Millenium Post: Myrmidon

[teh bunneh]

For my 1000th post, I thought I'd share my favorite Champions character. This is Myrmidon (no relation to the UNITY hero of the same name). You may have seen his reactions to events in the WWYCD? threads. Hope you enjoy!

 

Bill.

 

-----

MYRMIDON (DR. ROBERT PARKER)

Val Char Points Roll Notes

10/60* STR 25 11-/21- Lift 200 kg/100 tons; 2d6/12d6 [1/6]

18/23* DEX 31 13-/14- OCV: 8/DCV: 8

13 CON 6 12-

13 BODY 6 12-

23 INT 13 14- Per Roll: 14-

10 EGO 0 11- ECV: 3

18/28# PRE 15 13-/15- PRE Attack: 3½d6/5½d6

14 COM 2 12-

8/20# PD 14 Total: 35 PD (15 rPD)

8/20# ED 13 Total: 35 ED (15 rED)

4/5# SPD 19 Phases: 3, 5, 8, 10, 12

10 REC 10

26 END 0

25/45# STUN 13

Total Characteristics Cost: 167

 

* OIF (Armor; -½); No Figured Characteristics (-½)

# OIF (Armor; -½)

 

Cost Powers End

50 Shoulder-Mounted Rocket Launchers: Multipower, 75-point powers; OIF (Armor; -½)

3u 1) Rockets: EB 15d6; 4 Charges (-1), OIF (Armor; -½) [4]

3u 2) Boomer-Rockets: EB 10d6, Explosion (+½); 4 Charges (-1), OIF (Armor; -½) [4]

3u 3) Multi-Rockets: EB 10d6, Autofire (5 shots; +½); 4 Charges (-1), OIF (Armor; -½) [4]

3u 4) Stinger-Rockets: EB 10d6, Armor Piercing (+½); 4 Charges (-1), OIF (Armor; -½) [4]

3u 5) Chaser-Rockets: EB 12d6, Indirect (originates from Myrmidon but can fire in any direction; +¼); 4 Charges (-1), OIF (Armor; -½) [4]

3u 6) Tangler-Rockets: Entangle 6d6, Both Take Damage (+¼); 4 Charges (-1), OIF (Armor; -½) [4]

3u 7) Halon-Rockets: Dispel 14d6 (any heat special effect, one at a time; +¼); Explosion (+½); 4 Charges (-1), OIF (Armor; -½) [4]

3u 8) Tank-Killer-Rockets: RKA 2d6+1, Armor Piercing (x2; +1) ; 4 Charges (-1), OIF (Armor; -½) [4]

3u 9) Strobe-Rockets: EB 4½d6, AVLD (Sight Group Flash Defense; +1½), Area Of Effect (6†Radius, Non-Selective; +¾); 4 Charges (-1), OIF (Armor; -½) [4]

3u 10) Chaffe-Rockets: Darkness to Sight Group, Radar, and Sonar, 4" Radius, Personal immunity (+¼), 4 Continuing Charges Lasting 1 Turn Each (-½); OIF (Armor; -½) [4]

1u 11) Flare-Rockets: Sight Group Images, 64" Radius; Only to Create Light (-1), 4 Continuing Charges Lasting 1 Turn Each (-½); OIF (Armor; -½) [4]

 

30 Powered Armor Suit: Armor (15 PD/15 ED); OIF (Armor; -½) 0

14 Shielded Helmet: Sight and Hearing Group Flash Defense (10 points); OIF (Armor; -½) 0

7 Shielded Circuitry: Power Defense (10 points); OIF (Armor; -½) 0

3 Neural Interface: Mental Defense (5 points); OIF (Armor; -½) 0

26 Sealed Systems: Life Support: Self-Contained Breathing, Immunities: Vacuum, Pressure, Heat, Cold, Radiation, All Terrestrial Poisons and Chemical Warfare Agents, All Terrestrial Diseases and Bio-Warfare Agents; OIF (Armor; -½) 0

 

20 Self-Regenerating Power Source: Endurance Reserve (100 END; 20 REC); OIF (Armor; -½) 0

30 Anti-Gravity System: Flight 20", x4 NCM; OIF (Armor; -½) 4

3 Subsonic Projector: Hearing Group Images, 1†Radius; OIF (Armor; -½) 1

6 Radio Communications Suite: High-Range Radio Perception; OIF (Radio; -1/2), Affected as Sight, Hearing & Radio Sense Groups (-1/2) 0

7 Subspace Armor Closet: Minor Transform 2d6 (street clothes into armor) 0

3 Low-Light Enhancements: Infrared Perception (Sight Group); OIF (Armor; -½) 0

6 Telescopic Vision: +6 vs. Range Modifier for Sight Group; OIF (Armor; -½) 0

5 Bug Detector: Detect Electronic Listening Devices (Sight Group); OIF (Armor; -½) 0

7 Visual Enhancements: Analyze (Sight Group); OIF (Armor; -½) 0

 

