target Into Anything (+1) (80 Active Points) 8 9u 7) Telekinetic Mastery: Telekinesis (44 STR), Affects Porous, Fine Manipulation (86 Active Points) 9 17m 8) Defensive Field: Force Field (20 PD/20 ED/20 Power Defense) (Protect Carried Items), Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4) (87 Active Points) 3 40 Matter-Energy Control: Variable Power Pool, 20 base + 20 control cost, Cosmic (+2) (50 Active Points); Limited Powers - No Body-Affecting, Mental or Sensory Powers, No Powers That Directly Affect Empyryus (-1/2) 10 Empyrean Body Control: Elemental Control, 30-point powers, (15 Active Points); all slots Lockout (-1/2) 8 1) Force Dispersal: Energy Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50% (30 Active Points); Lockout (-1/2), Costs Endurance (Only Costs END to Activate; -1/4) 3 8 2) Energy Dispersal: Physical Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50% (30 Active Points); Lockout (-1/2), Costs Endurance (Only Costs END to Activate; -1/4) 3 8 3) Impervious Mind: Mental Damage Reduction, Resistant, 50% (30 Active Points); Lockout (-1/2), Costs Endurance (Only Costs END to Activate; -1/4) 3 47 4) Mastery Of Form: Shape Shift (Sight, Hearing, Smell/Taste and Touch Groups, any shape), Cellular, Imitation, Instant Change, Makeover, Costs END Only To Change Shape (+1/4) (86 Active Points); Lockout (-1/2) 7 9 5) Supreme Body Control: Healing 1 1/2d6 (standard effect: 4 points), any Characteristic/Power, one at a time (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Persistent (+1/2) (34 Active Points); Self Only (-1/2), Lockout (-1/2) 0 90 Empyrean Skin: Armor (30 PD/30 ED) 0 17 Empyrean Fortitude: Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4) (17 Active Points) applied to STR 12 Empyrean Eyes: Sight Group Flash Defense (10 points), Hardened (+1/4) (12 Active Points) 0 10 Empyrean Toughness: Knockback Resistance -5" 0 10 Eymperean Toughness: Lack Of Weakness (-10) for Resistant Defenses 0 50 Empyrean Physiology: Life Support - Total, Including Immortality (50 Active Points) 0 13 Empyrean Mental Shielding: Mental Defense (15 points total), Hardened (+1/4) (13 Active Points) 0 7 Emperean Mental Shielding: Damage Resistance (15 Mental Def.) 0 19 Impregnable Empyrean Body: Power Defense (15 points), Hardened (+1/4) (19 Active Points) 0 28 Empyrean Regeneration: Healing 2 BODY, Can Heal Limbs, Resurrection, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Persistent (+1/2) (90 Active Points); Extra Time (Regeneration-Only) 1 Turn (Post-Segment 12) (-1 1/4), Always On (-1/2), Self Only (-1/2) 0 10 Not Impressed By Lesser Beings: +20 PRE (20 Active Points); Only To Defend vs. PRE Attacks and Oppose Interaction Skills (Not Seduction) (-1) 35 Empyrean Flight: Multipower, 35-point reserve 3u 1) Combat Flight: Flight 15", Position Shift (35 Active Points) 3 3u 2) Rapid Flight: Flight 10", MegaScale (1" = 10 km; +1/2), Can Be Scaled Down 1" = 1km (+1/4) (35 Active Points) 3 9 Empyrean Senses: +3 PER with all Sense Groups 0 5 Empyrean Eyes: Nightvision 0 Powers Cost: 712Cost Skill 40 +4 Overall 3 Bribery 15- 3 Acting 15- 3 Bureaucratics 15- 3 Computer Programming 14- 3 Conversation 15- 5 Cramming 3 Deduction 14- 3 Forgery 14- 3 High Society 15- 3 Interrogation 15- 3 Scholar 2 1) KS: Ancient Races (3 Active Points) 14- 2 2) KS: Art (3 Active Points) 14- 2 3) KS: Current Events (3 Active Points) 14- 2 4) KS: Earth Prehistory (3 Active Points) 14- 2 5) KS: Earth's Solar System (3 Active Points) 14- 3 6) KS: Empyreans (4 Active Points) 15- 3 7) KS: Human History (4 Active Points) 15- 2 8) KS: Mythology and Theology (3 Active Points) 14- 2 9) KS: Philosophy (3 Active Points) 14- 2 10) KS: Superhumans (3 Active Points) 14- 2 11) KS: World Literature (3 Active Points) 14- 3 Traveler 4 1) CuK: Earth Cultures (5 Active Points) 16- 1 2) CuK: The Martial World (2 Active Points) 11- 1 3) CuK: The Mercenary World (2 Active Points) 11- 1 4) CuK: The Mystic World (2 Active Points) 11- 5 Navigation (Air, Land, Marine, Space) 14- 3 Oratory 15- 3 Persuasion 15- 3 Jack of All Trades 2 1) PS: Appraise (3 Active Points) 14- 2 2) PS: Drawing (3 Active Points) 15- 3 3) PS: Investment/Banking (4 Active Points) 15- 2 4) PS: Mercenary (3 Active Points) 14- 2 5) PS: Musician (3 Active Points) 15- 1 6) PS: Painting (2 Active Points) 11- 2 7) PS: Ruler (3 