Jab’s Builds! (Miss Piggy! The Swedish Chef! Sweetums! Gonzo!)

Where in all of your character write ups will go.
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KorokoMystia
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Puma! The Rhino! The Slingers! La Tarantula!)

Post by KorokoMystia »

Jabroniville wrote: Tue May 30, 2017 7:28 pm I HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAATE MAGIC.
I can see why! If I'd had to stat tons of poorly-defined Magic Guys, I'd hate magic too.
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danelsan
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Puma! The Rhino! The Slingers! La Tarantula!)

Post by danelsan »

And that is why, whenever I come up with a M&M setting that includes magic, I make sure to give it at least some consistent delimitation and broad rules...and make sure to never hire weird British writers to make setting stuff for me while pooping all over those rules in the name of some grand drug-fueled concept XD
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KorokoMystia
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Puma! The Rhino! The Slingers! La Tarantula!)

Post by KorokoMystia »

I have to say, I do really like the magic system Jab's come up with on their own settings.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Solo

Post by Jabroniville »

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SOLO (James Bourne)
Created By:
David Michelinie & Marc Silvestri
First Appearance: Web of Spider-Man #19 (Oct. 1986)
Role: Low-Rent Punisher Rip-Off
Group Affiliations: Six Pack, Omega Strike
PL 9 (140)
STRENGTH
3 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 5
INTELLIGENCE 3 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Acrobatics 2 (+6)
Athletics 5 (+8)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 1 (+11)
Deception 3 (+3)
Expertise (Soldier) 8 (+11)
Expertise (Current Events) 4 (+7)
Intimidation 8 (+8)
Investigation 3 (+4)
Perception 4 (+5)
Stealth 4 (+8)
Technology 5 (+8)
Vehicles 3 (+8)

Advantages: 
Accurate Attack, All-Out Attack, Diehard, Equipment 8 (Arsenal), Improved Aim, Improved Critical (Machine Guns), Improved Initiative, Quick Draw, Ranged Attack 4

Powers:
Teleport 8 (Feats: Increased Mass 3- 400 lbs.) (Extras: Extended) (Flaws: Tiring if Using Extended) [23]

Equipment:
"Arsenal"
Base (8)
"Kevlar Body Armour" Protection 3 (3), Protection 2 (Extras: Impervious 5) (Flaws: Limited to Ballistics) (6)

"Sub-Machine Gun" Blast 7 (Extras: Multiattack) (Inaccurate -1) (20) -- (24)
  • AE: "Laser Rifle" Blast 7 (Extras: Penetrating) (21)
  • AE: "Grenades" Blast 7 (Feats: Triggered) (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (Diminished Range -1) (21)
  • AE: "Knives" Strength-Damage +1 (Feats: Improved Critical) (2)
  • AE: "Super-Cannon" Blast 12 (Inaccurate -3) (21)
Offense:
Unarmed +11 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Knife +10 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Guns +9 (+7 Ranged Damage, DC 22)
Grenade +7 Area (+7 Damage, DC 22)
Super-Cannon +5 (+12 Damage, DC 27)
Initiative +8

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +4 (+7 Kevlar, +9 Ballistics), Fortitude +7, Will +5

Complications:
Enemy (Terror)- Solo lost his wife, and ever since has been an obsessed, murderous anti-terrorist.

Total: Abilities: 58 / Skills: 50--25 / Advantages: 20 / Powers: 23 / Defenses: 13 (140)

-Solo is basically what happens when a writer wants to write The Punisher, but isn't allowed, so makes another guy just like him instead. Solo's a weak-ass rip-off in every single way, replacing "criminals" with "terrorists" as far as obsessive-targetting goes for the character. He dealt with Spider-Man numerous times, having the same old "killing (vs) non-killing" debates, while acting so psychotic you almost HAD to side with Spidey. He debuted by killing a bunch of terrorists in various situations, teaming up with Spidey to fight the agents of ULTIMATUM. Most of what I read of him was in Revenge of the Sinister Six, which was a BAD-ASS cross-over featuring half the damn Marvel Universe helping out Spider-Man against the Six. He was just as psychotic and super-'90s, and attempted to kill the entire Six in an insane display (actual dialogue: "DIE! DIE! DIIIEEEE!!"), but it turned out to just be Spider-Man, disguised thanks to Mysterio's illusion. He showed up again, this time nearly killing ALL the heroes assembled (SOMEone has a low Awareness score), but he did bring down the giant monster Gog with a super-cannon.

-His appearances were few and far between since then, as... well, even THE PUNISHER wasn't doing well in the late '90s, so why would Punisher Lite ever get used? He ends up fighting La Tarantula a couple times, teams with Spidey, Nick Fury and The Black Cat in different stories. He & Cardiac (whom I've always associated with Solo, ever since I saw Erik Larsen's art depicting both alongside Captain Universe as "Sometimes Enemies/Sometimes Allies" of Spidey from that issue where he fought Doctor Doom) were among the many guys trounced by Wolverine in that tale where he went crazy and beat up two-dozen superheroes, and he appeared in G.W. Bridge's new "Six Pack" alongside Hammer, Domino, Anaconda & Constrictor in a fight against Cable (they lose). During Civil War, he's a largely-background figure, jobbing to the Pro-Registration side. Subsequent appearances have been pretty brief, but involve him getting a win over BULLSEYE of all people. He got even got an ongoing series out of nowhere in the most-recent Marvel Update, but Marvel's attempt to spam out whatever the hell they wanted without caring about sales or content (marketing strategy: glut the market) meant the book was pretty short-lived.

-Solo is basically a mini-Punisher, but has a built-in Teleportation system that doesn't appear to be Equipment or even a Device- he just Teleports, though it's a bit tricky and not idealized. He's a bit accurate with his guns, but makes do with using Advantages that modify his caps. His arsenal includes super-Kevlar (good enough to take about a THOUSAND bullets from "Cyborg-X" with only severe bleeding), rapid-fire machine guns, power rifles and Super-Cannons, and his base is fairly high-tech (just throw 8 points worth of stuff onto it).
Last edited by Jabroniville on Wed Feb 16, 2022 5:57 am, edited 2 times in total.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Lightmaster

Post by Jabroniville »

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LIGHTMASTER (Dr. Edward Lansky)
Created By:
Jim Shooter & Sal Buscema
First Appearance: The Spectacular Spider-Man #3 (Feb. 1977)
Role: Scientist Supervillain
PL 10 (116)
STRENGTH
1 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 4 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Close Combat (Unarmed) 2 (+7)
Deception 4 (+5)
Expertise (Science) 8 (+13)
Expertise (Teacher) 2 (+6)
Intimidation 2 (+3)
Perception 4 (+5)
Persuasion 1 (+2)
Ranged Attack (Light) 2 (+8)
Technology 9 (+13)

