John Henry based brick

[nexus]

I'm working on a brick themed about the tall tale of John Henry and I wanted to toss out some ideas and see if anyone had any others. I see the character as a Everyman Hero, demonstrating the themes of Endurance, Will and the Strength of the Common Man. So I don't see his powers are being extremely flashy and focussing on sheer dogged determination. Here's what I have come up with:

 

A HTH Attack (Hammer), may or may not be magical.

 

Incredibly high Constitution, Body and Endurance, almost tireless, great physical strength. Average Intelligence but high Ego and Pre.

 

I'm thinking his Defenses should possibly be invisible. Bullets, blows, et al, don't boucce, they wound him but he carries on regardless.

 

A "Quick Recovery style" Aid/Healing. If he can take a moment, he can recover from almost anything quickly.

 

Jack of all trades as a skill enhancer and lots of blue collar Ps's.

 

Mental Defense (Indomitable Will)

Power Defense ( Overcomes adversity)

 

Lastly, I was thinking perhaps some kind of Aid that lets him exceed his limits by a great deal but risks (or definiately) killing him.

[OddHat]

Re: John Henry based brick

 

Cool looking concept.

 

May I suggest:

1) Very High Con (38+), High Bod, Combat Luck and Regeneration rather than standard defenses. Or maybe some Damage Reduction. That gets you the I Endure effect.

 

2) Extra STR that costs double end and has a side effect (Body Drain) that occurs whenever it is used. This could even be applied to an entire MP of Strength Tricks. Several of my characters use this approach. It works vry well for those Once Every Few Adventures powers.

 

3) A few KS relating to America would be good for flavor, and some city and area knowledges. Maybe Streetwise as well, depending on the tone of the campaign and the history of the character. A modern John Henry should probably speak Spanish at the basic conversation level.

 

4) Rather than the Aid, I'd put everything the GM will allow into the CON, STR, and Regeneration aspects of the character. It's a more cost efficient way of simulating the Super Tough but not Invulnerable thing you're going for. Consider buying a few defensive maneuvers as well, as coordinated attacks can wipe out High Con characters.

 

EDIT: CON 43 + STR 80 gives you a REC of 25; that will let you come back from almost anything in a couple of phases.

[Rapier]

Re: John Henry based brick

 

I've got three of em around here someplace (John Henry I, II and III). The magic is in the hammer. I don't think I've put em into HD yet...but I will look through the stack of sheets and see if I can't find em.

[Just A Guy Name]

Re: John Henry based brick

 

Heh.. My first thought was that this was something to do with the Red Sox owner

[OddHat]

Re: John Henry based brickHere is one way to do it:

The Great John Henry Val Char Cost 100 STR 70 18 DEX 24 43 CON 66 25 BODY 30 13 INT 3 13 EGO 6 20 PRE 10 10 COM 0 16/28 PD 0 9/21 ED 0 4 SPD 12 25 REC 0 86 END 0 87 STUN 0
9"	RUN	0
2"	SWIM	0
20"	LEAP	0

Characteristics Cost: 221

Cost	Power	END
8	John Henry's Hammer: +20 STR (20 Active Points); OAF (Magic Hammer; -1), No Figured Characteristics (-1/2)	2
18	I Shall Endure: Healing 2 BODY, Can Heal Limbs, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Persistent (+1/2) (50 Active Points); Extra Time (Regeneration-Only) 1 Turn (Post-Segment 12) (-1 1/4), Self Only (-1/2)	0
6	Big and Tough : Knockback Resistance -3"	0
6	Running +3" (9" total)	1
20	My Great Strength: Multipower, 60-point reserve, (60 Active Points); all slots Increased Endurance Cost (x3 END; -1), Side Effects, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (2d6 Killing Attack to Self when activates power; -1)
2u	1) My Mighty Hands: Hand-To-Hand Attack +6 1/2d6, Personal Immunity (+1/4), Area Of Effect (One Hex; +1/2) (58 Active Points); Increased Endurance Cost (x3 END; -1), Side Effects, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (2d6 Killing Attack to Self when activates power; -1), Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/2)	18
2u	2) My Great Strength: +60 STR (60 Active Points); Increased Endurance Cost (x3 END; -1), Side Effects, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (2d6 Killing Attack to Self when activates power; -1), No Figured Characteristics (-1/2)	18