Active Points) 15- 3 Riding 15- 3 Seduction 15- 3 Shadowing 14- 3 Scientist 2 1) SS: Anthropology 14- (3 Active Points) 2 2) SS: Archaeology 14- (3 Active Points) 1 3) SS: Biology 11- (2 Active Points) 1 4) SS: Geology 11- (2 Active Points) 2 5) SS: Mathematics 14- (3 Active Points) 1 6) SS: Paleontology 11- (2 Active Points) 1 7) SS: Physics 11- (2 Active Points) 2 8) SS: Psychology 14- (3 Active Points) 3 Stealth 15- 3 Streetwise 15- 3 Tactics 14- 3 Trading 15- 10 TF: Common Motorized Ground Vehicles, Riding Animals, Chariots, Combat Aircraft, Helicopters, Small Planes, Tracked Military Vehicles, Wheeled Military Vehicles 24 WF: Common Martial Arts Melee Weapons, Common Melee Weapons, Common Missile Weapons, Early Firearms, Emplaced Weapons, Siege Engines, Small Arms, Flamethrowers, General Purpose/Heavy Machine Guns, Grenade Launchers, Hook Sword, Lances, Sling, Three-Section Staff, Vehicle Weapons, Whips, Wind and Fire Wheels Skills Cost: 207Cost Perk 3 Anonymity 15 Money: Filthy Rich 50 Contacts - 50 Points Worth (To Be Defined By GM/Per Campaign) Perks Cost: 68Cost Talent 3 Absolute Range Sense 3 Bump Of Direction 5 Eidetic Memory 3 Lightning Calculator 3 Perfect Pitch 3 Simulate Death 4 Speed Reading (x10) 2 Trackless Stride 24 Universal Translator 18- 4 Environmental Movement (no penalties in Zero Gravity) 3 Environmental Movement (no penalties Underwater) Talents Cost: 57Val Disadvantages 25 Enraged: Berserk If On The Edge Of Defeat (Uncommon), go 8-, recover 8- 15 Enraged: Insulted (Common), go 11-, recover 14- 5 Dependent NPC: Lovers Of The Moment 8- (Slightly Less Powerful than the PC; Useful Noncombat Position or Skills; Group DNPC: x2 DNPCs) 15 Hunted: Dr. Destroyer 8- (Mo Pow, Harshly Punish) 5 Hunted: Lemurians 8- (As Pow, Limited Geographical Area, Harshly Punish) 10 Hunted: Archon 8- (As Pow, Capture) 20 Psychological Limitation: Driven to Rule Over Humanity (Common, Total) 20 Psychological Limitation: Arrogant and Overconfident (Very Common, Strong) 15 Psychological Limitation: Curious (Common, Strong) 20 Psychological Limitation: Develops Frequent, Sudden Romantic/Erotic Fixations (Very Common, Strong) 15 Psychological Limitation: Hedonistic (Common, Strong) 20 Psychological Limitation: Pathologically Manipulative (Common, Total) 15 Psychological Limitation: Vulnerable To Seduction; Subject To Manipulation By Current Targets Of Affection/Fixation (Common, Strong) 10 Social Limitation: Bisexual/Polyamorous (Frequently, Major, Not Limiting In Some Cultures) 0 Rivalry: Romantic (Partner/Paramour Of Current Target Of Empyryus' Affections; Rival Typically Less Powerful; Seek to Outdo, Embarrass, or Humiliate Rival; Rival Aware of Rivalry) 15 Unluck: 3d6 10 Vulnerability: 1 1/2 x STUN Magic (Common) 10 Vulnerability: 1 1/2 x BODY Magic (Common) Disadvantage Points: 245Base Points: 600Experience Required: 530Total Experience Available: 530Experience Unspent: 0Total Character Cost: 1375 Height: 1.94 m Hair: Glossy Black Weight: 100.00 kg Eyes: Blue Appearance: In his natural form, Kuraaz is a tall, impeccably stylish, impossibly-muscled man with striking, blue eyes and long, wavy, glossy-black hair that he may wear either loose or tied/pinned back, depending on his current mood and fashion statement. As Empyryus, he wears a blood-red, sleeveless bodysuit with a wide 'V' cut nearly to the navel, black wrist bands and thigh-high boots with gold trim, a wide gold belt decorated with Empyrean characters (spelling out his name) and a golden headband. He sometimes also wears a gold cape, attached at the collarbones by gold discs decorated with large, red, faceted gems. Empyryus is able to use his Shape Shift ability or his Matter-Energy VPP to instant-change his clothing into this uniform, and will generally do so before going into battle. Personality: Empyryus really does like and care about humanity - much the way a collector might care about his collection or a child about his pets and toys. He's a self-centered and fickle person, albeit an incredibly powerful, extremely well-educated, very intelligent and experienced one. (He'd also add unbelievably talented and handsome to that list). Empyryus is extremely curious about just about everything; he simply likes to know things, and he's often found uses for information that had previously seemed trivial. He's