JDRook's Revised DCA Builds - Blaze! Blockbuster(s)! Lady Vic!

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RainOnTheSun
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Re: JDRook's Revised DCA Builds - Ares! Arsenal! So! Many! Atoms!!!

Post by RainOnTheSun »

That Sullivan Guy wrote: Wed Jul 15, 2020 5:36 pm As one example, and I can't speak to who did Bane's stats, but the original had Str 7 base and Str 12 when pumped up with Venom. My feedback to this was to ask for someone, anyone, to give me the name and issue numbers of the comics where Bane was shown throwing around APCs willy-nilly, or where he was seen to rip bank vault doors out of their moorings. I suggested 5/7 as more accurate (which is what Jon finally went with if memory serves).

This sort of thing happened many times.
I blame(?) this on the doubling = +1 on 1d20 mechanic. Bane's Venom gives him a huge edge in combat against Batman, but he's being modeled in a system designed to let costumed adventurers fight people hundreds of times stronger than them on even footing. One or the other has to give--either Bane can smash tanks with his bare hands or his boosted strength doesn't make a very big difference in combat.
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JDRook
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Re: JDRook's Revised DCA Builds - Atomic Skull! Atrocitus! Aztek! Azrael

Post by JDRook »

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Atrocitus - PL 13

Strength 10, Stamina 6, Agility 2, Dexterity 2, Fighting 6, Intellect 1, Awareness 2, Presence 4

Advantages
All-out Attack, Close Attack 3, Leadership, Power Attack, Ritualist

Skills
Athletics 4 (+14), Close Combat: Burning Blood 4 (+10), Close Combat: Claws 2 (+8), Deception 3 (+7), Expertise: Magic 7 (+8), Intimidation 6 (+10), Ranged Combat: Power Ring 8 (+10)

Powers

Claws: Strength-based Damage 3 (DC 28)

Power Ring (Removable)
. . AI and Database: Feature 2
. . Flight
. . . . Flight: Flight 14 (Speed: 32000 miles/hour, 60 miles/round)
. . . . Movement: Movement 4 (Environmental Adaptation: Zero-G, Space Travel 3: other galaxies)
. . Force Field
. . . . Immunity: Immunity 10 (Life Support, Sustained)
. . . . Protection: Protection 10 (+10 Toughness; Impervious, Sustained)
. . Heartless: Regeneration 1 (Every 10 rounds; Feature: Heart or equivalent vital organs are no longer essential to survival)
. . Link to Central Power Battery: Senses 1 (Communication Link: Mental)
. . Power of Rage: Senses 3 (Detect Rage: Acute, Ranged; Feature 3: Lanterns other than Blue lose ring power more quickly than normal defending against the Red Light )
. . Red Light of Rage
. . . . Burning Blood: Damage 10 (DC 25; Increased Duration 2: sustained, Reach (melee) 2: 10 ft.)
. . . . Fires of Rage: Blast 16 (DC 31)
. . . . Lifting: Move Object 16 (1600 tons)
. . Universal Translator: Comprehend 4 (Languages - Read All, Languages - Speak All, Languages - Understand All, Languages - You're Understood)

Offense
Initiative +2
Burning Blood: Damage 10, +13 (DC 25)
Claws: Strength-based Damage 3, +11 (DC 28)
Fires of Rage: Blast 16, +10 (DC 31)
Grab, +9 (DC Spec 20)
Lifting: Move Object 16, +10 (DC 26)
Throw, +2 (DC 25)
Unarmed, +9 (DC 25)

Complications

Power Loss: Atrocitus’ ring exhausts its power with time and use. It needs to be recharged using a Red Lantern battery.
Servant of Rage: Like all Red Lanterns, Atrocitus cannot remove his ring without risking death. Unlike his fellow Red Lanterns, Atrocitus seems immune to the ring’s tendency to inspire mindless rage in its bearer. The light of a Blue Lantern ring can help counteract these effects, not that Atrocitus seems to care.
Weakness: Red Lantern Corps power rings depend on the ability of the wielders to feel rage. The maximum rank of the ring’s effects is equal to the user’s Fortitude Rank to reflect the being’s capacity for raw fury. Calming thoughts and hopeful feelings, such as those inspired by the Blue Lanterns, can cause the ring to fail.

Defense
Dodge 10, Parry 10, Fortitude 16, Toughness 16/6, Will 10

Power Points
Abilities 66 + Powers 98 + Advantages 7 + Skills 17 (34 ranks) + Defenses 30 = 218

Atrocitus! Leader of the Red Lanterns! Rage Incarnate!

Like so many characters on here, I'd never heard of Atrocitus, and have only second-hand exposure to Blackest Night and related Rainbow Ring stories. I have been exposed to a lot of Ring builds, though, and the DCA builds are obviously meant to have a certain template, which is a great idea that does not always work. Atrocitus is a case in point, so it's a shame that he's first alphabetically and I am so committed to that order, but here we are.

