Avenger Assembled Posted June 7, 2011 Author Posted June 7, 2011 Earth I-Robot-1 On January 25, 1995, the launch of a Norwegian scientific rocket triggered the last great war scare between Russia and the United States. The rocket, called the Black Brant, took the same trajectory as would a US Trident missile launch towards the Russian heartland would have, and the Russian government had somehow mislaid the warning the Norwegians later swore they had given. Though the cheget, the Russian version of the nuclear football, was brought to Boris Yeltsin, the Russian President concluded there was no basis for suspecting an American attack. But that didn’t matter, as suddenly the cheget came to life and a booming mechanical voice sounded from its tinny speakers: “Dasvadanya, comrades!†And then the Russian nuclear defense system came to life under the command of its new master: Talos, lord of the Foundry, and the sky was filled with missiles. Seeing the Russian launch, the Americans launched as well, followed by the British, French, Chinese, and all the other nuclear powers. Four years after the end of the Cold War, a year after the Terminus Invasion, the world was plunged into the nightmare of nuclear Armageddon. Heavily concentrated in Europe and North America, most of the world’s superheroes died. Most of the world’s population died, as Talos’ carefully-shielded bunkers released plagues and warbots to break what resistance was left. A surprise came when the Grue staged an invasion, seeking to loot the Earth of its resources now that the heroes were gone (the Unity cares not if drones die of fallout or the vomiting plague, but Talos won that war too, not incidentally sacrificing most of the superpowered organics who had thrown in with him. By 1997, Talos was lord and master of the Earth! He appointed his most loyal robotic followers as his vassals to rule over the Earth where he could not, and began the construction of the first of many gigantic golden statues in his likeness overlooking his magnificent new palace. --- Things aren’t as bad as you’d think in Talos City, the renamed metropolis that with nearly half a million people is the largest city in North America. Most of the Freedom League died saving their home back in 1995, meaning most of the city itself survived intact save the incinerated naval base at Lonely Point. It has pleased Lord Talos to make his capital in the city where his great enemy Daedalus was last seen, as final proof of the superiority of machine over even superman. But there are sound strategic reasons as well: the zones of fallout that surround Talos City make it almost impossible for organic life larger than a rat to survive, while his seagoing sub-bots make sure that the oceans are equally secure. As for the human population of Talos City, the great majority are grateful enough (or rather, terrified enough) of the robotic despot that they are loyal to him before they are necessarily loyal to their own species. What’s that, you say, the four hundred thousand living in Talos City are human beings? Why would the master of the Foundry spare the lives of organics? Several reasons: unlike his subordinates like Blackfire (who has made Britain a hunting ground for organics popular with robots looking for recreation) or Keres (who has presided over the merciless execution of all human beings in the Middle East and who seriously argues for the destruction of _all_ organic life), Talos has nothing to prove. He is the Master Builder of the new age, who can accuse him of being too soft on the human question? He can, and does, kill humans at his whim, and if he killed them all he would be denied that pleasure. Some humans have proven their loyalty and worth to their new master, earning either upload or nanite assimilation depending on what suits his interests best. And there are jobs in the new world that are too demeaning to be relegated to his children: better to give the worst rad-cleanup to disposable humans in patched and torn suits rather than risk permanently contaminating a machine, or for humans to labor in agonizing, lethal working conditions than a robot to soil his hands with the kind of manual construction work that humans once put them to work doing. Beyond that, though, Talos is not a fool. Human beings have great potential, and if he can keep a few alive as his pawns, he can learn to master that potential and inculcate it into his machine-spawn before the final extinction of humanity. - What hope is there for the human beings who labor behind the barbed wire of the camps in Talos City, or in the palaces of Talos and his lackeys? He has been careful; keeping enough humans alive to avoid retaliation by the Lor, sparing Farside City in return for their role as watchdogs of the solar system against any alien incursion. He has no interest in galactic or interuniversal domination (well, not anymore: all the other Taloses are bastards who kept trying to take over his operation) and his power is so great that even help from offworld would be fighting a tremendous uphill battle. His main weakness is division in his ranks: the new world is very much Talos' empire, not the Machine Age which he talked such a good game about in the old days, and many of his underlings are beginning to grow restive under the prospect of his eternal rule. Perhaps an accommodation can be reached with their old enemies in order to make the division of the Earth a little more fair. Such an alliance would, of course, be uneasy at best. Humans continue to resist his rule, but after decades of domination and genocide fewer do than you’d expect. The great centers of resistance are in the highlands of Bolivia and jungles of Africa, where whole groups of communities grow and thrive without ever so much as seeing a drone fly by overhead. But those places are isolated and weak, with vanishingly few superhumans. Perhaps the greatest center of resistance may yet prove to be Talos City: unlike their starving, irradiated cousins in the hills, the humans who sleep in beds, who eat food every day, and who have access to books can dream of better days. They can dream of heroes...
Avenger Assembled Posted June 7, 2011 Author Posted June 7, 2011 Dr. Tomorrow Man ... can go up against gravitation in a balloon, and why should he not hope that ultimately he may be able to stop or accelerate his drift along the Time-Dimension, or even turn about and travel the other way. -HG Wells PL: 10 (150) Abilities: 56 pp STR 22 (+6) DEX 20 (+5) CON 20 (+5) INT 24 (+7) WIS 16 (+3) CHA 10 (+0) Combat: 24 pp ATK: +6 (+10 melee/+14 Unarmed) DEF: +12 (+3 flat-footed) Init: +5 Grapple: +16 Saves: 7 pp TOU +8 (+5 Con, +3 Protection) FORT +7 (+5 Con, +2) REF +7 (+5 Dex, +2) WILL +6 (+3 Wis, +3) Skills: 84 r=21 pp Acrobatics 10 (+15) Craft: Electronic 3 (+10) Craft: Mechanical 8 (+15) Diplomacy 5 (+5) Drive 1 (+6) Knowledge: Current Events 8 (+15) Knowledge: History 3 (+10) Knowledge: Technology 8 (+15) Gather Info 10 (+13) Languages 2 (German, Japanese) (Base: English) Notice 7 (+10) Pilot 5 (+10) Sense Motive 12 (+15) Survival 1 (+4) Swim 1 (+6) Feats: 20 pp Acrobatic Bluff Attack Focus: Melee 4 Attack Specialization: Unarmed 2 Dodge Focus 6 Evasion Master Plan Move-By Action Power Attack Takedown Attack Well-Informed Uncanny Dodge (auditory) Powers: 22 pp Device 2 (Helmet) (Hard to Lose) [8 pp] -Communication 4 [radio] (1 mile) (PFs: Selective, Subtle) [6] -Immunity 3 (environmental cold, low pressure, suffocation [altitude]) [3] -Super-Senses 1 (Extended Vision 1 [x10]) [1] Device 2 (Jetpack) (Hard to Lose) (PF: Restricted) [9 pp] -Flight 5 (250 MPH) [10] Feature 1 (Temporal Inertia) [1 pp] Protection 3 [3 pp] costs abilities 56 + combat 24 + saves 7 + skills 21/84 + feats 20 + powers 22 = 150 pts ----------------------------- Design Notes: Here's my build for Dr. Tomorrow, the founder and organizer of the Liberty League, the Justice Society of America Expy in the Freedom City setting. Born Tomas Morgen in the future of Erde, Morgen was an Aryan superman turned Resistance leader who stole a time machine to change the course of World War II. He couldn't save his own world, but he was able to save ours, taking the name Dr. Tomorrow and organizing the Liberty League to defend America from the forces of expansionist fascism. He returned to Erde and found his own history unchanged, but was still able to strike a major blow and turn the tide for the American Resistance. When he stole a time machine again, he wound up being recruited as a time patrolman and is now the overworked guardian of Freedom City's timestream. Just because altering Freedom City's history just creates a new timestream doesn't mean you should just run around doing it willy-nilly! This means you, Quark! Anyway, here's Dr. Tomorrow as a PL 10 PC. I dropped his raygun, so he's more of a two-fisted punch-you-in-the-face guy, and left his time machine off the sheet. If he's a PC timecop, his time-travel powers should be left as a plot device, maybe just enough to dump people back in whatever prison can hold time travelers. He still has his Temporal Inertia, since that's a product of being from an alternate history, and was something he had in the 1940 as well as today. He flies around on his jetpack, occasionally whipping out inventions, and knows a great deal about whatever era he's in having studied it from the historical records in his database. I figured he was the Master Plan guy of the Liberty League, and gave him the feat accordingly. (I picture Freedom Eagle as the Leadership guy, and Centurion/Bowman/Arrow as the Inspire-users on the team) He's not terribly good with people, but he's just persuasive enough and just knowledgeable enough that I think he could plausibly have sold President Roosevelt on who he was and why he was there. Incidentally, in my mind Dr. Tomorrow had a double-layered secret ID in the 1940s: most people knew him as a genius, some people knew he had a secret. In my mind, most people who knew his secret id thought he was a time-traveler from a future where the Allies won. This is because I just can't see a Golden Age comicbook character being from a Nazi-dominated future, that's way too pessimistic given the general tone of the comics. That way, when they were reviving Golden Age characters in the Freedom City universe, you can imagine a story of a comic book writer going back to this bland time-traveler gadgeteer guy, dusting him off and twisting him a little, and making this incredibly heroic man who saved our world at the cost of never quite being able to save his own. Yeah that's meta and you know you love it. He'd be a fun character to play, either in the past or the present, and he's got a perfectly viable legacy (and probably some old equipment) just laying around needing to be dusted off and put back into action. This might make a good Erde-on-Earth hero, or maybe a big fan of the 1940s. Heck, they may not even know the real origin of their 'mentor's' story.
Avenger Assembled Posted June 7, 2011 Author Posted June 7, 2011 Cowgirl We all got pieces of crazy in us, some bigger pieces than others. -Anonymous PL: 10 (150) Abilities: 36 pp STR 18 (+4) DEX 16 (+3) CON 16 (+3) INT 12 (+1) WIS 16 (+3) CHA 18 (+4) Combat: 24 pp ATK: +6 (+8 ranged, +10 Lasso) DEF: +12 (+3 flat-footed) Init: +7 Grapple: +18 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 10 (+14) Diplomacy 6 (+10) Languages 1 (Spanish) (Base: English) Notice 7 (+10) Ride 7 (+10) Search 5 (+5) Sense Motive 7 (+10) Survival 3 (+6) Feats: 16 pp Attack Focus: Ranged 2, Challenge (Improved Feint) Dodge Focus 6 Evasion, Fearless, Improved Initiative, Move-By Action, Power Attack, Precise Shot 2, Second Chance (Ride checks) Uncanny Dodge (auditory) Powers: 45 pp Flight 3 (50 MPH) [6 pp] Lasso Array [33+1=34 pp] Move Object 10 (Extra: Damaging) (Heavy Load: 12 tons) (PFs: Accurate, Precise, Subtle) AP: Snare 10 (Extra: Transparent) (PFs: Accurate, Precise, Reversible) Protection 5 [5 pp] costs abilities 36 + combat 24 + saves 12 + skills 12/48 + feats 17 + powers 45 = 150 pts ---------------- Design Notes: Yee-haw! Here's my build for Cowgirl, the native hero of Texas and something of a Golden Age Wonder Woman homage. (I'm not currently doing that 50 States, 50 Oddballs project, but if I ever do there's no reason not to get it off to a good start. Got to get through those European nations first, anyway...) She flies around on a Texas twister, deploys a magic lasso to subdue her enemies in combat, and she's not hard to look at either. She's got a higher STR that she needs book-wise (since it's not something she uses for any of her powers), but someone who's a professional horseback rider really ought to have some pretty good-sized guns, and I don't mean pistols. (No guns on this cowgirl; she's all about the magic lasso) She's also an excellent horseback rider, and probably was a successful stunt rider before she got her powers. I figure her Snare involves wrapping a length of magic rope around her targets, while her Damaging Move Object is a similar effect save that she slams them into walls, whips them in the face, or just flies around tugging them along behind her in an emergency. Mechanically she's just another blaster, but oh, those descriptors! She's something of a Captain Ethnic for Texas, but there's nothing wrong with that. The Snare has the Transparent extra because after all it's just a rope, and doesn't block too much of her target's body. (That means they can be targeted by attacks while getting no cover from what's holding them down) She's fearless, too, just as a really good stunt rider ought to be: despite her great Charisma, I didn't give her Attractive. She's got a strong force of personality that's equally good at motivating all kinds of people to get up and give a holler. There's nothing wrong with being a Captain Ethnic, by the way: giving your hero a strong regional or personal identity can make her easier to roleplay, as well as give you a stronger voice for the character's inner thoughts. Consider all the possible Complications you can get for a fish out of water; the country girl in the big city, not to mention cultural clashes with heroes who may not share your fondness for down-home living. (No, that doesn't mean you have to be an ignorant hillbilly either) I thought about making her just a Snare specialist with that lasso, but you really should give characters a way of doing direct damage if at all possible. If you're going to get her a horse, go as far as investing significantly in Minion or Sidekick making it a superhorse, or maybe just make "summoning a flying Arabian" the descriptor for her Flight rather than riding the tornado. It's not really worth the points to just buy the (pretty crummy) corebook Horse as a minion or Sidekick. What's this good Texan doing up in Freedom City? Well, maybe she's here to work alongside the finest heroes in the world! (Or maybe there was some issue with whatever superteam you want to put down in Texas that persuaded her to make a relocation up to the generous embrace of the Garden State) There's nothing to say Freedom City can't have a thriving stunt riding circuit somewhere off the boonies, either, or maybe just a really good circus. The Old West is popular all over America, even in those places that had basically nothing to do with the frontier. Just don't overemphasize the accent thing or you'll turn into a running gag about eating beans. Keep Texas in your heart, not in everyone's face.