also arrogant, quick to anger, easily bored and dominated by whimsy. Finally, and in many ways foremost, Empyryus is devoted to sensual pleasure, and quick to become completely fixated uoon (and later, just as quick to grow bored with) those he finds attractive, or simply interesting. His interests and appetites are quite diverse, so the object of his interest at any given moment might be a skilled musician, an actress, a head of state, or a superhuman (heroic or villainous), of either gender. Empyryus will never force himself physically upon someone who does not return his interest, but he will persevere as long as he thinks he has the slightest chance of winning his prize of the moment. However, he can also become so smitten that the object of his current fixation (or someone who has previously resisted his charms, but now appears interested) can easily manipulate him - whether for personal gain or toward some larger goal. Right now, Empyryus keeps quiet about his long-term plans, and he generally operates by proxy or while shape-shifted, in order to keep his hand hidden. He also uses his shape-shifting abilities to either sit back and observe or actively participate in events that catch his interest or intersect with his plans and goals. Quote:"Arrogant? Me? Why, beautiful one, what you sense is merely confidence and certainty of purpose. I know my limits, and I know what I am willing and able to do to achieve my goals. Come with me now, my glorious one, and you will see all of my skill, all of my strength of purpose, directed toward one goal - pleasing you in every way."Background: Kuraaz was a fairly young Empyrean when his race's Ancients, including his parents and siblings, left Earth with Queen Marya. Even back then, he was easily bored within Emyprean society, which he considered too regimented and antiseptic. He went out into the larger world and started mingling with humans around 3000 years ago, and he's rarely been back to Arcadia since that time. In his centuries among humans, Kuraaz has taken on many roles - soldier, artist, wandering minstrel, teacher, courtier and even, on occasion, ruler. He's observed and taken part in many of man's greatest moments, and even more of the darker ones. He served as an advisor to mad Caligula, as a mercenary under Genghis Khan and as an advisor to Rommel in WW II, but he also spoke with Aristotle, Confucious, the Buddha and Mohammad and was a player at Shakespeare's Globe, a patron to Rembrandt and Mozart, and part of Dr. King's Freedom Marches. For the past 1000 years, he's rarely stayed in any one place for more than a few years and has largely avoided the tedium of any long-term role or major responsibility, instead choosing to simply go wherever things seemed interesting at the time. During that time he's fathered dozens of children and taken many thousands of lovers. For the most part, he really, truly likes humanity... and that's why he's finally decided to settle down and focus on something. Earth's recent (for Kuraaz) past has seen the Cold War, attempted alien and extradimensional invasions and the Battle of Detroit. On each occasion, humanity has stood on the brink of destruction, and all too often nearly fallen over that brink. Kuraaz has decided humanity needs some guidance and direction, someone to channel all that energy and creativity and turn it toward self-preservation and achieving its full potential. Kuraaz has also decided that this somebody should be... Kuraaz, naturally. Who better, after all? He's content to let the rest of the Empyreans laze the days away in their Antarctic paradise, but he has better things to do. Of course, Kuraaz doesn't really have the patience to try to manipulate all of humanity from behind the scenes. That might take too long, and it's an awful lot of work. Thus, he's decided to look for short-cuts... ways he can take over in fairly short order. To do that, he realizes he will have to take care of those super-humans who lack the clarity of vision to accept his wisdom. He's started studying and testing potential allies and opponents, to see who might fall on which side, who might be useful... and who he will just have to remove from the game. Given the magnitude of the responsibility he's taking on, Kuraaz has decided it's proper that he take a more impressive