Breaking him down, Atrocitus is actually pretty powerful even without the ring in theory: no Force Field means dropping his hard defenses to PL8 but his F/W is still PL13 and his STR and Claws still have him hitting with PL12. With the ring he has supersonic/galactic flight, a spaceworthy forcefield, several new attack options and handy utilities like an AI, universal translator and a sense to find others with The Rage.

I say "without the ring in theory" because unlike most of the other Lantern Rings, this one requires a blood magic ritual bonding with the bearer that destroys the heart (or alien eqivalent) and replaces the blood with liquid rage that can be vomited up as an attack. This also means removing the ring kills the ringbearer, so the "Removable" Flaw isn't really appropriate on this build: one either has it or they're dead (or they go through some complex removal ritual with a Blue Lantern or a personal epiphany with a loved one; either way it's A Whole Thing™️).

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Beyond the unremovable ring I have a bunch of little quibbles with the build that don't break anything but I'll mention here and may elaborate on with another Ring character:

- AI & Database Feature could just as easily be a Minion Construct AI built into the ring and defined more specifically, but that is a lot of column inches that could be used for something else.
- Flight and Space Movement are bought full price here and for most Ring templates, while others like the Kryptonian templates make Space Flight a Alternate Effect. Both are reasonable, although I think the former is only necessary if you want to have combat encounters during interstellar travel, and would generally recommend the latter for consistency.
- The Life Support/Force Field is fine, but technically supplies nutrients to the wearer, which can help ignore the logistics of long space trips or be a source of point-shaving. Also technically they are not linked, but do work well together, and should probably both be Sustained to allow for power stunting to protect others (but maybe not in Atrocitus's case).
- The Heartless Regen 1 is fine, but I'd probably make the Feature into Immunity to Critical Hits: Unreliable (50/50) to represent shots that go right for the heart and end up going thru-n-thru. In play I'd probably make a PC's crit hit the heart area, describe the attack not affecting as much as they expect and granting a Hero Point, letting them attempt called shots after that.
- Power of Rage Sense is also okay, although I'm not sure what Acute does for it. The Feature I understand but I don't get the price structure, especially since Lantern Energy loss is already pretty vague. Without a defined mechanic there's no discernible difference between a 3p and a 1p Feature; if I used it at all in a multi-Ring setting, I'd make it 1p and make Blues buy a 1p Feature to counter it.\
- Burning Blood is surprisingly powerfully in that it initially looks slightly under PL with limited reach but is also Sustained Damaged, so it keeps burning the target every round unless Atrocitus stops using Free Actions. This could potentially be the most devastating attack, especially since it allow Atrocitus to continually damage one or more targets while attacking others.
- Lifting is listed as a Create Effect in the book, which is probably an instance of the template not being edited carefully, so I changed it to Move Object. OTOH, it may be Create needing a better title, but I'm assuming of the two possibilities Lifting is more likely.
- The Universal Translator is at Comprehend 4, which mean the magical-seeming "You're Understood" level of translation so you don't need to repeat yourself to a crowd of mixed heritage. This is the most expedient level play-wise, and makes sense for communicating with large groups of Lanterns from all over the galaxy, but if you're playing "Space Cop" in a setting with hardly any aliens, you can get away with Comprehend 3.

There's also this meta-rule for Lantern Rings that the Power Ranks are capped by a trait (Will for Green Lanterns, Fortitude for Red, possibly different ones for others). This can be included or ignored for any Ringslinger as the GM sees fit, but should be consistent; this would mean Weaken attacks on those traits should also Weaken the ring powers and likely be treated as a Complication.

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Atrocitus - PL 10

Strength 8, Stamina 5, Agility 1, Dexterity 0, Fighting 7, Intellect 0, Awareness 1, Presence 3

Advantages
All-out Attack, Close Attack, Leadership, Minion, Power Attack, Ritualist

Skills
Athletics 2 (+10), Close Combat: Burning Blood 2 (+9), Deception 3 (+6), Expertise: Magic 6 (+6), Intimidation 6 (+9), Ranged Combat: Power Ring 7 (+7)

Powers

Claws: Strength-based Damage 2 (DC 25)

