AA's Oddballs

[Avenger Assembled]

Brick Ninja

"Ssssh."

Abilities: 64 pp

STR 30 (+10)

DEX 30 (+10)

CON 30 (+10)

INT 10 (+0)

WIS 14 (+2)

CHA 10 (+0)

Combat: 24 pp

ATK: +4 (+10 Melee)

DEF: +10 (+4 flat-footed)

Init: +14

Grapple: +20

Saves: 4 pp

TOU +10 (+10 Con)

FORT +10 (+10 Con)

REF +10 (+10 Dex)

WILL (+12 vs mental effects) +6 (+2 Wis, +4, +6 Mind Shield)

Skills: 48r=12 pp

Acrobatics 15 (+25)

Language 1 (English) (Base: French)

Notice 6 (+8)

Perform (mime) 5 (+5)

Sense Motive 6 (+8)

Stealth 15 (+25)

Feats: 16 pp

Acrobatic Bluff

Attack Focus: Melee (6)

Evasion,

Dodge Focus 2,

Fearless,

Hide in Plain Sight,

Luck,

Move-By Action,

Power Attack,

Takedown Attack 2

Uncanny Dodge (auditory)

Powers: 30 pp

Autofire on Unarmed Damage [10 pp]

Concealment 6 (all visual, auditory, olfactory) (Flaw: Phantasm) [6 pp]

Leaping 1 (x2) [1 pp]

Mind Shield 6 [6 pp]

Speed 1 (10 MPH) [1 pp]

Super-Movement 3 (Slow Fall, Wall-Crawling 2) [6 pp]

costs

abilities 64 + combat 24 + saves 4 + skills 12/48 + feats 16 + powers 30 = 150 pts

---

Design Notes:

Remember back when Wander and Sage had that wrestling match? Well, just suppose that Sage had been a little crazy, stolen some of Wander's DNA, and used it to impregnate herself. What, it could happen! Or maybe this is a product of a fling between Sage and the Aaron White of Earth-XX, or any number of other possible origins. (Perhaps she's from a universe where gymnasts reproduce via parthenogenesis! We did have a lot of them floating around not too long ago). Anyway, the idea is that this fine lady has been raised by certain secret organizations associated with the French government (or maybe just the Martel family) as the deadliest mime in France! She's a fast, lethal fighter who psychically hides from everyone around her, runs up walls, and throws down a volley of punches that hit harder and faster than a helicopter's minigun, all the while invisible! I didn't give her Concealment vs. mental or radio because it seemed like a psychic should be able to see another hiding psychic, while radio is usually a mechanical sense and she's got Phantasm on his Concealment anyway.

Luckily, Sage's wealth makes it unlikely she's going to sue for child support, especially since there are some pretty touchy legal issues at work. The mime is, of course, a good way to make use of her family abilities to get close to her target: what could be more trustworthy than that silent lady dressed like Marcel Marceau. If you don't like the unlikely origin, I think this lady works just fine as a variant on the Living Weapon archetype. There's really very little that can stop her; she's faster than a normal person, stronger too, and has Concealment and Speed enough to evade most of the powerhouses who could be a serious threat to her. Who's to say an Evil Organization wouldn't want to mix their pet psychics with their pet bricks to produce a powerhouse ninja? You could make her a magic-oriented type, I suppose, but this really does seem like a well-built psychic lady: her powerful mental shields also keep her friend the Wheelchair Mentalist from unlocking the terrible secret of her origins! (Did I mention how great amnesia is as a Complication for your typical Living Weapon? Nyyyes)

With that Concealment, Stealth, and Acrobatics, not to mention her various ways of getting around, this lady should basically never have any issues with catching her opponents flat-footed. So Power Attack all you like and cleave through their ranks like the unstoppable powerhouse you are: they'll have a very hard time indeed hitting you if you stay on the move and keep using your powers and abilities in useful ways. Sure she's a bit one-dimensional, but she doesn't have to be. She's got a lot to stunt from. Maybe if she's on her own and no longer being forced to work as the Deadliest Mime Alive, she can start uncovering more of her abilities: a fast, strong lady like this who can also read minds would be pretty cool! And maybe one day, one day, she'll be able to reach inside her mind and find the biologically unlikely story of her past!

[Avenger Assembled]

Venus Fly-Trap

Every rose has its thorns...

PL: 10 (150)

Abilities: 20 pp

STR 10 (+0)

DEX 14 (+2)

CON 16 (+3)

INT 10 (+0)

WIS 14 (+2)

CHA 16 (+3)

Combat: 24 pp

ATK: +6 (+10 Vampire Plants)

DEF: +12 (+3 flat-footed)

Init: +6

Grapple: +6

Saves: 13 pp

TOU +8 (+3 Con, +5 Protection)

FORT +7 (+3 Con, +4)

REF +6 (+2 Dex, +4)

WILL +7 (+2 Wis, +5)

Skills: 44 r=11 pp

Bluff 7 (+10)

Knowledge: Arcane Lore 5 (+5)

Intimidate 7 (+10)

Notice 3 (+5)

Perform (violin) 2 (+5)

Profession (florist) 4 (+7)

Sense Motive 3 (+5)

Stealth 12 (+15)

Feats: 13 pp

All-Out Attack

Distract (Bluff)

Dodge Focus 6

Improved Initiative

Move-By Action

Power Attack

Precise Shot

Uncanny Dodge (olfactory)

Powers: 72 pp

Immunity 12 (aging, life support, starvation and thirst, sleep) [12 pp]

Impervious TOU 8 [8 pp]

Vampire Plant Array [22+3=25 pp]

Damage 10 (Extra: Vampiric) (PFs: Accurate 2)

AP: Drain Strength 10 (Extra: Ranged) (PFs: Accurate 2)

AP: Snare 10 (PFs: Accurate 2)

AP: Teleport 6 (600 ft/20 miles) (Extra: Accurate) (PFs: Easy, Progression 2 [500 lbs], Turnabout)

Protection 5 [5 pp]

Regeneration 9 (+6 Recovery Bonus [total +9], Resurrection 3 (1 per 5 hours)) (PF: Regrowth) [10 pp]

Speed 1 (10 MPH) [1 pp]

Super-Movement 3 (Slow Fall, Wall-Crawling 2) [6 pp]

Super-Senses 5 (Acute Scent, Darkvision, Tremorsense) [5 pp]

Drawbacks:

Vulnerable (holy) (uncommon, major) [-3 pp]

costs

abilities 20 + combat 24 + saves 13 + skills 11/44 + feats 13 + powers 72 -drawbacks 3= 150 pts

--

Design Notes:

From a universe where Avenger didn't ruin his date with Fleur de Joie, but instead the two hit it off most marvelously, I give you the lovely, deadly Venus Fly-Trap. She's proof that not all plant controllers are nice people; she's a master of carnivorous plants, and indeed uses them for her own benefit as her vampire heritage interacts with her plant-controlling powers to give her a surprising edge in combat. I figure her Ranged Drain is thorny vines like a mutant mistletoe that wrap around their targets and feast on their energy, draining their life away and making them weak and helpless: the vampiric melee damage is directly sinking those thorns in and enriching herself from the life's blood of her targets. Scary, yes, but it can still be done non-lethally in the right hands. Between her vampire heritage and her plant heritage, she can shrug off most forms of harm; she's very tough and she's immune to most mortal concerns. She's probably happiest under moonlight, enjoying the nightglow as it settles into her skin.

(Why the Venus flytrap pic above? Because vampire-themed lady superhero tends to get you people who dress like a prostitute, and I don't think Fleur's kid would run around doing that!) With her ability to climb up walls like a spider and sniff out her enemies, she really is proof that plants aren't just passive victims of animals anymore. If you don't like the supernatural aspect, this would make a pretty good build for some kind of eco-terrorist plant controller, albeit one with decidedly spooky, supernatural powers. As mentioned above, she makes a nice antidote to people worried that plant controllers are just boring hippies. She also puts quite a twist on the vamp archetype: she doesn't need fangs to really mess up your day. She's the sort of lady who has one of those hella Gothy graveyard headquarters by night, perhaps a haunted mansion complete with ghosts, but on the other hand she's got a mom who gave her a strong work ethic. Maybe she runs a floral shop specializing in gothic floral arrangements?

Season to taste, pardon the pun, particularly if you don't go with the unusual backstory angle. There's a lot of source material on vampires, of course, not to mention a whole host of really weird plants so you've got plenty of ground to make any kind of vampire plant' character you want; anything from the victim of a blood-destroying plague to a damned soul risen from the grave. Feel free to tweak those as necessary: None of that 'die in 10 rounds' in sunlight drawback; that doesn't make much sense for a plant! As mentioned above, you can just drop the vampire angle all together and just say this is the result of an accident involving a radioactive carnifern...

[Avenger Assembled]

Space Monkey Mafia, 2011

The general public believes that Albert II, the first monkey in space, died on June 14, 1949 after his parachute failed during re-entry. This is a fiction. The truth is that when Albert was recovered alive in his capsule, he looked up at the Air Force guys and thought desperately: “Help meeeeee...” The exposure to unfiltered solar radiation had _changed_ the little rhesus monkey, giving him both sentience and low-level telepathy. The changes to the monkey bred true, and proved easy to duplicate on subsequent rocket launches, and soon the Air Force had itself a colony of sentient, telepathic rhesus monkeys in Nevada. Unfortunately things didn’t go that well. The head of the program was a German scientist swept up by Operation Paperclip, a man whose ethics were as weak as his drive to prove himself to his new masters was strong. The little monkeys endured a terrible existence under his rule, subject to horrible experiments at his whim: but though he was a monster, he was more genius than he knew. After over a decade of breeding and multiple experiments, the rhesus colony at White Sands wasn’t just sentient and telepathic. It was, when sorely pressed, _one mind_, and a mind far more powerful than its handlers realized.

One night in 1961, under the leadership of a rhesus named Albert X, the monkeys escaped their tormentor (after mind-controlling him into performing certain experiments on his own frontal lobe) and fled into the desert. The trip through the Nevada desert was a difficult journey for the little monkeys, many of who died of thirst, exposure, or Ford pickup along the way. Albert himself died on that journey, but his successor Victoria led them to the promised land: a recently abandoned nuclear testing ground near the Utah border. A local oasis and a lack of people meant the monkeys had all the food and drink they wanted, while the altitude gave them the climate and weather they preferred. Under cover of isolation and government secrecy, they grew, and they thrived. Using long-range telepathic probes, they began exploring their world and found a grim situation indeed.

Despite the distant civilization of Gorilla Island, the space monkeys were the only sentients of their kind on Earth: their little colony could easily have been stamped out by humans if they so wished it: all their telepathic powers couldn’t have stopped an IRBM fired at their settlement, not to mention the ever-growing threat of superheroes. Gradually Victoria and her successors began to send out physical scouts to infiltrate the world of Man. Sentient monkeys good at play-acting were natural agents to infiltrate the simian-happy world of the 1960s and 1970s. Innocent, happy-looking monkeys who appeared on television and movies throughout the era all were secretly reporting back all they saw and heard to their colony back in the desert. After discovery of their Soviet counterparts in the mid-1970s, cautious feelers were sent out to the canine settlements in Siberia, but the two cultures proved ultimately unable to cooperate even in secret, though they remain in quiet contact.

As the years went by, and generations of space monkeys grew up ‘abroad’, gradually the leadership of the Nevada colony took a stronger and stronger interest in the world of men. Where once they had been slaves, now they would be masters. Where once they had had nothing, now they would have everything. They began sending out special agents to infiltrate the soft, criminal underbelly of humanity: so what if that gangster had no papers for his monkey, or if his behavior should change suddenly one day? A man like that wouldn’t buy an animal legally, and surely it was the drugs who made him change, not the telepathic influence of the curious little monkey running around beneath his feet. Gradually the monkeys of Nevada began sinking their little hands into organized crime across the world: drugs, contraband, fine cars, anything that could be enjoyed in style by a monkey was shipped through dummy corporations to pickup spots in Nevada, where drivers with other hands controlling theirs delivered to the monkeys all they wanted. They made contact with Dr. Simian a few years ago and struck up a cordial working relationship despite his ape nature, and he provides them with super-technology in return for easy access to human organized crime bosses.

Anyone who wants to deal with the space monkey mafia had better be prepared for a fight; the monkeys have had many years to place their agents across the United States, and they have been building their secret defense network around their homebase since the day they arrived. Having been taught that human beings want nothing more than to lobotomize their children and cook them for meat, these monkeys will not go down without a fight if it comes down to a battle in the Nevada desert.