Advantages:
Power Attack, Ranged Attack 2

Powers:
"Lightmaster Costume" (Flaws: Removable) [42]
Flight 6 (120 mph) (12)
Dazzle Visuals 10 (Extras: Area- Visual Perception) (Flaws: Touch Range) (30) -- (33)
  • AE: Create 8 (16)
  • AE: Concussive Light Blast 9 (18)
  • AE: "Light Knuckles" Strength-Damage +4 (4)
Immunity 5 (Electrical Damage) (Flaws: Half-Effect) (3)
Protection 4 (4)
-- (52 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +7 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Light Knuckles +7 (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Light Blast +8 (+9 Ranged Damage, DC 24)
Dazzle +10 Area (+10 Affliction, DC 20)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +9 (DC 19), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +2 (+6 Light Suit), Fortitude +4, Will +3

Complications:
Motivation (Money For Experiments)

Total: Abilities: 40 / Skills: 34--17 / Advantages: 3 / Powers: 42 / Defenses: 14 (116)

-Your everyday crappy element-themed villain, Lightmaster's gimmick is of course, LIGHT! He's sort of a poor man's Green Lantern mixed with a Dazzle-themed build. He's popped around mostly D-League books since his debut (he's a physics professor seeking to gain funding for his department by of course becoming a career super-villain), never really accomplishing much. As a generic loser with a semi-distinctive look, he shows up A LOT in "The Bar With No Name" scenes, and gets trotted out to be beaten up by guys like Cloak & Dagger, Cable and Quasar. At least the writers know he's alive, I suppose. He's been revealed to have been the father of the second Sun Girl, but still only appears as a recognizable background face.

-A pretty simple minor Battlesuit-type build- Lightmaster requires the suit, which gives him some PL 8.5-level capabilities (his Blast), but only the Dazzle hits a full PL 10. So he's pretty minor, and not too difficult to injure, and he's at-best a minor-league genius in the world of comics. Not a lot going for him. In one appearance, he was actually Living Light, requiring additional light just to survive, but this is his more familiar, suit-based self. If he's a Light Being, he adds ten points (no Device), and probably Insubstantial 3 (Energy Form), boosting him 25 points.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Wed Feb 16, 2022 5:57 am, edited 2 times in total.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Venom (Eddie Brock)

Post by Jabroniville »

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Coming soon- in every f***ing comic you'll buy in the next four years!

VENOM I (Eddie Brock, aka Anti-Venom, Toxin II)
Costume Created By:
Jim Shooter, Mike Zeck & Rick Leonardi (plus a fan who wrote in the idea and got 200 bucks for it)
Alien Costume Concept Created By: Tom DeFalco & Ron Frenz
Brock Created By: David Michelinie & Todd McFarlane
Grin Slapped on Costume Created By: Todd McFarlane
First Appearance: Web of Spider-Man #18 (Sept. 1986)
Role: Mirror Image Villain, Villain-Turned-Anti-Hero, Over-Used '90s Concept
Villain Ranking: A-Level
Group Affiliations: The Sinister Six
PL 11 (212)
STRENGTH
4/10 STAMINA 4/9 AGILITY 3/8
FIGHTING 9 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Acrobatics 3 (+11)
Deception 4 (+6)
Expertise (Journalism) 6 (+6)
Expertise (Philosophy/Theology) 4 (+4)
Intimidation 7 (+9)
Perception 6 (+7)
Ranged Combat (Webbing) 8 (+10)
Stealth 2 (+10)

Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Chokehold, Damaging Escape, Daze (Intimidation), Diehard, Extraordinary Effort, Fearless, Great Endurance, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Hold, Last Stand (Ignore Damage For 1 Round With HP Spent), Power Attack, Startle

Powers:
"Symbiotic Costume"
"Immune to Spider-Sense" Concealment (Spider-Sense) 1 (Extras: Continuous) [3]

"More Than Proportionate to A Spider"
Enhanced Strength 6 [12]
Enhanced Stamina 5 [10]
Protection 1 [1]
Enhanced Agility 5 [10]

"Spider-Movement"
Movement 2 (Wall-Crawling 2) [4]
Speed 2 [2]
Leaping 2 (30 feet) [2]

"Spider-Sense- Warns of Danger & Boosts Agility"
Senses 1 (Danger Sense) [1]
Enhanced Skills 10: Acrobatics 2 (+13), Perception 5 (+12), Close Combat (Unarmed) 3 (+12) [5]
Enhanced Advantages 2: Improved Defense, Uncanny Dodge [2]
Enhanced Dodge 3 [3]
Enhanced Parry 3 [3]

"Cellular-Morphing Qualities"
"Scary-Ass Face" Enhanced Skills 6: Intimidation 6 (+14) [3]
Features 1: Carries Pocket [1]
Senses 1 (Radius Sight) [1]
Regeneration 4 [4]
Morph 2 (10) -- [11]
  • AE: Concealment (Visuals) 2 (Flaws: Blending) (2)
"Self-Created Webbing"
"Web-Shooters"
"Web-Line" Movement 1 (Swinging) [2]
"Spider-Web" Snare 10 (Feats: Split, Tether) (32) -- [33]
  • AE: "Web Burst" Snare 10 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (Flaws: Touch Range) (30)
Offense:
Unarmed +12 (+10 Damage, DC 25)
Web Burst +10 Area (+10 Ranged Affliction, DC 20)
Spider-Web +10 (+10 Ranged Affliction, DC 20)
Initiative +6 (+8 Symbiote)

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (+12 Spider-Sense, DC 18-22), Parry +10 (+12 Spider-Sense, DC 19-22), Toughness +10, Fortitude +11, Will +8

Complications:
Power Loss/Weakness (Webbing)- If Venom uses too much "Webbing", he will lose strength, or the ability to produce more, having used up too many of the symbiote's cells.
Power Loss (Fire & Sonics)- The Symbiote Race fears both fire and extremely loud noises. Being in proximity to either weakens Brock to the point of losing all his abilities, moreso with more powerful applications.
Weakness (Fire & Sonics)- Similarly, Venom takes extra damage from fire and sonics. This depends on the writer (or the GM).
Enemy (Spider-Man, Carnage, Other Symbiotes)- Eddie Brock hates Spider-Man for ruining his career, and the Symbiote hates him for abandoning it. Carnage is hated merely for being an offspring, and the "slayer of innocents". Other Symbiotes must die because they're sucky characters.
Responsibility (Insanity/Innocents)- Brock is insane, but often becomes obsessed with saving innocent lives, preventing a full decline into villainy, in spite of his desire to eat brains. Lots of brains.

Total: Abilities: 50 / Skills: 40--20 / Advantages: 13 / Powers: 113 / Defenses: 16 (212)

Venom- Why is THIS the Most-Successful Post-1990 Character in Comics?:
-VENOM. It's a powerful, but controversial name in the Spidey mythos, and with good reason. See, the "Black Costume" that debuted in Secret Wars had mutated over the years, with a couple different creators adding their own bent to it during their stint on the main Spider-Man book (it was created by a fan writing in, but was modified by Jim Shooter, Roger Stern, John Byrne and others). By the time it got around to David Michelinie and Todd McFarlane, it was much more sinister, and they decided to make a villain out of it, by combining it with newly-created Eddie Brock, a reporter who lost his job thanks to Peter Parker exposing him as a fraud on the "Sin-Eater" case. Now, Todd McFarlane, being a huge douche in general, has tried to take credit for WAY more than is due him, as he's either responsible for the ENTIRE idea, or just slapping the smile onto the costume (with David having come up with the idea of a "big guy in the costume"). So who knows?