Power Ring (Removable)
. . AI and Database: Enhanced Trait 1 (Advantages: Minion)
. . Flight
. . . . Flight 8 (Speed: 500 miles/hour, 1 mile/round)
. . . . . . Movement 3 (Alternate; Space Travel 3: other galaxies)
. . . . Movement 1 (Environmental Adaptation: Zero-G)
. . Force Field
. . . . Immunity 10 (Life Support)
. . . . Protection 8 (+8 Toughness; Impervious, Sustained)
. . Heartless: Regeneration 1 (Every 10 rounds) Immunity to Critical Hits 2 (Unreliable 50/50; Heart-targeting Critical Hits do normal damage)
. . Power of Rage: Senses 2 (Detect: Rage 2: ranged; Feature: Lanterns other than Blue lose ring power more quickly than normal defending against the Red Light )
. . Red Light of Rage
. . . . Burning Blood: Damage 8 (DC 23; Increased Duration 2: sustained, Reach (melee) 2: 10 ft., Notes: extinguished by a cessation of rage or the Blue Light of Hope)
. . . . Fires of Rage: Blast 13 (DC 28)
. . . . Lifting: Move Object 13 (200 tons)

Offense
Initiative +1
Burning Blood: Damage 8, +10 (DC 23)
Claws: Strength-based Damage 2, +8 (DC 25)
Fires of Rage: Blast 13, +7 (DC 28)
Grab, +8 (DC Spec 18)
Lifting: Move Object 13, +7 (DC 23)
Throw, +0 (DC 23)
Unarmed, +8 (DC 23)

Complications
Power Loss: Atrocitus’ ring exhausts its power with time and use. It needs to be recharged using a Red Lantern battery.
Servant of Rage: Like all Red Lanterns, Atrocitus cannot remove his ring without risking death. Unlike his fellow Red Lanterns, Atrocitus seems immune to the ring’s tendency to inspire mindless rage in its bearer. The light of a Blue Lantern ring can help counteract these effects, not that Atrocitus seems to care.
Weakness: Red Lantern Corps power rings depend on the ability of the wielders to feel rage. The maximum rank of the ring’s effects is equal to the user’s Fortitude Rank to reflect the being’s capacity for raw fury. Calming thoughts and hopeful feelings, such as those inspired by the Blue Lanterns, can cause the ring to fail.

Defense
Dodge 7, Parry 7, Fortitude 13, Toughness 13, Will 7

Power Points
Abilities 50 + Powers 65 + Advantages 5 + Skills 13 (26 ranks) + Defenses 20 = 153
AI & Database - PL 5

Strength -, Stamina -, Agility -, Dexterity -, Fighting -, Intellect 5, Awareness 5, Presence -

Skills
Expertise: Galactic Cosmography 10 (+15), Expertise: Galactic Politics 10 (+15), Expertise: Red Lantern Archives 10 (+15)

Powers
Immunity 30 (Fortitude Effects)
Link to Central Power Battery: Senses 1 (Communication Link: Subspace)
Universal Translator: Comprehend 4 (Languages - Read All, Languages - Speak All, Languages - Understand All, Languages - You're Understood)

Defense
Dodge None, Parry None, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 0, Will None

Power Points
Abilities -40 + Powers 39 + Advantages 0 + Skills 15 (30 ranks) + Defenses 0 = 14
This is an attempt to get Atrocitus down to RtP PL10 levels, and it takes a lot of cheese. Besides trimming the PL stuff, I made the AI take on the comms and translator, reduced Flight speed and made spaceflight an AE, and still didn't take out the Removable (which saves about 16p). There's still a few points you could trim out, like the Magic and Ritual aspects, but much more and he's not so much the leader of the Red Lantern as he is just another rage monster.
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Ken
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Re: JDRook's Revised DCA Builds - Atomic Skull! Atrocitus! Aztek! Azrael

Post by Ken »

Ahh. A Radium Age character.
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Ares
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Re: JDRook's Revised DCA Builds - Atomic Skull! Atrocitus! Aztek! Azrael

Post by Ares »

I've said it before and I'll say it again: The Sinestro Corps was a fantastic idea. The notion that Sinestro would form his own army of similarly themed evil Lanterns and name the organization after himself makes sense when facing off against several thousand similarly powered opponents AND speaks to Sinestro's ego.

But the whole Emotional Spectrum thing and the idea that Green isn't Courage but Willpower, in addition to forming a Lantern Corps for every color was just . . . DUMB. I mean, if the idea for Willpower is that it can overcome other emotions and allow the wielder to stay true to themselves, wouldn't their color be White (all colors combined) or black (an absence of color)? Plus you wound having to have entire organizations centered around concepts like Hope, Love, Greed, Rage, etc. I mean, MAYBE if they wanted to keep the emotional spectrum angle they could have had small groups of people wielding those emotions, or just singular entities the way Star Sapphire used to. But having armies of people based around Compassion and such was just goofy, even for comics.

I get that they were trying to give the Lanterns some new villains, but it was just way too much.
"My heart is as light as a child's, a feeling I'd nearly forgotten. And by helping those in need, I will be able to keep that feeling alive."
- Captain Marvel SHAZAM! : Power of Hope (2000)

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Ian Turner
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Re: JDRook's Revised DCA Builds - Atomic Skull! Atrocitus! Aztek! Azrael

Post by Ian Turner »

Ares wrote: Thu Jul 23, 2020 3:54 am I've said it before and I'll say it again: The Sinestro Corps was a fantastic idea. The notion that Sinestro would form his own army of similarly themed evil Lanterns and name the organization after himself makes sense when facing off against several thousand similarly powered opponents AND speaks to Sinestro's ego.