Powers Cost: 62

Cost	Skill
10	Defense Maneuver I-IV
3	Jack of All Trades [Notes: I Know The Work Of America]
1	1) PS: Carpenter (2 Active Points) 11-
1	2) PS: Manual Labor (2 Active Points) 11-
1	3) PS: Mason (2 Active Points) 11-
3	Traveler [Notes: This Land Is My Land]
1	1) AK: America (2 Active Points) 11-
1	2) AK: America's Small Towns and Great Cities (2 Active Points) 11-
1	3) AK: The Roads of America (2 Active Points) 11-
3	Linguist [Notes: I Speak the Languages of my people]
1	1) Language: Cantonese (fluent conversation) (2 Active Points)
0	2) Language: English (idiomatic; literate) (5 Active Points)
1	3) Language: Spanish (fluent conversation) (2 Active Points)
1	4) Language: Vietnamese (fluent conversation) (2 Active Points)
3	Scholar [Notes: I Know The Heart of America]
1	1) KS: American Culture (2 Active Points) 11-
1	2) KS: American History (2 Active Points) 11-
1	3) KS: American Magic (2 Active Points) 11-
9	+3 with Hammer Blow, Punch, Grab [Notes: I have Fists of Iron]
0	WF: Clubs

Skills Cost: 43

Cost	Talent
24	Combat Luck (12 PD/12 ED)

Talents Cost: 24

Val	Disadvantages
5	Unluck: 1d6
5	Money: Poor
15	Psychological Limitation: Champion of the Working Man (Common, Strong)
15	Psychological Limitation: Will Not Back Down (Common, Strong)
10	Psychological Limitation: Fearless (Common, Moderate)
15	Psychological Limitation: Help the Helpless, Protect the Weak (Common, Strong)
30	Hunted: Viper 11- (Mo Pow, NCI, PC has a Public ID or is otherwise very easy to find, Harshly Punish)
15	Social Limitation: Public ID (Frequently, Major)
20	Enraged: In Combat (Common), go 11-, recover 11-
10	Distinctive Features: Huge mountain of a man, impossibly muscled, covered in scars (Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses)
10	Dependent NPC: Sob Story of the week 8- (Normal)

Disadvantage Points: 150

---

Cost Summary:Base Points:200Disadvantage Points: 150Total Experience Available: 0Total Character Cost: 350Height: 2.00 mHair: BrownWeight: 100.00 kgEyes: BrownAppearance: Personality: Quote:Background: Powers/Tactics: Campaign Use: 

[Foxiekins]

Re: John Henry based brick

 

What about Singing...? John Henry was always singing... I tried to do a John Henry character with a Hammer that would pick up a flaming aura that grew as he used it...

[Doug McCrae]

Re: John Henry based brick

 

You know DC already used this idea, right?

[Filkerman]

Re: John Henry based brick

 

You know DC already used this idea' date=' right?[/quote']

 

Are you referring to Steel (John Henry Irons)? If so, I see Steel and nexus' idea (and OddHat's implementation) as two diffrerent characters. Steel is a technological hero, sort of an Iron Man without the ranged weaponry. His strength and toughness come from his suit. I always got the feeling that his name happened to be John Henry and he had a hammer was an in-joke, not really part of his background per se.

 

The Great John Henry as described by nexus and written up by OddHat is more of a myth made real - either the embodiment of the John Henry of legend, or a man imbued with his powers the collective unconscious' shared idea of who John Henry can do.

[nexus]

Re: John Henry based brick

 

You know DC already used this idea' date=' right?[/quote']

 

I'm generally pretty sure ANY character idea has been used that isn't hopelessly lame or too surreal to comprehend. It was cool and original to me and that's what counts.