-Aside from THAT controversy, came the "Venomsplosion" of the '90s. See, this character was EPIC. Something rarely seen in Spidey comics was the "Mirror Image" villain so popular in DC (and going as far back as Black Adam in Fawcett Comics), and this gigantic, freaky guy in Todd's distinct (and HUGELY popular) style was enough to make him a huge hit. The writers quickly scrapped their early idea to make the Symbiote a recurring villain (who attached itself to new hosts all the time), and made Eddie Brock a giant mega-villain all on his own. He reappeared a few times, and since he knew Spidey's secret ID thanks to the symbiote, he even threatened MARY JANE, back when that was a totally new and fresh idea. Venom was actually the first BIG new character added to the Spider-Mythos since The Kingpin in 1967- arguably one of the last REALLY big characters introduced into comics period.

The Venom-Splosion:
-Venom was huge- it's hard to even describe how big a hit he was to anyone who wasn't around at the time (much like I have trouble grasping the '70s popularity of Howard the Duck). Every kid I knew was so obsessed with this guy they'd have sprouted boners reading about him if they were old enough to. I was always the dorkier kid liking Spidey, Cap & Cyclops over the bad-ass claws 'n' guns guys of the '90s, but I was DECIDEDLY in a minority at that point, and the comics started reflecting this. Venom soon became an inescapable character- if you were reading a Spider-Man book, then at some point you were getting Venom, even if it was just a cameo. The sheer number of sales he drew meant that we were going to get multiple LIMITED SERIES based off of the guy. He would get Marvel Cards with his visage in every edition. He's even guest star in OTHER books (Quasar used him as a hilariously-ineffective Jobber, but he'd show up in Ghost Rider, also then-popular, for a big cross-over).

-Venom got so huge that to spin him off became obvious- first, they gave him his OWN Mirror Image Villain in the ultra-violent, insane Carnage. Then his personality started shifting, from being a vengeance-seeking douche to some kind of silly "Lethal Protector" out to save "innocents"- essentially making him the kind of bloodthirsty, lawless vigilante so common in comics at the time- basically a Punisher that ate brains. This felt like it was completely tacked-on with a rivet gun, as opposed to any kind of character development- the writers really come off like they were flying by the seat of their pants, having been caught by surprise at Venom's popularity. His popularity also means that EVERY SINGLE SPIDER-MAN ADAPTATION in other forms of media will invariably throw an Evil Symbiote plotline out there at the earliest-possible convenience. Whereas Peter was around for 24 years before meeting Venom, both the '90s and the 2000s Spectacular cartoon have him meet the Symbiote in the VERY FIRST SEASON. The Ultimate universe similarly tossed the guy in there right away.

Why Villain Pushes Never Work:
-A similar kind of "Push the villain as a hero so we can sell more of him" situation happened with Sabretooth, and I've already gotten into that and why it doesn't work. See, what makes guys like Venom & Sabretooth cool is their INCREDIBLE threat to the main hero, their bad-ass appeal, and the rarity of their appearances (so that you don't get sick of them). Making them a GOOD GUY lessens their cool-evil-guy appeal, and most importantly they have to lose more often (to make villains look more deadly), which drastically reduces their "Bad-Ass Appeal"! Just look at Juggernaut's Babyface Turn, or Magneto's (at least THAT one came about naturally, after years of characterization leading Magnus to that point). And by pushing these guys so hard for so long, comics end up over-doing it, and over-exposing the characters, especially since as villains they tend to have less aspects to their personalities than heroes. Venom and the Symbiotes got SO over-done by the end of his run that we not only had Maximum Carnage (virtually an ode to '90s excess, despite seemingly trying to avoid it) with Carnage, but Hybrid & Toxin as other symbiotes, and most heinously, that group of new ones created for a Limited Series in the mid-'90s.

Eddie's Screwed-Up History:
-Brock is, in all, a very simplistic character. He was introduced to be the selfish jerkwad who got the Symbiote- a failed reporter that hooks up with the Symbiote, which now has the mysterious ability to REALLY increase somebody's strength (Spidey was no stronger at first)- he's at least twice as strong as Spider-Man, and some later Symbiotes are even STRONGER. Now, with all of Spidey's powers, and the memories of the Symbiote, he assaults Peter and even harrasses M.J. After a couple of severe battles, he is given a "spawn" in Carnage, a serial killer who becomes a deadly enemy to Spidey AND Venom- forcing them to team up (and giving the writers an excuse to turn Venom hero). He turned "hero", becoming a Lethal Protector who loved eating brains and killed criminals, but eventually went evil again, joining the Sinister Six and becoming a standard Spider-Foe. In this form, he was a much lesser threat, once being chased off by a burning NEWSPAPER.

-And so we came to the 2000s- Eddie Brock was seen as damaged goods. Once Spidey's biggest nemesis during the 1990s, he was overdone and overexposed- virtually unusable. Marvel decided that had to get rid of him somehow. So in Marvel Knights Spider-Man, Eddie got cancer, tried to kill himself (it was left deliberately vague, in case they changed their minds), and the Symbiote was added to Mac Gargan in a brilliant move, since The Scorpion was ALSO damaged-goods by this point. Of course, Brock would quickly return once the next writer came up with an idea, and Gargan HIMSELF would suffer from overexposure and being jobbed-out.

-Brock's run as Anti-Venom would be short-lived and full of fan-snark over how dumb it was, and soon he was back, bonded to the Toxin Symbiote instead. He was going about murdering Symbiotes (killing off Hybrid and Scream), but was captured by the new Crime Master and bonded forcibly to Toxin, then sent after Flash Thompson (then wielding the Venom Symbiote). Eventually, Eddie gains control of himself, and forges a truce with Flash, promising to leave him alone as long as he can control the Symbiote. He later gives up the Toxin Symbiote, and in a HUGE case of "Back To Basics Syndrome", hooks up with the old Symbiote.

Venom- The Lesson Learned (and then immediately forgotten):
-This all stands as an important lesson in the world of comics- when you have a hot villain, feel free to use him (Doctor Doom was in every sixth FF issue in the '60s, it seems like), but DON'T PUSH IT. Keep him to those appearances and one-shots, and don't give him his own book. Don't make him a good guy just to get more out of him, as it lessens both his bad-ass appeal and his legitimacy as a powerful fighter. And most importantly, DO NOT create a dozen other versions of the character, as each copy dilutes the original, which is irreversible.

-Of course, comics never learns from this. Who's the current Big Character everyone loves? Deadpool. How many comics is he in PER MONTH, now? Like fifty. There's Gwenpool, too (diluting both Deadpool AND Spider-Gwen!). Common sense dictates certain things, but when comic book companies get dollar signs in their eyes with hot new crazes, they shovel and shovel and shovel stuff out there until a backlash has firmly and totally set in, and no one cares anymore. So ten years from now, when Marvel is wondering "hey, why is no one reading Deadpool anymore?", long-memoried comic book fans will know the answer why, and just sigh.