But the whole Emotional Spectrum thing and the idea that Green isn't Courage but Willpower, in addition to forming a Lantern Corps for every color was just . . . DUMB.
If it stuck to Green = Courage (instead of 'willpower') and Yellow = Fear, and had any additional rings also follow a binary pairing (such as a ring of rage countered by a ring of serenity, or a ring of love countered by a ring of hate, or a ring of joy countered by a ring of despair), then I'd kinda dig it.

Instead, the whole 'avarice is an emotion?' thing came about, and it just made no coherent sense. There's no real counter to Compassion or Hope, for example. (Avarice kinda / sorta could read as an oppositional force to Compassion, as it's sort of Selfishness vs. Selflessness, but the opposite of Hope would be Despair, and there's no ring for that. The current emotional spectrum setup seems full of holes.)

It would also be neat to see the rings draw power from the emotions they represent. Yes, the green rings work better in the possession of a courageous person, but *also* it could be neat if they were stronger or weaker depending on the 'ambient courage' of surrounding people. Ditto the other rings, so that Sinestro might find his ring-constructs *more* potent when he's got a bunch of terrified people cowering before him, while Hal would find his own ring-constructs *weaker,* and have to rally the onlookers to help quell their fear and give them some inspiration to even the battlefield! That would make a funky scenario, where Red Lanterns are trying to encourage societies filled with strife and conflict, because *they* are more powerful when everyone around them is feeling rage, while Yellow Lanterns are doing their best to instill terror and anxiety in the people of the worlds they haunt! It would change the Green Lanterns mission statement considerably, if they served as beacons of inspiration, because they *had to* to maintain their own power. No more queueing up to the power battery, instead they have to give motivating speeches and make some showy public appearances and do things to reassure the hoi-polloi, because when fear and anxiety starts to rise, their power levels start to drop!
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Re: JDRook's Revised DCA Builds - Atomic Skull! Atrocitus! Aztek! Azrael

Post by RainOnTheSun »

Ian Turner wrote: Thu Jul 23, 2020 12:59 pm Instead, the whole 'avarice is an emotion?' thing came about, and it just made no coherent sense. There's no real counter to Compassion or Hope, for example. (Avarice kinda / sorta could read as an oppositional force to Compassion, as it's sort of Selfishness vs. Selflessness, but the opposite of Hope would be Despair, and there's no ring for that. The current emotional spectrum setup seems full of holes.)
Hope and Despair would be an interesting pair to put next to Sinestro and the GLs because Hope and Fear are both reactions to uncertainty. Like, if Fear is chaotic evil, and Courage is lawful good, then Hope is chaotic good and despair is lawful evil.
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Re: JDRook's Revised DCA Builds - Atomic Skull! Atrocitus! Aztek! Azrael

Post by Ares »

Ian Turner wrote: Thu Jul 23, 2020 12:59 pm It would also be neat to see the rings draw power from the emotions they represent. Yes, the green rings work better in the possession of a courageous person, but *also* it could be neat if they were stronger or weaker depending on the 'ambient courage' of surrounding people. Ditto the other rings, so that Sinestro might find his ring-constructs *more* potent when he's got a bunch of terrified people cowering before him, while Hal would find his own ring-constructs *weaker,* and have to rally the onlookers to help quell their fear and give them some inspiration to even the battlefield! That would make a funky scenario, where Red Lanterns are trying to encourage societies filled with strife and conflict, because *they* are more powerful when everyone around them is feeling rage, while Yellow Lanterns are doing their best to instill terror and anxiety in the people of the worlds they haunt! It would change the Green Lanterns mission statement considerably, if they served as beacons of inspiration, because they *had to* to maintain their own power. No more queueing up to the power battery, instead they have to give motivating speeches and make some showy public appearances and do things to reassure the hoi-polloi, because when fear and anxiety starts to rise, their power levels start to drop!
That's an interesting concept, thought I'd tweak it a bit myself.

For me, rather than the constructs being stronger per say, the ambient amount of any kind of emotion allows the Lantern in question to use it to power their ring, thus giving them more metaphorical gas for their tank. Sinestro Corps members cause terror because the ambient fear allows their rings to go longer without needing to recharge, and also lets them use their energies at higher levels more freely. Similarly, the reason a Green Lantern needs to act so openly is that doing so inspires the people and allows their willpower to flow into the Lantern to give them more energy to work with. The exact strength of the constructs a Lantern can make is still dependent on the will of the user, but the ambient emotions allow them to exercise that power longer and use their max levels more freely.