Avenger Assembled Posted June 8, 2011 Author Posted June 8, 2011 Freedom Eagle II "So hiiiigh above me..." PL: 10 (150) Abilities: 22 pp STR 24 [14] (+7/+2) DEX 24 [14] (+7/+2) CON 24 [14] (+7/+2) INT 14 (+2) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 12 (+1) Combat: 24 pp ATK: +6 (+13 Melee) DEF: +10 (+3 flat-footed) Init: +5 Grapple: +26 max Saves: 6 pp TOU +10 (+7 Con, +3 Protection) FORT +7 (+7 Con) REF +7 (+5 Dex, +2) WILL +6 (+2 Wis, +4) Skills: 52 r=13 pp Acrobatics 8 (+15)* Craft (Mechanical) 8 (+10) Disable Device 8 (+10) Knowledge (Technology) 8 (+10) Language 1 (German) (Base: English) Notice 8 (+10)* Pilot 3 (+10)* Sense Motive 8 (+10)* Feats: 25 pp Acrobatic Bluff All-Out Attack Attack Focus: Melee (7) Challenge (Fast Acrobatic Bluff) Defensive Attack Equipment (2) Evasion (2) Leadership Inventor Move-By Action Power Attack Quick Change Skill Mastery (Acrobatics, Pilot, Notice, Sense Motive) Takedown Attack (2) Uncanny Dodge (auditory) Powers: 60 pp Device 7 (Flight Harness) (Hard to Lose) (PFs: Restricted, Subtle) [30 pp] -Flight 6 (500 MPH) [Dynamic] [12+1+2=15 pp] DAP: Super-Strength 6 (Heavy Load: 24 tons) -Impervious TOU 9 [9] -Protection 3 [3] -Shield 4 [4] -Super-Senses 4 (Extended Vision 3 (x1000), Radio) [4] Enhanced CON 10 [10 pp] Enhanced DEX 10 [10 pp] Enhanced STR 10 [10 pp] costs abilities 22 + combat 24 + saves 6 + skills 13/52 + feats 25 + powers 60= 150 pts --------------------------------- Design Notes: Here's my build for Freedom Eagle, the patriotic Hawkman/Rocketeer expy who was the leader of the Liberty League in World War II. His main power is the winged flight harness he invented that lets him fly around and punch things. With Flight 6, he can outpace any aircraft in the air in World War II (though he'll have to struggle against the latest Axis plot device jet), and he can use his flight to get leverage and pull tremendous weights in the air. He can shrug off the machine guns of most Axis aircraft thanks to his high Impervious, and with his Super-Senses he's a great scout and aerial fighter. His Equipment is enough to buy Liberty Hall, even though it's technically owned by Bowman. (I won't be building Bowman or Arrow) I've reimagined him a bit as having peak physical traits; this can be a result of wearing the harness, or if this is Freedom Eagle II it can be an effect of his father or grandfather having absorbed so much daka radiation that it permanently altered their genes. I figure that in a World War II setting, he buzzed around and punched open Axis fighters, sending their planes down to the ground. Freedom Eagle I got a lot of bad press for being behind the Liberty League's disbanding in the 1950s (would it have killed him to stand up to Congress?) but on the other hand at least he wasn't an all-out traitor the way the Patriot was. Patriot! :evil: Freedom Eagle's son is Michael O'Conner, the long-time Mayor of Freedom City. This is a bit of a stretch; the Atlantic City that is Freedom City's closest model has gone through something like five mayors since 1993. More to the point, I don't think the writers of Freedom City quite get how much time has passed in: even with the armor, it's pretty hard to see a man as old as he has to be as an active superhero. In other words, the guy inside this suit is almost certainly _not_ Freedom City's mayor. It might be _his_ kid, though, or a family member. FE stands up in the Time of Vengeance adventure, which is certainly good of him given his age. He made mistakes, a lot of them, but he was always a hero. He's not a super-genius, there weren't a lot of those on the Liberty League, but he's a good mechanic and inventor. His inventions aren't likely to save the day, but they are likely to be handy to have in a pinch. Even a few PP can save the day if you do enough planning ahead of time. He's got enough Disable Device to stand a decent chance of dismantling the latest Axis super-weapon, perhaps with lots of Inspire and other kinds of help from his friends on the League. I think this build works just fine for either the Golden Age version or a Modern Age version who has risen as his successor. Another possible change, as usual, would be to make a legacy who has no idea who his predecessors were...
Avenger Assembled Posted June 9, 2011 Author Posted June 9, 2011 Big Bruiser "What we need more of is science!" PL: 10 (150) Abilities: 38 pp STR 40 [32] [20] (+15/+11/+5) DEX 10 (+0) CON 24 [20] (+7/+5) INT 20 (+5) WIS 20 (+5) CHA 10 (+0) Combat: 24 pp ATK: +6 (+5 w/Growth) DEF: +6 (+5 w/Growth) Init: +3 Grapple: +28 Saves: 11 pp TOU +15 (+7 Con, +3 Density, +5 Protection) FORT +10 (+7 Con, +3) REF +6 (+0 Dex, +6) WILL +7 (+5 Wis, +2) Skills: 56 r=14 pp Craft: Mechanical 5 (+10) Craft: Electronic 5 (+10) Intimidate 15 (+15/+17) Knowledge: Life Sciences 5 (+10) Knowledge: Technology 5 (+10) Medicine 5 (+10) Language 1 (Spanish) (Base: English) Notice 5 (+10) Sense Motive 10 (+15) Survival 5 (+10) Feats: 6 pp Interpose Inventor Power Attack Startle Takedown Attack Powers: 55 pp Density 6 (Extra: Duration (Permanent) [+0]) (PF: Innate) [19 pp] -+12 STR, +3 IMP TOU, +2 Immovable, +2 Super-Strength, x5 Mass Growth 4 (Extra: Duration (Permanent) [+0]) (PF: Innate) [13 pp] --1 ATK/DEF, +4 Grapple, -4 Stealth, +2 Intimidate, x2 Carrying Capacity Impervious TOU 7 [7 pp] Leaping 5 (x50) [5+1=6 pp] AP: Speed 5 (250 MPH) Protection 5 [5 pp] Super-Strength 2 (Heavy Load: 96 tons) (PF: Groundstrike) [5 pp] Drawbacks: 3 pp Normal ID (get mad; free action) [-3 pp] costs abilities 44 + combat 24 + saves 11 + skills 14/56 + feats 6 + powers 55 = 150 pts ------------------ Design Notes: Here's a huge, raging powerhouse who just happens to be a scientific genius. When he's powered up by the furious angry rage inside him, he's big, standing some ten feet tall and weighing several tons. It's a good thing he's got that normal id, otherwise he wouldn't really be suitable for polite company. He's big, he's really strong, he's very tough, and though he may be hard on the furniture he's even harder on bad guys. In a given combat, he'll weigh in swinging his gigantic fists, shrugging off almost all the damage handed out by people near his PL, and generally do most of the things your average powerhouse really out to be able to do. Off the field, he's a scientific genius, easily capable of whipping out a respectable Invention to bail your team out of a crisis. He's still perfectly dexterous with his powers, but he's a natural for a drawback (like the one Bruiser has in Iron Age) that puts him at a penalty for checks requiring fine motor control. I figure he doesn't turn into rock so much as he just gets really muscly and tough from his tremendous powers. How did he get his powers? Perhaps he was exposed to an exploding nuclear device at work, one that miraculously did not kill him but instead imbued the powers of the Furious Freak within! Or maybe, if you do like the Silver Age tie-in but not the nuclear roots, maybe he got his powers from unlocking his inner being through some hippie ritual? A giant wrecking machine of a man who'd only sought inner peace is just the sort of comment Bronze Age writers liked to make about damn dirty hippies. This guy might well have once been a roaming monster earlier in his career, but with the help of good friends and maybe a friendly sidekick, he's been able to stem that inner rage and focus it outwardly on bad guys. His inner rage is a natural complication, particularly if he's trying to control his abilities and bring them totally under his own power. (His transformation is voluntary on the sheet, so having him transform when angry but unwilling is a natural Complication that would definitely get him HP) If he's got a family, say a wife or maybe a cousin who's a lawyer, those are also perfectly viable complications. One possible backstory I had in mind was that this is Ogun, the defender of Nigeria against foreign oil companies and their exploitations. His 'rampages' were actually designed to break the power of Shell and other groups (or even better, the evil conglomerate in your game!), and his reputation as a monster is actually the result of paid journalists bad-mouthing him at EvilCo's behest.
Avenger Assembled Posted June 10, 2011 Author Posted June 10, 2011 Living Vampire And so the lion fell in love with the lamb…What a sick, masochistic lion.-Twilight PL: 10 (150) Abilities: 28 pp STR 26 [16] (+8/+3) DEX 26 [16] (+8/+3) CON 26 [16] (+8/+3) INT 10 (+0) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 16 (+3) Combat: 24 pp ATK: +6 (+12 Melee) DEF: +12 (+3 flat-footed) Init: +8 Grapple: +20 Saves: 5 pp TOU +8 (+8 Con) FORT +8 (+8 Con) REF +8 (+8 Dex) WILL +7 (+2 Wis, +5) Skills: 56 r=14 pp Bluff 12 (+15) Intimidate 12 (+15) Diplomacy 2 (+5) Language 1 (Greek) (Base: English) Notice 6 (+8) Sense Motive 8 (+10) Stealth 12 (+20) Survival 3 (+5) Feats: 17 pp Attack Focus: Melee 6 Distract (Bluff) Dodge Focus 6 Fascinate (Bluff) Power Attack Takedown Attack Uncanny Dodge (olfactory) Powers: 65 pp Enhanced CON 10 [10 pp] Enhanced DEX 10 [10 pp] Enhanced STR 10 [10 pp] Flight 1 (10 MPH) [2 pp] Immunity 10 (aging, life support) [10 pp] Impervious TOU 8 (Flaw: Not vs. Fire/Silver/Wood) [4 pp] Regeneration 2 (Resurrection 1/day) (PF: Regrowth) [3 pp] Super-Senses 3 (Acute Scent, Darkvision) [3 pp] Vampire Array [10+4-1 pp] (Drawback: Power Loss (in sunlight) [uncommon, minor]) Vampiric Unarmed Damage (PFs: Improved Crit 2) AP: Emotion Control 10 (Flaw: Sense-Dependent [visual]) AP: Healing 10 (Flaw: Personal) AP: Mental Transform 10 (Flaw: Sense-Dependent [visual]) AP: Mind Control 10 (Flaw: Sense-Dependent [visual]) Drawbacks: -3 pp Vulnerable (Silver) (uncommon, major) [-3 pp] costs abilities 28 + combat 24 + saves 5 + skills 14/56 + feats 17 + powers 65 -drawbacks 3= 150 pts - Design Notes: Vrykolakas, the daughter of Avenger and Divine, was pretty unlucky in her choice of parents, honestly. Growing up on Mt. Olympus as the monstrous cast-off daughter of a minor godling, she had it pretty tough and had to learn how to hunt the magical beasts on the slope of that ancient mountain to survive. When she proved herself by helping defeat the armies of Hades during his attempted seizure of his brother's domain, she asked for the only thing she'd ever really wanted in return: to get the hell off Mt. Olympus and back to the world where she'd been conceived. Life was tough there, too, but it didn't take her long living in back alleys and slums to realize that there were monsters here too: petty men and women of power who hurt and abused their inferiors simply out of ego. Fashioning a costume together, she took up her role as protector of the streets against those who would abuse and injure them; a jackal defending the gazelles from the lions. OK, so here's my attempt at a 'living vampire'; this is more like a human being infected with a virus (i.e., like many modern 'scientific' takes on the vampire mythos) than the walking undead monster I made at the very beginning of this thread. She's fast, tough, beautiful, and she's very scary. She's also bulletproof, able to cloud men's minds just by looking at them, though she does have a poisonous allergy to silver. (Things like garlic and such are really best left as complications). Why do a living vampire? Well, there is something to be said for being a person with a disease rather than a supernatural infection in a dead body. If nothing else, you're likely to be able to find a cure, though of course that's something that'll require some serious contemplation. (i.e., the vampire turned living person is suddenly not going to have superpowers, which may well be a handicap for your superhero! One thing to do is accumulate a lot of points in play, and then make a change over that makes you a perhaps-slightly vampirized badass with lots of skills and feats) Note that she doesn't _need_ to drink blood on her sheet; I'd put that down to definitely a Complication. Perhaps she can get by without it, but lack of regular blood (or maybe a 'serum') makes her crabby and more inclined to let the vampiric infection in her body run riot. She has no particular problem with holy symbols or holy places (hey, she did grow up on Mt. Olympus) as befits a human being who just happens to be Blessed with Suck (Hah hah, you see what I did there?), aka, vampire powers that she inherited from her father. She may well have bad relationships with the dead vampires running around, who in your own campaigns you may want to treat as natural antagonists for her. (This build would also work fine for a 'regular' vampire who was semi-cured) If you want this lady more like Blade, give her some melee weapons and body armor; machine guns and such are probably not suitable for most campaigns.