[Foxiekins]

Re: John Henry based brick

 

The Great John Henry as described by nexus and written up by OddHat is more of a myth made real - either the embodiment of the John Henry of legend' date=' or a man imbued with his powers the collective unconscious' shared idea of who John Henry can do.[/quote']

 

Yeah, the John Henry character I was contemplating was a young man who's powers emerged in his teens, and when they did, it was via the strongest image in his subconscious... All the stories about John Henry that his grandfather had told him from childhood onward...

[JmOz]

Re: John Henry based brick

 

RE: DC's Steel:

 

At least in his first couple of appearences it was made clear that he had some inhanced Str/Toughness (He rips a car door off with out his suit)

[Stephen Mann]

Re: John Henry based brick

 

Well, if you recall what made John Henry famous, perhaps making him somewhat of a Luddite might not be off track. If your character is a modern character based on JH, then perhaps what allows him to fully tap into the myth force is his resistance to the mindless worship of high tech in modern society.

[Big Willy]

Re: John Henry based brick

 

Ah, John Henry: the man who worked himself to death for a bet.

 

There's heroism.

 

[Silbeg]

Re: John Henry based brick

 

Now, If I am reading this correctly, he has a max STR of 160? Wowsers.

 

Maybe a different idea would be to make the "My Great Strength" multipower work a little differently. I am assuming you want him to have the 100 STR, but even that seems excessive to me... I would perhaps do it as a +1/2 Variable Advantage on STR...

 

Another way would be to replace the "John Henry's Hammer" and the "My Great Strength" with the following:

 

10 John Henry's Hammer: Multipower, 40-point reserve, (40 Active Points); all slots Side Effects, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (2d6 KA when using power; -1), OAF (John Henry's Hammer; -1), Increased Endurance Cost (x3 END; -1)

1u 1) My Great Strength: +40 STR (40 Active Points); No Figured Characteristics (-1/2) 12

1u 2) Can Break Through Anything: Penetrating (+1/2) for up to 80 Active Points of STR (40 Active Points) 12

1u 3) Sweeping the Hammer: Area Of Effect (up to One Hex; +1/2) for up to 80 Active Points of STR (40 Active Points) 12

1u 4) Knock 'em to Timbuktu: Does x1 1/2 Knockback (+1/2) for up to 80 Active Points of STR (40 Active Points)

 

Adding additional slots would be trivial as well (just look in "Ultimate Brick" for ideas).

This shows the tremendous expenditure he would have to do to use the powers...

[OddHat]

Re: John Henry based brick

 

Now' date=' If I am reading this correctly, he has a max STR of 160? Wowsers.[/quote']

 

Surprising what you can do on 350 points without even particularly cheesy limits, isn't it? Note that he can also take an average 20d6 blow (70 stun) without being stunned himelf.

 

By all means he should be tweaked to match whatever the limits of the campaign are, but I would suggest that points taken away from STR be fed into support powers (Night Vision, mental and power def) and brick tricks. I prefer the Hammer work as a source of extra STR rather than as a HA, but either would work, and the point cost per d6 of extra damage is the same.

[Silbeg]

Re: John Henry based brick

 

Surprising what you can do on 350 points without even particularly cheesy limits' date=' isn't it? Note that he can also take an average 20d6 blow (70 stun) without being stunned himelf.[/quote']

Yup... 70 - PD (28) = 42. His CON is 43, so only an average (or lower) attack wouldn't Stun him. Not bad... but a little more than 2 of those shots would KO him.

 

 

By all means he should be tweaked to match whatever the limits of the campaign are' date=' but I would suggest that points taken away from STR be fed into support powers (Night Vision, mental and power def) and brick tricks. I prefer the Hammer work as a source of extra STR rather than as a HA, but either would work, and the point cost per d6 of extra damage is the same.[/quote']

Kind of why I did the hammer AS the multipower. I might add a "Requires a Brick Tricks roll" or something, but that isn't a big deal. Other ideas would be a "shockwave" type explosion (though he wouldn't be immune, either... which isn't that bad.).

 

Shouldn't he have skills like Demolitions (the real John Henry was drilling holes for dynamite, as I recall... against a steam drill...), PS Mining, PS Excavation, or something like that?