While the live action movie had its problems, the idea of the Central Battery on Oa essentially receiving the ambient willpower of the universe and converting it into raw power for the Lanterns makes sense to me, and would actually explain how the Guardians know which sectors require Lanterns (they can see where the willpower is coming from and send Lanterns to those spots), and it could even be used to explain how the Guardians know where certain crises are. When a lot of fear flares up in one spot, it implies a Lantern worthy emergency.

I'd probably still keep it to just the GL's representing Willpower/Courage while the Sinestro Corps use Fear because their actions create fear and fear disrupts willpower. Otherwise I'd say any other individuals that want to use emotions to power similar constructs would be one-shot individuals like Star Saphire.
"My heart is as light as a child's, a feeling I'd nearly forgotten. And by helping those in need, I will be able to keep that feeling alive."
- Captain Marvel SHAZAM! : Power of Hope (2000)

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Ian Turner
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Re: JDRook's Revised DCA Builds - Atomic Skull! Atrocitus! Aztek! Azrael

Post by Ian Turner »

RainOnTheSun wrote: Thu Jul 23, 2020 1:15 pm Hope and Despair would be an interesting pair to put next to Sinestro and the GLs because Hope and Fear are both reactions to uncertainty. Like, if Fear is chaotic evil, and Courage is lawful good, then Hope is chaotic good and despair is lawful evil.
Ooh, connecting them to D&D alignments, eenteresting!

I'll take the true Neutral Gray Power Ring of Apathy!
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JDRook
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Re: JDRook's Revised DCA Builds - Atomic Skull! Atrocitus! Aztek! Azrael

Post by JDRook »

Ian Turner wrote: Fri Jul 24, 2020 12:10 pm
RainOnTheSun wrote: Thu Jul 23, 2020 1:15 pm Hope and Despair would be an interesting pair to put next to Sinestro and the GLs because Hope and Fear are both reactions to uncertainty. Like, if Fear is chaotic evil, and Courage is lawful good, then Hope is chaotic good and despair is lawful evil.
Ooh, connecting them to D&D alignments, eenteresting!

I'll take the true Neutral Gray Power Ring of Apathy!
In grayest dawn or overcast twilight
No action will drive me to fight
It's no big deal, why play favorites?
Meh . . . rhymes are overrated.
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Re: JDRook's Revised DCA Builds - Atomic Skull! Atrocitus! Aztek! Azrael

Post by Davies »

In silence deep or loudest din,
I'll fight whoever looks to win!
In balance is there truest peace,
Gray Lantern's power now release!
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
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Re: JDRook's Revised DCA Builds - Atomic Skull! Atrocitus! Aztek! Azrael

Post by greycrusader »

Nice bit of wordplay, Davies.

The Yellow Lanterns seemed to work as the antithesis of the GL Corps, as their members inspired fear in OTHERS, while Green Lanterns tapped into their own bravery, their ability to overcome fear. Strong willpower should have been a necessary prerequisite for wielding the energies of the emotional spectrum at ALL, no matter which frequency. And I agree the Red Lanterns worked as a concept, but should have been much more limited in scope, a handful recruited by Atrocitus, wielding a more intense but less easily controlled energy. The Blue Lanterns aren't a bad concept either, since they were specifically formed to aid the Green Lanterns, and somewhat mirrored the Sinestro Corps in taking power by inspiring those around them.

The others should have remained singular champions.
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Re: JDRook's Revised DCA Builds - Atomic Skull! Atrocitus! Aztek! Azrael

Post by JDRook »

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Aztek - PL 11

Strength 8/3, Stamina 5, Agility 4, Dexterity 4, Fighting 5, Intellect 4, Awareness 3, Presence 3

Advantages
Accurate Attack, Assessment, Benefit 2: Patron: Q Foundation, Close Attack 5, Fearless, Improved Disarm, Precise Attack (Ranged, Cover), Ultimate Effort: Will Resistance

Skills
Acrobatics 4 (+8), Athletics 5 (+13/+8), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+14/+9), Expertise: Combat Strategy 4 (+8), Insight 4 (+19/+7), Investigation 1 (+5), Perception 5 (+8), Ranged Combat: 4-D Gauntlets 6 (+10), Technology 7 (+11)

Powers

4-D Gauntlets - Array 24p pool + 1AE = 25p
. . Netcaster: Affliction 12 (1st degree: Hindered, Vulnerable, 2nd degree: Defenseless, Immobile, DC 22; Alternate Resistance (Dodge), Extra Condition, Increased Range: ranged; Limited Degree)
. . Plasma Blasts: Blast 12 (DC 27)