Venom's Stats:
-So we come to Venom's power. He's basically Spider-Man's worst nightmare, making PL 11 with his melee attacks, but then you add in his Concealment to the Spider-Sense, and you have Spidey operating at heavy defensive penalties against the guy. This means that Venom will WRECK Spidey more often than not, which fits the comics. Venom basically has all of Spider-Man's powers as natural powers, plus more (he's much scarier and a more all-out fighter), and various things at higher levels (Brock's natural musculature enhances the Proportionate Strength thing, letting him lift 25 tons). He can Morph, Blend into surroundings, carry stuff in a pocket that he creates himself, and he's generally really accurate and hard to hit for someone so strong. I was considering boosting Venom's accuracy, but it doesn't feel right AT ALL to have him equaling Spidey's skill- Venom was always bigger and stronger, but Spidey has the edge on speed. Plus, a +13 to-hit matches frickin' Robin & Nightwing's DCA levels just about, and that feels wrong as well.

-Symbiotes can occasionally showcase new powers out of nowhere (Venom once delivered a venomous bite, apparently), typically the result of Hero Points, or an extra-kind GM. Over the years, the thing has mutated even further- Mac Gargan was damn near the size of the JUGGERNAUT when he was wearing the Symbiote, while Flash Thompson exerts more control and is his normal shape. Symbiotes tend to warp the shape of their hosts anyways- Eddie Brock used to just have an evil grin, but later issues made it clear that Brock himself undergoes shapeshifting (the mouth opens much too widely for Eddie to be intact in there). Carnage and many other Symbiotes also morph around a lot.

Image

ANTI-VENOM (Eddie Brock, aka Venom I, Toxin II)
Costume Created By:
Jim Shooter, Mike Zeck & Rick Leonardi (plus a fan who wrote in the idea and got 200 bucks for it)
Alien Costume Concept Created By: Tom DeFalco & Ron Frenz
Brock Created By: David Michelinie & Todd MacFarlane
Grin Slapped on Costume Created By: Todd McFarlane
First Appearance: Web of Spider-Man #18 (Sept. 1986)
Role: Mirror Image Villain, Villain-Turned-Anti-Hero, Over-Used '90s Concept
Villain Ranking: A-Level
Group Affiliations: The Sinister Six
PL 11 (213)
STRENGTH
4/10 STAMINA 4/9 AGILITY 3/8
FIGHTING 9 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Acrobatics 3 (+11)
Deception 4 (+6)
Expertise (Journalism) 6 (+6)
Expertise (Philosophy/Theology) 4 (+4)
Intimidation 7 (+9)
Perception 6 (+7)
Ranged Combat (Webbing) 8 (+10)
Stealth 2 (+10)

Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Chokehold, Damaging Escape, Daze (Intimidation), Diehard, Extraordinary Effort, Fearless, Great Endurance, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Hold, Last Stand (Ignore Damage For 1 Round With HP Spent), Power Attack, Startle

Powers:
"Symbiotic Costume"
"Immune to Spider-Sense" Concealment (Spider-Sense) 1 (Extras: Continuous) [3]

"More Than Proportionate to A Spider"
Enhanced Strength 6 [12]
Enhanced Stamina 5 [10]
Protection 1 [1]
Enhanced Agility 5 [10]

"Spider-Movement"
Movement 2 (Wall-Crawling 2) [4]
Speed 2 [2]
Leaping 2 (30 feet) [2]

"Spider-Sense- Warns of Danger & Boosts Agility"
Senses 1 (Danger Sense) [1]
Enhanced Skills 10: Acrobatics 2 (+13), Perception 5 (+12), Close Combat (Unarmed) 3 (+12) [5]
Enhanced Advantages 2: Improved Defense, Uncanny Dodge [2]
Enhanced Dodge 3 [3]
Enhanced Parry 3 [3]

"Cellular-Morphing Qualities"
"Scary-Ass Face" Enhanced Skills 6: Intimidation 6 (+14) [3]
Features 1: Carries Pocket [1]
Senses 1 (Radius Sight) [1]
Regeneration 4 [4]
Morph 2 (10) -- [11]
  • AE: Concealment (Visuals) 2 (Flaws: Blending) (2)
"Self-Created Webbing"
"Web-Shooters"
"Web-Line" Movement 1 (Swinging) [2]
"Remove Foreign Influences" Affliction 10 (Fort; Impaired/Disabled/Transformed to Powerless) (Extras: Progressive +2) (30) -- [33]
  • AE: "Web Burst" Snare 10 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (Flaws: Touch Range) (30)
  • AE: "Spider-Web" Snare 10 (Feats: Split, Tether) (32)
  • AE: Features 1: Cures Drug Addictions (1)
Offense:
Unarmed +12 (+10 Damage, DC 25)
Web Burst +10 Area (+10 Ranged Affliction, DC 20)
Spider-Web +10 (+10 Ranged Affliction, DC 20)
Initiative +6 (+8 Symbiote)

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (+12 Spider-Sense, DC 18-22), Parry +10 (+12 Spider-Sense, DC 19-22), Toughness +10, Fortitude +11, Will +8

Complications:
Power Loss/Weakness (Webbing)- If Venom uses too much "Webbing", he will lose strength, or the ability to produce more, having used up too many of the symbiote's cells.
Power Loss (Fire & Sonics)- The Symbiote Race fears both fire and extremely loud noises. Being in proximity to either weakens Brock to the point of losing all his abilities, moreso with more powerful applications.
Weakness (Fire & Sonics)- Similarly, Venom takes extra damage from fire and sonics. This depends on the writer (or the GM).
Enemy (Spider-Man, Carnage, Other Symbiotes)- Eddie Brock hates Spider-Man for ruining his career, and the Symbiote hates him for abandoning it. Carnage is hated merely for being an offspring, and the "slayer of innocents". Other Symbiotes must die because they're sucky characters.
Responsibility (Insanity/Innocents)- Brock is insane, but often becomes obsessed with saving innocent lives, preventing a full decline into villainy, in spite of his desire to eat brains. Lots of brains.

Total: Abilities: 50 / Skills: 40--20 / Advantages: 13 / Powers: 114 / Defenses: 16 (213)

-Anti-Venom is just silly. So YEARS after they mercy-killed Eddie Brock (but left it vague on purpose), they brought him back to beat up the new "pretender" Venom. Brock gained powers from new villain Mr. Negative, and is now called ANTI-VENOM, and is a reverse-coloured version that looks silly, and can nullify internal-parasites in people's bodies, which apparently includes Spider-powers, symbiotes, and drugs. It's basically a Nullify effect on certain powers that lasts a long time, but Fades. Otherwise, he's the exact same as regular Venom. Then, in a strange plot twist, during the Flash Thompson Venom series, Brock is kidnapped by the new Crime Master, and force-fed ANOTHER Symbiote- that of failed-hero Toxin. Brock is now controlled by the Toxin Symbiote, having already killed Hybrid & Scream. However, he & Flash come to terms and depart as allies. As Toxin, Brock is more or less the same as Venom.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Wed Feb 16, 2022 5:57 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Puma! The Rhino! The Slingers! La Tarantula!)