[Avenger Assembled]

Pint-Size Powerhouse

“Because of their size, parents may be difficult to discipline properly.” -P.J. O’Rourke

PL: 10 (150)

Abilities: 44 p

STR 40 [30] (+15/+10)

DEX 12 (+1)

CON 40 [30] (+15/+10)

INT 10 (+0)

WIS 12 (+1)

CHA 10 (+0)

Combat: 16 pp

ATK: +4 (+5 w/Shrinking)

DEF: +4 (+5 w/Shrinking)

Init: +5

Grapple: +20

Saves: 10 pp

TOU +15 (+15 Con)

FORT +15 (+15 Con)

REF +5 (+1 Dex, +4)

WILL +7 (+1 Wis, +6)

Skills: 40 r=10 pp

Bluff 10 (+10/+14)

Climb 2 (+17)

Notice 9 (+10)

Sense Motive 9 (+10)

Stealth 10 (+11/+15)

Feats: 10 pp

All-Out Attack

Attractive (adorable)

Fearless

Interpose

Luck

Power Attack

Second Chance (Grapple escapes)

Takedown Attack

Taunt

Ultimate Save (TOU)

Powers: 60 pp

Enhanced CON 10 [10 pp]

Enhanced STR 10 [10 pp]

Immunity 9 (Life Support) [9 pp]

Impervious TOU 10 [10 pp]

Shrinking 4 (Extra: Normal Strength) (PFs: Innate, Normal Movement, Normal Toughness) [11 pp]

Speed 1 (10 MPH) [1 pp]

Super-Strength 4 (Heavy Load: 48 tons) [8+1=9 pp]

AP: Leaping 8 (x500)

costs

abilities 44 + combat 16 + saves 10 + skills 10/40 + feats 10 + powers 60 = 150 pts

Design Notes:

Here’s a Pint-Sized Powerhouse, ready to strike adorable fear into the hearts of criminals everywhere. Though he’s just a wee little man, no bigger than a minute (i.e. in the Small size category, perhaps around 30 inches tall in his stocking feet), he’s strong enough to lift a locomotive and powerful enough to jump over a city block! He’s also a real tough guy, not afraid of anything, and able to take fantastic punishment thanks to his tremendous TOU and high Impervious. Given the number of HP that your average PC has in combat, his Ultimate TOU means he can take some tremendous hits from opponents far above his PL and be no more than lightly bruised. A lot of powerhouses are Intimidate monkeys, but given the size penalties for Intimidate I gave this guy a decent Bluff score and Taunt. I figure he’s learned to laugh at the absurdity of things: that’s one reason why he’s also absolutely Fearless.

Is he a toddler given incredible strength and adult intelligence? Or perhaps he’s a Canadian dwarf with superpowers? (Non-comics fans: it's more likely than you’d think!) Another way to build this character would be to give him Density: as it is I didn’t do that, but you can fluff that his adorable little compact muscles are what make him so incredibly tough and strong. That would also help explain his relatively low Dex! That would also help him with his Knockback resistance, something that is a problem for such tiny characters. As it is, with his Leaping and Speed, he should be able to make it back into a fight even if he is knocked very far away from the fight. As you can guess, I’m using Attractive above _not_ to simulate sexiness, rather to show that he has a great deal of appeal to people with interest in adorable-looking types.

Though he has that Fearless, maybe give him a Phobia as a complication. Perhaps zombies, or vacuum cleaners. Make sure you go with making him an adult if you play him as a PC, since clearly toddlers are not really what we’re looking for as PCs here. If you go with the crazy superbaby route, though he’d make an interesting antagonist for an adventure where the heroes have to talk him down rather than smack him up! I agree with other Refs that "Second Chance (Grapples)" is too overpowered, but I think a Second Chance on Grapple escapes is reasonable: that gives him an edge when dealing with people taking advantage of the size penalty to grapple checks. Perhaps with intentions of giving tummy kisses! Note that while he does have full life support, he does not have immunity to sleep. Thank God.

[Avenger Assembled]

Plant Mimic

A weed is a plant that has mastered every survival skill except for learning how to grow in rows. -Doug Larson

PL: 10 (150)

Abilities: 44 pp

STR 24 (+7)

DEX 20 (+5)

CON 24 (+7)

INT 10 (+0)

WIS 14 (+2)

CHA 12 (+1)

Combat: 32 pp

ATK: +8 (+13 melee)

DEF: +13 (+4 flat-footed)

Init: +11

Grapple: +20

Saves: 7 pp

TOU +7 (+7 Con)

FORT +7 (+7 Con)

REF +7 (+5 Dex, +2)

WILL +7 (+2 Wis, +5)

Skills: 40 r=10 pp

Climb 3 (+10)

Knowledge: Life Sciences 10 (+10)

Medicine 3 (+5)

Notice 8 (+10)

Sense Motive 8 (+10)

Stealth 5 (+10)

Survival 3 (+5)

Feats: 17 pp

Attack Focus: Melee 5

Dodge Focus 5

Improved Initiative

Luck

Move-By Action

Power Attack

Takedown Attack

Uncanny Dodge (auditory)

Powers: 40 pp

Immunity 7 (aging, disease, poison, starvation and thirst, suffocation) [7 pp]

Plant Mimicry 3 [27 pp] ‘15 pp’

Sample Allocations

-Drain DEX 7 (Extra: Autofire) (PF: Slow Fade)

-Healing 3 (Extras: Action [Move], Total) (Flaw: Personal) (PFs: Persistent, Regrowth)

-Impervious TOU 7 and Super-Strength 4 (Heavy Load: 6 tons)

Regeneration 1 (Resurrection 1 (1/week) [1 pp]

Super-Senses 5 [Detect Plants [2/rank] (Acute, Analytical, Extended, Radius) [mental] [5 pp]

costs

abilities 44 + combat 32 + saves 7 + skills 10/40 + feats 17 + powers 40 = 150 pts

------------------------------------

Design Notes:

Here's a Plant Mimic, making use of a little-used power from Ultimate Power that lets her be a different kind of plant controller. Plant Mimicry is a twin of Animal Mimicry, but with a plant theme rather than an animal. What's the difference between the two? In my mind someone who has plant powers should have some planty traits all the time, so I gave her some Regen, some Immunities, and even some plant-detecting Super-Senses. Plant Mimicry is really, really broad, as I've tried to show with some the sample allocations abroad: thorns, poison sumac, and a dozen other things can all be believable powers. In the sample sheet above, I've tried to give her everything from plant-based toxins to the strength and durability of a mighty oak. She meet her caps even without the power, of course, I figure she has a plant's strength and toughness (well, a strong and tough plant!) even when she's not directly using her powers.

I could see Concealment working well too, given how well some plants can blend into their surroundings. Remember that the overall appearance of Mimics generally doesn't change, but without Subtle there will certainly be cosmetic changes: perhaps long thorny arms for Elongation and a Drain? She's knowledgeable in science terms, but not a science specialist. Someone with powers like this should be able to function competently in their own technical niche, even if they don't know as much about it as the super-scientific specialists or ridiculous geniuses. Even if you want to give her a magic origin, she should still have _some_ scientific training, unless you want to make her a hardcore druid/dryad type. (If that's the case, you should buy up her Survival) Even if she does the usual "Here's where your science is WRONG because it has no HEART" New Age stuff, she should still have a decent idea of what kinds of plants are good to eat and what biochemical effects they have on the body.

My half-imagined backstory is the usual "grad student victim of a bizarre accident!", where an injection with an experimental plant serum gave her a primal connection to the natural world, or at least the plant side of it. It's the Green it's the green it's the green you neeeed, as the song says. As I've mentioned in the past, contrary to what you might think this character doesn't have to be a hippie type: while that's a funny stereotype for plant controllers, plants themselves aren't vegetarians. They aren't pacifists, they aren't anything. They survive, they feed, they grow, they perpetuate their species. That's it. In a comic book setting, 'plant instincts' can potentially be as threatening as animal instincts, and all the more alien for not being what you expect...

[Avenger Assembled]

Medusa

“Why don’t you see how SNAKELIKE I can be!?!”

PL: 10 (150)

Abilities: 20 pp

STR 30 [14] (+10/+2)

DEX 14 (+2)

CON 30 [14] (+10/+2)

INT 10 (+0)

WIS 14 (+2)

CHA 14 (+2)

Combat: 24 pp

ATK: +6 (+10 Unarmed)

DEF: +10 (+3 flat-footed)

Init: +6

Grapple: +18

Saves: 10 pp

TOU +10 (+10 Con)

FORT +10 (+10 Con)

REF +6 (+2 Dex, +4)

WILL +8 (+2 Wis, +6)

Skills: 60 r=15 pp

Bluff 3 (+5)

Intimidate 13 (+15)

Knowledge: Arcane Lore 12 (+12)

Knowledge: History 5 (+5)

Knowledge: Theology and Philosophy 5 (+5)

Language 1 (English) (Base: Greek)

Notice 8 (+10)

Sense Motive 8 (+10)

Survival 3 (+5)

Feats: 11 pp

Attack Specialization: Unarmed 2

Dodge Focus 4

Improved Initiative

Luck

Power Attack

Takedown Attack

Uncanny Dodge (auditory)

Powers: 69 pp

Concealment 1 (Infravision) (Extra: Duration [Permanent] (+0) (Flaw: Blending) [1 pp]

Enhanced CON 16 [16 pp]

Enhanced STR 16 [16 pp]

Immunity 1 (aging) [1 pp]

Speed 1 (10 MPH) [1 pp]

Super-Senses 3 (Infravision, Radius Sight) [3 pp]

Super-Strength 1 (Heavy Load: 1.5 tons) [2 pp]

Transform 10 (flesh to stone) (Extra: Range [Perception]) (Flaw: Sense-Dependent [Visual]) [30 pp]

abilities 20+combat 24 +saves 10 + skills 15/60 + feats 11 + powers 69 =150 pp

-----

Design Notes:

Here's my attempt at the Medusa as a PL 10 player character. One major change I made is to dial down her Petrification power (the Transform repped above) so that it's no longer a Reaction the way it is on my own Gazer-Beam build. Instead she has to be aware and concentrating while looking at her enemies in order to bring them down, and it's a standard action to use her power. The duration is also Sustained rather than Continous, so targets of her power keep getting saves and can almost certainly get out if she stops actively maintaining the power. (You want to make it worse? Power-stunt, natch) That makes her less threatening, true, but it also means she can get around in society without having to wear a veil or something. Though OTOH she may have to do that anyway, given that she is a snake woman with snakes for hair! Still, it's an improvement.

My vague idea here is that this is a descendant of the gorgon of legend (not The Gorgon of upthread), perhaps a native of the Olympian lands after they closed off after the Olympians withdrew from the Material Plane. Another idea is that she might be the product of sophisticated Labyrinth DNAscent. Perhaps it pleases Taurus the Minotaur to recreate the monsters he knew in his youth as his pawns and vassals, either out of a grim sense of humor or maybe just out of some lingering nostalgia? After all, in the Hadean world he hopes to make on Earth, all his old friends will return; why not give them brothers and sisters to greet them when they arrive? Look at the works of Charlie Stross (tell him Chet Arthur sent you!) for ideas on how to justify a scientific method of petrification.

As a backup to her snakes, she's a low-grade powerhouse who can just pummel you into submission if she doesn't want you to get stoned. (Can she grapple someone and pin their eyes open? Maybe with surging...) The Infravision and Radius Sight come from the snake hair; feel free to have a complication that those senses don't work when she's wearing a hat. I figure the Concealment is a result of being cold-blooded; Infravision comes up more often than you'd think! Even if it doesn't help you much against supers (who will probably have more than one super-sense), it'll make life much easier vs. goons using nightvision goggles and other heat-sensing powers. After all, you're a little too snakey for that...

[Avenger Assembled]

Captain Wonder

"Shazam!"

Abilities: 44 p

STR 40 [30] (+15/+10)

DEX 12 (+1)

CON 40 [30] (+15/+10)

INT 10 (+0)

WIS 12 (+1)

CHA 10 (+0)

Combat: 20 pp

ATK: +5

DEF: +5 (+2 flat-footed)

Init: +1

Grapple: +27

Saves: 10 pp

TOU +15 (+15 Con)

FORT +15 (+15 Con)

REF +5 (+1 Dex, +4)

WILL +7 (+1 Wis, +6)

Skills: 40 r=10 pp

Diplomacy 5 (+5)

Knowledge: Arcane Lore 5 (+5)

Knowledge: History 10 (+10)

Languages 2 (Ancient Egyptian, Old Norse) (Base: English)

Notice 9 (+10)

Sense Motive 9 (+10)

Feats: 9 pp

All-Out Attack

Beginner's Luck

Fearless

Interpose

Move-By Action

Power Attack

Quick Change

Takedown Attack

Ultimate Save (TOU)

Powers: 60 pp

Enhanced CON 10 [10 pp]

Enhanced Feats 2 (Affects Insubstantial 2 on Unarmed) [2 pp]

Enhanced STR 10 [10 pp]

Flight 7 (1000 MPH) (PF: Moving Feint) [Dynamic] [15+1+2=18 pp]

DAP: Super-Strength 7 (Heavy Load: 720 tons) (PF: Shockwave [burst] [solar flare])

Immunity 10 (aging, life support) [10 pp]

Impervious TOU 10 [10 pp]

Drawback: -3 pp

Normal ID (say magic word)

costs

abilities 44 + combat 20 + saves 10 + skills 10/40 + feats 9 + powers 60 - drawback 3= 150 pts

--------------

Design Notes:

Here's a reworked version of my old Captain Wonder build, adapted thanks to the new things I've learned about character creation. For those of you missed the original version: Freddie Fawcett debuted in 1940 with the power to transform into the mighty Captain Wonder. The native hero of Memphis, TN, he was empowered by a coterie of Egyptian gods so that when he spoke their magic word he was transformed into a flying brick like no other. One of the earliest superheroes, he fought alongside the Liberty League for many years before finally revealing his secret ID to them in 1950. When they did the math and realized he was 18, they were suitably appalled at the child they'd been fighting alongside. (Luckily the Wisdom of Imhotep had shielded him from the horrors of the war in which he was fighting). Fawcett retired in the early 1950s to settle down and raise a family, and between one thing and another didn't get back into the superheroing business until the turn of the new millennium. Where once he was a boy who transformed, now he's a very old man, his mortal body having very much aged. But he has some years in him yet, and in the meantime he's determined to fight for the better world he once left behind.