15 Always in the Right Place at the Right Time: 3d6 Luck 0

 

Talents

3 Onboard RAM: Eidetic Memory; OIF (Armor; -½)

2 Clock: Absolute Time Sense; OIF (Armor; -½)

2 GPS: Bump Of Direction; OIF (Armor; -½)

 

Perks

3 Isn’t He Supposed To Be Dead? Anonymity

3 Reputation: Bay City’s Protector (In Bay City); +2/+2d6

3 Does Math In His Head: Lightning Calculator

1 Rich From His Patents: Money (Well Off)

4 Fast-Twitch Muscle Enhancers: +4 Lightning Reflexes; OIF (Armor; -½)

13 Linguistics Analyzer: Universal Translator 14-; OIF (Armor; -½)

 

Skills

10 Computer Reference: +3 with All INT-Based Skills; OIF (Armor; -½)

17 Precision Aiming: +5 with Multipower; OIF (Armor; -½)

10 Good at Everything He Does: +1 Overall Level

 

3 Computer Programming 14-

3 Cryptography 14-

3 Demolitions 14-

3 Electronics 14-

3 Inventor 14-

3 KS: Supers 14-

3 Mechanics 14-

3 Power: Gadgeteering 14-

3 Scientist

2 SS: Aeronautics 14-

2 SS: Chemistry 14-

2 SS: Mathematics 14-

2 SS: Metallurgy 14-

2 SS: Physics 14-

2 SS: Robotics 14-

3 Security Systems 14-

3 Systems Operations 14-

3 Tactics 14-

3 Teamwork 14-

3 Weaponsmith: Rockets & Energy Weapons 14-

3 Well-Connected

1 Contact: Armament 11-

1 Contact: Chief McReady 11-

1 Contact: Lady Blue 11-

1 Contact: The Aces 11-

1 Contact: The Centurions 11-

 

Total Powers & Skills Cost: 393

Total Cost: 560

 

200+ Disadvantages

10 Hunted: Justiciar 8- (As Pow, Capture)

25 Hunted: VIPER 11- (More Pow, NCI, Kill)

15 Hunted: NSA 11- (More Pow, NCI, Watching)

10 Physical Limitation: Bad Vision, Needs Glasses (Frequently, Slightly Impairing)

15 Psychological Limitation: Overconfident (Common, Strong)

20 Psychological Limitation: Code Against Killing (Common, Total)

20 Psychological Limitation: Paladin Syndrome: Wants To Be The Good Guy; Will Risk His Life to Help Others (Very Common, Strong)

10 Reputation: Traitor and Thief 11- (Extreme; NSA and Other American Spy Agencies)

5 Rivalry: Other Powered Armor Characters (Professional)

20 Social Limitation: Secret Identity (Frequently, Severe) (Dr. Robert Parker)

210 Experience Points

 

Total Disadvantage Points: 560

 

Background/History: Robert Parker was a brilliant young scientist at CU Boulder; however, his political activities and unconventional methods made him “untenurable.†When a group of men who claimed to be part of the NSA arrived at his door, he was inclined to throw them out, but they offered him a lucrative position and he was just curious enough to take them up on it.

 

His new job brought him to the deserts of New Mexico, where he learned that in 1952 an alien scout was brought down near Roswell. Fifty years later, a second scout came looking for the first. He was shot down by Air Force jets, and the wrecked armor was recovered. Robert’s job was to lead a team of other scientists in taking the two suits of armor apart and finding out what made them tick. They discovered a lot, from new metallurgy techniques to an amazing anti-gravity propulsion system to an absolutely unprecedented new power source. They even began to re-create the armor.

 

But there were people out there who were close to finding out the secret of the Paladin Project, and the government didn’t want that. The experiment was terminated and all evidence of its existence was destroyed. Robert was on a test-run of the armor when the attack jets flew overhead and incinerated the secret base. With nowhere else to go, Robert decided to use the armor to fight against the forces of corruption – especially the corruption that he had discovered in the desert that night.

 

He headed to Bay City (what was once San Francisco, until the city was leveled by an earthquake and rebuilt), where he spent time as a solo hero, trying to keep under the government’s radar. After some time, he and a group of like-minded heroes banded together to stop a VIPER nest that was slowly taking over the city, and they decided to work together as a team. Myrmidon, despite his misgivings, was elected their leader. They took on the name of the area’s original protectors – the Champions – and have since become the west coast’s premier superteam.