Post by Jabroniville »

KorokoMystia wrote: Tue May 30, 2017 6:07 pm So I was looking at your old build of the crappy Tor, The Magic Master, and typed his name into Google, immediately finding examples of his powers, like turning a ship into a giant turtle, making himself bulletproof, rendering guns useless, and turning into a giant commando. So he may not be quite as bad as you made him out to be. Magic guys are such a pain...
So where the heck did you find examples of his powers? Google provides me with nothing, and even the DC official bio only mentions that he's a "low-level mage".
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Puma! The Rhino! The Slingers! La Tarantula!)

Post by KorokoMystia »

Jabroniville wrote: Wed May 31, 2017 4:51 am
KorokoMystia wrote: Tue May 30, 2017 6:07 pm So I was looking at your old build of the crappy Tor, The Magic Master, and typed his name into Google, immediately finding examples of his powers, like turning a ship into a giant turtle, making himself bulletproof, rendering guns useless, and turning into a giant commando. So he may not be quite as bad as you made him out to be. Magic guys are such a pain...
So where the heck did you find examples of his powers? Google provides me with nothing, and even the DC official bio only mentions that he's a "low-level mage".
I just typed "tor the magic master" into Google Images, and the images I posted were the ones that came up that showed off powers.
Jabroniville
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Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Jab's Builds! (Puma! The Rhino! The Slingers! La Tarantula!)

Post by Jabroniville »

KorokoMystia wrote: Wed May 31, 2017 11:28 am
Jabroniville wrote: Wed May 31, 2017 4:51 am
KorokoMystia wrote: Tue May 30, 2017 6:07 pm So I was looking at your old build of the crappy Tor, The Magic Master, and typed his name into Google, immediately finding examples of his powers, like turning a ship into a giant turtle, making himself bulletproof, rendering guns useless, and turning into a giant commando. So he may not be quite as bad as you made him out to be. Magic guys are such a pain...
So where the heck did you find examples of his powers? Google provides me with nothing, and even the DC official bio only mentions that he's a "low-level mage".
I just typed "tor the magic master" into Google Images, and the images I posted were the ones that came up that showed off powers.
Gordian Knot-cutting CHEATER.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Maximum Garbage

Post by Jabroniville »

MAXIMUM CARNAGE:
-Few comic book storylines of the 1990s draw as much derision as this one days, to the point where there are now many people being very contrary and vocal about it, arguing that it was in fact a great, fun story. I... do not agree with those people.

Maximum Carnage came about because the Spider-Editor wanted a big new "Spider-Crossover" between what was then FOUR different Spider-Man books (Amazing, Spectacular, Web Of and plain-ol' Spider-Man- if you think that sounds excessive, keep in mind there are more Deadpool comics being released each month nowadays), plus a pair of Spider-Man Unlimited issues bookmarking the whole thing. A combination of Tom DeFalco (then Marvel's Editor-In-Chief), David Michelinie, Terry Kavanagh and J.M. DeMatteis wrote the tale- it's centred around the return of Carnage, who'd by then only been in one storyline. 

Carnage, a serial killer given the vast power of a Symbiote, goes on a wanton frenzy, massacring people throughout Manhattan. Along the way, he adds new villainess Shriek, Hobgoblin offshoot Demogoblin, the Spider-Doppelanger from The Infinity War, and the second Carrion to the group. Spider-Man of course brings the fight to them, and is forced to team up with his old arch-nemesis, Venom- who also hates, and is a target of, Carnage. Spidey also adds his old partner The Black Cat, the New Warrior Firestar, Cloak & Dagger, Iron Fist, Deathlok, Morbius the Living Vampire, Nightwatch and Captain America of all people to the heroic side.

The heroes and villains get into numerous brawls over the sprawling, FOURTEEN-PART (!!) Crossover, with most of Spidey's crew being disparate and coming & going depending on the issue (Nightwatch is only there for a single part, for example). Dagger is "killed" at the story's outset by Shriek, sending Cloak into a revenge-obsessed fury, but she returns in the penultimate chapter; Captain America only shows up 3/4 of the way through. Carnage is nearly-beaten several times, but constantly escapes- meanwhile, Shriek has been setting off a low-level mental-effect that's causing all of Manhattan to break out into dangerous riots! The heroes have their hands full, with hundreds of rioters found on every street, and Peter is forced to basically abandon Mary Jane (who didn't want him to risk his life out there) and his family (then including Aunt May and his newly-rediscovered "parents").

The overall "point" of the story is to give the writers' P.O.V. in the "Killing (vs) Non-Killing" debate- we're meant to basically see the worst of '90s excess, come to the brink... and walk away from it, as Peter refuses to compromise his principles and kill someone. J.M. DeMatteis says in the opening of the Trade that he didn't want to DO the storyline, because he was tired of all the murderers and psychopaths running through comics ("and those, heaven help us, were the heroes!"), but was convinced by his Editor (Danny Fingeroth), who wanted that to be the POINT. Essentially, the ultimate indictment of that kind of "Extreme" comic.

The problem? Well, the storyline's problems are numerous. My BIGGEST problem with the whole storyline is that in going for the "Killing is ALWAYS wrong!" concept by giving us the worst-possible villain to fight, they've accidentally PROVEN THAT CONCEPT WRONG.

See, I can get Spidey being anti-killing, since, y'know, his entire origin is based off of someone dying because he screwed up. He KNOWS the pain that death brings. I can buy Spider-Man not wanting to kill anyone or just finding the idea of murder disgusting.

But Carnage is like a Strawman Argument brought up by the opposing side- "oh yeah? Well... well... what if he was like, some MASS MURDERER- the Joker with the powers of a God? And... and you HAD to kill him right that second, or else he would kill hundreds of people right away? And he would never stop, and you couldn't negotiate with him? What THEN?". It's like they went out of their way to make Spidey look incorrect. Yet we're supposed to take the OPPOSITE side- the guy is a freaking SERIAL KILLER given the massive powers of a Symbiote, and strong enough to fight off entire superteams by himself. His entire concept is rampant MASS MURDER, and during the course of the storyline he literally massacres HUNDREDS of people. This is literally the worst example you can possibly give of somebody that heroes should not be trying to kill. Every moment Carnage lives is essentially guaranteed death for dozens of innocent people. And I can still get SPIDEY not wanting to murder him- but at several points other heroes have Carnage dead to rights, and Spider-Man literally jumps in to SAVE the guy! He actually grabs Venom and beats on him to avoid the death-blow reaching Carnage! He pulls Firestar away from another death-shot at the same time. In both of these situations, Carnage immediately escapes while the heroes are fighting each other!