name than his given one, a name which will remind the humans of his role as their eventual sovereign. Thus, he's started to think of - and refer to - himself as Empyryus. Kuraaz last met his fellow Empyrean, Archon, centuries ago, at a time when Kuraaz was interested in the inner workings of the Catholic Church and ended up taking part in the Inquisition. The meeting did not go well, and Kuraaz has since avoided Archon, though he knows he will most likely have to deal with him in order to realize his plans to rule over humanity. Through the centuries, and despite his efforts to maintain anonymity, Kuraaz's immortality hasn't gone completely unnoticed. He's crossed paths with various mystic seekers of immortality, but those sorts have always gotten the short end of the deal and most, including the Circle of the Scarlet Moon, have learned that he's much too dangerous to mess with and now give him a very wide berth. However, Dr. Destroyer has of late been increasingly concerned with extending his own life, and he is not nearly so easily dissuaded. Powers/Tactics: Kuraaz hasn't really been in a tough fight for several hundred years, but his skills haven't gotten a bit rusty. He's spent thousands of years honing his combat skills, his control of his body and his powers to a fine, lethal point. He is incredibly strong and durable and has an astounding and impressive array of combat options. By fine-tuning his natural Empyrean ability to generate and control energy, he can render his blows (STR) capable of damaging ghosts and other non-corporeal opponents, hitting large areas (Area of Effect, One Hex), punching through the sturdiest armor, or even causing earth tremors (Explosion). Similarly, he can give his already-impressive Bio-Energy Blasts great long-distance precision or penetrating power, spread them over larger areas, or fire several blasts at once. He can also unleash powerful bolts of psychic energy, manifest strong telekinetic abilities and transform matter (including opponents!) into virtually any form he chooses (Empyreans with Transform Powers of their own can reverse this effect, as can most other Empyreans by properly tuning their any tele/psychokinetic or energy-manipulation Powers they might have (this often requires a Powers check). Finally, Empyryus has his dread Omega Blow. Though this attack is so taxing that Empyryus can perform it only a few times a day, that is usually sufficient, as there are few forces on Earth (or within nearby dimensions, for that matter) able to stand up to this mighty attack. Defensively, Empyryus is able to project powerful force fields to bolster his already-impressive defenses, if he is willing to forego a great deal of his offensive capacity. He is also able to render himself virtually invulnerable to any single category of attack (mental, physical or energy) at a time, quickly heal wounds and damaged or drained abilities, and take the form of virtually any object or creature of roughly human size, at will. He can also fly, and he is able to use his Matter-Energy Control VPP to muster a wide array of effects, ranging from suppressing or draining an opponent's abilities to altering the environment in minor ways or creating cosmetic Transform effects or areas of bright light, darkness, heat, or electromagnetic energy. Like all Empyreans, Empyryus can survive wthout food or water, in the vacuum of space or at the ocean's depths under his own power. He is virtually impossible to kill, as he will fairly quickly recover from any injury short of total disintegration. Given his awesome offensive and defensive abilities, Empyryus could probably get by okay even without fighting smart, but he is in fact a very intelligent fighter. He often withholds his action in order to react to an opponent's moves, and he carefully maintains as tactical a position as possible when in battle. Empyryus knows he is relatively more vulnerable to magic than to other sorts of powers and abilities, and he will react accordingly, fighting defensively while directing his most devastating attacks against any significant magic-wielding opponents he might face. Campaign Use: Empyryus is intended as a master villain with somewhat less-malevolent goals than most. He is capable of fighting entire teams of powerful heroes, but he is unlikely to first meet