 

In his time as leader of the Champions, Myrmidon has made a large number of friends – on both sides of the law. He is the unofficial mentor of a group of low-powered street-level superheroes known as the Aces. He helped found the Centurions, a superhero team on the east coast. He is close friends with Lady Blue, and knows Howler, Gremlin, Black Diamond, and Blue Jay in their secret identities (they are unaware that the unassuming “Dr. Parker†is actually Myrmidon). He takes a somewhat pragmatic view of his friendship with these known criminals -- there are "criminals" and then there are "criminals," he believes. The trick is to know which one is which. He is well-known throughout the Bay Area, and has many friends in the local police force – including Police Chief McReady, who often calls Myrmidon when things get too hot for his boys to handle.

 

Personality/Motivation: Robert is what most people would call a “conspiracy nut.†He can be forgiven though, since he knows first-hand that “The Conspiracy†exists. He has no idea of how deep it is, but he is well aware there are men out there who will stop at nothing to gain power. He’s a little bit paranoid (even though the Myrmidon PAS has given him quite a bit of confidence!), and he wants very much to learn the truth and bring it to the light. You might say he’s the Fox Mulder of the superhero world.

 

Robert feels the armor is a gift and that he should use it well, so he acts in a very heroic manner -- almost to the point of being a stereotypical paladin. He is always looking for better ways to help people, and has used the money he’s made on patents to fund science scholarships for bright-but-disadvantaged children. Myrmidon is a typical ISTJ – reliable and dependable, quiet and serious, with a penchant for doing things “by the book.†He makes an effective team leader, but tends to react poorly when those on his team don’t act according to their role.

 

Myrmidon is very secretive. Most of the members of his own team have never seen his face, do not know his name, and have no idea where he sleeps or what he does for a living. For some time, there was a rumor going around that he wasn’t a human being at all, but a highly-advanced robot. Myrmidon does little to dispel this gossip; in fact, he himself often plants stories like these on the Internet and among the tabloids, just to sew confusion.

 

Robert is a brilliant scientist whose specialties include chemistry, physics, and weapons systems. He is skilled with the use of computers and cryptography, and is an inventor of some renown. He can also perform complex mathematical equations in his head – indeed, he is perhaps one of the smartest men in the country. Robert works as a teacher at a local Community College, teaching any of the science courses they require him to. He tries to keep as low-profile as possible, because he fears that “they†will find him... Luckily for him, when the secret base was destroyed so too were all of Robert’s records, so “they†probably don’t know what he looks like. Probably.

 

When not teaching or in his superhero guise, Robert is almost certain to be found in his lab, working on upgrading his armor. He feels that he is in a technological arms race with the bad guys, and he wants to have every edge. Because of this diligence, he is in fact now one of the most powerful heroes in the world.

 

Identifying Quote: “We’re superheroes, ma’am. We’re here to help.†and "Gasp! It all makes sense now!"

 

Powers/Tactics: Myrmidon has no powers, but he was a key figure in the creation of the Myrmidon Powered Armor Suit, which gives him many super abilities. Aside from protecting him from most any sort of harm, the armor allows Robert to fly, see in the dark, survive in virtually any hostile environment, and send and receive radio communications on any frequency. The Myrmidon PAS also has a built-in weapons system, consisting of two missile racks, one mounted over each shoulder. These racks can be outfitted with a variety of weapons, ranging from a radar-guided “chaser†missile to an armor piercing “stinger†rocket. These weapons are of Robert’s own design, and he holds the patent to them all.

 

Myrmidon has gradually evolved into a highly effective team leader. His brilliant mind is quick to pick up on the tactical situation of any fight, and he is able to keep track of the capabilities and numbers of his enemies almost effortlessly. He views combat as something akin to a game of chess – a very intense and dangerous game, but a game nonetheless. His team relies on him to feed them tactical data, and so he prefers to remain outside of the “thick of things.†Though the armor is massively strong, he does not like to engage in hand-to-hand combat. He would much rather hover high above the battlefield and rain rockets down on his foes.

 

Myrmidon is quite certain that his armor is superior to all other powered armor suits, and often goes out of his way to show off when faced with another PAS (Armadillo particularly hates Myrmidon). He is also very secretive and protective of his designs, and if he sees someone else with similar armor or weapons, he will make taking them down his highest priority.

 

Appearance: Myrmidon appears to be a massive, silver, mecha-like robot. In his armor, he is about 7’ tall and about 4’ broad. The armor sparkles in sunlight, and Robert’s face is completely hidden behind a darkened visor. The shoulders are covered with two large plates which flip open to reveal the missile racks. There are no external jets or power sources apparent -- all of the armor’s functions, apart from the weapons, are integral to the suit.

 

In his civilian ID, Robert is about five-foot-ten and weighs about 170 pounds. He is 35 years old, has mousy blond hair, and wears glasses (the PAS visor compensates for his bad vision). He is quite nondescript -- basically, Robert is your standard nerd. Since he began “superheroing,†he has started to work out and these days he’s actually in pretty good shape.