THIS IS IDIOTIC. The lengths he goes to save Carnage's life as good as murders DOZENS OF PEOPLE by the time the story's over. Keep in mind that in real life, any person could murder Carnage while he's helpless and not spend a day in jail- any cop or even a civilian could easily-argue that a living Carnage is too dangerous to be allowed to survive. It's even a plot point in the story that he can't even be DE-POWERED. Every time they try, he just regenerates. And I'm the kind of reader who WANTS certain heroes to refuse to kill. I want to see guys try to find better options, or at least not to be so damn GRITTY and ULTRA-VIOLENT all the time- having lived through the '90s in comics, I know how awful things can get when the writers indulge their most violent fantasies. And I'M telling you they did this in completely the wrong way. There's something seriously wrong when I find the entire concept of the story ("killing is wrong, no matter what!") the biggest ethical problem WITH it! This isn't just "Batman refusing to kill the Joker results in the deaths of dozens"- it's "Spider-Man actively murders hundreds of people because he refuses to see Carnage killed". It's 100 times worse, because at least the Joker's spree-killing is vague and all theoretical, because he's easy to stop (he's just a normal guy). Carnage was an ACTIVE spree-killer! His very freedom guaranteed the deaths of hundreds!

And that's just my MAIN problem with the storyline- turning the heroes into murderers because they won't make the tough choice (Venom's even used as the "Strawman" meant to get us to side with Spidey). There are others:

* It's way too freaking long. Seriously, it's FOURTEEN PARTS. They spend more issues on riots and super-fights than The Crisis on Infinite Earths got. 

* The length, and number of writers on various titles, means that it repeats itself a lot. Half of the issues are just "the villains murder people, and the heroes run in and fight them. Then the villains escape." One at least two or three occasions, Carnage is as good as beaten, and then the heroes F something up (Spider-Man & Venom start brawling because Spidey prevented Firestar from killing Carnage), and the villains escape. You actually see the exact same issue concept more than once. There's even a moment where Carnage is thought-dead and beaten, but arrives at the very end to fight for one MORE chapter- this damn storyline had more endings that The Return of the King! The number of writers also produces the odd situation of one not listening to another, as Carrion is mute at first, then begins talking in a later issue out of nowhere.

* Some of the art is just hideous. Sal Buscema was NOT good at this point in time- ugly, blocky-looking people making hideous faces. Ron Lim's art really doesn't stand the test of time, either- I loved his work in the '90s, but this has some of his worst traits (all the characters have identical faces and musculature- the men have pronounced underbites). At least we had Mark Bagley (who must have been on a tight deadline, because some of the people have INSANELY big heads in a few shots- Demogoblin in particular looks funny).

* One of the core concepts doesn't hold up- it's a major plot point that Shriek is causing flashmob-style riots throughout all of Manhattan. And yet, only EIGHT SUPERHEROES are available to stop things? In NEW YORK CITY? Where is everyone else!? Captain America and Firestar are there, but don't bring a single member of their respective teams?

* Too many powers yanked out of asses. Iron Fist pulls off some weird "meditation trick" by calming down an entire crowd, something he's never done before or since (a classic Hero Point-playing Power Stunt). Shriek suddenly exhibits Mind Control powers. Dagger starts flowing "love" out of herself. Carnage suddenly goes "oh the Symbiote's not a separate thing anymore- now it just lives IN MY BLOODSTREAM!" after being de-powered on at least two separate occasions. And the heroes end the fight with the Care Bear Stare. No, I'm not even kidding, they all funnel good feelings into Deathlok wearing a random one-off device that fires "Goodness" out of his chest like the frickin' Care Bear Stare. Anyone ONE of these instances I could have dealt with (it's not over-the-top to expect Danny Rand to be able to do something weird like that, especially as it didn't even WORK for more than a couple of rounds), but all of it?

* The heroes appear too randomly, and fail to stick around, making them look like idiots. Nightwatch & Morbius are only in a couple issues each, and everyone else kind of stumbles in over the issues (Cap doesn't join till later).

* The heroes don't even really get to BEAT the villains for the most part- they're ineffectual as all hell. They can't contain the riots, Carnage kills Doppelganger for turning on him, Demogoblin runs off in disgust, etc.- the heroes don't even matter. Carnage is as good as done several times, but always comes back- they think they've KILLED him in the thirteenth part with their "Good Bomb" and pack everyone away, but NOPE- he's back for one last issue of fighting!

* Despite being an indictment of '90s excess, it really just ends up being a huge example of it- dozens are murdered on-panel, all of the villains are super-extreme, and the heroes include a vampire, a killer cyborg and VENOM.

* The mindless slugfests aren't even that GOOD! I've read some very fun comics where it was just "guys fighting" (The X-Cutioner's Song, a mega-storyline from around the same time period, had two GREAT issues that were just X-Men versus X-Force, and X-Men/Force versus The Mutant Liberation Front), but the fights here were just boring. Never-ending sequences of Carnage being beaten on, then coming back.

There were a COUPLE of positives: Mary Jane telling Richard Parker off for being such a cynic. Richard & May each giving Peter their thoughts on reality (Richard, a political prisoner for decades, thinks all people are essentially rotten; May thinks the opposite). The Black Cat's uber-fanservicey outfit. But overall? This was drek. The writers were some of the worst to work on Spidey, and the whole storyline was a failure. Of course, it's not even close to the WORST Spider-Man storyline from that era.
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Carnage

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image
Image

CARNAGE (Cletus Kasady)
Created By:
David Michelinie, Erik Larsen (Kasady), Mark Bagley (Carnage)
First Appearance: The Amazing Spider-Man #344 (as Cletus- March 1991), #360 (as Carnage, March 1992)
Role: Mirror Image Villain, Villain to Make Other Villain Look More Good, Over-Used '90s Concept, Chaotic Evil Savage Killer
Villain Ranking: B-Level (started out at A-Level)
Group Affiliations: The Carnage Family
PL 12 (233)
STRENGTH
1/10 STAMINA 2/9 AGILITY 2/8
FIGHTING 9 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Deception 5 (+7)
Expertise (Serial Killer) 8 (+8)
Insight 7 (+8)
Intimidation 5 (+7)
Perception 3 (+4)
Sleight of Hand 4 (+6)
Stealth 4 (+12)

Advantages: 
All-Out Attack, Chokehold, Fast Grab, Improved Critical (Blades) 4, Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Power Attack, Precise Attack (Close/Concealment), Quick Draw, Ranged Attack 10, Startle, Takedown

Powers:
"Symbiotic Costume"
"Immune to Spider-Sense" Concealment (Spider-Sense) 1 (Extras: Continuous) [3]

"More Than Proportionate to A Spider"
Enhanced Strength 9 [18]
Enhanced Stamina 7 [14]
Protection 2 [2]
Enhanced Agility 6 [12]

"Spider-Movement" 
Movement 2 (Wall-Crawling 2) [4]
Speed 2 [2]
Leaping 2 (30 feet) [2]

