Legatus

[secondling]

 

Legatus
Power Level: 10 (150/150PP)
Unspent Power Points: 0
Trade-Offs: None

 

In Brief: “Cloned” Replacement of the Man of Adamant

Theme: Return of the Solar Exalted by James Semple

 

Alternate Identity: No. XVIII (Original Designation), Felix Century (Secret)
Birthplace: Freedom City

Residence: Claremont Academy
Base of Operations: Claremont Academy 
Occupation: Student, Hero
Affiliations: Claremont Academy
Family: Centurion (Genetic Donor, deceased), Nos. I to XX (Genetic Siblings, deceased), Dr. Rex Syagrius (Creator, deceased), Unknown Parents (Parents, missing)

 

Description:
Age: 16 (DoB: 2003)
Apparent Age: Mid-Teens
Gender: Male
Ethnicity: Roman? 
Height: 5’11”
Weight: 175 lb.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Blond and Black

The youth known as Felix Century is a tall, handsome specimen. Wearing his streaked black-and-blond hair short in emulation of Centurion, his startling blue eyes sparkle when he smiles, which is often. He is still growing, and displays a certain awkwardness of form – his shoulders are not quite broad as they ought to be, for instance, and his proportions are yet to become the perfection that was his progenitor.

 

Felix, not quite grasping the need for secret identities, tends to wear blue, yellow, and white more frequently than other colors – though ever since he received a stern talking-to by his teachers, he rarely wears them together.

 

In his first few (unsanctioned) forays into Freedom as Legatus, Felix wore a gold-and-blue costume emulating that of the Man of Adamant. Unfortunately, as these wereunsanctioned, he did not have access to the advanced technology that allows superheroes’ costumes to withstand more damage than most cloth, and within the first three excursions, it was totally destroyed. Since then, he has gained permission for his extracurricular excursions, and now wears a more stylized costume, lacking the armor of his predecessor. With a simple gold shirt, blue pants, a belt of pure white, and no cape whatsoever, Legatus does not seem like Centurion reborn as a teen quite so much as he once did.

 

History:

When Centurion died in 1993, one scientist, a longtime devotee of his, by the name of Rex Syagrius, knew that the world would not long last without a replacement for the Man of Adamant. Determined to resolve this, he gathered genetic material from a frozen battlefield, where the Liberty League had once fought, and went to work attempting to clone his champion. However, he swiftly discovered that he lacked enough material to do so.

 

Instead, borrowing money from dubious sources, he gathered seven babies orphaned by the Terminus Invasion, named each for a Roman numeral, and began experimenting upon them, attempting to imprint the Man of Adamant’s genetic code on theirs. Within three years, they demonstrated results – most of them had superhuman powers akin to Centurion’s… but they swiftly proved to be unstable, with more than half of them dying before they reached the age of four.

 

The seeming return of Centurion set Syagrius back on his heels – perhaps he would not need a new group of subjects to recreate the Man of Adamant. For a time, he held onto hope (during which all save one of his initial crop of children died) that he would not need to do anything further… until it was revealed that this Centurion had been a plant by Omega – the very being that killed the true Centurion all along! Something inside Syagrius broke, then, and he became increasingly determined – there would be no true successor to Centurion until he himself managed to create a fully functional clone!

 

Thus, in 1997, Syagrius gathered seven more infants, and used the knowledge from the first generation to ensure these ones were more stable. Nos. VIII to XIV proved swiftly to be both more genetically stable and more powerful than their predecessors. There was a problem, however – none of them had more than one of Centurion’s abilities. Determining they might be useful as a super-team, if not a champion, Syagrius had them begin training to do just that in 2003.

 

It was in 2003 that Syagrius gathered his last group of children – this time, only gathering six. This “third generation” included Nos. XV to XX, but of them all, the child designated No. XVIII swiftly became the most levelheaded and gentle of them all. Even as a toddler XVIII was able to calm his “siblings’” wailing, allowing the second generation to train in peace, and the doctor to continue his research. Of all his siblings, XVIII was closest to little XX, who was herself the smallest and quietest of the group.