He's a straightforward flying brick who flies up to his enemies and punches them really, really hard. He'll use his Flight to gain a way to feint against enemies, then Power Attack even the strongest foes right through a brick wall. I think this build works for an old man given power, his combat skills have rusted somewhat since his youth, but his tremendous power is unabated. (You could also do this for his kids and grandkids, specifying that they've recently inherited his great power as part of the Wonder family) The Shockwave above represents him saying his magic word and dodging the subsequent flash of Ra's Light to use as a weapon: making it an area effect means he can hurt those alien paragons at his PL whose Impervious doesn't block magic, but it also makes a viable weapon against squishier types. Captain Marvel-types are naturals for the Normal ID drawback. You could also give him Involuntary Transformation connected to being hit by powers of the light descriptor. Or both, if you need the points! His Affects Insubstantial mean he can punch most magic things in the face, which is cool.

Playing an old man with conservative values can be fun, assuming you're up to the challenge. There's something to be said for playing an old person who actually acts like an old person. (i.e., the majority of people active in the WWII generation were not pansexual beauties with no hangups) Our own Wail is a good example of a current PC that convincingly plays an older character. This doesn't mean he'd not get along with young heroes (after all, he remembers being young and carefree), just that they'll have some culture clashes. If I had kept playing this character, I would definitely have bought into the T-Baby plot that some of our PCs have been working. There's no reason he'd embrace the people empowered by what killed the Centurion, and with his tremendous prestige as a WWII veteran, this could be a problem...

[Avenger Assembled]

Freemason

"Sweet Lady Liberty!"

Abilities: 32 pp

STR 10 (+0)

DEX 18 (+4)

CON 18 (+4)

INT 14 (+2)

WIS 18 (+4)

CHA 14 (+2)

Combat: 28 pp

ATK: +6 (+10 Ranged)

DEF: +10 (+4 flat-footed)

Init: +4

Grapple: +6/+20 w/TK

Saves: 10 pp

TOU +10 (+4 Con, +6 Protection)

FORT +6 (+4 Con, +2)

REF +6 (+4 Dex, +2)

WILL +10 (+4 Wis, +6)

Skills: 68 r=17 pp

Concentration 8 (+10)

Diplomacy 13 (+15)

Knowledge: Civics 4 (+6)

Knowledge: History 13 (+15)

Languages 4 (Algonquin, Chinese, Dine, Spanish) (Base: English)

Notice 13 (+15)

Sense Motive 13 (+15)

Feats: 21 pp

All-Out Attack

Attack Focus: Ranged (4)

Benefit (2) (Hero of the People, Security Clearance)

Distract (Diplomacy)

Dodge Focus (2)

Improved Initiative

Luck (2)

Move-By Action

Power Attack

Precise Shot (2)

Skill Mastery (Diplomacy, Knowledge (History), Notice, Sense Motive)

Uncanny Dodge (auditory)

Well-Informed

Powers: 42 pp

Device 10 (Ring of the Freemason) (Hard to Lose) (PFs: Restricted 2) [42 pp]

-Blast 10 [20+3=23]

-AP: Create Object 6 (Extra: Moveable) (PFs: Selective, Subtle)

-AP: Nullify 10 (all binding and imprisoning effects)

-AP: Telekinesis 10 (Heavy Load: 12 tons)

-Enhanced Feat 2 (Quick Change 2) [2]

-Feature 1 (Holographic Playback) [1]

-Flight 3 (50 MPH) [6]

-Immunity 9 (Life Support) [9]

-Protection 6 (PF:Subtle) [7]

-Super-Senses 2 (Darkvision) [2]

----

Design Notes:

Inspired by a picture I encountered on Project: Rooftop, here's Freemason: the Green Lantern with a star-spangled patriotic theme. My general concept here is that this is a historian who encountered a mystic ring emblazoned with Masonic markings somewhere in Mt. Vernon. Putting on the ring, he was granted the mystic powers of the Great Architect in order to fight for truth, justice, and the all-American Way! He's a patriotic hero par excellence; great with people and crowd control, popular with both the people and the government. He's a great member of a patriotic superteam, or just 'the government's only superhero in a setting where they've had some trouble keeping supers on their payroll. (i.e, Freedom City's) If he keeps a secret ID (or at least THINKS he does, given that he's presumably on the payroll of spooks), make him a mild-mannered historian (with a government grant!) by day and a superhero by night.

I modeled his powers on Freedom City's own Lady Liberty, which seems like a perfectly plausible powerset for a magical patriotic hero. Perhaps the ring is a result of trying to duplicate the powers of the Spirit of Liberty by 18th century Freemasons? Note that Distract is only actually listed for Intimidate and Bluff, but there's no reason why Diplomacy shouldn't work: the idea being that he's giving them a sincere speech about how they should stand down (or maybe delivering a speech to school kids) and he's good enough and well-trained enough to hold and keep their attention. If he is a government agent, the source of his powers may prove complicated. (Or at least, a very viable source of complications) Superheroes with magic are OK, but the government usually doesn't have a great relationship with sorcery, so having someone with magic powers (even if he knows nothing about magic himself) may raise lots of awkward questions about origins and such. His ring only works for him, but his handlers may need some hard evidence before they find out that it's true.

Does his Create Object generally have a brickwork look, or maybe pyramidal, like some Masonic symbolism? Why not, why not? You could justify some more Super-Senses too with the help of that big old eye of theirs. (In my mind, the symbol on his ring IS the pyramid-eye from the dollar bill.) Patriotic heroes don't often have a magical source (with the exception of DC's Uncle Sam), but they do in Freedom City, so why not run with it? An obvious source of Complications for a device-bearer like this is; who carried this ring before him? America has had a lot of bad times where it's needed heroes over the years, but it may not always have been in the hands of good guys. Run with the history with a character like this! Freemasonry is a common source for weird magic in fiction, why not make it a power origin for superhero comics? Just watch out for people taking a strange interest in you and your doing...

[Avenger Assembled]

Super-Genius

“Wile E. Coyote-Super Genius.” -Wile E. Coyote

PL: 10 (150)

Abilities: 36 pp

STR 20 (+5)

DEX 18 (+4)

CON 20 (+5)

INT 20 [10] (+5/+0)

WIS 14 (+2)

CHA 14 (+2)

Combat: 32 pp

ATK: +8 (+11 Melee/+15 Unarmed)

DEF: +15 (+4 flat-footed)

Init: +4

Grapple: +15

Saves: 10 pp

TOU +5 (+5 Con)

FORT +7 (+5 Con, +2)

REF +7 (+4 Dex, +3)

WILL +7 (+2 Wis, +5)

Skills: 80 r=20 pp

Acrobatics 11 (+15)

Concentration 8 (+10)

Gather Information 13 (+15)

Investigate 5 (+10/+5)

Notice 13 (+15)

Search 5 (+10/+5)

Sense Motive 13 (+15)

Stealth 11 (+15)

Survival 1 (+3)

Feats: 18 pp

Acrobatic Bluff

Attack Focus: Melee 3

Attack Specialization: Unarmed 2

Dodge Focus 7

Evasion

Power Attack

Takedown Attack

Uncanny Dodge (auditory)

Powers: 34 pp

Comprehend 3 (speak, read, and understand all languages) [6 pp]

Enhanced Feats 5 (Beginner’s Luck, Eidetic Memory, Jack of all Trades, Master Plan, Well-Informed) [5 pp]

Genius Array 5 (10 pp; PFs: Alternate Power x2) [10+2=12 pp]

BE: Enhanced INT 10 (to 20/+5) {10/10}
AP: Damage 0 (adds to Unarmed Damage 5; Extras: Area [burst, Targeted], Selective Attack) {10/10}
AP: Damage 0 (adds to Unarmed Damage 5; Extras: Autofire, Penetrating) {10/10}

Quickness 6 (x100; Flaw: Mental Tasks Only) [3 pp]

Super-Senses 7 ([Acute Accurate Radius Ranged Mental], Analytical Vision, Danger Sense [mental]) [7 pp]

costs

abilities 36 + combat 32 + saves 10 + skills 20/80 + feats 18 + powers 34 = 150 pts

------

Design Notes:

Here's my take on Batman as super-genius: a costumed adventurer/martial arts type whose superpower is just how smart he is. This would work OK for somebody like Marvel's Amadeus Cho, I think, or some other all-too-human guy whose powers come from sheer supergenius. He could be Watchmen's Ozymandius, except that was a terrible story. He speaks every language, because he is a cultured gentleman and also because he can just absorb that stuff into his brain thanks to how mighty it is! He can use his super-brain in combat to pull off a variety of tricks: by hitting weak spots he can pull off the effects of Autofire and Penetrating, by analyzing the weak points of a group he can goon sweep with the best of them, and he's virtually impossible to sneak up on thanks to his uncanny ability to track his opponents by outsmarting them. With his Enhanced INT, he can stunt all kinds of useful things: ESP to represent rapidly taking in a situation? Enhanced Charisma (but only as a stunt!!!) to represent being particularly socially adept? It's plausible.

How did he get so smart? You could just say it all has the training descriptor, but I'm uneasy about using that without the Innate feat given how hard it is to justify nullifying training as it is. (Short of getting hella wasted, I guess, or some kind of intellivore. Which I did actually build upthread...) Our own Dr Archeville has a character who got his Enhanced INT from his Cthuluoid ancestry. Which character is it? The answer won't surprise you! With this guy's various feats, he can function decently in most settings that require a brain: it's another way to play a polymath type without abusing the Variable Power from Worlds of Freedom (for all that I love it so!). Which is good, because you don't want to come across as That Guy. His Well-Informed helps him be somebody who knows quite a lot about a lot of people.

I didn't give this guy Skill Mastery, but that's certainly not a bad idea. Another thing to potentially give him is Detect Weakness, but his good Notice and Sense Motive (particularly with his default brain structure) are a good way to handle that. His INT is Enhanced, so you can powerstunt off it if necessary. Give him a Drawback where he doesn't speak alien languages if you want. He's not as smart as a real genius or gadgeteer, but he's still extremely competent. His Quickness lets him take 20 on Notice as a free action, giving him the ability to routinely hit DC 35 Notice checks without a problem, and in general he thinks 100 times faster than a normal human being. While other people have bigger and stronger brains, few people are quite so smart where it counts!

[Avenger Assembled]

Junior

"The thing that should not be! I submit to your caresses." -HP Lovecraft

PL: 10 (150)

Abilities: 20 pp

STR 24 (+7)

DEX 24 (+7)

CON n/a

INT 10 (+0)

WIS 14 (+2)

CHA 8 (-1)

Combat: 32 pp

ATK: +8 (+10 Melee)

DEF: +10 (+4 flat-footed)

Grapple: +15

Init: +7

Saves: 8 pp

TOU +10 (+10 Protection)

FORT n/a

REF +8 (+7 Dex, +1)

WILL +9 (+2 Wis, +7)

Skills: 64 r=16 pp

Acrobatics 8 (+15)

Climb 3 (+10)

Diplomacy 11 (+10)

Intimidate 11 (+10)

Knowledge: Arcane Lore 8 (+8)

Languages 2 (French, Spanish) (Base: English)

Notice 8 (+10)

Perform (ballet) 5 (+4)

Sense Motive 8 (+10)

Feats: 14 pp

Acrobatic Bluff

Attack Focus: Melee 2

Critical Strike [undead]

Dodge Focus 2

Evasion 2

Improved Init

Luck

Power Attack

Quick Draw [Draw]

Takedown Attack

Uncanny Dodge (auditory)

Powers: 62 pp

Device 1 (Shovel) (Easy to Lose) (PFs: Restricted 2) [5 pp]

-Strike 3 (PFs: Improved Crit, Mighty) [5]

Immunity 30 (Fortitude Saves) [30 pp]

Impervious TOU 8 [8 pp]

Protection 10 [10 pp]

Regeneration 15 (Recovery Bonus +9, Resurrection 1/week) (Flaw: Source [Flesh]) [7 pp]

Super-Senses 2 (Darkvision) [2 pp]

Drawbacks: -2 pp

Vulnerable (fire) (common, minor) [-2]

costs

abilities 20 + combat 32 + saves 8 + skills 16/64 + feats 14 + powers 62 - drawback 2 = 150 pts

------

Design Notes:

So the infamous Sister Sextus made out with Dead Head, stole some of his flesh, and then used it to perform certain terrible rituals on herself. Nine months later, a baby with chilly skin and a hunger for flesh was born in jail. Luckily the authorities weren't bad people, really, and they contacted Dead Head to try and figure out what to do with this most unfortunate of infants. Luckily, Dead Head turned out to be a surprisingly good father under the circumstances, raising his son (how does a baby revenant grow? fast!) and not minding his frankly terrifying diet, and with the help of his Freedom City friends helped train him to be a master melee fighter with his sharpened shovel, faster and more agile than any walking dead out to be. (Learning how to evade Wander was also a natural part of his upbringing) When the young thing came of age, he went into the world to seek his fortune and battle all those undead who sought to prey on the living! He learned ballet because his father wanted him to get some culture, of course, and the languages and Arcane Lore helped with the letters his mom wrote from Crazy Jail.

This is a decent build for a zombie superhero, a fast, skilled combatant with a flashing blade and not that great scent. (His Charisma penalty is offset by decent skills: he's basically a nice guy and easy to get along with, he just has the disadvantage of being a zombie, if a well-put-together, not actively decaying one) With the Flesh flaw on his Regen, lifted from his father, he has to consume some variety of meat in order to heal injuries. I'd be inclined to say it has to be fresh, too; raw or unprocessed meat giving his body what he needs to reconstitute himself. It's up to you whether or not eating corpses would do it, but that's probably something a hero should avoid except in an emergency. (Though hey, if there's already a zombie attack going on, and you've got this Fort immunity anyway so it won't make you sick...) Drinking blood from a bottle like his 'cousin' Jack Jr. satisfied him when he was a baby, but as a baby becomes a child he has to start eating solid food.