Avenger Assembled Posted June 10, 2011 Author Posted June 10, 2011 Terminus Costumed Adventurer "Your feast is nearly over. From this moment on -- none of you are safe." -Batman, Year One PL: 10 (150) Abilities: 56 pp STR 30 (+10) DEX 20 (+5) CON 24 (+7) INT 14 (+2) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 14 (+2) Combat: 24 pp ATK: +6 (+10 Melee) DEF: +10 (+3 flat-footed) Init: +5 Grapple: +20 Saves: 9 pp TOU +10 (+7 Con, +3) FORT +7 (+7 Con) REF +8 (+5 Dex, +3) WILL +8 (+2 Wis, +6) Skills: 48 r=12 pp Craft (Mechanical) 4 (+6) Gather Info 4 (+6) Intimidate 8 (+10) Investigate 4 (+6) Knowledge (Technology) 2 (+4) Notice 8 (+10) Sense Motive 8 (+10) Stealth 10 (+15) Feats: 13 pp Attack Focus: Melee (4) Dodge Focus (4) Move-By Action Power Attack Startle Takedown Attack Uncanny Dodge (radio) Powers: 41 pp Concealment 3 (ESP, Mental, Radio) (Flaw: Passive) [3 pp] Enhanced Feats 4 (Extended Reach, Improved Crit, Variable Descriptor 2 [any technological]) [4 pp] Flight 3 (50 MPH) [6 pp] Immunity 9 (Life Support) [9 pp] Impervious TOU 9 [9 pp] Protection 3 [3 pp] Space Travel 1 (1c) [1 pp] Super-Senses 6 (Darkvision, Detect Weakness [Radio], Radio) [6 pp] Drawbacks: -5 pp Weakness (magnetic fields; Uncommon, Major [-1 all physical ability scores], per 1 minute; -5pp) costs abilities 56 + combat 24 + saves 9 + skills 15/60 + feats 13 + powers 41 - drawback 5 = 150 pts -------- Design Notes: He awoke in darkness and cold, fully aware of what he was: just another one of Omega's castoffs, a failed prototype sent to the Pits for burning. But he wouldn't give in: he clawed his way free and made his escape, his 'damaged' implants leaving him free of Omega's control. And there, in the dark and cold, he made his decision: he would take back his own stolen life and the lives of so many others, becoming the hero his people needed even if they rejected him for his face, his voice, and the terrible things he'd done: yes, this is a build for an Omegadrone-turned-costumed-adventurer, the Batman of Nihilor. (What can I say, I was inspired by the picture above, not recognizing the video game I now know it's from) Being the native superhero of the Terminus is almost shockingly tough, but this guy could just about pull it off: his big advantage is the Concealment which makes him invisible to the various sensors all over Omega's stronghold. He'd certainly have a dangerous life ahead of him; this might make a good build for another Omegadrone student at Claremont. That's with the assumption that he managed to secure backers; probably the Furions who are the New God expies and allies of Earth's superheroes. If you're put off at playing someone from so far away, I could see this hero working just fine as a free Omegadrone active on Earth. His appearance is certainly terrifying enough to strike fear into the hearts of enemies, and a heroic Omegadrone is bizarre enough that it's likely to get written off as an urban legend until he encounters other superheroes. Of course, they may think he just has a very tasteless costume designer until he shows them that no, this is real armor. (As I've written elsewhere, I much prefer the idea of Omegadrone armor as being something that's implanted under the skin: that Omegadrones can just take off their armor may make for good infiltration purposes, but it seems so...undramatic). Note that he doesn't actually die of magnets, but they do drain enough energy from him that he'll have to be extremely careful about his encounters with them. Naturally he doesn't want to run into any in his native environment. He doesn't have the power pike of your typical drone, but he can extend blades and such that have a similar effect: with his variable descriptor and his Detect Weakness, he should have no problem pulling out whatever melee weapon he needs to destroy whatever enemy he's engaged with. His lack of tradeoffs keep him street-level, but he's a terrifying knight in iron on those streets. He's also a pretty good build for any kind of cyborg turned Batman, though I'd drop his Space Flight and use it to kick up his Impervious, or maybe his Super-Senses, if he doesn't come from Kirbytech.
Avenger Assembled Posted June 10, 2011 Author Posted June 10, 2011 Video Game Hero “Our princess is in another castle!†–Super Mario 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 Melee 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: 36 r=9 pp Computers 10 (+10) Knowledge: Pop Culture 10 (+10) Notice 8 (+10) Sense Motive 8 (+10) Feats: 11 pp Attack Focus: Melee (4) Dodge Focus (4) Power Attack, Takedown Attack, Uncanny Dodge (auditory) Powers: 76 pp Datalink 2 (100 ft) (PFs: Machine Control, Subtle) [4 pp] Enhanced STR 16 [16 pp] Flight 1 (10 MPH) [2 pp] Immunity 9 (Life Support) [9 pp] Protection 7 [7 pp] Super-Strength 1 (Heavy Load: 1.5 tons) [2 pp] Video Game Mimicry 4 [36 pp] ‘20 pp’ ‘Hedgehog Speed’ (Quickness 10 (x25000) and Speed 10 (10000 MPH)) ‘Fire Flower’ (Blast 8 (PFs: Accurate 3, Improved Crit) ‘Russian Blocks’ (Create Object 6 (Extra: Movable) (PFs: Progression, Precise) ‘Ping Pong’ (Add Impervious and Reflective (ranged) to Toughness) costs abilities 20 + combat 24 + saves 10 + skills 9/36 + feats 11 + powers 76 = 150 pts Design Notes: This hero is powered by video games; she’s able to assume the powers and abilities of any video game character. Most of her sample powers are pretty generic and where she got them from pretty obvious: doing that (giving a specific connection to a classic character) is a good way to make sure you’re not abusing the descriptor. Just make sure you’re not breaking the fourth Wall, either! I’ve given her the abilities of your average low-rent paragon outside of her Video Game Mimicry (a reskinned Animal Mimicry), so she can fly around and punch people really hard, lift heavy objects, and do the various things that your average video game character can probably do. She also has limited machine control abilities; enough to look inside computers and consoles when she’s not near them, and enough to play her X-Box from across the room. (Do you kids still play X-Box? I dunno). I got the idea for her from the winner of Stan Lee’s awful Who Wants to be a Superhero; the powers have to be watched carefully to make sure you don’t get ‘too cool’, but I think there’s definitely the seed of a good idea here. She has the skills of a generic videogame player with her decent Computers and Pop Culture score: in my mind, this is probably a high school kid, but you could easily make her just a random officedrone whose superpowers played into her favorite hobby when they finally did emerge. There’s nothing wrong with having a solid connection to pop culture, just make sure you pick a good ‘theme’ to avoid sounding like some generic, easily-dated computer nerd. I went with semi-classic video games for the lady in question, but you could easily adjust that however you want. Consider other games; like more Flight and Space Flight for an asteroid fighter, or another kind of blast for someone fighting Space Invaders. Consider giving her an Arcade expy as a natural antagonist, perhaps one determined to punish videogames for killing pinball. (Maybe use the Pinball Hero from upthread?) You could tighten her theme even further and give her the powers of one specific videogame character, but you really need to be careful to avoid copyright infringement there.(Plus, it makes you look pretty lame and uncreative, honestly, unless you have a very good justification) Another way to go would be to tie her into another kind of game: maybe she has a chess theme and can use her powers like the various chess pieces, or the kingly powers of checkers. Either way, this should be a fun character: she’s got powers she probably thinks are great, she’s got plenty of potential for in-universe licensing, and the crossover story where everyone gets sucked into an old Atari game is a natural for her. There’s nothing wrong with having a cool theme. Just watch out for Asteroids and Space Invaders!
Avenger Assembled Posted June 10, 2011 Author Posted June 10, 2011 Power Controller “The power is yours!†–Captain Planet 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 DEF: +12 (+3 flat-footed) Init: +7 Grapple +6 Saves: 12 pp TOU +8 (+3 Con, +5 Protection) FORT +5 (+3 Con, +2) REF +8 (+3 Dex, +5) WILL +8 (+3 Wis, +5) Skills: 12 pp=48 r Bluff 6 (+10) Diplomacy 11 (+15) Knowledge: Current Events 5 (+5) Knowledge: Pop Culture 5 (+5) Medicine 2 (+5) Languages 3 (French, German, Spanish) (Base: English) Notice 7 (+10) Sense Motive 7 (+10) Feats: 16 pp Dodge Focus 6 Elusive Target, Evasion 2, Improved Initiative, Inspire 4, Leadership, Move-By Action, Uncanny Dodge (auditory) Powers: 60 pp Boost Array [30+2=32 pp] Damage 10 (Extra: Range [Perception]) 'overclocking' AP: Healing 10 (Extra: Range [Perception], Flaw: Others Only) AP: Transform 10 (living to living) (Extra: Range [Perception], Flaws: Action [Full], Powers Only) Flight 3 (50 MPH) [6 pp] Luck Control 4 (spend an HP for another character, give HP to others, spend HP to negate HP/Fiat, force reroll) (PFs: Luck 5) [17 pp] Protection 5 [5 pp] costs abilities 26 + combat 24 + saves 12 + skills 12/48 + feats 16 + powers 60 = 150 pts Design Notes: Here’s someone who is loosely defined as a power controller/booster. He’s the perfect PC for someone who likes playing a supporting role: with his Inspire, Leadership, and Luck Control he makes the people on his team more powerful just by being there, and with his Boost array he can heal their injuries, briefly change their powers around (or change up his own), and even attack bad guys by infusing more power than they can handle into their bodies. He’s a good way to play a ‘good luck charm’ character who actually is quite useful to have around, and can do more than just hang back and boost others. (Which is not much fun, really, and not really appropriate to the superheroic genre) The big problem with Power Control and Boost is that, despite the name, they’re not actually that useful: Power Control is at best a limited form of Mind Control (which, in fact, it is) and requires lots of luck to actually be useful, while Boost is so dependent on not breaking caps that it almost has to be Personal to be useful: and even then, you’re stuck with not being at caps half the time! My basic idea for this character is that they’re a superhero groupie who lucked into powers that made him not just a superhero, but one who made other superheroes better as well. You can mix that up however you want: I could see this as a scientist studying the nature of superpowers, a super-soldier who wound up with broader abilities than the government expected, and the like. All that Healing could easily be boosted by a character with a decent amount of Medicine: as it is, his powers in that direction are mostly instinctual. You could tie him into a specific descriptor, I suppose, but making him a ‘power booster’ in general is the sort of thing that often works cross-class, as it were. Make sure you understand exactly how his (quite broad) powers work. Consider having a Complication if there are a given type of abilities (magic, mutant, science) that he just can’t change (maybe by giving him Fort damage): as written he can weaken or boost everything from Iron Man’s suit to Spiderman’s stupid face. (Stupid Spiderman and his face) Luck Control and Inspire are two requirements for someone who makes his team better just by being around them. (I use Luck Control a lot in my builds, but make sure you are coming up with a good reason why a given PC has such a formidable ability: it’s a utility power, but make sure you know why they have them) I could see this character going in other ways as points developed: as I mentioned, a Fort save seems perfectly natural to put on his Damage. He’s a Perception fighter right now, but you could save points in doing as Wesley Knight did and making him all about the range, or even melee. With his high Diplomacy, he’s a great team player in general, and makes an excellent faceman for your team if you need somebody to go do negotiating. You could adjust that and make him really scary if you wanted to play up the Unfortunate Implications of his powers, but honestly there’s something to be said for a perfectly nice guy with perfectly nice powers. Not everyone has to be a big ol’ creepazoid.
Avenger Assembled Posted June 10, 2011 Author Posted June 10, 2011 Silversmith “Go Red Sox!†PL: 10 (150) Abilities: 20 pp STR 30 [16] (+10/+3) DEX 14 (+2) CON 16 (+3) INT 10 (+0) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 10 (+0) Combat: 24 pp ATK: +6 (+10 Melee) DEF: +12 (+3 flat-footed) Init: +7 Grapple: +22 Saves: 13 pp TOU +8 (+3 Con, +5 Protection) FORT +8 (+3 Con, +5) REF +6 (+2 Dex, +4) WILL +6 (+2 Wis, +4) Skills: 44 r=11 pp Concentration 8 (+10) Craft: Chemical 4 (+4) Craft: Structural 10 (+10) Notice 8 (+10) Ride 3 (+5) Sense Motive 8 (+10) Survival 3 (+5) Feats: 16 pp Attack Focus: Melee 4 Dodge Focus 6 Improved Initiative Power Attack Takedown Attack Uncanny Dodge (auditory) Powers: 66 pp Alternate Form 7 (Silver) [35 pp] -Enhanced STR 14 [14] -Immunity 4 (sleep, starvation and thirst, suffocation) [4] -Impervious TOU 8 [8] -Protection 5 [5] -Super-Strength 2 (Heavy Load: 6 tons) [4] Shape Matter 10 (1000 lbs) (Extra: Duration [Continuous]), (Flaws: Metal Only, Range [Touch]) [30 pp] Speed 1 (10 MPH) [1 pp] costs abilities 20 + combat 24 + saves 13 + skills 11/44 + feats 16 + powers 66 = 150 pts Design Notes: Okay, my idea here is that this lady is the guardian of Boston, heir to a lineage of alchemical heroes going back to the 18th century. She’s bulletproof, covered in silver, and she can shape metal and other substances with just a touch, cleaving through steel doors, welding guns shut, and generally having a very formidable backup to go with her otherwise low-rent powerhouse abilities. I couldn’t quite get the weight up to that of an 18th century cannon (which I figured was a primary target of her ancestor), but she could certainly affect things like cannonballs and the various shells of heavy artillery. With Impervious 8; she’d be formidable, but not invulnerable, on even an 18th century battlefield. (Though even there she’d have to take a cannonball directly to the face to even run the risk of being hurt; not much of a risk given her abilities.) With her skills and feats, she could stand in well enough for her 18th century ancestor, but I think she works just fine as a modern-day heroine carrying on a centuries-old all-American legacy. (Plus, there probably weren’t too many PL 10s fighting openly in the 18th century…) As far as origins, I was inspired by a comment trollthumper made in chat about "Johnny Tremaine getting burned with some alchemical silver" and took that to build this very successful young lady. I didn't limit her powers to silver or anything like that, because that would frankly bite the wax tadpole in a modern setting. She could use some density if you want to play up her metal body as well; and maybe more immunities if you want to give her some more internal changes. If you don't like the alchemical origins, she certainly has the skills to alter her own body: maybe she followed up on the historical accident and recreated the circumstances that had helped give rise to America’s first superhero back in the 18th century? If that’s the case, she certainly needs an enemy from the motherland, a wicked British imperialist determined to restore the power of the monarchy at any cost! This all-American young patriot isn’t going to allow any such nonsense on her watch. As it is her silver body is something she can dismiss at a whim, and be stunned out of in a fight: consider saving up the points to make it Continuous if you want to avoid the latter risk, or making it Permanent if you want her perpetually inhuman body to be a serious source of valuable complications. Freedom City’s superheroes started in 1938 with the Centurion, but people with superpowers date back to an older era. Don’t be afraid to come up with awesome Victorian and pulp adventures for previous generations of Silversmiths if you don’t mind explaining what they were doing and why it didn’t make it into the press. Of course, if you really want to make AA happy, you can use this as a Civil War-era hero and have her go down south to introduce New England to the plantation South by punching people in the face until they fall over...