Costume of the Champion - Dynamic Array 14p pool + 3 AEs + 1p/slot for Dynamic = 21p
. . Density Control
. . . . Increased Mass, 1,600 lbs.: Feature 3 (Linked; [0 active, 0/14 PP, 1/r])
. . . . Protection 7 (Linked; [0 active, 0/14 PP, 1/r], +7 Toughness)
. . Invisibility: Concealment 4 ([0 active, 0/14 PP, 2/r], All Visual Senses)
. . Super-Strength: Enhanced Strength 5 ([0 active, 0/14 PP, 2/r], +5 STR)
. . Wing Units: Flight 7 ([0 active, 0/14 PP, 2/r], Speed: 250 miles/hour, 0.5 miles/round)

Helmet of Quetzalcoatl - Array 9p pool + 3 AEs = 12p
. . Experience of Champions Past: Enhanced Trait 5 (Advantages: Close Attack 5)
. . Heightened Senses: Senses 9 (Extended: Hearing 2: x100, Infravision, Penetrates Concealment: Vision, Radio, Tracking: Visual? 1: -1 speed rank)
. . Metahuman Database: Enhanced Trait 7 (Traits: Insight +12 (+19), Advantages: Assessment)
. . Vibrational Transformation: Feature 1 (Notes: Can change into costume and gauntlets as a free action)

Offense
Initiative +4
Grab, +10 (DC Spec 18/13)
Netcaster: Affliction 12, +10 (DC Dog/STR 22)
Plasma Blasts: Blast 12, +10 (DC 27)
Throw, +4 (DC 23/18)
Unarmed, +14 (DC 23/18)

Complications
Motivation: Responsibility: Aztek has trained since childhood with the Q Foundation to be the champion of the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl and battle evil in the world.
Naive: Though a stalwart hero, Aztek has lived most of his life in the isolation of the Q Foundation’s South American enclave and is often uncomfortable interacting with the larger world.
Power Loss: Aztek needs to use the Helmet of Quetzalcoatl to summon his 4-D Gauntlets and Costume of the Champion. He still has access to their powers if he loses the helmet after summoning them, however.

Defense
Dodge 10, Parry 10, Fortitude 7, Toughness 12/5, Will 9

Power Points
Abilities 62 + Powers 58 + Advantages 7 + Skills 20 (40 ranks) + Defenses 19 = 166

Yet another character I'd never heard of before, but while Atrocitus I could at least place in the Green Lantern narrative, Aztek is completely his own thing, and that alone makes him somewhat fascinating. The backstory of a millenia-old secret foundation training warriors as vessels for Aztek gods and giving them mystical-tech hybrid armor is compelling, and Uno/Falconer's modern world awkwardness sounds potentially endearing. Even the art seems pretty cool. And the build, the build is just unprecedented.

Yet another "RtP (but not really)" build at PL11, they miss the mark with bad math and lost Defense points yet again, but beyond that there's a lot happening in this build that's surprising. His Abilities in the "peak mental and physical" range are actually all 3-5 instead of pushing 6-7 ranks which is a common move, but IMO a slightly more realistic range. He hits PL11 with most of the basics and only drops on the more esoteric stuff (FW defense PL8, Grab PL9, etc). A lot of that is the gear, though; without it he's PL8 range defensively and PL6 or less offensively, so it's a good thing his supersuit is not bought Removable and uses the first instance of Power Loss Complication for gear that I've seen in the book.

The outfit is pretty dense with power, being made up of 3 pieces, each its own Array, the costume actually a Dynamic Array. The 4-D Gauntlets, though an unusual descriptor, are a simple Blast and Snare combo you could find on most Energy Controllers or really any ranged fighter. The Costume of the Champion gets a bit tricky combining density (built as Protection and Increased Mass Feature), flight, invisibility and superstrength like a mini-Martian Manhunter, but the point pool is pretty small and kind of chunky with that combo. Invisibility is technically one 8p chunk needing Precise or GM approval if you wanted to be able to do partial things like camouflage (-2 perception) or infrared masking (both called out on fansite power listings). Density pulls some weird math (presumably to hit defensive PL cap) with no simple way to use Protection and Increased Mass proportionally; given newer interpretations I'd probably combine in STR, make the whole slot Growth 5 limited to Density and use the 2p saved from the Dynamic slot to add Defensive Roll 2 to keep defenses capped at max mass.

The Helmet seems to be necessary to "summon" the other parts as well as providing powers one at a time. Experience of Past Champions (like Black Panther's ancestors) is a little disappointing being only a Close Attack 5 bonus; a few more Advantages couldn't hurt, and there's definitely room. Heightened Senses is the largest slot, and technically not kosher unless the Senses are all treated as Sustained and therefore Noticeable in use; Tracking is assumed to be Visual to go with IR and X-ray. The Metahuman Database is interesting, and the Insight bonus isn't limited to Assessment checks, but it would become a choice between using this or the Close Attack 5 in combat, which isn't bad but might not be ideal for concept. Vibrational Transformation is a 1p Feature best kept outside the Array. As a fix, I'd probably combine the Database and Past Champions into a single slot, allowing a combination of technology and ancestral knowledge to work together, which is kind of on-brand for the concept.