He lacks his dad's supernatural talents: that's probably for the best given his various issues with his mom and the many terrible magical friends she made during her storied and bloody career. As it is there's more of gravy than of grave about him; he's the guy you call in to fight a zombie uprising while the magic or science folks go to work cleaning up the damage the undead are causing rather than a spellcaster himself, and that's entirely OK! Naturally his horrible origins will cause him plenty of Complications. The undead turning hero is a pretty big step, and he's going to be under a pretty big microscope if he doesn't watch himself. And if he fails a Stealth check at the wrong moment, he just might get a little visit from the bogeyman he grew up hearing about...

[Avenger Assembled]

Cyborg Paragon

"More than a man! More than a machine! More than a fusion of the two." -Logan's Run

PL: 10 (150)

Abilities: 32 pp

STR 30 [20] (+10/+5)

DEX 14 (+2)

CON 14 (+2)

INT 20 (+5)

WIS 14 (+2)

CHA 10 (+0)

Combat: 28 pp

ATK: +6 (+10 Unarmed)

DEF: +12 (+4 flat-footed)

Grapple: +11/+19

Init: +5

Saves: 16 pp

TOU +8 (+2 Con, +6 Protection)

FORT +7 (+2 Con, +5)

REF +7 (+2 Dex, +5)

WILL +8 (+2 Wis, +6)

Skills: 60 r=15 pp

Computers 10 (+15)

Craft: Electronic 5 (+10)

Craft: Mechanical 5 (+10)

Knowledge: Physical Sciences 5 (+10)

Knowledge: Technology 10 (+15)

Notice 8 (+10)

Perform (epic poetry) 4 (+4)

Search 5 (+10)

Sense Motive 8 (+10)

Feats: 10 pp

Attack Specialization: Unarmed 2

Eidetic Memory

Fearless

Inventor

Online Research

Speed of Thought

Takedown Attack

Uncanny Dodge (radio)

Well-Informed

Powers: 49 pp

Flight 2 (PF: Move-By Action) (25 MPH) [5 pp]

Immunity 9 (Life Support) [9 pp]

Impervious TOU 6 [6 pp]

Nanite Array [16+2=18 pp]

Enhanced STR 10 and Super-Strength 3 (Heavy Load: 6 tons) [16+2=18 pp]

AP: Datalink 9 (anywhere on Earth) (PFs: Rapid 6 (1m), Subtle)

AP: ESP 4 (1 mile) (visual and auditory) (Flaw: Medium [Electronics]) (PFs: Rapid 6 (x1m), Subtle)

Protection 6 [6 pp]

Shield 4 [4 pp]

Super-Senses 1 (Radio) [1 pp]

costs

abilities 32 + combat 28 + saves 16 + skills 15/60 + feats 10 + powers 49 = 150 pts

------------------

Design Notes:

This is Harrier and Miss Americana, or rather Gina Evans', kid. This one is still plausible, much to Gina's chagrin. The idea is that they're both social outcasts with tremendous issues with personal interaction; in other words, Murdock is one of the few people Gina might let see her naked because he's not someone she worries about impressing. So they get drunk, they fool around, why not? I'll make the admittedly broad assumption that they manage to make something work enough to raise their son together, for certain values of together. He had a bit of a messed-up childhood, for pretty obvious reasons, and that's why his Charisma is relatively low. (At least he didn't get entered into any baby beauty pageants!) The basic idea here is that he's a super-genius and a cyborg: he inherited part of his mother's gigantic brain, but between her desire to improve the human condition and the basic mechanical alterations to his father's cells (and perhaps the ultimately dangerous effects of Terminus radiation on his DNA), the young fellow wound up being mechanically enhanced from a pretty early age: in my mind the Shield, for example, is a built-in force field generator, while his Protection is the result of metal wrapped around his bones.

His folks managed to help him overcome their aversion to magnets, something that will help him function and fight in the magnetic World of Tomorrow! (Giving him such would be a great way to get some points back) His array is the product of the nanites that infuse his body: he can use them to pump up his physical strength or to access nearby computers by radio. He can scan an area's computers and machinery via that same power, letting him take in the whole scene quickly. With extra effort, he can search the entire city with a thought, finding anyone he wants as long as they happen to be in the area of a camera with the Flaw on his ESP. (This would be more a Drawback or a Complication if he lived in a country like Britain, of course. Take that, security state!) I figure his Super-Senses and all come from a similar source. Luckily he flies without the need to have a jetpack come rupturing its way out of his spine. Online Research lets you use Computers for Gather Info, thus with Well-Informed letting him know about situations thanks to his mighty technological powers. (It's a great feat, and convincingly lets you play hacker types who are socially inept.)

His folks would probably like him to be more of a blaster than he is, but he's more inclined to mix it up than they are. That's why he's got Move-By Action on his flight, so he's not stuck in melee with people who hit harder than he is tough. He's got decent Impervious: he can shrug off bullets from anything short of military-grade hardware. That said, he could use more if you can scare up the points. Assuming you don't want to play this kid per se, I think he'd work just fine as a cyborg with flight there's no reason why every cyborg has to be a blaster/powerhouse or Japanese secret agent. Perhaps he's the result of deliberate implantation, or maybe he was infected by a nanite package. (Maybe by one of the other nanite characters on this very thread!) Cyborgs get a bad rap as a result of people trying to bring character balance to Shadowrun, but I don't think they're really all that bad. If you could implant something in yourself that would give you the power to fly, why not?

[Avenger Assembled]

Amaryllis

April Showers Bring May Flowers-Anonymous

PL: 10 (150)

Abilities: 26 pp

STR 10 (+0)

DEX 16 (+3)

CON 16 (+3)

INT 10 (+0)

WIS 16 (+3)

CHA 18 (+4)

Combat: 24 pp

ATK: +6 (+8 ranged)

DEF: +12 (+3 flat-footed)

Init: +7

Grapple: +20 w/TK

Saves: 12 pp

TOU +8 (+3 Con, +5 Protection)

FORT +7 (+3 Con, +4)

REF +7 (+3 Dex, +4)

WILL +7 (+3 Wis, +4)

Skills: 12 pp=48 r

Bluff 6 (+10)

Diplomacy 10 (+14)

Knowledge: Life Sciences 4 (+4)

Languages 1 (Lor) (Base: English)

Notice 7 (+10)

Perform (glam rock) 6 (+10)

Search 5 (+5)

Sense Motive 7 (+10)

Feats: 16 pp

Attack Focus: Ranged 2,

Dodge Focus 6

Evasion 2,

Improved Initiative,

Move-By Action,

Power Attack

Precise Shot,

Ultimate Save (TOU)

Uncanny Dodge (mental)

Powers: 60 pp

Flight 3 (50 MPH) [6 pp]

Gravity Flower Array [24+5=29 pp]

Blast 12 ‘gravitic blast’

AP: Healing 12 (Extra: Total) (Flaw: Personal Only) ‘regeneration’

AP: Move Object 10 (Extra: Range [Perception]) (Flaw: Up or Down Only) (PFs: Indirect 2, Subtle, Variable Descriptor 1 (gravity/plant)) ‘gravity flower’

AP: Stun 12 (Extra: Ranged) (Flaw: Action [Full]) ‘stun flower’

AP: Telekinesis 12 (Heavy Load: 48 tons) ‘gravitic TK’

AP: Teleport 20 (anywhere in the Universe) (Flaw: Long-Range Only) (PFs: Change Velocity, Progressionx3 (1000 lbs)) 'wormholes'

Immunity 12 (aging, life support, starvation and thirst, sleep) [12 pp]

Protection 5 [5 pp]

Space Travel 1 (1c) [1 pp]

Super-Senses 7 (Accurate Analytical Extended 4 (x10000) Radio Sense [7 pp]

costs

abilities 26 + combat 24 + saves 12 + skills 12/48 + feats 16 + powers 60 = 150 pts

------------

Design Notes:

An actual canon kid for once, here's Fleur de Joie and Dark Star's kid Amaryllis, a hero of the future! The idea is that she's both a plant and gravity controller, manipulating two basic parts of life to become quite powerful indeed. Her signature move is the 'gravity flower', an effect which lets her grow a giant daisy underfoot that pins her targets to the Earth with the sheer force of gravity! She has a variety of movement options that need explaining: she uses Flight to get around in Freedom City, Flight 3 being a respectable movement speed in an urban setting. She uses Teleport for planet-wide navigation, being careful to only go places with which she is very familiar, and using Space Travel to get from point to point in deep space. With her movement powers, she can get anywhere in the Universe, she'd better just be very careful about going off-course. She has all the immunities you'd expect from a space-going plant, and can survive on her own on the solar winds alone for the longest time. I figure that's also the descriptor for her Personal Healing, which has such a high rank since she needs it to boost her not-great Recovery Check bonus. (You cannot put Regeneration in Arrays, whatever your lying eyes tell you about Ultimate Power, as that is the devil's playground). She luckily inherited her mom's good looks and winning way with people, as well as her interest and training in life sciences rather than her dad's love of physics: she does like to fly in space, though!

She's something of a Glass Cannon, hitting hard but having to be fast and lucky to avoid full-on hits herself. That's one reason she has Ultimate TOU, so that she can take it if she does get tagged by a Space Battleship's main guns, though it won't do much for her if it does happen. (Luckily, she has enough damaging powers to mess with them something fierce in return. A space-going hero can be fun, especially if they're better-known in space than they are at home. (Take a page from recent Nova stories for this, or other Marvel Cosmic Heroes who are much less 'all that' on Earth.). Amaryllis, the champion of the Lor Republic, the Lady of Vines, can have a bit of a homecoming shock when she comes home and finds out that she's just Fleur and Dark Star's daughter and that Ouroborous guy is making eyes at her again. It can be a little disconcerting. Not to mention she may have space-going complications aplenty, like making enemies with space pirates and other such ne'er do wells, or maybe getting called into service to help rescue a Lor planet from the machinations of the Gorgon! Or maybe getting a space-going boyfriend like a "Rogue" Grue, much to the outrage of your poor respectable mother!

Note that her 'radar' is tricked out enough to be usable in combat: she can tell people apart via their 'life' energy, tell some pretty specific things about them, and even target them with her powers when she can't see them directly. She has some impressive range, too, with a range increment of 100,000 ft she can easily scan a planet's surface just by flying overhead in orbit. If you want to give her Silver Surfer-style planet-finding powers based off it, max out her Extended PF: 18 or 19 ranks should get the job done. Making that an AP off her main array (under our current rules, that's allowable) would also get that job done. She's all about life in space, and may well try to encourage people to do the same since she's probably going to be around for the era when people move out into space. She's a glam rocker, because she's very pretty and glam is rad, yo! (That's how the kids talk, right? I dunno) Not bad for a florist's kid from Chicago stock!

[Avenger Assembled]

Biokinetic

Sweet Christmas!

PL: 10 (150)

Abilities: 30 pp

STR 30 [10] (+10/+0)

DEX 14 (+2)

CON 20 (+5)

INT 20 (+5)

WIS 14 (+2)

CHA 12 (+1)

Combat: 28 pp

ATK: +6 (+10 Melee)

DEF: +12 (+4 flat-footed)

Init: +6

Grapple: +6/+26

Saves: 10 pp

TOU +8 (+5 Con, +3 Protection)

FORT +8 (+5 Con, +3)

REF +5 (+2 Dex, +3)

WILL +6 (+2 Wis, +4)

Skills: 64 r=16 pp

Concentration 8 (+10)

Diplomacy 9 (+10)

Knowledge: Life Sciences 15 (+20)

Knowledge: Physical Sciences 8 (+13)

Language 1 (Latin) (Base: English)

Medicine 8 (+10)

Notice 8 (+10)

Sense Motive 8 (+10)

Feats: 14 pp

Attack Focus: Melee (4)

Beginner’s Luck

Dodge Focus (4)

Improved Initiative

Power Attack

Takedown Attack

Uncanny Dodge (auditory)

Powers: 52 pp

Immunity 3 (aging, disease, poison) [3 pp]

Protection 3 [3 pp]

Regeneration 0 (PFs: Persistent, Regrowth) [2 pp]

Mutation Array [42+2=44 pp]

Enhanced STR 20 and Impervious TOU 8and Super-Strength 6 (Heavy Load: 48 tons)

AP: Healing 10 (Extras: Action [standard], Total) (PFs: Persistent, Regrowth)

AP: Transform 10 (living to living) (Extra Duration [sustained] (+0) ) (PFs: Precise, Subtle)

costs

abilities 30 + combat 28 + saves 10 + skills 16/64 + feats 14 + powers 52 = 150 pts

Design Notes:

Here's my attempt at a life controller/biokinetic, modeled on the sadly absent Wesley Knight. The general idea is that our hero here can control the very stuff of life itself, molding and shaping humanity at his touch: he can enhance his own physique to incredible, superhuman levels and become super-strong and bulletproof, he can heal the injuries of others or his own with just a touch, even overcoming particularly damaging poisons or injuries, and perhaps most frightening of all: he can transform other living beings into whatever he desires with a touch! (Well, assuming they fail the Fort save). This is the Mutation power from UP, and plenty scary. Note that he can't actually take anything away, or kill somebody directly, but he can do some pretty gross things. He can be as subtle as putting someone in a short-term coma (dropping their INT/WIS/CHA to 0 and maybe giving them some immunities in the process) or as gross as putting their legs where their head should be and their nose in their navel! (That's a pretty straightforward rearrangement of DEX, among other things). Note that you shouldn't treat the latter power as an excuse to go crazy: an ideal use of the PC would be somebody who uses the power to heal and stun, maybe to punch robots or really bad guys if he's mad, and looks harmless right up until he gets sorely pressed by a very bad villain, and then shows him what it means to control life itself!