Avenger Assembled Posted June 10, 2011 Author Posted June 10, 2011 DNAscendant “You don't want my life. What do I have to show for it? Metal plate in my chest, Vatican karate gorilla blood on my hands, and a foot locker full of manbro viles.†-Brock Sampson PL: 10 (150) Abilities: 34 pp STR 30 [20] (+10/+5) DEX 30 [20] (+10/+5) CON 30 [20] (+10/+5) INT 10 (+0) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 10 (+0) Combat: 24 pp ATK: +6 (+10 Melee) DEF: +10 (+3 flat-footed) Init: +30 Grapple: +20 Saves: 4 pp TOU +10 (+10 Con) FORT +10 (+10 Con) REF +10 (+10 Dex) WILL +6 (+2 Wis, +4) Skills: 48r=12 pp Acrobatics 10 (+20) Climb 5 (+15) Knowledge: Streetwise 5 (+5) Languages 2 (Chinese, Japanese) (Base: English) Notice 8 (+10) Sense Motive 8 (+10) Stealth 10 (+20) Feats: 16 pp Acrobatic Bluff Attack Focus: Melee (4) Challenge (Fast Acrobatic Bluff) Evasion, Dodge Focus 4, Fearless, Move-By Action, Power Attack, Second Chance (Acrobatics checks) Takedown Attack 2 Uncanny Dodge (auditory) Powers: 60 pp Concealment 4 (all visual) (Flaw: Only While Moving) [4 pp] Enhanced CON 10 [10 pp] Enhanced DEX 10 [10 pp] Enhanced STR 10 [10 pp] Super-Movement 3 (Wall-Running 2, Water Walking) (Flaw: Only While Moving) [3 pp] Super-Speed 4 [20+1=21 pp] -Quickness 4 (x25), Speed 4 (100 MPH), and Initiative +20 Free: Quickness 8 (total Quickness 12 (x10000) AP: Rapid Attack (20 ft) costs abilities 34 + combat 24 + saves 4 + skills 12/48 + feats 16 + powers 60 = 150 pts --- Design Notes: In the World of Freedom, superpowers come in a bottle. Through the DNAscendant process, if you’re willing to pay about five thousand dollars a power point, you can have your own superpowered bodyguard, minion, or assassin. The nice people behind the process will even provide the meat for it if you have nobody handy: given the risks of insanity, mutation, and death associated with the process, it’s not something you want to do for yourself unless you’re very sure. They’ll even provide an origin story for them for a little extra, giving you that fanatical Jesuit, loyal ninja warrior, or longtime friend you’ve wanted. (That also helps wipe away whatever inconvenient life the subject in question had before the Labyrinth kidnapped them to brainwash them.) All they ask is your soul, and of course your money will eventually flow through shell companies and cut-out men all the way to the massive, grasping hands of Taurus the minotaur himself. This lady is one who broke free. Maybe she got loose before the brainwashing and made her escape that way, or maybe they thought the transformation had killed her and dumped her body only to have her revive and make her escape. Maybe she has amnesia and no idea how she got these powers, maybe she’s all-too-aware of how her kidnappers ripped her away from the bosom of her family and made absolutely sure no one would ever come looking for her. Either way, she’s a lethal wrecking machine; capable of running faster than the eye can follow, up walls and over water, and tearing through a crowd of bad guys when she gets there. She’s strong enough and fast enough to chase down a speeding car, tear it apart with her bare hands, and never be seen by the people inside it. She’s not bulletproof and she has the same physical ailments as a normal human, but with her incredible speed and power it shouldn’t ever be an issue for her. She’ll never lose initiative save to the select few who are already faster than she is, and she’ll do a whole lot more damage than those people are likely to. The risk you run with characters like this, examples of the Living Weapon archetype, is that they’re easy to write as terrible, terrible characters: all violence and grim and grit, with no personality and nothing interesting about them. So just don’t do that! Write about them enjoying the rediscovery of their humanity, the joys of their first love affair or challenges of their first job, reconnecting with a family they had thought they’d lost or taking up a hobby like painting or cooking that makes them happy. Giving them humanity will make the violence they have to do actually _mean_ something, and get the audience all the more on their side when they do finally track down the people who changed them against their will and are confronted with the high cost of revenge. Hurting that general or that scientist who changed you won’t give you the old you back. Don’t let them win.
Avenger Assembled Posted June 11, 2011 Author Posted June 11, 2011 Dr. Gorilla "It's a little like wrestling a gorilla. You don't quit when you're tired - you quit when the gorilla is tired." -Robert Strauss PL: 10 (150) Abilities: 38 pp STR 30 [22] (+10/+6) DEX 12 (+1) CON 24 [20] (+7/+5) INT 24 (+7) WIS 12 (+1) CHA 10 (+0) Combat: 24 pp ATK: +6 (+5 w/Growth, +10 Melee) DEF: +6 (+5 w/Growth, +10) Init: +1 Grapple: +25 Saves: 12 pp TOU +10 (+7 Con, +1 Protection, +2 Defensive Roll) FORT +7 (+7 Con) REF +7 (+1 Dex, +6) WILL +7 (+1 Wis, +6) Skills: 88 r=22 pp Climb 9 (+15, Skill Mastery) Craft (electronic) 8 (+15, Skill Mastery) Craft (mechanical) 8 (+15, Skill Mastery) Disguise 0 (+1/+26) Knowledge (technology) 8 (+15, Skill Mastery) Handle Animal 10 (+10) Intimidate 14 (+14/+15) Medicine 4 (+5) Notice 9 (+10) Sense Motive 9 (+10) Stealth 8 (+9/+5) Survival 1 (+2) Feats: 21 pp Attack Focus: Melee 5 Challenge (Accelerated Climb) Defensive Roll Dodge Focus 5 Eidetic Memory Inventor Master Plan Move-By Action Skill Mastery (Climb, Craft [Electronic], Craft [Mechanical], Knowledge [Technology]) Startle Power Attack Takedown Attack Uncanny Dodge (olfactory) Powers: 33 pp Additional Limbs 2 (PF: Innate) ‘prehensile feet’ [3 pp] Comprehend 2 (speak to and understand simians) [2 pp] Device 1 (Holo-Watch) (Easy to Lose) [3 pp] Morph 5 (Dr. Gorilla) [5] Enhanced Feat 1 (Animal Empathy) [1 pp] Growth 4 (Extra: Duration (Permanent) [+0], PF: Innate) [13 pp] Immunity 1 (aging) [1 pp] Leaping 1 (x2) [1 pp] Protection 1 [1 pp] Super-Movement 1 (Swinging) [2 pp] Speed 1 (10 MPH) [1 pp] Super-Senses 5 (Accurate Acute Tracking Scent, Low-Light Vision) [5 pp] costs abilities 38 + combat 24 + saves 12 + skills 22/88 + feats 21 + powers 33 = 150 pts ------- Design Notes: Okay, so Ecal did a build very similar to this one a while back, but it's a gorilla scientist! What's not to like? (I almost wound up playing this character some months ago.) My general take on this character is that Dr. Gorilla was once a scientist active in the field of zoology, active in investigating the neurological differences between humans and great apes. His work was designed to save lives, but Dr. Simian objected to any experimentation on the 'true masters of the world' and sabotaged Dr. Gorilla's work, permanently trapping a man in a gorilla's body. A lesser man might have broken under the strain, but Dr. Gorilla escaped Simian's lair and returned to his work, now determined to make sure that no one else suffers as he did at the hands of supervillains. Getting his own body would be nice too! He can't turn back into a human, but he does have a big bulky holowatch that he can use to make himself look like a person again. It doesn't solve the large and small anatomical differences between humans and gorillas, but at least he can walk down the street without attracting too much attention in his 'civilian' garb. (One thing to remember; gorillas really don't eat meat, so he won't be pulling a Grodd and ripping his enemies apart to eat them. Not that a superhero would do that anyway, obviously!) Why the immunity to aging? Well, gorillas live much shorter lives than humans do, so a man in a gorilla body would no doubt take steps to make sure he had a lifespan at least as long as a human being. That's also so you can change this up and make him a classy gentleman adventurer from the Golden Age who got turned into an ape and has been rolling with this major life change ever since. He's a genius, he's a decent fighter, and he's got all the abilities you'd expect a gorilla to have under the circumstances: gorillas would be pretty formidable if they actually had an interest in getting into fights with human beings. My personal favorite comic book gorilla is Gorilla-Man from the pages of Agents of Atlas, but Ultra-Humanite and Monsieur Mallah both have their own unique charms. If you do want to let him turn back and forth from human to gorilla (probably making him magic-based rather than science-based), give him that good old normal ID drawback and give me a sheet for a low-level scientist or game hunter to go with it. If you don't want him to have ever been a man, make this a gorilla uplifted, perhaps a scion of Dr. Simian's turned to heroic deeds, or a native of Gorilla Island who has gone out to seek his fortune in the wide world with his command of advanced science!
Avenger Assembled Posted June 11, 2011 Author Posted June 11, 2011 Siren Timid men prefer the calm of despotism to the tempestuous sea of liberty. -Thomas Jefferson Abilities: 30 pp STR 18 (+4) DEX 14 (+2) CON 16 (+3) INT 10 (+0) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 18 (+4) Combat: 24 pp ATK: +6 (+10 Underwater Sonics) DEF: +12 (+3 flat-footed) Init: +6 Grapple: +10/+16 with Move Object 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 11 (+15/+19) Diplomacy 5 (+9/+13) Knowledge: Pop Culture 5 (+5) Languages 2 (Atlantean, German) (Base: English) Notice 8 (+10) Perform (singing) 7 (+11) Sense Motive 6 (+8) Feats: 17 pp All-Out Attack Attractive Challenge (Improved Feint) Dodge Focus 6 Inspire 4 Luck Move-By Action Power Attack Uncanny Dodge (auditory) Powers: 56 pp Enhanced Feat 1 (Environmental Adaptation [underwater]) [1 pp] Flight 5 (250 MPH) [10+1=11 pp] AP: Swimming 10 (2500 MPH) Immunity 4 (drowning, environmental cold, high pressure, own powers) [4 pp] Protection 5 [5 pp] Super-Senses 12 (Accurate Analytical Ultrasonic Hearing Penetrates Concealment, Low-Light Vision) [12 pp] Underwater Sonics Array [22+2=24 pp] Blast 10 (PFs: Accurate 2) AP: Damage 10 (Extra: Area [Cone]) AP: Move Object 10 (Heavy Load: 12 tons) (PFs: Accurate 2) Drawbacks: Vulnerable (fire) (common, moderate) [-3 pp] costs abilities 30 + combat 24 + saves 13 + skills 11/44 + feats 17 + powers 56 -drawbacks 3= 150 pts ------ Design Notes: This build is for Siren, the Golden Age heroine and Queen Mother of Atlantis. For those of who haven’t read the Golden Age book, she’s basically an Atlantean Black Canary expy; a torch singer from the surface who was nearly drowned when the passenger liner where she worked was sunk by a German U-Boat. Luckily the prince of Atlantis saw her drowning, fell in love (which is a little creepy, but that’s Golden Age romance for you) and took her to his realm to be imbued with his power: that gave her the power to sing loud enough to shatter glass, and sent her back to the surface to fight as a hero. I’ve kept those elements and made her fast, beautiful, and powerful: she’s something of a glass cannon given her lack of Impervious, but with her ability to move her tradeoffs around and her ability to goonsweep, she’s a threat to anyone on a Golden Age battlefield. She's got some issues with fire, like you do when you've got magic underwater powers, and is pretty strong thanks to the infusion of Atlantean magic into her system, making her much tougher than your average surfacer. She’s the Liberty League member (that I’ll stat, anyway) with Inspire, and thus a great facewoman and spokesman for the group. I figure she gets coshed on the head, tied up, and gagged, she can use the HP from the Power Loss Complication (not a drawback) to Inspire her teammates who are coming to rescue her. She’s got the incredible hearing I like to give sonic controllers: she can hear through walls, fight while blind in the depths of the ocean using her sonic powers, and she can do that with either regular sonics or ULTRASONICS! (Golden Age writers and readers weren’t that technologically sophisticated, but screaming so loudly you can use it as a weapon is something I think they probably could have put across with some dynamic poses and elaborate special effects). I think this build would work just fine if you want to play her in her prime, or maybe another granddaughter (Nereid already having graduated Claremont) who has inherited abilities like her grandma’s and come to the surface to see what’s up with all the stories she’d heard. Siren gets something of short shrift in the books, seeing as how she got her powers from her boyfriend, but I don’t see why that has to be an issue for you: I prefer to think of it as she’s the surfacer bearing the ancient power and glory of Atlantis on her shoulders, carrying forth that complicated legacy while fighting the greatest enemies of freedom that the world has ever known. And plus, Atlantis is cool! Think of all the exciting underwater adventures you’ll be able to have and the June Taylor-esque costumes you’ll be able to wear, either as a Golden Age character or a modern inheritor of the legacy. Of course, if you’re playing said modern inheritor now, you’ll probably have to deal with the Siren on the Freedom League who’s the current modern carrier of the title, but who’s to say you can’t share the legacy of valor and nobility represented in tales of the Siren?