 

Campaign Use: Mymidon was my character in a long-running Silver/Bronze-Age Champions game. He started as a standard 350-point character, and evolved into one of the most powerful heroes in our campaign world. He was a lot of fun to play – a strange combination of real-world scientific practicality and X-Files paranoia. Though a reluctant team leader at first, he soon grew into the role and organized the Champions into an elite fighting unit – easily the most powerful and best recognized heroes on the west coast, and among the most powerful in the world. When the campaign ended, The Champions consisted of Myrmidon, Archer, Celestica, Blur!!, Avalanche, and Moon (with reserve members Temper, Fahrenheit, Flex, Livewire, and Templar who would show up when needed (and when the players could make it)).

 

No one would ever want to find themselves hunted by Myrmidon. He is the type who would do his homework, finding out every last detail of his prey – not just their powers and weaknesses, but also where they live, who their friends are, and what their favorite flavor of ice cream is. He is extraordinarily diligent in tracking down these seemingly small details, in order to create a complete picture of his foe. Only then, after weeks or months of preparation, is he ready to strike – and strike he does, using every last bit of information to give him the best advantage.

 

To make Myrmidon stronger, increase his stats (both inside and outside the armor) and add a few new missiles to his weapons system. He is always tinkering with the armor to make it better, and he’s begun working out (he realizes that the armor is only as good as the person inside it). You might consider removing the OIF limitation and instead switch all his powers to Only In Heroic Identity. To make him less powerful, reduce the points in his Multipower and lower his stats.

 

Myrmidon Plot Seeds:

Two of a Kind: There was one other suit of armor created by the Paladin Project. It was known as Justiciar, and there is some evidence that it also the destruction of the labs. Robert does not know where it is or into whose hands it has fallen, but if it came into the possession of a villain or a terrorist organization, there is no telling how much destruction it could cause! Myrmidon would go out of his way to capture or destroy the Justiciar armor if he knew where to find it.

 

Homecoming: The armor’s alien creators return to Earth – this time not as single scouts, but as a large-scale assault force. There is one person who has intimate knowledge of the aliens’ capabilities, but he has no interest in assisting the government “that brought this on themselves.†Can the PCs convince Myrmidon to put aside his anger at the powers that be in order to save the nation? Or is this all perhaps a ruse designed to get him to reveal his secrets?

 

Doppelganger: The Myrmidon Powered Armor Suit appears to be “intelligent†in some way – it often seems to react to what Myrmidon needs at any given time. Robert suspects that the armor has a very advanced (and very subtle) AI built directly into it, though he has not yet found proof. One day, Myrmidon is seen stopping a crime – but Robert is currently teaching a class. When he hears about the news, he is confused and curious – did the armor’s AI take control of the suit and stop the crime of its own volition? Is some doppelganger imitating Myrmidon’s look and MO? Is this Justiciar trying to lure the real Myrmidon out?

[Redmenace]

Re: Millenium Post: Myrmidon

 

Interesting character, he's got a great deal of versatility both power and roleplaying wise. I particularly like the blend of real world and 4 color aspects. Having the NSA on your bad side is a pretty good justification for paranoia. A very complete write up.

 

Two questions:

 

As pertains to my own world, I have a villain group/ mercenary company made up of prominent power armor and gadgeteers from the CU. They stay cohesive by shared problems ie need for maintenance, upkeep, restock of fuel and ammo and being mutually sought after by the authorities.

 

One of the hanging questions has always been how they get the presumably specific and traceable technology to themselves without the authorities getting wise, any insight from how your character handled it?

 

 

 

There was a powersuit mini you posted a little while back, was that Myrmidon?

[teh bunneh]

Re: Millenium Post: Myrmidon

 

Interesting character' date=' he's got a great deal of versatility both power and roleplaying wise. I particularly like the blend of real world and 4 color aspects. Having the NSA on your bad side is a pretty good justification for paranoia. A very complete write up.[/quote']

 

Thanks, RM!

 

As pertains to my own world, I have a villain group/ mercenary company made up of prominent power armor and gadgeteers from the CU. They stay cohesive by shared problems ie need for maintenance, upkeep, restock of fuel and ammo and being mutually sought after by the authorities.

 

One of the hanging questions has always been how they get the presumably specific and traceable technology to themselves without the authorities getting wise, any insight from how your character handled it?

 

Good question. At the beginning of the campaign, we played that up a little bit -- how he would sneak into the local university's labs at night and use their equipment to tinker with his armor. After the team became well-established (and well-funded), he actually patented his ideas (under the name "Myrmidon," since he couldn't use his real name) and as the leader of a well-established superteam, he no longer had trouble getting the technology he needed -- for legitimate "business" related needs.

 

There was a powersuit mini you posted a little while back' date=' was that Myrmidon?[/quote']

 

Yup, that was him. If I can find the pic again, I'll repost it.

 

Bill.