 

By the time the third generation was six, all of them save XVIII had begun developing powers akin to those of Centurion. Though only XV and XIX truly bullied XVIII over this, he nevertheless felt inadequate, forced to play at training intended for humans rather than champions. Nevertheless, he proved swiftly adept at the lessons Syagrius assigned to the third generation, even striking up friendships with the second generation who often taught them. Things were good, for a time. XVIII and XX were still close friends, and they still enjoyed one another’s company, even though XX had to train with the others more and more frequently.

 

This state of affairs lasted until 2016, when the third generation turned thirteen. It was at this time that the second generation returned from one of their training exercises with only six members, instead of seven. Though XVIII tried to comfort them, Syagrius did not, and within a week of the training accident, they broke out of the labs, leaving the third generation behind. The escape had destroyed a great deal of equipment and data, and to make matters worse for Syagrius, the third generation’s development had plateaued. They were still stronger than most mortals, but they were not champions. They were not Centurion.

 

Desperate, he sought out something new – something that would bombard the children with the same energies that had made Centurion into who he was. Within a few months, he discovered traces of similar energies in Freedom City, much more recent than Centurion’s arrival should have implied. Using this, Syagrius designed a machine to emit such energies, but he was hesitant to risk the most stable and successful of his champions-to-be in an untested machine. Instead, he put XVIII into the machine – though to be fair, XVIII hadvolunteered.

 

XVIII emerged from the energies more powerful than his siblings, many of whom swiftly clamored to be permitted a chance to do the same. XIX and XVI, the second and third to go through the machine respectively, were fine, but XV (the fourth) swiftly went berserk, destroying most of the machine and nearly killing Syagrius before XVI and XIX tore her messily in two – without any emotions or hesitation. XVIII was deeply concerned, especially when Syagrius encouraged them.

 

For the next two years, XVIII and XX began studying Centurion more closely, as well as testing XVIII’s new powers. What they found on both fronts disturbed them – Syagrius, XVI, and XIX all were behaving more like Centurion’s foes than like Centurion. Further, XVIII’s powers, though still greater even than XIX and XVI’s, hurt him badly when he pushed himself to the limits.

 

They agreed to keep close eyes on their siblings and their creator, but kept it secret from the lighthearted XVII, whom they thought would tell on them. Unfortunately, things were about to get worse – for in 2018, Syagrius had finished the repairs of the machine. XVII was first to go this time, and he was torn and battered by the energies – emerging with only one arm, but empowered. When XX’s turn came, XVIII objected, pointing out that XVII had been hurt in the machine. Syagrius would have none of it, and both XVI and XIX swiftly threw XVIII through a wall and imprisoned him in the training room. Unwilling to hurt his siblings, even though he thought they were wrong, XVIII waited.

 

Finally, he heard a crash and XVI’s shriek of pain cut short. Bursting out of the training room, XVIII discovered a bloody and wounded XVII standing over their brother’s corpse. The one-armed brother explained in emotionless tones that the machine had killed XX, and that XVII had determined that none of the group was worthy of being Centurion’s legacy. With that, he brutally killed himself .

 

Something inside XVIII snapped, and he burst out of the complex, flying up through the ceiling, through tons of stone and silt and water, into the air above Freedom. Screaming at the top of his lungs, XVIII swiftly found himself apprehended by the Freedom League, where he remained reticent and deeply wounded for months on end before revealing almost all of what he knew of the lab and the purpose behind it. 

 

However, the League was unwilling to let him go free until he revealed the location of the lab that he had grown up in – to independently verify not only his claims of being Centurion’s clone, but also to ensure that all of his “siblings” were, in fact, deceased. For many months, XVIII refused to do that – he did not want a group of strangers, even if they werethe Freedom League, to intrude upon what was rightfully his siblings’ home. Eventually, however, he was willing to admit where it was – with one condition. XVIII wanted his siblings’ remains treated with the honors of heroes – especially those of XVII and XX. The League was willing to accept this, and launched their investigation into the (now partially flooded) lab complex.