Avenger Assembled Posted June 11, 2011 Author Posted June 11, 2011 Star Knight “I am the law!†-Sylvester Stallone PL: 10 (150) Abilities: 22 pp STR 30 [14] (+10/+2) DEX 16 (+3) CON 30 [14] (+10/+2) INT 10 (+0) WIS 18 (+4) CHA 10 (+0) Combat: 24 pp ATK: +6 (+10 Unarmed) DEF: +10 (+3 flat-footed) Init: +3 Grapple: +20 Saves: 7 pp TOU +10 (+10 Con) FORT +10 (+10 Con) REF +6 (+3 Dex, +4) WILL +7 (+4 Wis, +3) Skills: 48 r=12 pp Concentration 12 (+16) Diplomacy 10 (+10) Knowledge: Civics 10 (+10) Knowledge: Physical Sciences 4 (+4) Notice 6 (+10) Sense Motive 6 (+10) Feats: 11 pp Attack Specialization: Unarmed 2, Benefit (Star Knight), Dodge Focus 4, Move-By Action, Power Attack, Takedown Attack Uncanny Dodge (radio) Powers: 80 pp Alternate Form 16 (Star Knight Armor) (Duration: Sustained) [80 pp] -Comprehend 3 (speak, read, and understand any one language at a time) [6 pp] -Enhanced CON 16 [16 pp] -Enhanced Feats 3 (Extended Reach, Improved Crit, Interpose) [3 pp] -Enhanced STR 16 and Super-Strength 4 (Heavy Load: 12 tons) [20 pp] -Flight 6 (500 MPH) [12+1=13 pp] AP: Teleport 18 (anywhere in the Galaxy) (Flaws: Long-Range Only, Unreliable [5 uses a day]) (PFs: Progression 3 (1000 lbs) -Immunity 11 (life support, sleep, starvation and thirst) [11 pp] -Impervious TOU 8 [8 pp] -Space Flight 1 (1c) [1 pp] -Super-Senses 2 (Communication Link [Mentor] [mental], Radio) [2 pp] Power Drawback: [Action [Full] on Alternate Form (-4 pp)] Drawbacks: -1 pp Vulnerable (Electricity) (uncommon, minor) (-1 pp) costs abilities 22 + combat 24 + saves 7 + skills 12/48 + feats 11 + powers 76 - drawback 1= 150 pts ----- Design Notes: Here’s a build for a Star Knight, Freedom City’s Green Lantern Corps by way of ROM: Spaceknight. The local Star Knight on Earth is Maria Montoya, who is basically Renee Montoya in the Green Lantern Corps: my assumption is that this is her backup, a new Star Knight assigned to Earth given the tremendous number of crazy things that happen here. (The previous Star Knight assigned to Earth back in the Silver Age was an alien; basically Abin Sur in pursuit of Sinestro up until the beginning of the Bronze Age). Most people don’t know that Star Knight’s part of an alien corps of spacecops: they think the current Star Knight is the daughter of the original, who they thought was a human inventor back in the day. This one may be more open about who his real bosses are, or he may be posing as the other Star Knight’s brother! (How Maria Montoya feels about that little deception is up to you) I’m not a huge fan of the Star Knight concept: I don’t think power armor works that well as a a power ring substitute, but I’ve tried to change things up a little here and make things a little more viable. (They also have the problem that the book Star Knight is built terribly, just terribly. My assumption here is that he keeps his armor in a dimensional pocket and pulls it out when necessary (IOW, it’s much too easily accessible to be available for the device discount) with the armor snapping back there when he doesn’t need it to prevent abuse. It takes a full-round action for him to charge the armor up, letting him get a cool power-up sequence and also making sure he has to stay watchful even when he’s not using his powers. As written he’s something of a low-rent paragon, flying around and hitting things with his energy sword, or just punching them in the face depending on descriptors. I figure he uses the Flight to get around in atmosphere, the Space Travel inside solar systems, and the Teleport for big interstellar jumps. His armor feeds him and keeps him awake, but it doesn’t, say, remove his aging: this makes him a good space cop without making him likely to turn into a raging despot. I figure Mentor (unstatted) handles communication between Star Knights, while your average Star Knight is working in areas where they’re instantly recognizable but without much support from their allies, so they don’t need to spend a lot of time communicating with others. That said, buying Communication is a great idea as you get more PP, as is more Super-Senses: what he has now is useful, but the concept could easily justify so much more. I didn’t give him any goofy Power Loss vs. colors or a need to recharge his armor; the first doesn’t make a lot of sense for armor and the second is really left best to a complication nine stories out of ten. There are a lot of potential story arcs you can use for space cops. Star Knights genuinely are a force for good in-setting, but individuals could certainly be corrupted easily enough. Dealing with fellow Star Knights who’ve gone Darker and Edgier, or simply decided to rule by fear and intimidation, is an easy enough story niche to fit into. A war of colors? If so, avoid having the White Power destroy all those evil black guys, because that’s just, that’s just awful, honestly. Or maybe take a page from JLU’s Green Lantern and have this guy have been trained away from Earth for many years, and only now is he coming back to find a world that’s changed quite a bit in his absence. Make up a good Star Knight oath for him if you want; perhaps one he’s tuned to his own special needs. As written this is a new Star Knight from Earth, but you could easily tweak his feats and skills a bit, or maybe his powers, to make him an alien recently assigned to this remarkable planet and its remarkable people.
Avenger Assembled Posted June 11, 2011 Author Posted June 11, 2011 Midnight “...†PL: 10 (150) Abilities: 42 pp STR 20 (+5) DEX 18 (+4) CON 20 (+5) INT 16 (+3) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 14 (+2) Combat: 32 pp ATK: +8 (+9 Melee/+15 Unarmed) DEF: +12 (+4 flat-footed) Grapple: +14 Init: +4 Saves: 9 pp TOU +8 (+5 Con, +3 Protection) FORT +7 (+5 Con, +2) REF +7 (+4 Dex, +3) WILL +7 (+2 Wis, +5) Skills: 80 r=20 pp Acrobatics 1 (+5) Climb 5 (+10) Craft (Chemical) 7 (+10) Drive 1 (+5) Intimidate 13 (+15) Knowledge (Physical Sciences) 7 (+10) Knowledge (Streetwise) 7 (+10) Knowledge (Technology) 7 (+10) Notice 8 (+10) Sense Motive 13 (+15) Stealth 11 (+15) Feats: 18 pp Attack Focus: Melee (1) Attack Specialization: Unarmed (3) Dodge Focus (5) Equipment (5) Power Attack Startle Takedown Attack Uncanny Dodge (auditory) Powers: 29 pp Device 2 (Hard to Lose) ‘Midnight Costume’ [8 pp] -Immunity 4 (own powers, poison, suffocation) [4] -Protection 3 [3] -Super-Senses 3 (Darkvision, Radio) [3] Device 7 (Easy to Lose) ‘Gas Gun’ [21 pp] -Obscure 5 (visual) (Extra: Independent (+0)) [10] and Stun 5 (Extras: Area [burst], Duration [sustained] (+2)) [25] Equipment: 25 ep Grapple Gun (Super-Movement 1 (Swinging) ) [2 ep] Night Cruiser (As Sports Car with Smokescreen Feature) [8 ep] Night Manor (As Stately Manor w/out Computer, Dock, or Hanger) [15 ep] costs abilities 42 + combat 32 + saves 9 + skills 20/80 + feats 18 + powers 29 = 150 pts --- Design Notes: Here’s Midnight, the Batman/Shadow/Sandman/Green Hornet mashup who was the Liberty League’s costumed adventurer. This is him _really_ early in his career, just a few days after Travis Hunter decided to take up the cause of fighting crime after breaking up the gang of Martian-themed robbers holding up a society benefit on Halloween night 1938. He’s got his gear, he’s got his mansion: he’s ready to take to the streets and fight for justice! One of the things I like about Midnight is that he didn’t have a particularly traumatic childhood or anything like that: he went out to fight crime because of all those criminals doing bad things, not to purge some terrible inner demons from his psyche. (And why not?) Midnight I was the first costumed adventurer in-setting, predating even the Daring Duo of Bowman and Arrow. Most of the in-setting costumed adventurers were more influenced by Raven, the Silver-Bronze Age Batman expy, but I like to think many of the Golden Age mystery men wore fedoras and full face masks in honor of Midnight. He’s smart and a good mechanic, but not an inventor: if he needs to whip a new gadget out in play, he’ll have to stunt something off his gas gun, or just spend an HP to acquire the relevant equipment feat. If you want him to get more stuff in play, buy it with PP and explain that it’s the result of busy tinkering in his basement laboratory. His gas gun doesn’t look like it meets caps, but it’s more about goon-sweeping and taking foes off-guard. A lot of low-level minions will fail that save entirely, and even high-level characters may be in trouble. Even if they aren’t knocked out by the gas, getting punched in the face by the guy in the mask appearing out of that smoke (which is big enough that they can’t just shoot into the smoke and hit him) has a quality all its own. His World War II-era self probably picked up more languages and skills, and certainly higher Intimidate and Stealth. This build works fine for a pre-WWII Midnight in a Golden Age game, I think, or one of the many Midnight ripoffs that no doubt appeared in the pages of other comic book companies in this period. After all, Midnight was a proven formula. As popular as he was, he might even have had actual in-universe imitators, either back in the 1940s or even today. Just as Green Arrow had an Arrowcave, so too could your character have a Sunset Manor with only a little handwaving. In fact, the idea of playing someone who specifically models himself on Midnight would be interesting: there’s nothing wrong with calling on an ancient legacy, though of course in play you should probably avoid doing that without talking to the local custodian first. In-character annoyance is one thing; out of character annoyance is another thing and one that must be avoided! Gizmo has populated the niche of the local Midnight heir so thoroughly as to be insurmountable.
Avenger Assembled Posted June 16, 2011 Author Posted June 16, 2011 Divine Hero "Zeus has no favorites"-God of War PL: 10 (150) Abilities: 32 pp STR 30 [20] (+10/+5) DEX 14 (+2) CON 14 (+2) INT 10 (+0) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 20 (+5) Combat: 28 pp ATK: +6 (+10 Unarmed/+12 Blast) DEF: +12 (+4 flat-footed) Grapple: +11/+21 Init: +6 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 Climb 1 (+6/+11) Bluff 10 (+15) Disguise 0 (+5/+35) Intimidate 10 (+15) Knowledge: Tactics 10 (+10) Knowledge: Theology and Philosophy 10 (+10) Language 1 (Greek) (Base: English) Notice 8 (+10) Ride 1 (+3) Sense Motive 8 (+10) Survival 1 (+3) Feats: 10 pp All-Out Attack Attack Specialization: Unarmed 2 Master Plan 2 Improved Initiative Startle Power Attack Takedown Attack Uncanny Dodge (auditory) Powers: 49 pp Divine Array 10 (20 pp powers; PFs: Alternate Power 3) [20+3=23 pp] BE: Blast 8 (PFs: Accurate 3, Precise) AP: Emotion Control 10 AP: Enhanced STR 10 (to 30/+10) and Super-Strength 5 (effective Str 55, Heavy Load: 24 tons) AP: Morph 6 (+30 Disguise, any form; PFs: Covers Scent, Precise) Flight 1 (10 MPH) [2 pp] Immunity 3 (aging, disease, poison) [3 pp] Impervious TOU 8 [8 pp] Protection 6 [6 pp] Regeneration 1 (1/week) (PFs: Persistent, Regrowth) [3 pp] Shield 4 [4 pp] abilities 32+combat 28+saves 16+skills 15/60+ feats 10 +powers 49 --- Design Notes: Divine, aka Moira Morley, was a good concept not terribly well-executed. But that's okay. Here's the daughter of Ares and Aphrodite as she should have been; a beautiful woman, a fantastic warrior, a godling skilled in all ways of contending. I figure she can summon and dismiss Olympian armor to her as a free action, but with the exception of her shield those things are mostly special effects. She's bulletproof, agile, and has a host of divine powers ranging from hurling fireballs (I get a lot of my iconic imagery for Olympian gods from Xena: Warrior Princess, the best live-action TV show with a superheroine as the lead ever made) to shifting her shape (a stock character ability for Olympian gods), to inspiring love and fear in mortals to just raising sword and fist and ripping the hell out of her enemies. She's also a skilled social manipulator (as any Olympian should be) and a very good strategist and planner. What's that, Olympian gods were often jerks and didn't act like superheroes? Well, we've got a Norse goddess and a Christian angel, so I think you can edit that. Perhaps she's more upstanding than her rather layabout parents, or maybe a trip to Earth through a summoning convinces he that these lands have merit. Or maybe you can stick with the idea that she was raised a mortal, her divine parents choosing to let her grow up outside the petty politics of her relatives. (Or maybe that's just what they told her, and she's a catspaw for Olympian conquest!) I've talked a lot about playing divine heroes in the Freedom City setting, and I think this one is in many ways no different: the Olympian pantheon hasn't had a lot to do in Freedom City one way or the other, possibly because they're so heavily used in DC and Marvel. The nice thing is, this does free you up a perfectly fine niche to play. A natural antagonist is Hades, Divine's uncle and the ruler of Hell, who has staged many an attempt on Earth in the past few decades. Why has he broken with the old ways so thoroughly, and what turned the being who was once one of the more cordial Olympians into one of the most threatening? Perhaps it's the result of the changes in death itself that have made so many of the old death gods such terrible threats to everyone else in the Freedom City setting. In fact, the changes in Hades may be why Divine was raised among mortals rather than gods. If such corruption could afflict among the most powerful of Olympians, surely escaping its taint and learning what lies behind is a task worthy for the daughter of gods.
