Character for review -- Carnage

[Northstar]

Actually, a villain NPC. This one is for my GGU campaign, Stroud's Mercs. (So Hawksmoor or any other of my players who might haunt these boards... now is the time to stop reading! You've been warned... ) Any constructive input here is appreciated. I am in the process of relearning HERO after some time away, so forgive any less than flawless workmanship. (That's why I'm soliciting your opinions.) The situation: My players' characters are built on a standard 350 pt. basis and there are six of them. Carnage is leader of a team of four (total) villains whom they will be facing off against shortly. The characters are supposed to be outmatched... it is their very first combat as a team and they are going to be warned of the danger. I want the odds somewhat against them, yet not to any gigantic or gross extent. (No, I'm not that sort of GM.) Their assignment is actually to subdue Carnage and deliver him to the person who has contracted their services. If they're clever, they will devise a way to seperate him from the rest of his team rather than have to slug it out to the bitter end with all of them, though that may well prove necessary. The power concept for this villain is a metahuman (that's mutant in GGU vernacular) who exudes an 'extraderm' (i.e. second skin) which is a bio metallic (literally living metal) substance, the solidity of which he can vary at will between a mercury like liquidity to harder than steel. Given the homicidal nature of this bloke, it is most commonly used to form some combination of bladed talons/weaponry and armor. Among other things, I'm thinking the Find Weakness ability may be a little much in combo with his H & RKA's. (As a note, the other three villains will be built on lower point totals... he is their leader by power.) Enough preamble, this is him: CarnagePlayer: NPC

Val	Char	Cost
23	STR	13
29	DEX	57
23	CON	26
15	BODY	10
14	INT	4
19	EGO	18
20	PRE	10
10	COM	0
10/40	PD	5
10/40	ED	5
6	SPD	21
18	REC	16
50	END	2
50	STUN	11

6" RUN02" SWIM016 1/2" LEAP0Characteristics Cost: 198

Cost	Power	END
75	Bio Metallic Morphable Extraderm: Multipower, 75-point reserve
15m	1) This is why they call me... (Various sharp contrivances to produce blood & more blood) : HKA 5d6 (6d6+1 w/STR) (75 Active Points)	7
15m	2) Death at a distance (Various bladed projectiles) : Killing Attack - Ranged 5d6 (75 Active Points)	7
15m	3) Hard as steel: Armor (25 PD/25 ED) (75 Active Points)
6m	4) Hooks & anchors: Knockback Resistance -15" (30 Active Points)
2u	5) Instant shield: Missile Deflection (Any Ranged Attack) (20 Active Points)
2m	6) Instant springs: Leaping +12" (16 1/2" forward, 8" upward) (12 Active Points)	1
5m	7) Limited only by the imagination: Various HTH augmentations: Hand-To-Hand Attack +8d6 (40 Active Points); Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/2)	4
5m	8) Protrude hooks: Clinging (63 STR) (23 Active Points)
30	Doctorate in hurting others: Find Weakness 11- with All Attacks
15	Hard as steel: Armor (5 PD/5 ED)
3	Seamless armor : Lack Of Weakness (-5) for Normal Defense (5 Active Points); Linked (Hard as steel; Seamless armor - no joints or chinks visible; -1/2)
8	Fierce Will: Mental Defense (12 points total)

Powers Cost: 196

Cost	Skill
5	Acrobatics 16-
3	Breakfall 15-
3	Defense Maneuver I
3	Disguise 12-
3	Interrogation 13-
3	Stealth 15-

Skills Cost: 20

Cost	Talent
16	Crippling Blow

Talents Cost: 16

Val	Disadvantages
10	Distinctive Features: Bio Metallic Extraderm (Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses)
15	Enraged: When humiliated or made to look weak or ineffectual (Uncommon), go 11-, recover 11-
10	Hunted: Paladin (Avenging hero, his cousin) 8- (As Pow, Harshly Punish)
5	Physical Limitation: Physiology requires special medical treatment (Infrequently, Slightly Impairing)
10	Psychological Limitation: Vindictive and vengeful (Common, Moderate)
20	Psychological Limitation: Sadist (Very Common, Strong)
20	Psychological Limitation: Very arrogant and self assured (Very Common, Strong)
10	Reputation: Cold blooded, sadistic mercenary, 14- (Known Only To A Small Group)
15	Social Limitation: Considers normal humans as cattle (Frequently, Major)
10	Vulnerability: 1 1/2 x STUN EM blasts/fields (Common)
10	Vulnerability: 1 1/2 x STUN Electrical / lightning (Common)
10	Rivalry: Professional (The Reaper, death themed villain with scythe & similar 'tastes'.) , Rival is As Powerful, Seek to Harm or Kill Rival, Rival Aware of Rivalry

Disadvantage Points: 145

Base Points: 285Experience Required: 0Total Experience Available: 0Experience Unspent: 0Total Character Cost: 430

Height: 1.90 m	Hair: Brown
Weight: 90.00 kg	Eyes: Brown

Appearance: Personality: Quote:"Some people have a very difficult time getting the point. Let me assist you."Background: Powers/Tactics: Fights to win and inflict maximum pain and bloodshed in the doing of it.Campaign Use: Leader of Omega

[Northstar]

Re: Character for review -- Carnage

 

Revisions I've already decided on:

 

1) The find weakness ability is gonna be deleted.

 

Revisions under strong consideration:

1) Increasing his vulnerability modifiers to 2X. (The heroes have a member with EM/electrical based powers, so that will be a plus for them. )

2) Deleting the crippling blow talent.

3) Getting rid of the RKA.

4) Dropping KA maximums to 4D6

5) Lowering the Armor maximums.

 

(Yeah, I did get a bit carried away in retrospect... however he does need to be powerful enough to deal with possibly being gang piled by several members of the team.)

[Cardinal]

Re: Character for review -- Carnage

 

The classic option if you want him to be able to duke it out with a large group for a while is Damage Reduction. If you do that, limit it so that it does not apply to the EM/Lightning effects and then you do not need to increase the multiple for the vulnerability.

 

I do not think that the RKAs are out of control for a mercenary assassin. Also, if he starts throwing blades, his defenses will be minimal and he will likely get his ass kicked but the target's 5 teammates.

[Speedball]

Re: Character for review -- Carnage

 

I liked his multipower a lot--especially the hooks that give knock back resistance: that was a great image to describe the power in game terms rather than just mechanical terms.

 

One thing I'd consider adding: a damage shield of maybe 2d6 HKA--Armor piercing x2, composed of small jagged pieces of metal constantly surrounding the character. It'd make bricks think twice about just wading up to the guy to smack the carp out of him...

[edit: you know, I'd initially meant to write "smack the crap out of him," but "carp" is now hilarious to me. I mean, I literally visualized a carp flying out of a guy's puss after a blow that gave him whiplash..."Carp" indeed. ]

[Northstar]

Re: Character for review -- Carnage

 

One thing I'd consider adding: a damage shield of maybe 2d6 HKA--Armor piercing x2, composed of small jagged pieces of metal constantly surrounding the character. It'd make bricks think twice about just wading up to the guy to smack the carp out of him...

 

I like that. Definitely add that one into the mix...