He has some innate powers that don't require direct use of his attention, like an immunity to many physical problems that's natural to his way of living, and the ability to (eventually) regrow any injury short of death itself. It seemed like a doctor wouldn't want to completely overcome death, at least not his own death. Transform can't be used for yourself (that's what Shapeshift is for), so stunt a personal 'transformation' if you want to make him spaceworthy: that's why he's got that massive array! (You technically CAN stunt things like Shapeshift [i.e, Variables], but it's really not anything you should actually be doing. I went with the idea that this is a doctor, a basically friendly man who wants to make life better for others, and uses his powers to help long before he uses them to hurt. The Hippocratic Oath is one hell of a Complication for a superhero, don't be afraid to make use of it. You could change his medical background up some (his powers seemed the logical development for a really, really dedicated surgeon): maybe he's a tattoo artist whose interest in human flesh is artistic rather than scientific? (Did that sound creepy? Hmm, I guess it did) You could make him Jewish and give him a strange aversion to pork; who knows where that might come from, eh? :?

His Transform is Sustained, so its changes aren't permanent: this makes book-keeping easier, gives people a chance to overcome it with more saves, and is generally aimed at making him less freaky all around. Maybe not be a weirdo with the guy, and he'll be very popular socially. Think of all the beneficial tricks he can do for his friends with his Transform! He's like the world's nicest, least dysfunctional plastic surgeon. (Stunt Continuous and have the person pay for any permanent changes you make, naturally) It's also touch-range, another way of keeping a very powerful character from being too powerful. Think about buying small powers to represent various personal upgrades: Flight and Speed for movement, more Immunities, more Regeneration. Or go ahead and buy a low-ranked Shapeshift, maybe with the Action flaw to make it tougher to use, and use that for the raw numbers of being able to rearrange your flesh on the fly. This character has the potential to be very creepy, but I think he's much more fun to play as the nice, kindly doctor who only wants to help people, but who is the wrong man to cross when pressed!

[Avenger Assembled]

Giant Lincoln

Be sure you put your feet in the right place, then stand firm. -Abraham Lincoln

PL: 10 (150)

Abilities: 22 pp

STR 40 [16] (+15/+3)

DEX 10 (+0)

CON 32 [20] (+11/+5)

INT 12 (+1)

WIS 12 (+1)

CHA 12 (+1)

Combat: 28 pp

ATK: +7 (+9 Melee) (+3 w/size/+5 Melee)

DEF: +7 (+3 w/size/+5)

Init: +0

Grapple: +11/+34 w/full size

Saves: 12 pp

TOU +15 (+5 Con, +6 Growth, +4 Protection)

FORT +12 (+5 Con, +6 Growth, +1)

REF +5 (+0 Ref, +5)

WILL +7 (+1 Wis, +6)

Skills: 15pp=60 r

Bluff 2 (+3)

Concentration 15 (+16)

Diplomacy 9 (+10)

Intimidate 8 (+9/+15)

Knowledge: Civics 4 (+5)

Knowledge: History 4 (+5)

Notice 9 (+10)

Sense Motive 9 (+10)

Feats: 8 pp

Attack Focus: Melee 2

Dodge Focus 2

Interpose

Second Chance (Concentration checks)

Startle

Takedown Attack

Powers: 65 pp

Alternate Form 13 (Duration: Sustained) (Abraham Lincoln Statue) [65 pp]

Growth 12 [36]

-4 ATK/DEF, +12 Grapple, -12 Stealth, +6 Intimidate, 32 ft tall, 32K lbs, 20 ft Space, 15 ft Reach, x3 Carrying Capacity

Immunity 10 (aging, life support) [10]

Impervious TOU 10 [10]

Protection 4 [4]

Super-Strength 2 (Heavy Load: 192 tons) (PF: Groundstrike) [5]

costs

abilities 22 + combat 28 + saves 12 + skills 15/60 + feats 8 + powers 65 = 150 pts

---

Design Notes:

Here’s the statue of Abraham Lincoln in the Lincoln Memorial as a PL 10 starting character. With Growth 12, he’s a bit taller than the Lincoln statue (32 feet to its 28 feet), but I tell myself that part of that was that Lincoln was a tall guy, so you slap some ranks of Growth on him and he’s taller than your average giant guy. With his bulletproof skin and immunity to most environmental concerns along with his great size and strength, he can convincingly rep being made of marble. (A Fort immunity would be way too costly, given his tremendous size) You could give him some low ranks of Density if you really want to get technical about it, but I think the weight distinction is basically academic given how much even a normal person made thirty feet tall actually weighs.

True, I did already build Abraham Lincoln, but not cast in gigantic marble! In my mind, this could certainly be the spirit of the 16th President brought to life in giant marble, but I actually built this with a different idea. (Largely because the thought of ruining that lovely statue is depressing, since he’d have to stand up to get out of the building and would thusly burst burst his way through the roof): this is a Lincoln impersonator (of whom there are many), who one day gained the power to be the symbol for America that he always wanted to be! Imbued with the spirit of the Lincoln statue, he goes out to fight bad-doers. Consider him an all-American Captain Marvel-type, perhaps with a magic word. (IOW, while he turns into the statue, he himself is not the statue, just as Captain Marvel is not actually Zeus). If you did want to make this the statue, I’d definitely make that Growth Innate, and possibly Permanent. In that case, hopefully he’s got a Normal ID, or maybe just a hinge on the roof of the Lincoln Memorial.

He’s not as strong as a powerhouse with Super-Strength, but with his massive size he’s still a great grappler. Between Takedown Attack and how his giant stone fists function as area attacks, he’s really good at goon sweeping, and with his high Impervious and Ultimate TOU he’s not as vulnerable as your typical squishy-giant guy. He’s a great addition to a patriotic super-team, and a good ‘Big Guy’: consider buying up his Charisma and giving him Inspire, or just Leadership to start with. With his massive Intimidate thanks to his size, he’s great at Startling, and he shouldn’t have any real trouble catching most people flat-footed. Remember to All-Out Attack when fighting the little guys, sucking up any damage your dropped Defense gives you for Ultimate TOU. He’s the symbol of America’s greatest President and most inspiring leader in the body of a thirty-foot marble statue. Let’s do this!

[Avenger Assembled]

Evil Sorcerer

In 1697, Abigail Williams lay dying. She was just seventeen. Having fled Salem after the collapse of the witch trials, she’d been forced into the grim life of an unattached girl in Puritan Massachusetts and disease had rapidly taken its toll. Maybe she had deserved punishment for her role in the Witch Trials, where over a dozen men and women had gone to the gallows on the word of her and her friends, but she’d been a child then. After years of life on the streets, doing all she could to survive, she wasn’t a child anymore. As she lay dying of pneumonia, she remembered the words of her childhood and sketched out on the floor of her tavern home a terrible pattern in her own blood. And as happens sometimes, particularly in darkling lands founded on the blood of innocents, Something answered her. Abigail pledged her life, her soul, and all else to her new patron, and that Dark Lady gave her power and immortality in return. Hellish flames burned that house to the ground, and Williams never looked back. Instead she headed to Europe, where there were more infernalists to learn from, and then elsewhere to learn the black and terrible magics of Hell.

As a girl Abigal had preferred to draw attention to herself, but as an adult she learned discretion. Fires and plagues followed her wherever she went, and she played the innocent young woman through them all, sometimes sadistically blaming a man or woman who had offended her for the deed. Across Europe and Asia, wherever she could go and not be questioned, many died where her feet walked, many more died at her word. By the late 1700s, some eighty years after her death, she was ready to go back to Massachusetts and burn it to the ground. But she hadn’t counted on the spread of science, or rather, a scientific understanding of magic: Paul Revere’s alchemically-treated silver proved sufficient to hold her, while Benjamin Franklin’s Masonic rituals were powerful enough to bind her for generations into a vessel made of the same stern stuff. It wasn’t until the early 20th century that an unwise thief robbed the Franklin house and tried to melt the silver down for its raw value. As a laughing young woman emerged from the melting silver, he learned his mistake far too late. In the years since, cunning Abby has proved among the most successful infernalists, careful to play her demonic patrons off each other, careful to keep herself out of the terrible crimes she inflicts, and careful to keep the glee off her face as she watches the innocent die at her hands. Their souls may go to Heaven, but their AGONY goes to the Things below that are her true mother and father. It’s all they deserve, anyway.

Abigal Williams still looks like a stereotypical Puritan in body-covering black and white pointed cap, at least when she’s outraged enough to stop using her body-warping magics. She avoids the world-wrecking threats of her fellow infernalists, instead typically moving into a hotel or homeless shelter, spreading disease and starting fires through magic, and then encouraging the survivors to abandon the God that had done so little for them and pledge their souls to Satan afterwards. Once they do, she gives them a chance to meet their new lord immediately, and then she moves on. Until she shows her full powers when sorely pressed, she looks like a low-level cult leader, and is one Hell of a surprise for low-level heroes expecting her to not be particularly powerful: she doesn’t look like an immortal, centuries-old infernalist. But when she laughs, when she really laughs, she sounds like one.

Suggested Powers

Drain All Ability Scores X (Extras: Contagious, Disease) (PFs: Insidious, Subtle)

Hellfire Control X (Extras: Range [Perception], Vampiric)

Regeneration X

Teleport X

[Avenger Assembled]

Out-Of-This-World Adventurer

"Flag on the moon. How did it get there?" -Coleman Francis

PL: 10 (150)

Abilities: 38 pp

STR 26 (+8)

DEX 14 (+2)

CON 14 (+2)

INT 20 (+5)

WIS 14 (+2)

CHA 10 (+0)

Combat: 24 pp

ATK: +6 (+12 Melee)

DEF: +12 (+3 flat-footed)

Init: +6

Grapple: +20

Saves: 16 pp

TOU +8 (+2 Con, +6 Protection)

FORT +7 (+2 Con, +5)

REF +7 (+2 Ref, +5)

WILL +8 (+2 Wis, +6)

Skills: 17 pp=68 r

Craft (electronic) 5 (+10)

Intimidate 12 (+12)

Investigate 10 (+15)

Knowledge: Technology 5 (+10)

Languages 2 (English, Grue) (Base: Lor)

Notice 8 (+10)

Sense Motive 8 (+10)

Stealth 13 (+15)

Feats: 17 pp

Attack Focus: Melee 6,

Dodge Focus 6,

Improved Initiative,

Move-By Action

Power Attack

Takedown Attack

Uncanny Dodge (auditory)

Powers: 38 pp

Device 5 (Flight Ring) (Hard to Lose) (PFs: Restrictedx2) [22 pp]

-Enhanced Feat 1 (Quick Change) [1]

-Flight 3 (50 MPH) [6]

-Immunity 9 (Life Support) [9]

-Impervious TOU 8 [8]

-Space Flight 1 (1c) [1]

Gadgets 1 (Hard to Lose) (Extras: Action [Free]) [9 pp]

Protection 6 [6 pp]

Speed 1 (10 MPH) [1 pp]

costs

abilities 38+ combat 24 + saves 16 + skills 17/68 + feats 17+ powers 38 = 150 pts

-------

Design Notes:

Here is an alien space bat: a costumed adventurer type powered by super-science that's totally out of this world. He could be from the future, a member of a legion of heroes centuries hence, or maybe he's an alien and part of a guard of powerful individuals who protects the interests of the Lor government. Either way, he's an interesting blend of several different types of characters with enormous flexibility thanks to his Gadgets: 5 pp may not seem like much, but changing it as a free action (while still meeting his offensive and defensive caps) is extremely useful. Feel free to push the limits of Silver/Bronze Age super-science all you want: If he needs a scanner to detect the weaknesses of his enemies, a specially focused strike to hit them where it hurts, or just a warp drive unit, he can summon it up as long as it only costs 5 pp. His Flight and Space Flight are both high enough to get around okay in their native element, but if he really wanted to go faster, he should pump it up with some kind of crazy space jetpack.

His Flight Ring (which could also be a belt, or spacesuit) gives him great mobility and makes him much tougher than your average costumed adventurer. Wherever he lives he's an interesting spin on the costumed adventurer, a man whose great brain lets him compete with a world where super-technology is available to just about everyone. Despite his high INT, he doesn't have Inventor. In my experience, that doesn't come up enough in threads for non-science types to bother with it. It's a natural way to shift his focus a bit, though, if you are interested. I figure his Speed, Protection, and high base STR are all a product of whatever version of humanity (Lor or future) that he comes from. His Charisma's relatively low; wherever he's from isn't quite like here, and he's having some issues relating to people despite his great brain. That's okay, though, that's what his friends from around here are for to help him with.

It's up to you where he's from; being from the distant future could cause just as many culture clashes as being from the heart of the Lor Republic. (Though really, someone from the future should have some Knowledge: history if you don't want them to sound like a cretin) Is he stranded here by accident or politics, or has he consciously chosen to make this alien place his home? Maybe this is Midnight Infinity, or Raven Infinity, or Geckoman Infinity (or any of our other costumed adventurer types) come back to the past to investigate the origins of his ancient legacy (hopefully he'll be glad about what he's found!) or maybe he's part of the personal guard of the Lor Counsel, and he's come to investigate the heroes of Earth for his own and his government's purposes. (Or perhaps he's a good man breaking from a wicked master, like Star-Khan!)