[OddHat]

Re: John Henry based brick

 

Yup... 70 - PD (28) = 42. His CON is 43' date=' so only an average (or lower) attack wouldn't Stun him. Not bad... but a little more than 2 of those shots would KO him. [/quote']

 

Yup, more or less standard for 5th. On the other hand, with a 20" leap and 25 REC, a dive for cover and a post-12 REC will work wonders if he is getting knocked around. 50% PD Damage reduction would also help.

 

Kind of why I did the hammer AS the multipower. I might add a "Requires a Brick Tricks roll" or something, but that isn't a big deal. Other ideas would be a "shockwave" type explosion (though he wouldn't be immune, either... which isn't that bad.).?

 

Personally I prefer keeping them separate. He should be able to work incredibly hard even without his hammer. Two MPs would of course be fine as well.

 

Shouldn't he have skills like Demolitions (the real John Henry was drilling holes for dynamite, as I recall... against a steam drill...), PS Mining, PS Excavation, or something like that?

 

Sure. That's why he has Jack of All Trades; you can add as many PS as you like very cheaply, and re-aranging his current PS is no problem.

[Silbeg]

Re: John Henry based brick

 

Personally I prefer keeping them separate. He should be able to work incredibly hard even without his hammer. Two MPs would of course be fine as well.

 

Well, with an 80 STR and his high CON, he would be able to pick up ANY hammer and be able to work (actually, would probably exceed the ability of a normal tool to survive his STR, but that is another story).

 

The idea I was working from was that the extreme usage of power through the hammer would be what was causing him damage. He could even use the hammer without using a slot (as a GM I would allow it as a non-com effect, no added dice, or anything).

[Guest Worldmaker]

Re: John Henry based brick

 

I've got three of em around here someplace (John Henry I' date=' II and III). The magic is in the hammer. I don't think I've put em into HD yet...but I will look through the stack of sheets and see if I can't find em.[/quote']

 

The idea of a legacy of heroes bearing the name is a cool one, especially given the "embodiment of the collectively held legend" origin.

[Powerhouse]

Re: John Henry based brick

 

GREAT IDEA!!!

 

I've been thinking of making an iconic character and was looking at mythologies all around the world without looking in my own backyard of America.

 

Thank you very kindly.

[nexus]

Re: John Henry based brick

Here is one way to do it:

The Great John Henry Val** Char*** Cost 100** STR 70 18** DEX 24 43** CON 66 25** BODY 30 13** INT 3 13** EGO 6 20** PRE 10 10** COM 0 * 16/28** PD 0 9/21** ED 0 4** SPD 12 25** REC 0 86** END 0 87** STUN 0		*
9"**	RUN	0
2"**	SWIM	0
20"**	LEAP	0

Characteristics Cost: 221

Cost**	Power	END
8**	John Henry's Hammer: +20 STR (20 Active Points); OAF (Magic Hammer; -1)' date=' No Figured Characteristics (-1/2)*	2
18**	I Shall Endure: Healing 2 BODY, Can Heal Limbs, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Persistent (+1/2) (50 Active Points); Extra Time (Regeneration-Only) 1 Turn (Post-Segment 12) (-1 1/4), Self Only (-1/2)*	0
6**	Big and Tough : Knockback Resistance -3"*	0
6**	Running +3" (9" total)*	1
20**	My Great Strength: Multipower, 60-point reserve, (60 Active Points); all slots Increased Endurance Cost (x3 END; -1), Side Effects, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (2d6 Killing Attack to Self when activates power; -1)*
2u**	1) My Mighty Hands: Hand-To-Hand Attack +6 1/2d6, Personal Immunity (+1/4), Area Of Effect (One Hex; +1/2) (58 Active Points); Increased Endurance Cost (x3 END; -1), Side Effects, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (2d6 Killing Attack to Self when activates power; -1), Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/2)*	18
2u**	2) My Great Strength: +60 STR (60 Active Points); Increased Endurance Cost (x3 END; -1), Side Effects, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (2d6 Killing Attack to Self when activates power; -1), No Figured Characteristics (-1/2)*	18