 

The Freedom League’s investigators found that XVIII had not lied, though much of the information he shared could not be fully confirmed, given the damage done by both the waters and by XVIII’s escape. Determining that someone ought to keep a closer eye on him, the League sent XVIII to Claremont Academy, where they hoped he would develop into a worthy hero in his own right, not just a clone of Centurion. After several months of study and growth in Claremont, the newly named “Felix Century” decided to take the superheroic name Legatus and attempt to honor his genetic donor’s legacy.

 

 

Personality & Motivation:

As Felix, the young man who still thinks of himself as No. XVIII is a socially awkward, but very gentle soul. Kind almost to a fault, he sometimes accidentally steps on people’s toes, socially speaking, because he has virtually no socialization save with his “siblings.” Nevertheless, he is determined to try to become more “normal” than before, and is endearingly sincere in his attempts to do so.

 

As Legatus, XVIII strives to be everything that Centurion was to the people of Freedom City and indeed, the world. Idealistic, levelheaded, and friendly, he presents the image of a nigh-perfect ideal. Of course, beneath this façade there is much more to him, and he is well aware of his own faults – something that allows him to be incredibly humble, often refusing to accept much praise from others.

 

XVIII still has nightmares about the death of his sister XV, who died when he was thirteen, to say nothing of the rest of his siblings, who died much more recently. With virtually no knowledge of how to grieve, he keeps his sorrows locked very firmly away, finding it easier to pretend to be the ideal hero. With no true friends to talk to, neither Felix nor Legatus talk much about themselves, save to indicate that no, he is not Centurion, but he will strive to uphold Centurion’s ideals as best he can.

 

Powers & Tactics:
Legatus has many of the powers of the Centurion, though not to the same degree that he did. He is capable of surviving in space unaided, can deflect bullets with his bare skin, is superhumanly strong, and can fly rather quickly. 

In battle, Legatus tends to be simple to the point of bluntness. With his nigh-invincibility to most attacks, he is very direct, focusing on taking down the most threatening opponents first – that is to say, those that are most threatening to others, especially innocents. Only saving lives comes before taking down those who would take them. 

 

Power Descriptions:
Like his genetic progenitor, Legatus is very obviously superhuman when he uses his powers – normal people don’t lift cars one-handed, or block bullets with their bodies and expect to live out of it. Most people don’t fly under their own power, either.  

 

Complications:

Backlash: When he pushes his powers to the limit, Legatus is much more likely to cause himself injury. After an appropriately dramatic use of his full powers, the GM may grant a Hero Point to Legatus and declare that he caused serious injury to himself.

Haunted: XVIII still deeply misses his siblings, especially XX, whose body he did not even get a chance to see. He has nightmares about those deaths he saw, and even worse ones about those he didn't. Reminders of those events tend to provoke extreme emotional reactions, or outright shutdowns. 

Identity Crisis: To be perfectly honest, Felix isn’t entirely certain whom or, indeed, what he is. He struggles under the burden of his assumed responsibility, and wants to know whether he is really a person, or just another experiment. If faced with claims he does not have a soul because he is a clone, or isn't as good as his progenitor, the GM may force Legatus to make a save for Emotional Control (Despair) and give him a Hero Point.

Legacies of Conflict: As a clone of Centurion, many of the Man of Adamant's rogues would love nothing more than to take their frustrations out on Legatus. Further, as a clone of Centurion, many heroes are deeply suspicious of Legatus, recalling as they do the Alpha-Centurion and his destructive actions in service to Omega.

Lucrative Investment: Those who once invested in Dr. Syagrius' project have taken note of his death and the destruction of his lab complex, and have also noticed the arrival of Legatus on the scene. They may wish to recoup their investment by vivisecting the young "clone."