"Spider-Sense- Warns of Danger & Boosts Agility"
Senses 1 (Danger Sense) [1]
Enhanced Skills 16: Acrobatics 5 (+13), Perception 7 (+8), Close Combat (Unarmed) 4 (+13) [8]
Enhanced Advantages 3: Improved Initiative, Seize Initiative, Uncanny Dodge (Spider-Sense) [3]
Enhanced Dodge 3 [3]
Enhanced Parry 3 [3]

"Cellular-Morphing Qualities"
"Scary-Ass Face" Enhanced Skills 8: Intimidation 8 (+15) [4]
Features 1: Carries Pocket [1]
Regeneration 12 [12]
Morph 2 (10) -- [11]
  • AE: Concealment (Visuals) 2 (Flaws: Blending) (2)
"Self-Created Webbing"
"Web-Shooters"
"Web-Line" Movement 1 (Swinging) [2]
"Spider-Web" Snare 10 (Feats: Split, Tether) (32) -- [37]
  • AE: "Web Burst" Snare 10 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (Flaws: Touch Range) (30)
  • AE: "Giant Blades" Strength-Damage +2 (Extras: Ranged 12, Penetrating 11) (25)
  • AE: "Tendril Burst" Strength-Damage +2 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst 12, Penetrating 11) (25)
  • AE: "Tendril Spray" Strength-Damage +2 (Extras: Multiattack 12, Penetrating 11) (25)
  • AE: "Vampiric Touch" Weaken Stamina 4 (4)
Offense:
Unarmed +13 (+10 Damage, DC 25)
Spider-Web +13 (+10 Ranged Affliction, DC 20)
Web Burst +10 Area (+10 Affliction, DC 20)
Weapons & Spray +13 (+12 Ranged Damage, DC 27)
Tendril Burst +12 Area (+12 Damage, DC 27)
Initiative +2 (+12 Symbiote)

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (+13 Spider-Sense, DC 18-23), Parry +10 (+13 Spider-Sense, DC 19-23), Toughness +11, Fortitude +12, Will +6

Complications:
Power Loss/Weakness (Webbing)- If Carnage uses too much "Webbing", he will lose strength, or the ability to produce more, having used up too many of the symbiote's cells.
Power Loss (Fire & Sonics)- The Symbiote Race fears both fire and extremely loud noises. Being in proximity to either weakens Kasady to the point of losing all his abilities, moreso with more powerful applications.
Weakness (Fire & Sonics)- Similarly, Carnage takes extra damage from fire and sonics. This depends on the writer (or the GM).
Enemy (Spider-Man, Venom, Other Symbiotes)
Motivation (Chaotic Evil)- A true '90s type of villain, Carnage is a pure evil sociopath who disbelieves in all of society's rules, and seeks to murder everyone and everything.

Total: Abilities: 38 / Skills: 36--18 / Advantages: 24 / Powers: 142 / Defenses: 11 (233)

Carnage- Venom But MORE:
-Carnage is so totally pure '90s in concept, design and execution that it's not even funny. Basically, Venom was evil and COOL, so the push to make him a hero required a more EVIL version for him to fight against, right? This would of course lead to some Enemy Mine type stuff, where Venom has to team up with SPIDER-MAN to fight a guy.
-Carnage was Cletus Kasady, a Chaotic Evil monster (they basically outlined that exact alignment in writing several times- hatred of rules, belief in nothing, murder for its own sake, etc.). He was a bullied child who eventually develops into a full-blown Serial Killer- he'd murdered his whole family and an entire Home for Unwanted Children, and became attached to the "offspring" of Venom's Symbiote during a breakout (he & Eddie Brock were cellmates in prison). Kasady became Carnage, and essentially just ran around murdering people for funsies. Venom & Spider-Man had to team up to defeat him.

-Kasady had his big origin, then was the central figure of Maximum Carnage- a colossal push for a new character. But after that... Carnage kind of took a rest. His appearances were very sporadic, as if the creators could tell that Carnage had already been over-done (he wasn't a strong enough character to be central to an entire crossover)- he escaped jail once, but then the Symbiote took over John Jameson & Ben Reilly in the same storyline. There was a goofy storyline in which it took over The Silver Surfer for a bit (which should really have been impossible, and was only there for the "Oh my GOD!" moment of a Cosmic Carnage flying around), and then Venom "permanently" reabsorbs the Symbiote (which you'd think he'd have done earlier if he could have). A powerless, painted-red Kasady is effortlessly-defeated by Spider-Man in a fight- it's like Marvel was going out of their way to discredit the character, and humiliate him.

Carnage Spins Off:
-Carnage was eventually just as broken in the 2000s-era as Venom was- he spawned his OWN Symbiote, which became the heroic Toxin. Carnage himself was mercy-killed by The Sentry in almost casual manner at the dawn of the Bendis-written era of The Avengers. In a bizarre turn of events, despite having been TORN IN HALF, and left in space, Kasady returned fully-healed, as new writers wanted to use the concept after several years on the shelf. He escapes custody and takes over a whole town (and some superheroes) with copies of his Symbiote, but is eventually recaptured. After this, he started appearing VERY frequently, but in bizarre ways- he's lobotomized by The Scarlet Spider (Kaine), and the Symbiote is given to Dr. Karl Malus (at the behest of The Wizard), who goes nuts. The recovered Carnage is later "inverted" by the AXIS storyline, giving us the hilarious Carnage Limited Series, turning him into a chaotic SUPER-HERO, beating the hell out of criminals as "Your Friendly Neighborhood Carnage". It was controversial for some, but I enjoyed the dark humor of this monstrous bastard being compelled to do GOOD, and being rather horrible at it ("Her eyes didn't burst out of her head or nothing", he says, after punching a female criminal in the face, "Good HERO work."). He sacrificed his life to save hundreds of people at the end of the storyline, but given how many times Celetus Kasady has died, this led to the expected resurrection (all of a year later) in Nova, where he returns to fight Sam Alexander.

Why Carnage Failed:
-All in all, it's hard to consider Carnage anything but a flash-in-the-pan. He was a great menace to Spider-Man & Venom, and was a good example of modern-day Nightmare Fuel- an insane SERIAL KILLER given extreme powers. There's a lot of "World Conqueror" villains out there, but comparatively-few authentic Mass Murderers. But unfortunately, Marvel dove too hard into the "Symbiote" concept, pretty much ruining him- almost every story after Maximum Carnage used him as a forgettable moron, and the rampant "Carnage is DEAD oh no wait he's back in the next story cuz REGENERATION!" storytelling has only hurt him further. A potentially A-List Spider-Foe was wasted because classic '90s Excess wouldn't let them use him sparingly.

Carnage's Stats:
-Carnage is a BEAST in combat, easily making PL 12, and being a match for dozens of characters. He's tough, strong, fast, accurate and lethal, with tons of Advantages. His Symbiote is for some reason WAY better than anyone else's, gaining tons of new feats for reasons that are unexplained (is each generation exponentially better?). In addition to all Venom's neat stuff, Carnage (who is as strong as Venom, despite Eddie Brock's base strength being an explicit reason for why Venom is stronger than Spider-Man- not that THAT makes any sense, since Peter Parker is WAY stronger than Brock ever could be, yet the Symbiote only UPGRADED to match HIS powers... I don't even know what they were thinking here....) possesses Giant Blades in multiple varieties, allowing him Area Effects, Multiattack and sheer damage of the Ranged variety, a vampiric touch (?), enhanced Regeneration (he recovers WAY too quickly from nearly everything to ever be put down), and enough overall combat ability to mess up ANYONE.