PCs on the battlefield. He may be the hidden instigator of a series of mysterious attacks on the characters (intended to let Empyryus learn the limits of their abilities), the patron of a team of villains made up the hero team's worst enemies, or the source of confidential tips that inform the heroes of a rival villain's schemes or the location of his secret headquarters. Empyrean often poses as another villain (master or minor) in order to either misdirect or draw the attention of the heroes. In all things, he will strive to be unpredictable, and to direct events from behind the scenes. However, Empyryus' personality offers other ways to involve him in stories. He may develop a romantic or sexual fixation on a PC or DNPC. In this role, he will not reveal his Empyrean heritage and will display no more power than necessary in attempting to win the attentions and affection of his target, and/or deal with any rival suitors. When pursuing a character in this manner, Kuraaz will present as a doting fan or smitten romantic, bestowing gifts, offering extravagant luxuries and reciting poetry or playing love songs from memory. He is very good at reading people, so if the GM should decide to take this approach, he or she should assume that if there is anything likely to be flattering, impressive or a turn-on to a given PC, Empyryus will have a pretty good chance (Psychology or Seduction Check) of identifying the right approach. Alternately, Empyryus may become fixated, as above, on an opponent or Hunted of one of the PCs, in which case that individual might use Empyryus' vulnerability to manipulation to make life rough on the PCs. Finally, if both a player and the GM agree, Empyryus could be used as part of a character's back-story. He has fathered many, many children that he knows about - and who knows how many more he doesn't know about? - and could easily be the mysterious, long-absent parent of a character previously thought to be a mutant rather than a half-Empyrean. This is most appropriate for characters possessing some degree of invulnerability, superhuman strength and/or diverse energy projection/control powers. Note of Acknowledgement: In terms of theme and powers, if not personality, Empyryus is very much inspired by the work of Jack "King" Kirby, the most important single figure in the history of comics. I was particularly inspired by Kirby's unfairly-ignored, very under-rated work on THE ETERNALS, as well as many characters he created in tandem with Stan Lee (most notably the Inhumans). The concept of the Empyreans is itself obviously inspired from Jack's works, and really ought to be so acknowledged; I believe in giving credit where due. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffreyWKramer Posted September 14, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 14, 2004 Empyryus HDC FILE Forgot to attach it... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffreyWKramer Posted September 17, 2004 Author Report Share Posted September 17, 2004 Character #21 - The Mime (Safe for NEW SENTINELS Players)This one is safe for players in the New Sentinels campaign - no spoilers this time around. This is a rebuild, under 5E rules, of a character I first used in a Champions campaign over 15 years ago. I laughed when I purchased the UNTIL SUPERPOWERS DATABASE, as the unnamed villain depicted on p. 4 of that book, because that picture looked just like the one I present here.Here's hoping you find him interesting or amusing. As always, comments are appreciated. The MimePlayer: NPC (Villain) Val Char Cost 15 STR 5 26 DEX 48 20 CON 20 15 BODY 10 18 INT 8 18 EGO 16 15 PRE 5 14 COM 2 8 PD 5 8 ED 4 6 SPD 24 7 REC 0 40 END 0 35 STUN 2 6" RUN02" SWIM03" LEAP0Characteristics Cost: 149Cost Power END 89 Mime Powers: Variable Power Pool, 50 base + 39 control cost, Powers Must Be At Power Level Appropriate To (And Take Limitations Necessary To Function Like) "Real World" Version Of Mimed Effects (+0), Cosmic (+2); all slots Requires A Pantomime Roll (No Active Point penalty to Skill Roll; +0), Invisible to Sight Group, SFX Only (Visible to Mental and Radar Groups; +1/4), Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4) (137 Active Points); Only Powers/Effects Which Can Be Pantomimed (-1/2); all slots Restrainable (-1/2), Gestures (-1/4) 0 1) Wall: Force Wall (9 