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Overall, I think this build was trying a little too hard to fit the 15p/lvl mould, something that hasn't seemed to hinder most of the other builds. It's definitely managed to pack a lot of power in for the points, but I feel like it wouldn't work that well in practice. From what I've seen on a few fansites, Aztek may be missing things like intangibility and healing, although these might be power stunts.

I'm kind of curious to read the series now. From what I gather, "Aztek: The Ultimate Man" started up in 1996, a few months before Grant Morrison was writing for the JLA, which got Aztek crossing over quite a bit and rubbing elbows with Green Lantern and the other A-listers, but the series didn't run long and apparently never made the money it needed. They rebooted it with a female Aztek 20 years later with different writers, so there must be some appeal to it.

In fact, looking at him closer, Aztek does seem like a pastiche of other interesting ideas. The long history and tech/mysticism combo feels very Black Panther, the powerset evokes Martian Manhunter without the telepathy and shapeshifting, and the blue-eyed blonde highly trained physical specimen who's way out of the loop on current society is strongly reminiscent of Captain America. Maybe these are more common tropes than I realize, or maybe "good artists borrow, great artists steal."

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And for fun, making a PL10 version wasn't too hard, just took a bit of juggling:

Aztek - PL 10

Strength 3, Stamina 4, Agility 3, Dexterity 3, Fighting 4, Intellect 4, Awareness 3, Presence 2

Advantages
Accurate Attack, Assessment, Benefit 2: Patron: Q Foundation, Close Attack 4, Defensive Roll 2, Fearless, Improved Disarm, Jack-of-all-trades, Precise Attack (Ranged, Cover), Ultimate Effort: Will Resistance

Skills
Acrobatics 4 (+7), Athletics 4 (+7), Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+7), Expertise: Combat Strategy 4 (+8), Insight 4 (+17/+7), Perception 5 (+8), Ranged Combat: 4-D Gauntlets 6 (+9), Treatment 7 (+11)

Powers

4-D Gauntlets - Array 22p pool + 1AE = 23p
. . Netcaster: Affliction 11 (1st degree: Hindered, Vulnerable, 2nd degree: Defenseless, Immobile, DC 21; Alternate Resistance (Dodge), Extra Condition, Increased Range; Limited Degree)
. . Plasma Blasts: Blast 11 (DC 26)

Costume of the Champion - Dynamic Array 14p pool + 2 AEs + 1p/slot for Dynamic = 19p
. . Density Control: Density Growth 5 ([0 active, 0/14 PP, 2/r], +5 STR, +5 STA, +5 mass ranks, -1 speed ranks; Density)
. . Invisibility: Concealment 4 ([0 active, 0/14 PP, 2/r+1], All Visual Senses; Precise)
. . Wing Units: Flight 7 ([0 active, 0/14 PP, 2/r], Speed: 250 miles/hour, 0.5 miles/round)

Helmet of Quetzalcoatl (Removable) 13p - 3 = 10p
. . Vibrational Transformation: Feature 1 (Notes: Can change into costume and gauntlets as a free action)
. . Mystic & Technical Combat Aids - Array 11p pool + 1 AEs = 12p
. . . . Experience of Champions Past & Metahuman Database: Enhanced Trait 11 (Traits: Insight +10 (+17), Advantages: Assessment, Close Attack 4, Jack-of-all-trades)
. . . . Heightened Senses: Senses 10 (Extended: Visual 1: x10, Extended: Hearing 1: x10, Infravision, Penetrates Concealment: Visual, Radio, Tracking: Visual 1: -1 speed rank; Sustained, Subtle 2)


Offense
Initiative +3
Grab, +8 (DC Spec 18/13)
Netcaster: Affliction 11, +9 (DC Dog/STR 21)
Plasma Blasts: Blast 11, +9 (DC 26)
Throw, +3 (DC 23/18)
Unarmed, +11 (DC 23/18)

Complications
Motivation: Responsibility: Aztek has trained since childhood with the Q Foundation to be the champion of the Aztec god Quetzalcoatl and battle evil in the world.
Naive: Though a stalwart hero, Aztek has lived most of his life in the isolation of the Q Foundation’s South American enclave and is often uncomfortable interacting with the larger world.