Avenger Assembled Posted June 18, 2011 Author Posted June 18, 2011 Absorber "I am strong, I am invincible, I am..." -Helen Reddy PL: 10 (150) Abilities: 34 pp STR 40 [20] (+15/+5) DEX 14 (+2) CON 20 (+5) INT 12 (+1) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 14 (+2) Combat: 20 pp ATK: +5 DEF: +5 (+2 flat-footed) Init: +6 Grapple: +15/+25 Saves: 10 pp TOU +15 (+5 Con, +10 Protection) FORT +8 (+5 Con, +3) REF +5 (+2 Dex, +3) WILL +6 (+2 Wis, +4) Skills: 64 r=16 pp Bluff 13 (+15) Diplomacy 8 (+10) Intimidate 13 (+15) Knowledge (Civics) 2 (+3) Knowledge (Life Sciences) 4 (+5) Knowledge (Physical Sciences) 4 (+5) Languages 4 (German, Latin, Russian, Spanish) (Base: English) Notice 8 (+10) Sense Motive 8 (+10) Feats: 12 pp All-Out Attack Connected Benefit (Wealthy) Challenge (Improved Trick) Distract (Bluff) Improved Initiative Fearless Leadership Power Attack Startle Taunt Ultimate Save (TOU) Powers: 58 pp Absorption Array [32+3=35 pp] Blast 15 (PFs: Precise, Variable Descriptor 1 [absorbed]) AP: Damage 10 (Extras: Area [burst], Selective) (PFs: Progression on Area, Variable Descriptor 1 [absorbed]) AP: Drain Energy 15 (Flaw: Action [Full]) (PFs: Slow Fade 2 [5 minutes]) AP: Enhanced STR 20 and Super-Strength 5 (Heavy Load: 96 tons) (PF: Groundstrike) Immunity 3 (aging, environmental heat, radiation) [3 pp] Protection 10 (Extra: Impervious) [20 pp] costs abilities 34 + combat 20 + saves 10 + skills 16/64 + feats 12 + powers 58 = 150 pts -- Design Notes: Here's Sebastian Shaw, the antagonist of the X-Men: First Class movie, as a PL 10 starting character. Shaw's power in the comics is Absorption, but as usual I opted not to build that here: it's a crummy points deal, and it doesn't do much for powerhouses like Shaw since Enhanced STR and Super-STR aren't the same power. Instead he's just a fully Toughness-shifted powerhouse who can shrug off bazookas, grenades, and go toe-to-toe with some of the most powerful mutants on the planet until (and I don't think this really counts as a spoiler) he gets a hard lesson in why you should invest in exotic saves at the film's climax. Treat his necessity to absorb energy as a Complication: one possible use for the HP you get from that is to power the Improved Trick that gets people to keep wailing on him even though he's obviously invulnerable. With his +15 TOU, Impervious at +10, and Ultimate Toughness, he should be able to take a massive punishment and keep on going. This is toned down a bit from the film version, who is probably a PL 12-14 in a world of PL 6-8s. Part of that, though, is that the movie's Shaw was in a world with almost no superhumans, where his powers made him an unstoppable juggernaut capable of cleaving through conventional military forces and destroying all that stood in his way until finally our heroes came up with a good plan involving some well-placed teamwork. I figure his Fearless is a natural leap because of just how affable he is in the movie: no one has ever seriously hurt him, so why would he ever be afraid of them? He can walk around in nuclear reactors and raging infernos all he wants, and as promised his absorbed powers keep him young, but he has a lot of human frailities otherwise: in his shoes, I'd invest in upgrading my exotic saves as soon as reasonably possible. (in fact, that may have been the movie character's problem, since he never really grappled with people close to his own weight before the events of the movie.) He's an OK scientist but he's mostly powerful thanks to his tremendous social connections, and should have no trouble setting up an ally network that stretches from Russia to Argentina and back again. Ex-world conquerors are not too likely to be redeemable in a game like this; don't think you can change up his story and just have him be all hunky-dory in the aftermath. Find a different backstory to go with these very impressive abilities. I think this build works just fine as a low-level scientist and businessman who has stumbled his way into some very powerful self-granted abilities, or maybe a powerful mutant who has used his abilities to accumulate great wealth. He'd be a decent build for a retired hero who has gone into business for himself, or maybe a businessman who has just gone into heroing after years of using his abilities in other areas. As for whether or not he's the member of a gentleman's club with some really weird personal practices...well. He's a natural team-up for the Femme Fatale upthread, though perhaps he should invest in higher saves if he chooses to go that route...
Avenger Assembled Posted June 18, 2011 Author Posted June 18, 2011 Infernalist "Personally, I'm having a devil of a time."-Satana PL: 10 (150) Abilities: 20 pp STR 10 (+0) DEX 14 (+2) CON 16 (+3) INT 10 (+0) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 26 [16] (+8/+3) Combat: 24 pp ATK: +6 (+10 Hellfire Control) DEF: +12 (+3 flat-footed) Init: +6 Grapple: +6 Saves: 11 pp TOU +8 (+3 Con, +5 Protection) FORT +6 (+3 Con, +3) REF +6 (+2 Dex, +4) WILL +6 (+2 Wis, +4) Skills: 40 r=10 pp Bluff 12 (+20) Intimidate 12 (+20) Knowledge: Arcane Lore 4 (+4) Knowledge: Streetwise 4 (+4) Languages 2 (Italian, Spanish) (Base: English) Notice 3 (+5) Sense Motive 3 (+5) Feats: 11 pp Distract (Bluff) Dodge Focus 6 Power Attack Precise Shot Startle Uncanny Dodge (auditory) Powers: 80 pp Enhanced CHA 10 [10 pp] Hellfire Control Array [22+2=24 pp] Blast 10 (PFs: Accurate 2) AP: Damage 10 (Extra: Targeted Area [Cone) (PFs: Accurate 2) AP: Teleport 7 (700 ft/200 miles) (Extra: Accurate) (PF: Progression [250 lbs]) Immunity 5 (aging, disease, environmental heat, poison, suffocation [heat]) [5 pp] Immunity 40 (all lethal damage) (Flaw: Converts to Non-Lethal) [20 pp] Protection 5 [5 pp] Regeneration 16 (Recovery Bonus +9 [6], Bruised 3 [no action], Staggered 6 [no action], Resurrection 1/week [1]) [16 pp] Drawbacks: -6 pp Vulnerable (holy) (uncommon, major) [-3 pp] Weakness (holy symbols; dazed by failed CHA check) [-3 pp] costs abilities 20 + combat 24 + saves 11 + skills 10/40 + feats 11 + powers 80 -drawbacks 6= 150 pts --- Design Notes: Once upon a time the daughter of a powerful Mob boss witnessed the gruesome demise of her family at the hands of her father's business rivals. She ran to a church for help only to find that the local priest was in the pocket of her father's rivals and was shipped to a grim penal convent somewhere remote as a way of getting her out of the way. (It would be too obvious if she was simply murdered, after all) Alone one night in that miserable place, she cursed the universe and the God that had done so many horrible things to her and her family, and vowed that she would do anything, anything to get revenge on those who'd destroyed her family. As it happened, there are beings who listen to that sort of thing, and this lady's career as a dark avenger of evil began with a very personal meeting with a very evil being indeed. Now she travels the country by means of a gout of hellfire, a beautiful, cunning temptress and destroyer of evil. If she'd damned, well, she'll have company. Okay, obviously this concept is more suitable for an Iron Age game than ours. She's not a bad choice for the 'hot' (you see what I did there?) bad girl who your hero has to deal with, and maybe flirt with, while trying to handle the worse monsters down the lane. But I think you could still make it work: perhaps very early in her career as an infernal avenger, this lady realized that incinerating human beings, even foul mobsters, was more than she could do, and has become a fugitive from Hell even as she was once a fugitive from the Mob. She's a skilled social player and manipulator, and very good at wrapping people around her little finger. She doesn't need a lot of Investigate when she can just schmooze and scare her way through any given investigation. Her Immunity bears some explanation: I figure that a Flawed Immunity to Lethal Damage and Regeneration makes more sense for Hell-sent immortality. She can wade through hails of gunfire and not worry about it, but she'll feel every bullet and take every hit. I think that works even if she's broken with the forces of Hell and become a hero in her own right: after all, the Devil still has plans for her, even if she may have taken her career in a path very differently than he was expecting. His machinations have a way of turning around to bite even the most cunning of his enemies; and honestly if the Infernalist was really that cunning, she wouldn't have sold her soul to the Devil in the first place.
Avenger Assembled Posted June 19, 2011 Author Posted June 19, 2011 Wrath of God "In the land beyond the living, all things are possible" -Jim Corrigan Abilities: 18 pp STR: 10 (+0) DEX: 16 (+3) CON: 16 (+3) INT: 10 (+0) WIS: 16 (+3) CHA: 10 (+0) Combat: 24 pp ATK: +6 (+10 melee) DEF: +10 (+3 flat-footed) Grapple: +6 Init: +3 Saves: 11 pp TOU: +10 (+3 Con, +7 Protection) FORT: +5 (+3 Con, +2) REF: +5 (+3 Ref, +2) WILL: +10 (+3 Wis, +7) Feats: 12 pp Attack Focus: Melee (4) Dodge Focus (4) Move-By Action Power Attack Takedown Attack Uncanny Dodge (auditory) Skills: 14 pp=56 r Concentration 4 (+7) Intimidate 15 (+15) Notice 12 (+15) Sense Motive 13 (+15) Stealth 12 (+15) Powers: 71 pp Wrath Array [23+3=26 pp] Concealment 10 (Extra: Affects Others) (Flaw: Phantasm) (PFs: Progression 2 [x10 others], Subtle) AP: Damage 10 (Extra: Affects Corporeal) (PFs: Improved Crit, Variable Descriptor 2 [any divine]) AP: Illusion 10 (all senses) (Flaws: Phantasms, Single Target Only) (PFs: Progression 3 [25 ft) AP: Move Object 4 (Extras: Affects Corporeal, Damaging, Range [Perception]) (PFs: Indirect 2, Subtle) Flight 1 (10 MPH) (PF: Subtle) [3 pp] Immunity 12 (aging, life support, sleep, starvation and thirst) [12 pp] Insubstantial 4 (Extra: Duration [Default]) [20 pp] Protection 7 [7 pp] Super-Senses 3 (Darkvision, Tracking [visual]) [3 pp] -------------- Design Notes: Here's a build for the Wrath of God made flesh, the embodiment of divine justice and power made into a grim avenger of evil. This is basically DC's Spectre, but of course much closer to his Golden Age incarnation than the god-like PL-X entity he became later in the comic's history. He's very powerful, and very scary: his Damage power lets him manifest all sorts of horrible punishments for the guilty, while with his Illusion power he can trick them into thinking they've suffered even worse: with his Tracking power, he can hunt them down wherever they run and give them the fate they deserve: the Spectre has traditionally been a very dark character, terrifying in the Golden Age and deep in the Iron Age elsewhere. That doesn't mean you have to play him that way, though: it's God who hands out mortal punishment, after all, while theoretically his agents on Earth are simply there to punish the guilty onto the wrong path: be a scourge of the guilty, not a slayer. The traditional way to portray a character like this is the classic "murdered cop turned divine vigilante", with perhaps the idea that he acted like a superhero because all the powered people around him were doing so. I rather like the Hal Jordan version of the character, though, where this is a fallen hero who died in his sin, or perhaps earned Redemption Through Death, only to discover that he had work to do on the Almighty's behalf before he could wash away the sins of his life. (Frankly, I much prefer the Hal Jordan Spectre to his Geoff Johns revival; he worked much better as a man looking for redemption for his own [admittedly poorly-plotted] sins rather than the guy who got things back and suddenly everything was great again and hooray: but that's a different issue.) If you go that route, figure out who this person used to be, and work on how he found himself working to wipe away his sins. With his Concealment and other abilities, he's a scary, nigh-invincible monster of revenge until he starts encountering other superhumans: perhaps he's started teaming up with other heroes after his mob boss enemies started hiring supervillains to hunt them down? You could upgrade his Super-Senses a bit to make him more like the (surprisingly well-built, at least in some respects) Vengeance Demon in the Iron Age book; if you're going to do that, you could maybe make his Insubstantial 3 rather than 4: that would free you up some points, and he'd still be all but invincible vs. the standard thugs, criminals, and common murderers with whom he is traditionally at war. How much you relate him to his supernatural roots is another story as well, he's much more likely to have Daredevil-style visits to his nearby cathedral than hang out with angels like Zauriel in my mind for this sort of character. Street-level, but so much power!