PD/9 ED; 2" long and 1" tall), Requires A Pantomime Roll (No Active Point penalty to Skill Roll; +0), Invisible to Sight Group, SFX Only (Visible to Mental and Radar Groups; +1/4), Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4) (70 Active Points); Restrainable (-1/2), Gestures (-1/4) Real Cost: 40 3 0 2) Hand Grenade: Killing Attack - Ranged 2d6, Requires A Pantomime Roll (No Active Point penalty to Skill Roll; +0), Invisible to Sight Group, SFX Only (Visible to Mental and Radar Groups; +1/4), Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4), Explosion (+1/2) (60 Active Points); Restrainable (-1/2), Range Based On Strength (-1/4), Extra Time (Delayed Phase, -1/4), Physical Manifestation (-1/4), Gestures (-1/4) Real Cost: 24 2 0 3) Gun: Killing Attack - Ranged 2d6, Requires A Pantomime Roll (No Active Point penalty to Skill Roll; +0), Invisible to Sight Group, SFX Only (Visible to Mental and Radar Groups; +1/4), Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4) (45 Active Points); Restrainable (-1/2), Physical Manifestation (-1/4), Gestures (-1/4) Real Cost: 22 2 0 4) Fishing Rod/Reel: Telekinesis (20 STR), Requires A Pantomime Roll (No Active Point penalty to Skill Roll; +0), Invisible to Sight Group, SFX Only (Visible to Mental and Radar Groups; +1/4), Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4) (45 Active Points); Restrainable (-1/2), Physical Manifestation (-1/4), Range Based On Strength (-1/4), Gestures (-1/4) Real Cost: 20 2 0 5) Big Ol' Mallet: Hand-To-Hand Attack +6d6, Requires A Pantomime Roll (No Active Point penalty to Skill Roll; +0), Invisible to Sight Group, SFX Only (Visible to Mental and Radar Groups; +1/4), Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4) (45 Active Points); Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/2), Restrainable (-1/2), Physical Manifestation (-1/4), Gestures (-1/4) Real Cost: 18 2 0 6) Watch The (Invisible) Watch...: Mind Control 6 1/2d6, Requires A Pantomime Roll (No Active Point penalty to Skill Roll; +0), Invisible to Sight Group, SFX Only (Visible to Mental and Radar Groups; +1/4), Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4), Cumulative (78 points; +3/4) (74 Active Points); Extra Time (Full Phase, -1/2), Restrainable (-1/2), Normal Range (-1/4), Limited Range (3") (-1/4), Physical Manifestation (-1/4), Does Not Provide Mental Awareness (-1/4), Gestures (-1/4) Real Cost: 23 3 0 7) Bicycle: Running 10", Requires A Pantomime Roll (No Active Point penalty to Skill Roll; +0), Invisible to Sight Group, SFX Only (Visible to Mental and Radar Groups; +1/4), Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4) (30 Active Points); Restrainable (-1/2), Physical Manifestation (-1/4), Only On Appropriate Terrain (-1/4), Gestures (-1/4) Real Cost: 13 1 5 Lucky Break: Luck 1d6 0 11 Shielded Thoughts: Mental Defense (15 points total) 0 10 Keeps His Cool: +20 PRE (20 Active Points); Only To Defend Against PRE Attacks (-1) 5 Psychic Sight: Mental Awareness 0 6 Excellent Hearing: +3 PER with Hearing Group 0 Powers Cost: 126Cost Skill 9 +3 with VPP Powers 10 +2 with DEX-Based Skills 3 Acting 12- 3 Breakfall 14- 3 Contortionist 14- 3 Disguise 13- 3 Electronics 13- 1 Language: English (w/ American Sign Language) (idiomatic; literate) (5 Active Points) 3 Jack of All Trades 4 1) PS: Juggling (5 Active Points) 16- 5 2) PS: Pantomime (6 Active Points) 17- 3 3) PS: Slapstick Comedy (4 Active Points) 13- 4 4) PS: Street Performer (5 Active Points) 14- 3 Shadowing 13- 3 Sleight Of Hand 14- 3 Stealth 14- Skills Cost: 63Cost Talent 12 Combat Luck (6 PD/6 ED) Talents Cost: 12Val Disadvantages 15 Distinctive Features: Always Wears Mime Make-Up (Concealable; Always Noticed and Causes Major Reaction; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses) 10 Hunted: Bulldozer 8- (As Pow, Harshly Punish) 15 Hunted: Local Police 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Limited Geographical Area, Harshly Punish) 20 Physical Limitation: Mute (All the Time, Greatly Impairing) 20 Psychological Limitation: Compulsion To Commit Crimes With "Mime" or "Silence" Themes (Common, Total) 15 Psychological Limitation: Hates Loud Noise (Common, Strong) 15 Psychological Limitation: Seeks Attention; Hates To Be Ignored (Common, Strong) 15 Social Limitation: Secret Identity - Gary Conners (Frequently, Major) 