Abilities: 10 + 2 + 10 + 4 + 2 + 4 = 32PP
Strength: 40 [20] (+15/+5)
Dexterity: 12 (+1)
Constitution: 40 [20] (+15/+5)
Intelligence: 14 (+2)
Wisdom: 12 (+1)
Charisma: 14 (+2)


Combat: 8 + 10 = 18PP
Initiative: +1
Attack: +5 Melee, +4 Ranged, +4 Base 
Defense: +5, +2 Flat-Footed

Grapple: +28 to +20 (Super-Strength)
Knockback: -12/-2


Saving Throws: 0 + 4 + 6 = 10PP
Toughness: +15/+5 (+5 Con, +10 Enhanced Con) [10 Impervious]
Fortitude: +15/+5 (+5 Con, +10 Enhanced Con)
Reflex: +5 (+1 Dex, +4)
Will: +7 (+1 Wis, +6)


Skills: 24R = 6PP

Diplomacy 7 (+10)

Knowledge (Life Sciences) 8 (+10)

Language 1 (English [Native], Latin)

Notice 8 (+9)

Feats: 4PP

Attack Focus (Melee) 1

Fearless

Interpose

Quick Change

Powers: 20 + 20 + 10 + 10 + 1 + 19 = 80PP

Descriptors for All Powers: Genetic, Mutation

Enhanced Constitution 20 (Superhumanly Hearty, to Con 40 [+15]) [20 PP]

Enhanced Strength 20 (Superhumanly Strong, to Strength 40 [+15]) [20 PP]

Impervious Toughness 10 (Teen of Adamant) [10 PP]

Immunity 10 (Life Support, Starvation, Thirst, Aging) (Teen of Adamant) [11 PP]

 

Inheritor of Centurion (16 PP Array, Feats: Alternate Power, Dynamic 2) [19 PP]

·      Dynamic Base Effect: Flight 0-8 (0-2500 MPH/0-25,000’ per Move Action) [2-16]

·      Dynamic Alternate Effect: Super-Strength 0-8 (Effective Strength 40-80, Heavy Load: 3 tons – 1440 tons)

 


DC Block

ATTACK              RANGE      SAVE                           EFFECT
Unarmed            Touch      DC 20 Toughness      Damage (Physical)

Unarmed                Touch     DC 30 Toughness      Damage (Physical)
 

 

Totals: Abilities (32) + Combat (18) + Saving Throws (10) + Skills (6) + Feats (4) + Powers (80) - Drawbacks (0) = 150/150 Power Points

 

 

Edited July 16, 2019 by secondling

[angrydurf]

So a couple things I think you'll want to account for in the backstory a bit more thoroughly.  The big one is Alpha-Centurion.  He would have shown up in early days of Syagrius' initial research.  How that affected his approach should have some mention.  In addition to that when Legatus was finally revealed being secretive but also a not subtle clone of the Centurion would raise a HUGE number of red flags for the League even a decade and a half after the Alpha-Centurion.  Not discussing his back story would be incredibly suspicious and revealing it only a little better.  The league certainly isn't going to be 100% Sins of the Father about it but not really the kind of thing that can be glossed over with "The Freedom League accepted his reticence on the subject,"

 

You'd have to check with Tiff is it sounds like he was emulating Triakosias energy signature from the Void but from what I recall of that and Centurion is those energies and those of the terminus are pretty close.  That would lead to some additional suspicion.  

 

To make absolutely clear none of that makes it a non-starter as a character.  Starting from that kind of trust deficit and questioned worthiness is an interesting and fun story.  But I do think you'll want to address both in his personality and in the history those past events and how they impact his view of the work and hte worlds view of him.  This is ultimately a hero that was created through pretty extremely villainous means which can be a great dramatic origin but that is going to be a major part of his story.

[secondling]

All good points! I shall edit those once I have the chance!