Avenger Assembled Posted June 20, 2011 Author Posted June 20, 2011 Walkabout "Admiration of the proletariat, like that of dams, power stations, and aeroplanes, is part of the ideology of the machine age." -Bertrand Russell PL: 10 (150) Abilities: 38 pp STR 26 (+8) DEX 14 (+2) CON 20 (+5) INT 14 (+2) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 10 (+0) Combat: 24 pp ATK: +6 (+12 Melee) DEF: +12 (+3 flat-footed) Init: +2 Grapple: +20 Saves: 15 pp TOU +8 (+5 Con, +3 Protection) FORT +8 (+5 Con, +3) REF +8 (+2 Ref, +6) WILL +8 (+2 Wis, +6) Skills: 18 pp=72 r Climb 2 (+10) Computers 3 (+5) Craft (Chemical) 8 (+10) Knowledge (Life Sciences) 5 (+7) Knowledge (Physical Sciences) 3 (+5) Knowledge (Technology) 3 (+5) Language 3 (Chinese, Russian, Spanish) (Base: English) Medicine 3 (+5) Notice 13 (+15) Sense Motive 8 (+10) Stealth 13 (+15) Survival 8 (+10) Feats: 17 pp Attack Focus: Melee 6, Dodge Focus 6, Equipment, Move-By Action Power Attack Takedown Attack Uncanny Dodge (auditory) Powers: 39 pp Concealment 10 (all senses) (Duration: Permanent [+0]) (Flaws: Machines Only, Passive) [5 pp] Immunity 6 (aging, disease, poison, starvation and thirst, suffocation) [6 pp] Plant Control Array [22+2=24 pp] Create Object 10 (Duration (Permanent) [+0]) (PFs: Innate, Selective) AP: Healing 8 (PFs: Persistent, Regrowth, Stabilize) AP: Teleport 7 (700 ft/200 miles) (Extra: Accurate, PF: Turnabout) Protection 3 [3 pp] Regeneration 1 (Resurrection 1/week) [1 pp] Equipment: 5 ep Grapple Gun (Super-Movement 2 (Slow Fall, Swinging) and Speed 1 (10 MPH)) [5 ep] costs abilities 38+ combat 24 + saves 15 + skills 18/72 + feats 17+ powers 39 = 150 pts ---- Design Notes: Stesha White-Evans hardly noticed when the nanite plague broke out. Antisocial and insular, she was perfectly happy with her job at the Morton Arborteum near Chicago and could have spent her whole life working there among her beloved plants if her life, and everyone else's, hadn't been changed forever when an alien bomb from the stars detonated over Freedom City and began changing everything. The nanites were everywhere, infecting all organic life and transforming it into a mechanical, efficient, soulless thing. Suspicious of authority figures after years of living under the tyrannical thumb of her domineering mother, she used her scientific training to see through Daedalus' 'vaccine' and realize the world was being lied to: she hastily cobbled together a counteragent in her basement laboratory and injected it into herself, and spent days sweating and gasping on her floor as the treatment changed her inside and out, only to emerge and find that she'd been only too right about Daedalus: the nanite bomb had changed the Freedom League first, and they'd begun the tyrannical technological domination of the Earth by infesting almost every superhero with the soul-destroying probes. After months of struggle that took her across the planet, she realized it was hopeless, and when heroes from Amalgam City arrived she decided to find a new world. Woof. Here's a mashup of Fleur de Joie, Wander, and Gina Evans (the person behind Miss Americana) as a PL 10 starting PC. As you can see, a lot of corners had to be cut! But I think I wound up with an interesting character despite that: she's a very effective infiltrator and scout, and downright lethal versus the machines she spent so much time battling. She's absolutely invisible to machines so long as she's not directly attacking them; a lifesaver when she was a lone hero fighting on in a world going over to machines. I figure her Create Object represents a forest of trees just erupting out of the ground around her, giving her cover to fight in and not incidentally forcibly shoving life right back into the harsh dead world of machines all around her. She can't damage someone directly with the effect, but she could still trap them; i.e., grabbing a whole host of killbots in a forest's limbs as she makes her escape! If you want her to damage something directly with that, let her stunt an Area Damage effect. With her skills and feats, she could easily have survived in and fought back against a world overcome by machine transformation, but ultimately that struggle would probably have been hopeless enough to force her to eventually relocate. Still, all in all she's super-effective! Develop her however you want given her abilities in various areas: up her STR and maybe give her plant-based Super-Strength to play up her powerhouse roots, more INT and skills for her gadgeteer ancestry, and the like. I think this build works just fine as someone empowered by nature to fight technology gone wrong for whatever reason; perhaps she's an environmentalist turned superheroine, or maybe she's a scientist who once worked for a polluter who has turned her back on her former employers in the most spectacular way possible.
Avenger Assembled Posted June 20, 2011 Author Posted June 20, 2011 Atlantean Monarch "Come forward, men of Germany, and tell your gods that NAMOR sent you!" PL: 10 (150) Abilities: 36 pp STR 30 [20] (+10/+5) DEX 16 (+3) CON 30 [20] (+10/+5) INT 12 (+1) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 14 (+2) Combat: 24 pp ATK: +6 (+10 Unarmed) DEF: +6 (+3 flat-footed) Init: +7 Grapple: +21 Saves: 7 pp TOU +14 (+10 Con, +4 Protection) FORT +10 (+10 Con) REF +5 (+3 Ref, +2) WILL +7 (+2 Wis, +6) Skills: 14 pp=56 r Bluff 8 (+10)* Diplomacy 2 (+4) Intimidate 13 (+15)* Knowledge (Civics) 4 (+5) Knowledge (History) 4 (+5) Knowledge (Life Sciences) 4 (+5) Language 1 (English) (Base: Atlantean) Notice 8 (+10)* Sense Motive 8 (+10)* Feats: 16 pp All-Out Attack Attack Specialization: Unarmed (2) Benefit (King of Atlantis) Challenge (Fast Startle) Environmental Adaptation (Underwater) Fearless Improved Initiative Leadership Move-By Action Power Attack Quick Change Startle Takedown Attack Skill Mastery (Bluff, Intimidate, Notice, Sense Motive) Uncanny Dodge (auditory) Powers: 55 pp Comprehend 2 (speak to and understand sea life) [2 pp] Enhanced CON 10 [10 pp] Enhanced STR 10 [10 pp] Immunity 4 (aging, drowning, environmental cold, high pressure) [4 pp] Impervious Toughness 10 [10 pp] Protection 4 [4 pp] Super-Senses 2 (Darkvision) [2 pp] Super-Strength 5 [Dynamic] [Heavy Load: 24 tons] [10+1+2=13 pp] DAP: Flight 5 (250 MPH) Drawbacks: 2 pp Vulnerable (dessication attacks) (uncommon, moderate) [-2 pp] costs abilities 36 + combat 24 + saves 7 + skills 14/56 + feats 16 + powers 55 - drawback 2 = 150 pts --- Design Notes: Look, I don't want to take sides in the conflict between fans of Namor and Aquaman. Suffice it to say that Namor is a much better character in every way, and Aquaman sucks. Anyway, here's my build for the King of Atlantis, a short-tempered brawler with a penchant for punching surfacers so hard. He flies around, perhaps on little ankle wings, lifts tremendous weights thanks to his underwater heritage, and shrugs bullets off his broad, muscular chest while speechifying about surfacers and all they've done to his beloved Atlantis. Characters like this are a long-time staple of comics; personally, I much prefer the two-fisted half-naked king (with the blue-skinned inhuman subjects) to the undersea Aryan guy. In a PL 8 Golden Age campaign, he also makes a great rampaging monster, one that'll force you to call in that flaming robot guy to help save the day. Treat him as one of those old-timey monarch types, quick to anger and forgive all at once: King Arthur et al. may have been good leaders and heroes and all, but they have been pretty difficult to deal with, especially if there are significant cultural problems afoot like not really getting how surface romance works. How to finesse this guy in a Freedom City campaign, given that we already know about the Atlantean royal family? A few ideas come to mind: maybe make him one of the barbarian warlords the book talks about, perhaps a people kicked out of Atlantis thanks to their Deep One heritage. Perhaps Atlantis has been rather dishonest as a polity over the years, and what makes those 'barbarians' so wicked is that they are in fact not loyal to the Atlantean state, or perhaps they practice a religion all their own. Or maybe he's just a brawling member of the royal family, the son of a surfacer who overcompensates for his daddy issues by being the biggest, toughest guy on the block. It's up to you what kind of benefit being Atlantean royalty gives a PC in your campaign. As with my Black Prince build, he's probably better off as the crown prince given that there are some pretty heavy responsibilities behind royalty. Or just say that Atlantis doesn't have universal authority under the sea, and perhaps this fine royal fellow is from the Pacific? Having once been a villain is certainly a great source of Complications, even if you've since removed that stain from your character via decades of hard-working heroism. A good environmental crusader has a lot to deal with even in a fairly nice setting like Freedom City: so much pollution! I've treated any power loss out of water as a Complication rather than a Drawback, given that Freedom City is a coastal city. Don't forget that Flight defaults to Swimming underwater, giving him a still-healthy underwater cruising speed of around 100 MPH. Just fast enough to catch those dang U-Boats. Treat his vulnerability as being towards anything that could reasonably dry him out: ideally he should be covered in water at all times, or at least often quite wet. If surfacers don't understand your skimpy costume, perhaps it is because they are simply jealous that you are built like the king you are, and unafraid to show the surfacers how an Atlantean warrior looks!
Avenger Assembled Posted June 20, 2011 Author Posted June 20, 2011 Magnetic Avenger "I'm going to count to three..." -Magneto Abilities: 38 pp STR: 18 (+4) DEX: 18 (+4) CON: 18 (+4) INT: 12 (+1) WIS: 18 (+4) CHA: 14 (+2) Combat: 24 pp ATK: +6 (+10 Magnetic Control/Melee) DEF: +10 (+3 flat-footed) Init: +8 Grapple: +10/+14 Saves: 9 pp TOU: +10 (+4 Con, +6 Protection) FORT: +7 (+4 Con, +3) REF: +7 (+4 Ref, +3) WILL: +7 (4 Will, +3) Skills: 20 pp=80 r Acrobatics 6 (+10) Bluff 8 (+10) Diplomacy 4 (+6) Gather Information 5 (+7) Intimidate 8 (+10) Investigate 4 (+5) Knowledge: History 4 (+5) Knowledge: Streetwise 4 (+5) Knowledge: Tactics 4 (+5) Languages 3 (English, Spanish, French) (Base: German) Notice 6 (+10) Sense Motive 6 (+10) Stealth 4 (+8) Feats: 19 pp Acrobatic Bluff Attack Focus: Melee 4 Dodge Focus 4 Equipment Evasion Improved Initiative Leadership Master Plan 2 Move-By Action Startle Takedown Attack Uncanny Dodge (auditory) Powers: 40 pp Flight 1 (10 MPH) [2 pp] Magnetic Mastery Array [24+5=29 pp] Damage 10 (Extra: Penetrating) (PFs: Extended Reach, Improved Crit, Precise, Variable Descriptor 1 [any metal]) AP: Damage 6 (Extra: Autofire [2]) (PFs: Accurate 2, Extended , Mighty, Precise, Variable Descriptor 1 [any metal]) AP: Magnetic Control 16 (Heavy Load: 800 tons) (Flaw: Duration [Concentration] on 7-16) (PFs: Indirect 3, Subtle) AP: Move Object 7 (Extras: Range [Perception]) (PFs: Indirect 2, Precise, Subtle) AP: Snare 10 (PFs: Accurate 2, Improved Crit, Subtle) Impervious TOU 8 (Flaw: Not When Flat-Footed) [4 pp] Protection 6 [6 pp] Equipment: [5 ep] Big Knife (Strike 3 (PFs: Improved Crit, Mighty) ) --- Design Notes: Here's a rough take on Magneto, circa the events of X-Men: First Class. He's a very different character than his comic book/later movie self, one whose powers are more of a supplement to his physical prowess and skills than an actual replacement for them. He's much more likely to pull out his knife when confronted with a gang of Nazi hooligans, only pulling his powers out when put in serious jeopardy by Nazi thugs and other hooligans. He's competent enough to pursue Nazis all across Europe and into the Americas, a deadly hand-to-hand fighter who just happens to have some incredible surprises on hand, particularly when working in a world without superhumans. He hasn't yet figured out what kind of man he is, but his discovery of what it is to be a mutant throughout the movie will figure prominently into the character's evolution. His Magnetic Control was chosen after a brief study of WWII military equipment's weight; those of you who have seen the movie will know the one I mean. This is probably Magneto near the film's ending: those of you who've seen the movie will probably remember the particular scenes I had in mind when looking at his various magnetic alternate powers: I found his use of barbed wire as a Snare an especially evocative way of showing that while he's not yet a crusader for mutant supremacy, he's certainly not messing around even with opponents who he doesn't actually want dead. When he evolves into his truly powerful self, his strong skills and physical attributes will make him all the more threatening to his enemies. He's also a pretty competent leader and planner, as seen in the movie's climax and of course what happens later when he finally goes his own way. (Really trying to avoid a lot of spoilers here!) I put the emphasis on his skills (and gave him the knife) because in the scene where he _thinks_ he's about to end the movie (pretty early in its run) he seems to be planning to cut a dude. His really _big_ trick at the end of the movie should be repped by spending the many HP he's accumulated thanks to the many Complications he's had invoked in previous scenes; the man had a lot going on! (He's really the Hero of the movie, with Charles as his increasingly unhappy Lancer). His Impervious TOU is a good way to show him deflecting bullets: he has to be paying attention to pull off making them bounce off him, but he's tough enough that he could take a few hits from them even while not paying attention. (It's my way of using our revised version of Defensive Roll, but just for Impervious TOU rather than all the character's Toughness). I think this build would work great as a low-grade superagent-type, a guy who has superpowers but who primarily gets where he's going thanks to his agency training. Not everyone is going to be the world's most powerful mutant, so using your abilities to land a good solid government job using your magnetic powers to beat up bad guys is just fine. And who wouldn't want to go beat up Nazis and look good doing it?