10 Social Limitation: Many People Hate Mimes (Occasionally, Major) 10 Vulnerability: 1 1/2 x STUN vs. Sonic Attacks (Common) 5 Vulnerability: 1 1/2 x Effect vs Hearing Group Flashes (Uncommon) Disadvantage Points: 150Base Points: 200Experience Required: 0Total Experience Available: 0Experience Unspent: 0Total Character Cost: 350 Height: 1.79 m Hair: Bald (Natural Hair Color Brown) Weight: 80.00 kg Eyes: Green Appearance: Gary Conners is a 23-year old, Caucasian man of average height and healthy build. As the Mime, Gary Conners wears typical mime make-up, with white face and black eye/lip decoration. He also wears a tight-fitting, long-sleeved, white shirt with horizontal black stripes, red pants, black sneakers and a red beret. He keeps his head shaved bald. For a picture of him (sans beret) see p. 4 of the UNTIL SUPERPOWERS DATABASE.Personality: Despite being gifted with a versatile and powerful, special ability, the Mime is a bitter, selfish man who still wants to be the center of attention. He still tries to be funny, but his humor tends to be of the nasty and sarcastic sort, and he's really not concerned with entertaining anyone but himself. He has developed a compulsion toward committing crimes that are either directly or symbolically related to the the concepts of silence and pantomime. Sometimes he commits these crimes for profit (for example, he might try to steal the box office receipts from a special art-house screening of classic silent movies), but sometimes they're more symbolic (he might celebrate the birthday of famed mime Marcel Marceau robbing and disrupting a performance by a heavy metal band with a reputation for being extraordinarily loud, or he might "silence" the local symphony by kidnapping the conductor kidnap someone and demand, along with ransom, that a local cable access channel play nothing but silent movies for the next three months).Quote:*Right hand raised, showing back of hand, middle finger extended upward.*Background: Gary Conners was born without vocal cords and with only the most rudimentary tongue. This birth defect rendered him mute from birth. He learned to communicate via sign languge and writing, but always felt annoyed that those could speak were better able to get the attention of others. He thus turned to trying to get others' attention through being entertaining. He was very fond of the slapstick comedy of the old movies, especially the silent ones, so he mastered that style of physical humor, as well as stage magic, escape artistry, juggling and - his personal favorite - mime. He decided to dedicate his life to those skills, and upon graduating high school, started traveling around the country to learn more about his craft from professional troupes while barely making ends meet as a street performer. One day, at a downtown arts festival, Gary was done up in typical mime fashion, entertaining the crowd. While playing to a young girl, he bumped into man, causing the man to spill his drink on his date. The man, quite angry, shouted out "I hate mimes!" and pushed Gary, hard. He stumbled and fell, his head hitting the sidewalk, then slipped into unconsciousness. Gary was in a coma for three days. After he woke from the coma, he found himself permanently very sensitive to loud noises. He also discovered he had somehow gained a strange ability to create invisible but tangible effects consistent with whatever he pantomimed. Instead of pretending to ride a bicycle, he could actually create an invisible but functional one. The same thing happened when he mimed a mallet... or the old mime stand-by, a wall... or even a gun! Gary decided he wouldn't be pushed around or ignored any more, nor would he have to barely scratch by... his mime abilities would allow him to make a lot more money through crime than he'd ever had been able to make just practicing his arts. He vowed that people would come to know and respect... the Mime! Since then, the Mime has become known within both the law enforcement and criminal communities. He is not particularly well-liked in either community, both because of his sarcastic sense of humor (which caused the super-strong thug Buldozer to *really* hate him) and because, frankly, lots of people dislike mimes and find them creepy. Powers/Tactics: The Mime's brain injury somehow gave him powerful