Defense
Dodge 9, Parry 9, Fortitude 11/6, Toughness 11/6/4, Will 8

Power Points
Abilities 52 + Powers 52 + Advantages 9 + Skills 19 (37 ranks) + Defenses 18 = 150

I applied all of the stuff I mentioned before, combining some of the Array slots together and shaving points thoughout to get to PL10. The Density Growth is a little tricky in that it makes both Aztek's Toughness and Fortitude dependent on that Dynamic slot, meaning he's more vulnerable while flying or invisible, but smart play should make that less of a problem. The Database and Past Champions blend together well to explain that phenomenally high Insight, and I added Jack of All Trades to cover smaller skills like Tech and Sleight of Hand (apparently Aztek encounters Kyle Rainer in his second issue and manages to remove his ring during a fight). I also made the Helmet Removable (just like the Helm of Nabu for Dr. Fate) but left the Costume and Gauntlets as is since they are stated to stay once summoned with the Helm, but apparently the Helm can be taken away.
Last edited by JDRook on Mon Oct 12, 2020 2:55 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Ares
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Re: JDRook's Revised DCA Builds - Atomic Skull! Atrocitus! Aztek! Azrael

Post by Ares »

greycrusader wrote: Sat Jul 25, 2020 2:50 am Nice bit of wordplay, Davies.

The Yellow Lanterns seemed to work as the antithesis of the GL Corps, as their members inspired fear in OTHERS, while Green Lanterns tapped into their own bravery, their ability to overcome fear. Strong willpower should have been a necessary prerequisite for wielding the energies of the emotional spectrum at ALL, no matter which frequency. And I agree the Red Lanterns worked as a concept, but should have been much more limited in scope, a handful recruited by Atrocitus, wielding a more intense but less easily controlled energy. The Blue Lanterns aren't a bad concept either, since they were specifically formed to aid the Green Lanterns, and somewhat mirrored the Sinestro Corps in taking power by inspiring those around them.

The others should have remained singular champions.
I feel like the Blue Lanterns might have worked better as a legitimate support group for the Green Lanterns, rather than their own organization. Like, the Green Lanterns show up, stop the menace, investigate the crimes, deal with the criminals, deal with disasters and help rescue civilians. Blue Lanterns are more akin to the Red Cross in that their priority is helping tend to civilians, but also do work to research cures for diseases, help planets limit any damage done to their infrastructure, as well as do diplomatic work.

In essence, people who have the kind of moral and mental qualities to wield a ring but aren't fit to be a Green Lantern for whatever reason can instead work as support crew for both the Green Lanterns and the people they protect.

Meanwhile the Red Lanterns (if they exist at all) should basically be a very small, less than 20 member squad who has tapped into something terrible and are basically a small terrorist cell trying to just destroy things and destabilize planetary governments. It might honestly work better if Atrocitus is more of a solo act, but he can empower people with rage and uses them to sow chaos, but the rage always burns the wielder out, but they don't care. So he's constantly going around empowering people with a lot of rage to lash out at the universe.
"My heart is as light as a child's, a feeling I'd nearly forgotten. And by helping those in need, I will be able to keep that feeling alive."
- Captain Marvel SHAZAM! : Power of Hope (2000)

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Ian Turner
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Re: JDRook's Revised DCA Builds - Atomic Skull! Atrocitus! Aztek! Azrael

Post by Ian Turner »

Ares wrote: Sat Jul 25, 2020 4:05 am I feel like the Blue Lanterns might have worked better as a legitimate support group for the Green Lanterns, rather than their own organization. Like, the Green Lanterns show up, stop the menace, investigate the crimes, deal with the criminals, deal with disasters and help rescue civilians. Blue Lanterns are more akin to the Red Cross in that their priority is helping tend to civilians, but also do work to research cures for diseases, help planets limit any damage done to their infrastructure, as well as do diplomatic work.

In essence, people who have the kind of moral and mental qualities to wield a ring but aren't fit to be a Green Lantern for whatever reason can instead work as support crew for both the Green Lanterns and the people they protect.
That would be an interesting thing, a support group that follows up after a Green Lantern swoops in and deals with a situation, showing up and handling 'clean-up' events like rebuilding damaged infrastructure, or getting the wounded to medical care, etc. Sort of a humanitarian aid organization that follows behind the sector GL in a space cruiser, and recruits from local aid organizations and coordinates, before moving on the next place.
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JDRook
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Re: JDRook's Revised DCA Builds - Atomic Skull! Atrocitus! Aztek! Azrael

Post by JDRook »

I remember when making a concerted attempt to make Power Rings at a lower level for better playability I slowly came up with a setting that was essentially "street level Green Lanterns".

Ted Knight, while working with data gleaned from analyzing his friend Alan Scott, unwittingly taps into a previously unknown source of power that seems to respond to conscious will. He eventually develops a way to gather that power in wearable objects similar to vambraces, which Scott jokingly refers to as Knightlights. They exert a pull like a compass, and Scott & Knight eventually form a small group of talented individuals who can focus the green energy.

I wanted to set this up as a special unit of the police in Opal City circa mid-20th Century and have it as a PL6 supercops campaign.
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