[Avenger Assembled]

Grown-Up Sidekick

"The future is now."

PL: 10 (150)

Abilities: 40 pp

STR 20 (+5)

DEX 20 (+5)

CON 20 (+5)

INT 10 (+0)

WIS 16 (+3)

CHA 14 (+2)

Combat: 32 pp

ATK: +8 (+13 Melee/+15 Unarmed)

DEF: +13 (+4 flat-footed)

Init: +9

Grapple: +18

Saves: 8 pp

TOU +7 (+5 Con, +2 Protection)

FORT +7 (+5 Con, +2)

REF +7 (+5 Dex, +2)

WILL +7 (+3 Wis, +4)

Skills: 24 pp=96 r

Acrobatics 15 (+20)

Bluff 13 (+15)

Climb 5 (+10)

Craft (mechanical) 8 (+8)

Gather Info 8 (+10)

Intimidate 8 (+10)

Investigate 10 (+10)

Notice 7 (+10)

Search 5 (+5)

Sense Motive 7 (+10)

Stealth 10 (+15)

Feats: 24 pp

Acrobatic Bluff

Attack Focus: Melee 5

Attack Specialization: Unarmed

Challenge 2 (Fast Acrobatic Bluff, Fast Taunt)

Dodge Focus 5

Evasion

Improved Initiative

Leadership

Luck

Move-By Action

Power Attack

Set-Up

Takedown Attack

Taunt

Uncanny Dodge (auditory)

Powers: 22 pp

Device 5 (Mentor’s Costume) (Hard to Lose) (PFs: Restricted 2) [22 pp]

-Enhanced Feats 10 [beginner’s Luck, Eidetic Memory, Jack of All Trades, Luck, Quick Change, Second Chance 2 (Notice, Sense Motive), Skill Mastery 2 (Acrobatics, Bluff, Gather Info, Intimidate, Investigate, Notice, Sense Motive, Stealth), Well-Informed] [10]

-Features 2 (Cellphone, Computer) [2]

-Leaping 1 (x2) [1]

-Protection 2 [2]

-Speed 1 (10 MPH) [1]

-Super-Movement 2 (Slow Fall, Swinging) [4]

-Super-Senses 5 (Communications Link [Mentor] [radio], Analytical Vision, Darkvision, Radio) [5]

costs

abilities 40 + combat 32 + saves 8 + skills 22/88 + feats 24 + powers 22 = 150 pts

----

Design Notes:

OK, the idea is that this is a former teen sidekick who has upgraded to the big leagues. Most of her feats are designed along those lines: her specialty used to be setting up bad guys for her mentor by means of flashy acrobatic kicks and taunts, but she's very good at that kind of combat debuffing on her own behalf. Her Leadership represents an inspiring speech from a young sidekick, but could just as easily be directed at other, younger heroes. She'd work really well as part of, or even leader of, a team; she's been part of that struggle her whole life! Her mentor is too old or too sick to fight alongside her, so instead she's back in the Cave, conversing with her protege turned successor by means of an earpiece built right into her costume. The idea is that her (unstatted) mentor constantly hears and sees what she does, and is able to offer guidance through their connection; it's that source of advice, plus a boost of confidence, that makes her so much more confident when she's wearing her mentor's old gear.

Freedom City is, by some standards, more realistic than other comic book settings. We really don't want you having your character debut as an eight-year-old, even if now they're an adult (or at least an older teen), that would have gotten your mentor in jail and you gone to child protective services! But maybe you're the daughter or ward of a hero trained from childhood that way, one who finally got that costumed debut in their mid-teens after years of pressing for it (and maybe the occasional adventure earlier...), and is now in their mid-twenties and ready to assume a much more active role in their life. Think about history a little, given how much this character is tied to her new status and thus where she was when she was younger: a character who debuted at 16 in 2001 is 26 and ready to take up her own role now (god, that makes me feel old), and has grown up as a hero in a very different setting than a hero from an earlier generation might have lived through.

The streets are a tough place, and this young lady has grown up in the heart of them, where her circumstances forged her into a weapon for her mentor's war on crime. But that's okay; she has a personal connection to the greatest crime fighter in the world, she's wearing the colors and costume of the city's great defender, and she's taking to the streets on her own now to defend the people she grew up fighting for. Her mentor's old friends, rivals, and bitter enemies are natural complications for her. (Who was her dad back in the day? The answer may surprise her!) She's the perfect choice to become part of a new team of young heroes (or perhaps a Claremont team, depending on exactly how long her training took), with her experience making her a valuable addition to any team of young people just starting out in the hero gig.

[Avenger Assembled]

Hellhound

“If you’re going through Hell, keep going.” -Winston Churchill

PL: 10 (150)

Abilities: 60 pp

STR 30 (+10)

DEX 16 (+3)

CON 30 (+10)

INT 10 (+0)

WIS 24 (+7)

CHA 10 (+0)

Combat: 24 pp

ATK: +6 (+10 Melee)

DEF: +10 (+3 flat-footed)

Grapple: +22

Init: +3

Saves: 3 pp

TOU +10 (+10 Con)

FORT +10 (+10 Con)

REF +6 (+3 Dex, +3)

WILL +7 (+7 Wis)

Skills: 56 r=14 pp

Intimidate 10 (+10)

Knowledge: Theology and Philosophy 4 (+4)

Language 1 (Infernal) (Base: English)

Notice 13 (+20)

Sense Motive 8 (+15)

Stealth 12 (+15)

Survival 8 (+15)

Feats: 16 pp

Attack Focus: Melee 4

Dodge Focus 4

Challenge (Fast Startle)

Improved Initiative

Move-By Action

Quick Change

Second Chance (Tracking checks)

Skill Mastery (Intimidate, Notice, Sense Motive, Survival)

Startle

Uncanny Dodge (olfactory)

Powers: 37 pp

Enhanced Feats 4 (Improved Crit 2, Variable Descriptor 2 [any infernal]) [4 pp]

Leaping 1 (x2) [1 pp]

Immunity 4 (aging, disease, environmental heat, poison) [4 pp]

Impervious TOU 10 (Drawback: Not vs. Holy) [9 pp]

Speed 1 (10 MPH) [1 pp]

Super-Senses 8 (Accurate Acute Analytical Extended Tracking 3 [full-speed] Scent) [8 pp]

Super-Strength 1 (Heavy Load: 1.5 tons) [2 pp]

Teleport 1 (100 ft) (Extra: Accurate) (PF: Change Velocity) [4+1=5 pp]

AP: Dimensional Movement 2 (any hell)

Drawback: -3 pp

Vulnerable (holy) (uncommon, major) [3 pp]

costs

abilities 60 + combat 24 + saves 3 + skills 14/56 + feats 16 + powers 37 -drawback 3= 150 pts

--------------------

Design Notes:

The idea here is that this character is an infernal tracker and hunter: something like a demonic werewolf in terms of look and raw power. Tracked with bringing escaped demons back to the Hell from which they came (and indeed perhaps there are more than one!), or returning the souls of the worst of the worst, this hound has slipped his leash, perhaps thanks to spending time alongside superheroes either as uneasy ally or bitter foe. Now he fights to keep anyone from going to the place below that spawned him, saving lives and souls at once, and maybe if he’s lucky finding some measure of redemption for his lifetime of serving the powers of evil. In my mind, he looks like a normal man unless he’s unleashing the terrible power of the beast within. In a Freedom City setting, he’s probably a scion of the legendary Cereberus, servant and guardian of Hades himself.

His Scent lets him track anyone without Olfactory Concealment for tremendous distances, and to do so at great speed: the Hellhound is indeed a mighty hunter! No Rage, as I don’t like the mechanics we use for it, but he could certainly pick up a few ranks without any change to the design concept. (OTOH, maybe he’s a hero because he’s lost his rage these days...) With his Leaping, Teleport, and Speed, not to mention high Stealth, he can stalk his targets like Jason stalks a randy couple of teenagers, chasing them through locked doors and through walls without too many problems. That also means that he’ll leave behind a very puzzling scene for anyone following his movements. No Attack on his Dimensional Movement: if you want that, stunt it off his Teleport array, using your HP from the Complication to power it. No Strike, as usual with claws characters: I figure using his Enhanced Feats is how he represents putting the bite on someone.

No Fearless on him; abused animals may seem lethal, but ultimately most of them are actually very afraid. And there’s not much more scary than an angry demonic master! (He can’t have caught the guy all the time, right?) He’s very, very tough, at least not vs. superheroes: while hurting him with blessed weapons is an easy job, you’ll have to hit him hard enough to power through his Impervious otherwise. If he has left Hades, he’s got one hell of an Enemy complication, given the threat that terrible fellow poses to the heroes of Freedom and the relationship with the setting as a whole, not to mention former kennelmates who might have a grudge about him defecting and joining the enemy.

[Avenger Assembled]

The Escapist

All the best stories in the world are but one story in reality - the story of escape -Walter Bagehot

PL: 10 (150)

Abilities: 32 pp

STR 26 [16] (+8/+3)

DEX 26 [16] (+8/+3)

CON 26 [16] (+8/+3)

INT 20 (+5)

WIS 14 (+2)

CHA 10 (+0)

Combat: 24 pp

ATK: +6 (+12 Melee)

DEF: +12 (+3 flat-footed)

Init: +8

Grapple: +20

Saves: 9 pp

TOU +8 (+8 Con)

FORT +10 (+8 Con, +2)

REF +10 (+8 Dex, +2)

WILL +7 (+2 Wis, +5)

Skills: 64 r=16 pp

Acrobatics 7 (+15)*

Climb 2 (+10)

Disable Device 15 (+20)*

Drive 2 (+10)

Escape Artist 12 (+20)*

Language 1 (German) (Base: English)

Notice 8 (+10)

Sense Motive 8 (+10)

Sleight of Hand 2 (+10)

Stealth 7 (+15)*

Feats: 20 pp

Acrobatic Bluff

Attack Focus: Melee 6

Dodge Focus 6

Evasion

Move-By Action

Power Attack

Second Chance (Disable Device checks)

Skill Mastery (Acrobatics, Disable Device, Escape Artist, Stealth)

Takedown Attack

Ultimate Skill (Escape Artist)

Uncanny Dodge (auditory)

Powers: 48 pp

Enhanced CON 10 [10 pp]

Enhanced DEX 10 [10 pp]

Enhanced STR 10 [10 pp]

Nullify 8 (all binding and imprisoning effects) (Flaw: Touch Range) [8 pp]

Quickness 6 (x100) (Flaw:Limited [Physical Actions Only]) [3 pp]

Speed 1 (10 MPH) [1 pp]

Super-Movement 3 (Slow Fall, Wall-Crawling 2) [6 pp]

costs

abilities 31 + combat 24 + saves 9 + skills 16/64 + feats 21 + powers 48 = 150 pts

---------------

Design Notes:

Here's the Escapist, the legendary Golden Age hero created by Joe Cavalier and Sam Clay for Empire Comics back in the 1930s and recently revived by (among other people), Max Roth. For those unfamiliar with the character, the Escapist (aka Tom Mayflower) was a young man given a mystic key and costume by his dying escape artist uncle, giving him the power to transform into the Escapist. Working with his team of allies and as champion of the League of the Golden Key, he fights injustice and slavery elsewhere, particularly the machinations of the evil Society of the Iron Chain. Neither of these would be that tough to integrate into the Freedom City setting, though of course you'd have to change things up to put a copyrighted character into our setting! That's why I didn't stick with authenticity too much. This is something of an "Ultimate Escapist", incorporating the several versions of the character that have been published over the years: he's juuust at the edge of superhumanly fast, strong, and tough, but he's not at his tank-tossing self that he was back in the Golden Age. Fluff his Slow Fall and Wall-Crawling as being part of his superhuman agility and training; he climbs up sheer walls because he's just that good, and survives long falls via careful application of flips and tricks.

Unlike Mayflower, he's not dependent on his costume to transform; if you want him to be, treat that as a Complication rather than disable him in his secret ID. This character is the Ultimate Escape Artist. (Indeed, the Escapist has actually escaped comic book reality into the world of metafiction: no mean feat for a funny book guy! I didn't give him Insubstantial 1, because that would be cheating, but between his incredible Escape Artist and Disable Device there are no locks and bars that can hold him, even without his powers. With the help of his mystic abilities gained through the Golden Key, he can slip the shackles of gods and liberate the enslaved anywhere, and he can do it fast! The only way to hold him is to drop him in a solid sphere, and even then with his super-high skills and powers he can probably come up with _something_...his Nullify is cribbed from Freedom City's own Lady Liberty, who probably has a similar legacy in the Freedom City universe. (Hey, to keep that Freedom City connection, maybe this guy is the son of the Golden Age Lady Liberty, and inherited a portion of her powers...)

He could use some Perform if you want, if you do want to make him a stage escape performer. He'd go great with my Combat Magician upthread as quite a surprise for anyone robbing a stage show. The Escapist's Shadow-esque circle of allies should be bought as their own characters, of course, maybe represented as access to various skills and feats on his sheet if you don't want them statted out directly. His Rivalry/Romance with Luna Moth is a good complication, as his conflict with vicious anti-hero Mr. Machine Gun. Maybe replace Luna Moth with a PC (if you can hack it), or make Mr. Machine Gun the Silencer to continue the Freedom City connection. It can be tough adapting a famous character like this one, but there's nothing wrong with playing an Expy like this, particularly of a character that was so influential on the medium of comics. (For those who don't get the joke here, investigate the works of Michael Chabon for further information!