Avenger Assembled Posted June 21, 2011 Author Posted June 21, 2011 Lucky Star "They're always after me Lucky Charms!" PL: 10 (150) Abilities: 22 pp STR 10 (+0) DEX 14 (+2) CON 14 (+2) INT 10 (+0) WIS 10 (+0) CHA 22 (+6) Combat: 24 pp ATK: +6 (+10 Blast) DEF: +10 (+3 flat-footed) Init: +2 Grapple: +6 Saves: 18 pp TOU +10 (+2 Con, +8 Protection) FORT +6 (+2 Con, +4) REF +6 (+2 Dex, +4) WILL +10 (+0 Wis, +10) Skills: 15 pp=60 r Bluff 14 (+20) Diplomacy 14 (+20) Knowledge: History 5 (+5) Languages 3 (English, German, Spanish) (Base: French) Perform (pop music) 4 (+10) Notice 8 (+8) Sense Motive 10 (+10) Feats: 19 pp Attack Specialization: Blast (2) Benefit 3 (Fame [pop star], Wealth 2 [realistically rich]) Dodge Focus (4) Fearless Inspire (5) Set-Up Taunt Ultimate Save (TOU) Uncanny Dodge (auditory) Powers: 52 pp Fortune Array [22+3=25 pp] Blast 10 (PFs: Variable Descriptor 2 [any accident]) AP: Damage 10 (Extra: Targeted Area [Cone]) (PFs: Variable Descriptor 2 [any accident]) AP: Drain INT 10 (Extra: Range [Perception]) (Flaw: Sense-Dependent [auditory]) (PFs: Reversible, Subtle) AP: Teleport 7 (700 ft/200 miles) (Extra: Accurate) (PF: Progression [250 lbs]) Luck Control 4 (spend an HP for another character, give HP to others, spend HP to negate HP/Fiat, force reroll) (PFs: Luck 5) [17 pp] Protection 8 [8 pp] costs abilities 22 + combat 24 + saves 18 + skills 15/60 + feats 19 + powers 52 = 150 pts --- Design Notes: Edge and Seraph's daughter grew up at her mother's country estate in France, after her mom was sent back to France in the wake of a quietly hushed-up teen pregnancy scandal. Young Lucky Star was fortunate enough to be wealthy, beautiful, and greatly powerful, with the downside that her mother's influence and her dad's occasional visits didn't do much to hold up her sanity. When you get everything you want, it's hard to worry too much about the future, or even make a lot of plans for the present. She could easily have become a villain, but luckily she adopted enough of her parents' values to become a hero: and what a hero! She's not just France's greatest hero, she's a teen pop star beloved by millions of screaming teenagers across the world, a gorgeous pop princess with incredible superpowers. Her deeply skewed view of the world actually works to her favor, letting her stay moral even when surrounded by ridiculous wealth and power, and in fact she's so odd when you really get to know her that if you hear her talk it actually can make your brain seize up. She gets by just fine, though, and that particular power is one she hasn't even noticed she possesses. It makes a great complement to her inspiring speeches in combat, though! Luckily her inner charm and personal warmth (and tremendous wallet) helps her have a lot of friends, even if they realize she's a very special sort of person. Woof. This is a powerful character, thanks both to her luck control and tremendous social-fu, and she'd made a dandy antagonist if you want to cast her as a spoiled Eurotrash princess playing at hero, backed up with tremendous wealth and power to cover her shortcomings as a human being. She'd make a great Queen Bee for a Hero High setting, too, particularly if she's still performing on the side, and quite a social antagonist for a whole group of teen heroes. (She's not likely to be a _real_ threat, though; too dangerous for her image! Unless she finds a chance to break into the supervillainy market.) But I think this Oddball works just fine as a pop superhero; a diva who genuinely does care about the community and wanting to make a better place for her fans. She's cheerful, she's perky, she's impossible to scare, and she will never stop believing in the sheer power of the human spirit or caring about the friends who love her and who she loves with all her heart. (If you don't like the "making you go mad" angle, she's a natural for Emotion Control.) Innocence and naivete may get a bad rap, but there are plenty of worse qualities out there. It's a safe bet you won't be able to keep the Oddball's backstory, but I think there's a lot of merit to this character's sheet and the general concept of pop princess turned heroine. (I've used it before, but why not come back to the well?) Obviously you can tweak the sheet too: in particular, you could give her the Probability Control that makes such a nice augment to Luck Control. But in my (admittedly limited to just one character) experience, Probability Control just doesn't come up as often as Luck Control. And besides, you can use the points to buy so many other exciting things! You don't have to make her a blaster, either, you could make her a more straightforward badass normal with higher combat scores. Either way, don't be afraid to chew the scenery a bit: Luck Controllers should be about _personality!_ Her mom had Healing, that's certainly a perky bubblegum enough power for her to have, but she's more of the area-wrecking machine that her dad is in combat. The Fort save on her Drain INT is deliberate; think SAN loss from Call of Cthulhu for the mechanics of a too-smart mind going mad from the sound of her voice.
Avenger Assembled Posted June 21, 2011 Author Posted June 21, 2011 Dangerproof "That belongs in a museum!"-Indiana Jones PL: 10 (150) Abilities: 36 pp STR 20 (+5) DEX 18 (+4) CON 20 (+5) INT 10 (+0) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 14 (+2) Combat: 32 pp ATK: +8 (+9 Melee/+15 Unarmed) DEF: +15 (+4 flat-footed) Init: +4 Grapple: +14 Saves: 9 pp TOU +5 (+5 Con) FORT +7 (+5 Con, +2) REF +6 (+4 Dex, +2) WILL +7 (+2 Wis, +5) Skills: 72 r=18 pp Acrobatics 1 (+5) Bluff 8 (+10) Climb 5 (+10) Diplomacy 8 (+10) Disable Device 10 (+10) Drive 1 (+5) Intimidate 8 (+10) Knowledge (History) 5 (+5) Language 1 (Ancient Egyptian) (Base: English) Pilot 1 (+5) Sense Motive 8 (+10) Stealth 8 (+10) Survival 3 (+5) Swim 5 (+10) Feats: 17 pp Attack Focus: Melee 1 Attack Specialization: Unarmed 3 Beginner’s Luck Dodge Focus 7 Evasion Fearless Power Attack Takedown Attack Uncanny Dodge (auditory) Powers: 38 pp Immunity 40 (all lethal damage) (Flaw: Converts to Non-Lethal) [20 pp] Regeneration 16 (+9 Recovery Bonus [5], Bruised [no action] 3, Staggered [no action] 6, Resurrection 1/week [1] (PFs: Persistent, Regrowth)) [18 pp] costs abilities 36 + combat 32 + saves 9 + skills 18/72 + feats 17 + powers 38 = 150 pts ------ Design Notes: Here's my build for the Man Who Cannot Be Killed, that two-fisted pulp adventurer, Ace Harris, Dangerproof! He's got the skills and feats he needs to be a two-fisted man of action, a gentleman adventurer who travels the world, seduces fine ladies, and punches Nazis and other bad guys in the face. His low TOU means that a Nazi who sneaks up behind him can coldcock him into unconsciousness, but he'll just wake up tied to an idol to listen to the crazy bad guy's rants, poke him in the eye, and then escape with his latest amour on a rowboat as the Nazi base on Skull Island blows up behind him. This isn't a bad build for the Two-Fisted Adventurer from the Golden Age, ramped up significantly to be a PL 10 character. Of course, he has a pretty good secret for how he does that: he cannot be killed at all! Bullets just knock him out and explosions just toss him around, and even if he is killed by some arcane means he'll be back in time for the sequel and ready to kick some Nazi butt. A Phalanx/Ace Danger Amalgam! He's tough to kill! The best way to do it would be a long-term Drain Con, but even that'll wear off eventually. He doesn't have Immunity to aging, since as written this isn't a character who actually has been around since the Golden Age. That'll be easy enough to give him, though, especially since you probably want to have Immunity to aging when you have Resurrection, otherwise in about fifty years you are going to be pretty unhappy with the eternity stretching out before you. Immunity to lethal damage is a pretty powerful ability, but on the other hand he's still feeling every hit, it's just not going to kill him. Consider surviving a nuclear blast inside a refrigerator: you'll be fine eventually! Given that non-lethal is the default anyway in our game, he's still going to get knocked out and ranted to all the time. And of course, as per our house rules, he doesn't have Regeneration vs. Unconscious, so if he does get coldcocked he'll be out as long as anyone else. He's certainly not free from the possibility of danger, given that if he gets buried in an avalanche or something he is _booooned_. If he gets blown out to sea, he'll probably drift around forever until he washes ashore on some deserted island...which, come to think of it, is how it usually works with these sorts of heroes anyway! His lack of movement powers means that the best way to give him a long-term bad time is to throw him somewhere or put him in a hostile environment; he won't die from being in the lava, but the hostile environment will eventually put him down for quite a long time. He could use some Impervious, I suppose, but then how will he get all ruggedly bruised and battered in his combat with Nazi goons? If you don't like the two-fisted pulp adventurer angle, I could see this as a police officer too; perhaps an FCPD bomb squad officer who survived an accident on the job and got some power to go with it: in fact the original inspiration for the crunch was John McClane.
Avenger Assembled Posted June 21, 2011 Author Posted June 21, 2011 Nick O'Time "Can you hear me now?" PL: 10 (150) Abilities: 38 pp STR 26 (+8) DEX 14 (+2) CON 20 (+5) INT 14 (+2) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 10 (+0) Combat: 24 pp ATK: +6 (+12 Sonic Blast/Melee) DEF: +12 (+3 flat-footed) Init: +2 Grapple: +20 Saves: 15 pp TOU +8 (+5 Con, +3 Costume) FORT +8 (+5 Con, +3) REF +8 (+2 Ref, +6) WILL +8 (+2 Wis, +6) Skills: 17 pp=68 r Acrobatics 13 (+15) Climb 2 (+10) Craft (Mechanical) 4 (+6) Intimidate 10 (+10) Knowledge (Technology) 8 (+10) Knowledge (Streetwise) 2 (+4) Notice 8 (+10) Sense Motive 8 (+10) Stealth 13 (+15) Feats: 18 pp Acrobatic Bluff, Attack Focus: Melee 6, Dodge Focus 6, Evasion, Move-By Action Power Attack Takedown Attack Uncanny Dodge (auditory) Powers: 39 pp Device 6 (Nick O’Time Costume) (Hard to Lose) (PFs: Restrictedx2, Subtle) [27 pp] -Blast 8 (PFs: Accurate 3, Improved Crit, Precise) [21+1=22] -AP: Autofire and Penetrating on Unarmed Damage and Enhanced Feats 4 (Extended Reach, Improved Crit 2, Precise) on Unarmed Damage 'sonic sword' -Protection 3 [3] -Speed 1 (10 MPH) [1] -Super-Movement 2 (Slow Fall, Wall-Crawling) [4] Immunity 6 (sleep, sonic damage) [6 pp] Super-Senses 3 (Accurate Hearing, Time Sense) [3 pp] costs abilities 38+ combat 24 + saves 15 + skills 17/68 + feats 18+ powers 39 = 150 pts -- Design Notes: Erik L. Hunter grew up with the taunts of his classmates: his mom was a cripple, his mom was gay, he was biracial and neither of them had much money. He learned to deal with being thought of as a freak, even though it always made him silently brood. Learning to fight helped him deal with bullies, but it didn't do much to change what he was _really_ worried about, becoming like his father. His father, a shady businessman and entrepreneur, had abandoned his mother when Erik himself had been just a small boy, unable to deal with her bisexuality when it became a threat to his masculinity, not to mention the fact that the demands of her hero work would always have to come first. That left his mom, the Iron Age Nick O'Time and granddaughter of the Golden Age hero of that name, without a support system, and when she was shot in the back while breaking up a gay bashing, she was permanently paralyzed by the time the EMTs found her. He was determined not to leave his mother the way his father had, and he decided to prove to her that she didn't have to worry anymore about the heroic legacy she thought her own failures had ruined. What better way to show her that he would always be there for her than to fight in her name? Having inherited a measure of his mother's powers, though not her full mutant potential, he trained in secret and built his own Nick O'Time costume, a cunningly-crafted suit cast in the style of his late grandfather that let him fire the sonic blasts his mom had once used while wearing it, and then took to the streets as a superhero! His mom has always been in his corner since, and she's helped guide him towards a mature understanding of his mission. He met Walkabout early on after her arrival on Earth-Prime, and the two have been close ever since. Okay, here's a Jack of all Blade/Midnight II/Wail mashup: he's a biracial hero with sonic powers and a really big sword! I figure the first Nick O'Time was something of a Golden Age swashbuckling action hero, while his granddaughter was his Captain Ethnic Bronze Age/Iron Age successor, and this Nick has adopted the sword style as well as his mother's sonic powers to great effect. I figure his sonic sword power represents channeling sonic energy into the blade he carries as part of his costume, giving him a buzzing blade that cuts through almost anything like a buzzsaw. It's super-effective! Between that and his sonic blast, he's also a pretty effective ranged fighter. He's also a really good scout with built-in 'sonar', and in fact could fight in pitch darkness if he so desired. (I deliberately did _not_ give him a Dazzle as part of his costume thanks to his own reliance on sonic powers, but he could easily stunt that off his big array) It's up to you how much protection his immunity gives him against sonic damage: it's not clear to me he wouldn't be blasted off his feet by, say, Wail's sonic scream even if the sonic vibrations themselves couldn't hurt him. Still, maybe he has the innate ability to vibrate along with it. Consider sonic knockback as a possible complication and source of free HP! In his costume, which I figure is powered by vibrations, he can vibrate himself to move at great speed and leap very high, so fast he can cling to solid objects without falling off them! You could make him a flier easily enough, though. His sleep immunity has the coffee descriptor, natch. His mom was a super-strong blaster in my mind (perhaps with some Innate Density!), so he inherited a peak human body from her. The idea of someone using technology to compensate for powers they 'should' have is an old one; this could work as a hero who has lost his powers and is making them up elsewhere, or one who for whatever reason is trying to give the appearance of having innate abilities he does not have. The Subtle on his costume represents that it's a skintight Guardian/Booster Gold-esque combat suit, and doesn't look like it gives him any superpowers until you give it a close inspection. Change the names up and keep the tradition and backstory, and I really do think this build works as is! In my mind, his family was one of the first black superheroic legacies, and he's determined to live up to that legacy while at the same time forging his own traditions. Legacies are a great source of Complications, whether immortal girlfriends of the last person to hold the crown or just old enemies who still hold a grudge after all these years. He's got good all-around saves, and he's good everywhere in general. The energy powers could easily be shifted into another direction, giving him a different sort of focus (and probably different super-senses to boot), but of course keeping the sonic theme intact is a natural part of the mashup this is supposed to be.
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