psychokinetic abilities, which he manifests by creating temporary, invisible objects made of solidified, psychic force. The objects themselves cannot be seen and make no sound, but are readily visible to radar and to mental senses. In addition, while the objects are themselves invisible to sight, anyone who observes the Mime using his powers can readily tell he is their source, as he can only createand utilize his objects by performing obvious pantomime and gestures appropriate to the items in question. Thus, if he pantomimes having a gun, he has to gesture as if drawing an invisible gun from an invisible holster, and during this gesture, the invisible-matter "gun" forms. Further, since the Mime's created objects behave like real objects of the same type, his "guns" have recoil, his bicycles are slowed down by rough terrain or might slip on ice, and he can only throw a mimed "grenade" as far as he could throw a real grenade. The objects are solid, and as such, they can be broken or taken away (although characters without appropriate enhanced senses to see the objects will have to target them at a penalty); in cases where the Power itself does not innately create a physical manifestation (any sort of Force Wall or Entangle, for example), this is expressed in game terms with the Physical Manifestation Limitation. Note, however, that since the Mime's VPP and Powers do not have the Focus Limitation, he can readily recreate objects taken or broken, though he must make a new Pantimime Skill Check to do so. The objects the Mime creates either persist for only a short time after he stops focusing on them (for example, any Entangle he creates eventually disperses even if nobody breaks it) or, more often, persist only as long as he focuses on them (i.e., if he switches to another Power, the previous object simply fades from existence). Note that the special effects (pantomime) inherent in the Mime's powers often make it difficult for him to activate more than one power at a time, and virtually impossible for him to have more than two active at the same time, regardless of Limitations that reduce the Real Cost of the Powers. He might be able to mime drawing and shooting a pistol while also riding a bicycle, just as a person may be able to simultaneously perform both actions with mundane items, but he can't maintain or create any other effect at the same time he is miming, say, a bow and arrow, a jackhammer or anything else that takes two hands. About the only exception is if he uses his VPP to create an object that doesn't require him to gesture, aim or otherwise do anything for it to be useful. The most likely example would be that he can mime a wall into place (Force Wall) and maintain it in place by just continuing to spend END, and still activate other Powers (within the total Real Points available within the VPP). The Mime sometimes uses this effect to surprise anyone who might try to rush him, or to delay pursuit. Aside from his pantomime powers, the Mime is able to detect psychic powers and phenomena and is somewhat resistant to such powers. These abilities emerged at the same time as his pantomime powers, and reflect the underlying psychokinetic nature of those powers. The Mime also frequently experiences unusual turns of luck, including often managing to just barely dodge or be merely grazed by attacks (Combat Luck), which may indicate some degree of probability-alteration powers that function at an unconscious level. The Mime isn't particularly fond of fighting super-heroes, and will thus try to use his powers to create distractions and flee. Campaign Use: The Mime has a distinctive motif and set of powers that should make him memorable opponent, and given that many people react negatively to mimes, he might well be the sort of villain some of the PCs love to hate. He's not tough enough to stand up to a lot of combat, but he's versatile enough to toss PCs some surprises. He's probably best used in plots requiring investigation more than fighting. For example, the Mime might start a string of related crimes that fit with his silence/mime motif, and the characters may have to figure out the connection between the crimes in order to predict where he'll strike next. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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