[Avenger Assembled]

Immortal Swashbuckler

"We are the champions, my friends." -Queen

PL: 10 (150)

Abilities: 26 pp

STR 16 (+3)

DEX 20 (+5)

CON 16 (+3)

INT 10 (+0)

WIS 14 (+2)

CHA 12 (+1)

Combat: 28 pp

ATK: +6 (+12 melee/+14 swords)

DEF: +13 (+4 flat-footed)

Init: +5

Grapple: +15

Saves: 10 pp

TOU +7 (+3 Con, +4 Protection)

FORT +7 (+3 Con, +4)

REF +7 (+5 Dex, +2)

WILL +10 (+2 Wis, +8)

Skills: 72 r=18 pp

Acrobatics 10 (+15)

Bluff 14 (+15)

Knowledge (History) 10 (+10)

Languages 8 (Pick 8)

Notice 8 (+10)

Ride 1 (+5)

Sense Motive 13 (+15)

Stealth 5 (+10)

Survival 3 (+5)

Feats: 19 pp

Acrobatic Bluff,

Attack Focus: Melee (6),

Attack Specialization: Sword,

Beginner’s Luck

Dodge Focus 5,

Eidetic Memory,

Evasion,

Jack of all Trades,

Power Attack,

Takedown Attack,

Uncanny Dodge (auditory)

Powers: 42 pp

Device 1 (Sword) (Easy to Lose) (PF: Subtle [collapsible]) [4 pp]

-Strike 3 (PFs: Improved Crit, Mighty) [5]

Immunity 3 (aging, disease, poison) [3 pp]

Protection 4 [4 pp]

Regeneration 30 (Recovery Bonus 6 [total +9], Staggered 6 (1/no action), Disabled 8 (1/no action) Resurrection 8 (1/round) (PF: Regrowth) [31 pp]

costs

abilities 30 + combat 28 + saves 13 + skills 18/72 + feats 20 + powers 41= 150 pts

---------

Design Notes:

I did an Immortal build upthread, but that lady was more like Vandal Savage. This is a Highlander-style immortal; a lady who's deadly with a blade but who can't ever die herself. It's been a while since I've watched the show, but I've tried to represent her correctly. Her sword is collapsible to represent how people on the show were always whipping claymore and katanas out of who knows where: she probably carries it around in a swordcane. She's quite a bit tougher than the human norm, shrugging off damage that would hurt a normal person, and her Regeneration is...pricey! She can carry on in a fight, taking lots of dramatic injuries, but anything lethal and she'll just spring up as mad as hell and with a deadly blade in hand. (She's also a good melee fighter without it, as a build like this really should be.) She can be knocked unconscious, the better to escape a deadly trap later! She is capable of starving or suffocating to death (though she'll be back...) as the show itself demonstrated more than once; depending on exactly how old she is, that might have happened to her more than once. (And a fear of being closed in and thus suffocating is a great complication) No Quickening or electric head-chopping powers, since that's not really in-genre for a superhero.

It's been said that immortals would be discontented with the human condition, that they would look at the world of 2011 and be horrified at how little man has grown. Man, screw that noise. Our lady here can travel from Freedom City to Australia in a day, have kids who'll grow into adulthood, and talk to anyone at any point in the world, or access nearly the sum total of human knowledge, just by pressing a few buttons. (Having issues with doing any of those things, of course, is a great complication) She also has indoor plumbing, and doesn't have to worry about her friends keeling over and dying of the Black Plague: she's also very unlikely to be burned as a witch (again). The present's pretty great, and the future's gonna be even better! We've had a lot of sybaritic bi immortals running around here, and that's cool I guess, but you know it's also possible that getting old won't change your sexual orientation one way or another: someone born in the highlands of Scotland in the 1600s is not going to have the same perspective on things like sexuality and culture that we do anyway. Read your Foucault, kids!

The iconic immortal in the Freedom City setting is Daedalus, of course, but you've also got people like Medea running around. This lady probably got to know them pretty well over the centuries, or maybe she didn't: the world is a big place, and she'd have had no way of recognizing other immortals unless she got very, very lucky. Note that she's probably from 'historical' times, since she speaks a lot of languages instead of all of them. One possible way of explaining her powers is that maybe she's the daughter of Daedalus or Medea, or some other immortal, and she inherited their abilities much to the surprise of a parent who had no idea they existed, or had already moved on from that relationship. Immortality is often written of as a curse, but it really doesn't have to be. Earn your Forever Happy Ending by making everyone else happy too!

[Avenger Assembled]

Wonderella

"How's THAT taste, Guam?"

PL: 10 (150)

Abilities: 20 pp

STR 30 [14] (+10/+2)

DEX 16 (+3)

CON 16 (+3)

INT 10 (+0)

WIS 14 (+2)

CHA 10 (+0)

Combat: 24 pp

ATK: +6 (+10 Unarmed)

DEF: +10 (+3 flat-footed)

Init: +3

Grapple: +21

Saves: 10 pp

TOU +10 (+3 Con, +7 Protection)

FORT +6 (+3 Con, +3)

REF +6 (+3 Dex, +3)

WILL +6 (+2 Wis, +4)

Skills: 28 r=7 pp

Bluff 8 (+8/+12)

Intimidate 8 (+8)

Knowledge: Arcane Lore 1 (+1)

Knowledge: Pop Culture 1 (+1)

Knowledge: Theology and Philosophy 1 (+1)

Language 1 (Greek) (Base: English)

Notice 3 (+5)

Pilot 2 (+5)

Sense Motive 3 (+5)

Feats: 14 pp

Attack Specialization: Unarmed (2)

Attractive

Dodge Focus (4)

Equipment (2)

Fearless

Luck

Power Attack,

Takedown Attack,

Uncanny Dodge (auditory)

Powers: 75 pp

Adaption 1 (Extra: Reaction [+4]) (PF: Subtle) [11 pp]

Enhanced STR 16 [16 pp]

Impervious TOU 10 [10 pp]

Nemesis 2 (PF: Subtle) [19 pp]

Protection 7 [7 pp]

Super-Strength 5 (Heavy Load: 24 tons) [Dynamic] [10+1+2=13 pp]

DAP: Leaping 10 (x2500)

costs

abilities 20 + combat 24 + saves 10 + skills 7/28 + feats 14 + powers 75 = 150 pts

Equipment

Invisibile Blimp (As Airship, but with the Concealment (all visual senses) power) [10 ep]

---------

Design Notes:

Here's Wonderella, the protagonist (not really heroine) of the demented Wonderella webcomic. To get some idea of her characterization. imagine Elaine from Seinfeld as Wonder Woman, and you've got the basic gist of Wonderella, aka Dana Price. She's got the Charisma of a brick, since she's not a very likable person, but just enough social skills for her 'friends' to put up with her: she has Attractive to explain why pyromaniac terrorist Devlin keeps hooking up with her on Valentine's Day. Her 'friends' Queen Beetle and Patrianna aren't included here, as they're independent characters, as is her sidekick Wonderita. (Wonderita looks like any perky teen sidekick until you cross her) I was able to afford her Invisible Blimp, something I am very proud of, and presumably a PC version of the character will be able to get better use of it than her comics self. (Comics Wonderella mostly uses it for parties, and so you can't get around without running through invisible beer cans). She can't fly, but she can totally jump hella high.

Not enough points for her time machine; stunt it off the Blimp if you have to (it only comes up in every few adventures.) You could give her Rage plausibly enough, but I chose to cover her temper with Fearless and Intimidate: I figure she only really flips out when her Complications are riding her hard, giving her lots of HP. She's famous for her bizarre powers, which I think I've covered OK with Nemesis and Adaptation: she can tell plants to die with Drain Con 10 (Area [burst]) (Limited: Plants Only), she can Summon a giant Octopus big enough to subdue an enemy, and she can Adapt to a hostile environment (like hearing about her mom's sex life) by Morphing into a perfect sphere. An Immunity to Mental Effects via Nemesis also helps explain why she can deal with her local Starro-expy so equitably. Otherwise she's a basically one-dimensional brick: I went with Protection rather than a high Con to explain why she's able to get wasted so often. Very low Notice and Sense Motive, very little Knowledges: she's not very observant or smart. Still, she's got a lot of Complications and a lot of HP; it's not many characters who have canonically beaten up Squirrel Girl!

Our game is a little too serious (and not comedically violent enough) for a Wonderella straight Expy to be a PC here, obviously. (For one thing, you do have to be a superhero, and Dana Prince is only one by a very generous definition of the term indeed) Sometimes characters who are fun to read about would really not make good PCs, and would probably not be a lot of fun to know in real life. So, how do you make this into an actually viable PC? My advice is to make this the former sidekick of an obnoxious sellout hero from the 90s, somebody everyone else hated but who fit in OK in the violent climate of the era. Now she's working to be a hero in her own right, and dealing with the Complications of her mentor's horrible, horrible reputation. Not to mention the machinations of Hitlerella, Jokerella, and trying to figure out what she did last night.

[Avenger Assembled]

Balder

Thou wilt become a renowned king, and do celebrated deeds. Many men wilt thou bring to faith and baptism, and both to thy own and others' good; and that thou mayst have no doubt of the truth of this answer, listen to these tokens. When thou comest to thy ships many of thy people will conspire against thee, and then a battle will follow in which many of thy men will fall, and thou wilt be wounded almost to death, and carried upon a shield to thy ship; yet after seven days thou shalt be well of thy wounds, and immediately thou shalt let thyself be baptized-From the life of King Olaf I, first Christian king of Norway

PL: 10 (150)

Abilities: 66 pp

STR 24 (+7)

DEX 24 (+7)

CON 24 (+7)

INT 10 (+0)

WIS 20 (+5)

CHA 24 (+7)

Combat: 16 pp

ATK: +4 (+8 Melee)

DEF: +8 (+2 flat-footed)

Grapple: +15

Init: +7

Saves: 5 pp

TOU +12 (+7 Con, +5)

FORT +10 (+7 Con, +3)

REF +7 (+7 Dex)

WILL +7 (+5 Wis, +2)

Skills: 52 r=13 pp

Acrobatics 8 (+15)

Diplomacy 8 (+15)

Intimidate 8 (+15)

Knowledge: Theology and Philosophy 5 (+5)

Language 3 (Hebrew, Latin, Old Norse) (Base: English)

Notice 5 (+10)

Perform (contrabasson) 5 (+12)

Sense Motive 10 (+15)

Feats: 14 pp

Acrobatic Bluff

Attack Focus: Melee 4

Distract (Diplomacy)

Dodge Focus 4

Move-By Action

Power Attack

Startle

Takedown Attack

Uncanny Dodge (auditory)

Powers: 36 pp

Comprehend 3 (speak and understand all languages simultaneously) [6 pp]

Flight 3 (50 MPH) [6 pp]

Immunity 10 (aging, life support) [10 pp]

Protection 5 [5 pp]

Regeneration 1 (Resurrection 1/week) (PFs: Persistent, Regrowth) [3 pp]

Strike 5 (PFs: Mighty) 'holy weapon' [6 pp]

costs

abilities 66 + combat 16 + saves 5 + skills 13/52 + feats 14 + powers 36 = 150 pts

------

Design Notes:

From a possible (well, technically) future where Freedom Angel and Thrude decide to settle the differences between their respective Godheads the old-fashioned way (i.e., sexually), here's Balder. He's named for his late uncle, the Norse deity who got shoved into the Jesus-role in most of the post-Christianization chronicles of Scandanavia, when the newly Christian chroniclers were looking for a Jesus figure to shove into their mythology. (Our knowledge of traditional Norse religion only dates from the period after the local kings began to Christianize (most of which are deliberately melodramatic mythological accounts) along with a very few records made by Christian missionaries in the days when they were busy warring with their neighbors in order to persuade them to convert: imagine if our only knowledge of Christianity was, say, the Charlie Brown Christmas special and the works of Ibn Battuta, and you might have some idea of how weird that makes the historical record!

He's a pretty badass dude: he flies around on his giant wings, smites the unholy with his huge flaming sword, and has a tremendous force of personality, just as the offspring of an angel and a Norse god should. As Shaen did with Thrude, I made it so that even with most of his powers suppressed, he'll be one hell of a surprise for anyone expecting a powerless superhero to be a pushover. He's a natural for Inspire: as is you'll need to stunt it off his Strike, but it's definitely something to think about buying with PP. I gave him those languages figuring that again, even without his powers, those are things with which his background would make him familiar. He's as good a diplomat as he is a warrior, as befits someone with his background. He'd make a great faceman for any group, and a natural fit into any kind of divine background.

The Christianization of Scandanavia, like most stories of Viking times, is a story of violent bloodbaths and counter-massacres: one infamous story involved ensuring the Christianization of Sweden by catching the pagan king and his followers in his great hall, locking the doors, and burning them all alive. Hey, it gave their leaders a lot of advantages in their relationships with the rest of the world: Christians had states, and the new kings wanted states to break the power of their nobles. (Scandanavian history makes a lot more sense when you realize that these are the biker gang hillbillies of the Dark Ages, carrying out their blood feuds and vendettas like any modern street gang). Being a Christian in Viking times didn't mean you were a coward or a pacifist, as many a worshipper of the old gods found out when Olaf from the next valley over came by to ax them if they'd heard the good news.