Powers Cost: 62

Cost**	Skill
10**	Defense Maneuver I-IV *
3**	Jack of All Trades [Notes: I Know The Work Of America]*
1**	1) PS: Carpenter (2 Active Points) 11-*
1**	2) PS: Manual Labor (2 Active Points) 11-*
1**	3) PS: Mason (2 Active Points) 11-*
3**	Traveler [Notes: This Land Is My Land]*
1**	1) AK: America (2 Active Points) 11-*
1**	2) AK: America's Small Towns and Great Cities (2 Active Points) 11-*
1**	3) AK: The Roads of America (2 Active Points) 11-*
3**	Linguist [Notes: I Speak the Languages of my people]*
1**	1) Language: Cantonese (fluent conversation) (2 Active Points)*
0**	2) Language: English (idiomatic; literate) (5 Active Points)*
1**	3) Language: Spanish (fluent conversation) (2 Active Points)*
1**	4) Language: Vietnamese (fluent conversation) (2 Active Points)*
3**	Scholar [Notes: I Know The Heart of America]*
1**	1) KS: American Culture (2 Active Points) 11-*
1**	2) KS: American History (2 Active Points) 11-*
1**	3) KS: American Magic (2 Active Points) 11-*
9**	+3 with Hammer Blow, Punch, Grab [Notes: I have Fists of Iron]*
0**	WF: Clubs*

Skills Cost: 43

Cost**	Talent
24**	Combat Luck (12 PD/12 ED)*

Talents Cost: 24

Val**	Disadvantages
5**	Unluck: 1d6*
5**	Money: Poor*
15**	Psychological Limitation: Champion of the Working Man (Common, Strong)*
15**	Psychological Limitation: Will Not Back Down (Common, Strong)*
10**	Psychological Limitation: Fearless (Common, Moderate)*
15**	Psychological Limitation: Help the Helpless, Protect the Weak (Common, Strong)*
30**	Hunted: Viper 11- (Mo Pow, NCI, PC has a Public ID or is otherwise very easy to find, Harshly Punish)*
15**	Social Limitation: Public ID (Frequently, Major)*
20**	Enraged: In Combat (Common), go 11-, recover 11-*
10**	Distinctive Features: Huge mountain of a man, impossibly muscled, covered in scars (Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses)*
10**	Dependent NPC: Sob Story of the week 8- (Normal)*

Disadvantage Points: 150

---

Cost Summary:Base Points:200Disadvantage Points: 150Total Experience Available: 0Total Character Cost: 350Height: 2.00 mHair: BrownWeight: 100.00 kgEyes: BrownAppearance: Personality: Quote:Background: Powers/Tactics: Campaign Use: 

Dang Oddhat. You scare me sometimes.

[nexus]

Re: John Henry based brick

 

Ah, John Henry: the man who worked himself to death for a bet.

 

There's heroism.

 

 

That is a way to see it, but I always took the story to represent he died to prove an ideal, that a man was worth more than a souless machine. A romantic way to look at it, I admit.

 

I'd like to thank everyone that contributed so far for their ideas, they're going to be very helpful.

[Foxiekins]

Re: John Henry based brick

 

That is a way to see it, but I always took the story to represent he died to prove an ideal, that a man was worth more than a souless machine. A romantic way to look at it, I admit.

 

I'd like to thank everyone that contributed so far for their ideas, they're going to be very helpful.

 

It was a bet, but remember what he was betting for... The Steam Drill would have cost most of his fellow workers their jobs...

 

He killed himself contesting for their self respect, and their continued ability to feed and clothe their families...

[Rapier]

Re: John Henry based brick

 

The idea of a legacy of heroes bearing the name is a cool one' date=' especially given the "embodiment of the collectively held legend" origin.[/quote']

Thankee. The good friend that first introduced me to Hero was a HUGE Silver Age comics fan. He had this penchant for the reoccuring/rebirthing of heroes. Looking through even the partial list of characters I've put into HD shows a rather large number of I, II and III occurances. Seems I've picked up that penchant too.

 

PLUS how else you gonna get John Henry to be hanging around in 2078 without a couple incarnations?