-He's PL 12 all-around, unlike Venom (who is PL 11.5 mostly) and Spider-Man (PL 11, only PL 10.5 on offense)- he's lethally-accurate because of his sheer speed, and EXTREMELY powerful, able to mess up either guy if he connects. Even major Bricks should watch out for a full-on Axe Strike, and those Bursts and Multiattacks are ideal crowd-dispersers. Add to that the fact that neither guy's Spider-Sense works against him, and you're looking at a major disadvantage for either character. Thus, you get an in-play explanation for why Venom & Spidey are required to team up to ever have a hope of defeating Carnage without major-league cheating.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Wed Feb 16, 2022 5:58 am, edited 1 time in total.
Jabroniville
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Shriek

Post by Jabroniville »

Image

Because Dagger and The Black Cat needed a villainous rival in the "Uber-Cleavage" department.

SHRIEK (Frances Louise Barrison, aka Sandra Deel)
Created By:
Tom Defalco, Mike W. Barr, Terry Kavanaugh, Ron Lim, Jerry Bingham, and Mark Bagley 
First Appearance: Spider-Man Unlimited #1 (May 1993)
Role: Dark Action Girl, Plot Device, Riot-Creator
Group Affiliations: The Carnage Family
PL 9 (138)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 7 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Acrobatics 3 (+6)
Athletics 3 (+5)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 2 (+9)
Deception 3 (+5)
Expertise (Criminal) 2 (+2)
Expertise (Pop Culture) 6 (+6)
Insight 3 (+3)
Intimidation 5 (+7)
Perception 3 (+3)

Advantages: 
Defensive Roll, Evasion, Improved Critical (Sonics), Power Attack, Ranged Attack 4

Powers:
“Sonic Energy Control”
Blast 10 (20) – [22]
  • AE: “Emotion Control” Affliction 8 (Will; Dazed/Compelled/Controlled) (Extras: Ranged) (16)
  • AE: "Sonic-Propelled Flight" Flight 4 (30 mph) (8)
"Sonic Detection" Senses 2 (Accurate Hearing) [2]
“Wide-Range Emotional Control” Affliction 2 (Will; Dazed/Compelled/Controlled) (Extras: Sustained +2, Area- 30-mile Burst +13) [32]

Offense:
Unarmed +9 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Blast +8 (+10 Damage, DC 25)
Emotion Control +8 (+8 Affliction, DC 23)
Wide-Range Control +1 Area (+1 Affliction, DC 11)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +3 (+4 D.Roll), Fortitude +6, Will +4

Complications:
Motivation (Chaos)- Shriek loves murder and mayhem.
Responsibility (Family)- Shriek possesses a subconscious desire for a family, which has led to her attempting to “Adopt” various psychopaths at different points.
Relationship (Carnage)- Shriek is crazy for the mass-murderer, to the point where she gains a victim-complex and comes back to him, despite him giving her numerous beatings.

Total: Abilities: 42 / Skills: 30--15 / Advantages: 8 / Powers: 56 / Defenses: 17 (138)

-Shriek is basically a villainous girl added to the books just for Maximum Carnage, so Carnage could have a chick to impress, and to add some female energy to the villainous side. Her entire concept is "Hey, chaos is awesome!" and she was a drug-user & dealer who was driven insane by being sent to Cloak's Darkforce Dimension during an attack from Cloak & Dagger. She became sort of a sick "mother" to the Carnage Family, though really she treated Doppelganger like a pet, and Carrion rarely spoke to her. She was a standard Blaster at first (even "killing" Dagger in the opening salvo of the storyline), but soon showcased the ability to affect the minds of THOUSANDS of people, as she sends out "psychic waves" that turn New York into a city full of rioting criminals (so... Detroit?). 

-After Maximum Carnage, she REALLY doesn't get a lot of use- it seems she suffers from the same condition that afflicted Carnage: the backlash against the story and over-use of Carnage had made her untouchable. She appears during a break-out attempt, then gets involved with Carrion, tempting him to join her as her "son" once again. She is contested in this by Malcolm McBride's actual BIRTH mother, who is desperate to get her son back. In the end, Shriek is touched by Mrs. McBride's willingness to sacrfice herself to save her son, and willingly gives up. She does not appear in a major way for more than ten years.

-Modern times would see her show up in the Carnage Limited Series- she returns to a homicidal mania and joins up with Carnage and Doppelganger, but is badly-beaten and rendered comatose by a Carnage offspring named "Scorn". She reappears alongside numerous other female Jobber Villains as part of the "Doom Maidens" in The Fearless Defenders, then allies with Carnage against Deadpool. Her appearances nowadays tend to just be as "Background Chick", because she's got a perfectly-serviceable, unique "look", and is a rare Villainess who actually stands out in a crowd.

-Shriek has a standard Emotion Control effect and a Blast in an array, mild Flight, and a REALLY wide-range Emotion Control that’s enough to break most bystander’s Will Checks, but is nothing compared to most super-heroes (even the standard Spidey NPCs were only agitated around this time). The range is MASSIVE, 30 miles is enough to cover all of Manhattan, and it’s cheap because it’s so weak.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Wed Feb 16, 2022 5:58 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Davies
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Re: Jab's Builds! (The Slingers! La Tarantula! Cardiac! Solo! Venom!)

Post by Davies »

And here's me thinking I was original with a sonic-emotion controller "Harley Quinn"-expy. And I'm fairly sure that I read this storyline, though I don't remember doing so, either.
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L-Space
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Cardiac! Solo! Venom! Carnage! Shriek!)

Post by L-Space »

As I've mentioned earlier my uncles used to buy me Spider-man comics and were doing so during Maximum Carnage. The problem is they bought me Amazing Spider-man and Web of Spider-man which means I only had half of the story and never got to read the end! Now as a kid , I still really liked the story because I got to see a superhero team with Spider-man at the center and they were fighting a team of Spider-man rogues, which was just super awesome to me. That being said after high school I finally got to read the full Maximum Carnage arc (my friend is the biggest Venom fan ever and collects every single showing of Venom) and man did I not like it. Too much Chaotic Evil going on and the multiple instances of "We have Carnage on the ropes! Oh no he escaped!" got super tedious. The only halfway decent thing I can say about Maximum Carnage is that it gave us the SNES video game of the same name. My cousin and I played the shit out of that!
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KorokoMystia
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Cardiac! Solo! Venom! Carnage! Shriek!)

Post by KorokoMystia »

I remember the SNES game, as well as the Seperation Anxiety SNES game that featured the Five Symbiotes and The Jury. The most I remember are the superhero cameos, the villains featured, and the fact that the Maximum Carnage game featured a song that was a dead ringer for Black Sabbath's The Mob Rules song.
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