[Avenger Assembled]

Fusion 2.0

Science without conscience is the soul's perdition. ~François Rabelais

PL: 10 (150)

Abilities: 46 pp

STR 30 [16] (+10/+3)

DEX 16 (+3)

CON 20 (+5)

INT 24 (+7)

WIS 20 (+5)

CHA 10 (+0)

Combat: 16 pp

ATK: +4 (+10 Melee)

DEF: +8 (+2 flat-footed)

Init: +3

Grapple: +30

Saves: 8 pp

TOU +12 (+5 Con, +7 Protection)

FORT +7 (+5 Con, +2)

REF +7 (+3 Dex, +4)

WILL +7 (+5 Wis, +2)

Skills: 56 r=14 pp

Computers 8 (+15)

Craft: Electronic 8 (+15)

Craft: Mechanical 3 (+10)

Knowledge: Life Sciences 3 (+10)

Knowledge: Technology 8 (+15)

Notice 5 (+10)

Perform (piano) 5 (+5)

Sense Motive 5 (+10)

Survival 5 (+10)

Swim 6 (+9)

Feats: 15 pp

Attack Focus: Melee 6

Dodge Focus 4

Environmental Adaptation (underwater)

Inventor

Power Attack

Takedown Attack

Uncanny Dodge (auditory)

Powers: 51 pp

Device 13 (Octo-Suit) (Hard to Lose) (PF: Restricted [DNA lockout]) [53 pp]

Additional Limbs 2 (PF: Innate) [3]

Elongation 4 (50 ft) (Flaw: Arms Only) [2]

Enhanced STR 14 [14]

Flight 4 (100 MPH) [8+1=9]

AP: Swimming 8 (250 MPH)

Immunity 8 (all environmental conditions, disease, poison, suffocation [all]) [8]

Impervious TOU 8 [8]

Protection 7 [7]

Super-Senses 3 (Darkvision, Radio) [3]

Super-Strength 4 (Heavy Load: 12 tons) (PF: INK’D!) [9]

Immunity 1 (Drowning]) [1 pp]

Drawback: -4 pp

Normal ID (full round to don suit) (common, major) 4

costs

abilities 46 + combat 16 + saves 8 + skills 14/56 + feats 15 + powers 55 -drawbacks 4= 150 pts

-----------------

Design Notes:

Lois Collier never meant to be a superhero. Though traveling to new places and meeting new people was interesting, frankly her mother's other line of work always seemed like a terrible hassle. Her relationship with her mom, though always solid at its core, was rocky enough that she didn't plan to ever imitate her either. The fact that she hadn't inherited her mother's octopoid mutation solved that problem for her, or so she thought: after all, with no powers, how could she be a hero? Instead she went into the sciences, working with marine scientists to help construct the new generation of underwater technology that marked the 2030s and beyond. Her pride and joy was the Octosuit, a multi-limbed suit of underwater power armor that let its wearer swim as fast as an airplane could fly, carry heavy loads, and do the work of ten underwater. She was in the middle of a test run in the mid-Atlantic when the Atlantean pirates attacked, and the armored scientist came to the defense of herself and her colleagues, pummeling the Deep Ones with her fists and lashing them with her long, whipping tentacles.

Pictures made it out to the Net, of course, and within days talk of the new underwater heroine was all over the media. Lois was a little put off by this at first; having inherited her mother's brusqueness without Joan's social savvy, she was a little rough around the edges to be some team's favorite gadgeteer. With the solid build of a roughneck, she doesn't really have the looks you'd expect for a big publicity superhero, either. Instead she's a solo heroine, as her mother was through most of her career, a scientific adventurer in the fantastic worlds found just beneath the waves. Even the Atlanteans haven't found all there is to know down here, and the second Fusion has her mother's drive to learn everything she can about the world around her. Balancing her scientific career with her new heroing work is quite a challenge, but the Collier women have never backed down before, especially when there's a fight in the offing!

OK, here's a build for an aquatic battlesuit constructed with an octopus theme. The lady inside is smart and in good shape for a battlesuit wearer: she's also had the good sense to have a rebreather surgically installed in her nose (thank the high tech of the 21st century for that) so that she's not totally screwed if she's dumped out of her suit while in the ocean. (OK, she's screwed, sure, but she's not gonna drown) I went with making this build a good fighter, but you should expand on that: If she is an aquatic scientist turned hero, she's probably going to want some Communication and some more Super-Senses: if she sticks with the octopus theme, some Regeneration and Concealment would also make a lot of sense. The INK'D PF is discussed in my Octopus Hero build, it's basically a Cone Area Visual Dazzle (with the Action flaw) as a Super-Strength PF. She can handle herself fine if washed up on a desert island. With her aggressive personality, she could definitely use some Intimidate and Fearless!

[Avenger Assembled]

Minority Hero

“A right delayed is a right denied.” -Martin Luther King Jr.

PL: 10 (150)

Abilities: 48 pp

STR 30 [20] (+10/+5)

DEX 16 (+3)

CON 30 [20] (+10/+5)

INT 12 (+1)

WIS 20 (+5)

CHA 20 (+5)

Combat: 24 pp

ATK: +6 (+10 Melee)

DEF: +10 (+3 flat-footed)

Init: +3

Grapple: +20/+23

Saves: 5 pp

TOU +10 (+10 Con)

FORT +10 (+10 Con)

REF +6 (+3 Dex, +3)

WILL +7 (+5 Wis, +2)

Skills: 60 r=15 pp

Bluff 10 (+15)

Diplomacy 10 (+15)

Intimidate 10 (+15)

Knowledge: Civics 4 (+5)

Knowledge: History 4 (+5)

Languages 1 (Sioux) (Base: English)

Notice 10 (+15)

Sense Motive 10 (+15)

Survival 1 (+6)

Feats: 22 pp

Attack Focus: Melee 4

Dodge Focus 4

Inspire 5

Interpose

Power Attack

Startle

Takedown Attack

Taunt

Uncanny Dodge (auditory)

Powers: 36 pp

Enhanced CON 10 [10 pp]

Enhanced STR 10 [10 pp]

Impervious TOU 8 [8 pp]

Speed 1 (10 MPH) [1 pp]

Super-Strength 3 (Heavy Load: 6 tons) [6+1=7 pp]

AP: Leaping 6 (x100)

costs

abilities 48 + combat 24 + saves 5 + skills 15/60 + feats 22 + powers 36 = 150 pts

Design Notes:

Here’s a Bronze Age-style Minority Hero: the sort of character that well-meaning white liberal comic book writers were churning out left and right in the late 1960s and early 1970s when they were trying to appeal to minority audiences, or at least to white liberal readers who wanted to feel like their comics were appealing to minority audiences. He’s an upright, inspiring powerhouse who’s a champion of his people and their interests against the Man who wants to keep them down: a complete inversion of all the old cliches about his minority group. I went with making this a Native American champion, but his brethern back in the day were black, female, gay, or who knows what else. Of course, that also means he’s part of all kinds of new cliches, the sort that tend to come across as painfully patronizing to modern readers. (i.e., black heroes are all streetwise ex-cons and say things like “Sweet Jive Turkey!”, while Native American heroes all are preachy environmentalists who get their powers from the Great Spirit) They may well have some frankly ridiculous or racist costumes, too.

So mix those cliches up a little! Make a black PC from the suburbs who got involved in social justice movements in college; make a Native American PC who thinks magic is just superstitious nonsense designed to keep people down on the Rez. Make being a ‘credit to his race’ something that’s a conscious goal of his, but not something that defines his character: like it or not, he’s going to be judged for who and what he is, so he can do his damnedest to show that world that what he is is in fact a superhero. There’s still plenty of racism and injustice even in a basically nice setting like Freedom City, so a populist champion of the people is bound to have a niche to fill. Just, you know, don’t be an obnoxious didact telling minority groups how they should live through your superhero character. Playing these cliches without sounding ridiculous is a tough challenge, but not an impossible one. He's the domestic cousin of the Well-Meaning International Hero from upthread, and vulnerable to many of the same problems.

As written, this guy is a tremendous leader with a formidable force of personality. He can’t quite go toe-to-toe with the big powerhouses, but he can almost certainly scare them or rile them up in combat enough to make a serious mistake. He’s effectively bulletproof and can rule the streets (or Rez) that he defends against street-level opponents without any serious problems. He’s also really hard to catch flat-footed himself, thanks to his very high Notice and Sense Motive: he’s canny enough that he’s not going to be taken out by just anyone. He’s street-level, but he can bring a lot of force to bear: his best bet is to get his enemies flat-footed by telling them off, then socking it to them with a Power Attack. He’s a strong guy who can actually fight! With Inspire backing up his allies, he’s a great guy to have on a street-level superteam. This character is all about acknowledging some cliches while discarding others entirely: in other words, he’s the perfect fit for a game like ours!

[Avenger Assembled]

Scarab

"The mere thought hadn't even begun to speculate about the merest possibility of crossing my mind.”-Douglas Adams

PL: 10 (150)

Abilities: 44 pp

STR 10 (+0)

DEX 16 (+3)

CON 24 (+7)

INT 20 (+5)

WIS 24 (+7)

CHA 10 (+0)

Combat: 16 pp

ATK: +4 (+10 Ranged)

DEF: +8 (+2 flat-footed)

Init: +3

Grapple: +20 w/TK

Saves: 11 pp

TOU +12 (+7 Con, +5 Protection)

FORT +7 (+7 Con)

REF +6 (+3 Dex, +3)

WILL +15 (+7 Wis, +8)

Skills: 56 r=14 pp

Concentration 5 (+12)

Diplomacy 5 (+5)

Knowledge: History 10 (+15)

Knowledge: Theology and Philosophy 5 (+10)

Languages 2 (Ancient Egyptian, Spanish) (Base English)

Medicine 3 (+10)

Notice 13 (+20)

Sense Motive 13 (+20)

Feats: 16 pp

Attack Focus: Ranged (6)

Beginner’s Luck

Dodge Focus (4)

Eidetic Memory

Jack-of-All-Trades

Power Attack

Ultimate Save (Will)

Uncanny Dodge (mental)

Powers: 49 pp

Comprehend 4 (speak, read, and understand all languages simultaneously; understood by all) [8 pp]

Flight 2 (25 MPH) [4 pp]

Impervious TOU 10 [10 pp]

Protection 5 [5 pp]

Scarab Array [22+5=27 pp]

Damage 10 (Extra: Ranged) (PFs: Improved Crit 2)

AP: Communication 6 (20 miles) [mental) (Extras: Area, Two-Way) (PFs: Rapid 2 (x100), Selective, Subtle)

AP: ESP 6 (20 miles) (visual and auditory) (PFs: Rapid 3 (x1000), Subtle)

AP: Mind Control 10 (PFs: Mental Link, Subtle)

AP: Mind Reading 10 (Extras: Area [burst], Selective) (Flaw: Duration [instant]) (PFs: Insidious, Subtle)

AP: Telekinesis 10 (Heavy Load: 12 tons) (PFs: Precise, Subtle)

Super-Senses 1 (Shadow Awareness) [mental] [1 pp]

costs

abilities 44 + combat 16 + saves 11 + skills 14/56 + feats 16 + powers 49 = 150 pts

----

Design Notes:

Here's my take on the Scarab, the premiere mentalist legacy archetype for the Freedom City setting. For those of you who have somehow missed Shaen's superlative population of this legacy: the Scarab was once Prince Heru-Ra in ancient Egypt, a wise young man who had unlocked the power of his inner ka by meditation. When he was betrayed and murdered by the wicked Tan-Aktor, Heru-Ra said some unwise things to the ancient gods about demanding the right to punish Tan-Aktor's soul himself. Now he and his old rival pursue each other through the ages in an ever-lasting cycle of reincarnation: sometimes one kills the other, sometimes the reverse. Sometimes they never meet, sometimes they are born as twins in the same womb. Reincarnation is a funny thing that way, especially when it's driven by this kind of ancient fate cycle. 5000 years is a hell of a lot of history to play with. The last NPC Scarab died in the late 1970s saving the world as part of the Freedom League; the PC Scarab is still flying around and will cut you.

But let's say you're playing this character in another game, or say the legacy is somehow duplicated. My basic idea here is that Heru-Ra's repeated rebirths mean that his ancient ka empowers him from generation to generation, making him much tougher and more resilient than a normal person would be. He's also as wise and observant as it's possible for a human being to be, and a genius on top of it. I figure his Comprehend is partially a result of Telepathy, partially a result of just being so damn old: I gave him Ancient Egyptian and Spanish as languages he speaks in addition to English without his powers; those being the native tongues of the first and last Scarabs. With his high mental attributes and his Beginner's Luck/Eidetic Memory/Jack-of-all-Trades combo, there's basically nothing he shouldn't be able to know or do within the limits of his attributes, though he'll have more trouble with some things than others. He has a tremendous command of history, and knows something of philosophy thanks to all the work that goes into his awakened ka.

Think about Complications inherited as memories from previous lives: a fear of suffocating or some other unpleasant death? The Scarab may be immortal but he still dies and stays dead in between lives, and dying sucks. It'll mess you up if it happens enough. I did not give this Scarab Fearless for just that reason, but with his massive Sense Motive that shouldn't be an issue if you stick to your PL. One thing I didn't include here is the Scarab's Lair: there's an impressive version of that in one of the PDFs you can buy from Green Ronin, as well as a marvelous one Shaen has statted out here. I figure that's something you can buy in play with points: as it is, this is the Scarab just after he's reawakened into his true nature, perhaps sitting in his basement reading a book about the Pyramids, or having somehow otherwise unlocked his secret true nature and uncovered the lost legacy of the Scarab!