Jab’s Builds! (Lawnmower Man! Samus Aran! Metroids!)

[BriarThrone]

Loki is a different type of being than the Aesir in the myths, though he's Odin's blood brother rather than his adopted son. This is probably THE major sticking point of any attempt to make Kirby's conception of Asgard resemble the sagas.

Yeah, I remembered that, but I didn't think to mention it. I do love that detail. A friend and I tend to mimic the "homegrown hero, dangerous outsider" dynamic from the stories with Thor and Loki travelling together a lot. Just sort of happens that way.

[Jabroniville]

"They made a fool of me, Balder. They laughed at me. Everybody laughs at Skurge. Hela, Mordonna, even the Enchantress I love, they all laugh at me. Except you. Balder is too kind to laugh at Skurge. And every time they do, I hurt inside. Maybe I die a little. I think... maybe I am dead already. And my axe was destroyed with Naglfar. So I will stand behind and the last laugh will be mine. [...] *I* will hold the bridge."
-The Executioner

--

"They sing no songs in Hel, for silent is that dismal realm, and cheerless... but the story of the Gjallerbru and the God who defended it is whispered across the Nine Worlds... and when a new arrival asks about the one to whom even Hela bows her head... the answer is always the same: 'He stood alone at Gjallerbru...' and that answer is enough."
-The Final Narration, because this is how you goddamn COMIC.

THE EXECUTIONER (Skurge)
Created By: Stan Lee & Jack Kirby
First Appearance: Journey Into Mystery #103 (April 1964)
Role: Silver Age Rival (to Thor), Obsessive Lover (to Amora, not Thor)
Group Affiliations: The Masters of Evil, The Einherjar, The Mandarin's Minions
PL 12 (171)
STRENGTH 12 STAMINA 12 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 9 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Close Combat (Unarmed) 2 (+11)
Expertise (Asgardian Soldier) 8 (+8)
Investigation 2 (+2)
Intimidation 13 (+13)
Perception 5 (+5)

Advantages: 
All-Out Attack, Chokehold, Diehard, Improved Critical (Axe) 2, Improved Hold, Improved Initiative, Improved Smash, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 11, Startle, Takedown 2, Tracking

Powers:
"Frost Giant/Skornheimian Physiology"
Immunity 9 (Aging, Disease, Cold, Poison, Fatigue Effects) [9]
Regeneration 2 (Feats: Regrowth) [3]
Senses 1 (Extended Vision) [1]
Impervious Toughness 11 [11]

"The Bloodaxe" (Flaws: Easily-Removable) (Feats: Restricted to Strong Men) [27]
"Fire Line" Damage 12 (Extras: Area- 60ft. Line +2) (36) -- (42 points)

• AE: "Ice Beam" Snare 11 (33)
• AE: "Axe Smash" Strength-Damage +3 (Feats: Reach, Affects Insubstantial 2, Dimensional 3, Improved Critical 2) (Extras: Penetrating 14) (25)
• AE: "Cut Through Space" Movement 3 (Dimensional Movement 3) (Extras: Portal +2) (10)
• AE: "Teleport Others" Movement 3 (Dimensional Movement 3) (Extras: Attack +0) (6)
• AE: "Fire Blast" Blast 13 (26)
• AE: "Destroys Illusions" Nullify 14 (Illusion Effects) (Extras: Simultaneous, Effortless) (Flaws: Touch Range) (14)

Offense:
Unarmed +11 (+12 Damage, DC 27)
Axe Smash +9 (+15 Damage, DC 30)
Ice Beam +11 (+10 Ranged Affliction, DC 20)
Fire Blast +11 (+13 Ranged Damage, DC 28)
Fire Line +12 Area (+12 Damage, DC 27)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +11 (DC 21), Toughness +12, Fortitude +13, Will +6

Complications:
Relationship (Amora, the Enchantress)- Skurge loves The Enchantress deeply, which she uses to control him. As Walt Simonson wrote, she has "the flowing blonde hair that always dances before his eyes".
Enemy (Thor)
Honour- The Executioner is truly villainous, but he still fights with honour. In fact, that's how he dies.

Total: Abilities: 72 / Skills: 18--9 / Advantages: 24 / Powers: 51 / Defenses: 15 (171)

-The Executioner was originally the "Recurring Dumbass Foe" of Thor for years, being The Enchantress' easily-controlled buffoonish henchman. He shows up ALL OVER THE PLACE in the '60s stories (usually as a member of the Masters of Evil, or as Amora's lackey), but his odd appearance mixed with his simplistic characterization led to a big de-push for him. In response, Walt Simonson years later gave him a heroic send-off and face-turn, thanks to one of his greatest moments as a writer. Upon being rejected by The Enchantress one final time (she now seeks to bed Balder), he allied with Thor and his Asgardian brothers in order to regain his honour. Their mission takes them to Hela's realm, and she sends her endless Legions of the Dead against the heroes. Skurge, in one final great moment, holds the way for them by sacrificing his life against a demonic horde, allowing his allies to escape.

-This scene is the absolute PICTURE of how you write a heroic sacrifice. It takes a character so flat that he'd disappear if he turned sideways, and makes him seem like the most bad-ass, complex, courageous character in history- it stands above Supergirl's death during the Crisis. It stands above Barry Allen's. Even Ferro Lad's. How can you tell? Those guys came BACK. Nobody would DREAM of ruining Skurge's demise in that manner- he meant almost nothing as a character before it, and became a legend afterwards. It's not just the death itself- plenty of heroes have died fighting insurmountable odds- it's the combination of the art, the dialogue (the quote above? EPIC), the depiction of the Undead Hordes, the menace of Hela, the personal need for Skurge to make amends and make something of his existence, and the absolute RESPECT every character (even HELA, who was actively TRYING to kill him!), all of it- It makes his death MEAN SOMETHING. Keep in mind that people like Barry Allen and Supergirl were FAMOUS, IMPORTANT characters- the Executioner was just some forgotten relic of the Sixties. And his final moments are STILL talked about today. And THAT is writing.

-Subsequent appearances have involved him in the Norse afterlives- he met Thor in Hel while the Thunder God's spirit was trapped in the Destroyer armor, and was released to Valhalla when even Hela recognized that his noble spirit belonged somewhere better. Eventually, as promised, Thor & Balder drank in Skurge's honor, and even Amora realized that she truly cared for the man she'd only ever used as a minion.

-Skurge fought THOR of all people, time and time again, so he's at least PL 12, statting up like a high-powered Brick, who's also a Weapons Guy. He's rather strong normally, but does a HELL of a lot of damage once he's got that Axe in his hands- he's then a match for Thor, Hercules or any other God-level being (most of whom are PL 13-14). I was thinking of making him PL 13 (he seems to be a good fighter, and his Axe is hella-powerful), but... well, he's got absolutely zero wins over anybody who's legit, and he was Thor's regular Jobber for years. Much less versatile than Thor all-around, but he's still a bad-ass, and enough to give any Avenger pause for a while. Note that his Axe has a bunch of powers I've never heard of- I had to use ComicVine, Wikipedia, and Taliesin's build to pick up a bunch of stuff- notably all the Dimensional-based attacks.

[Jabroniville]

Wow, I'm really stunned that we got like four pages of comments already, and I just barely started posting about Asgardian/Thor stuff yesterday, and have so far mostly just done "re-post stuff" (though my History of Thor bit is new). On a fifteen posts per page forum, no less . I'm tickled that this thread can still draw some eyeballs and some comments after all this time!


I figured I'd check out my older Thor builds:

Oct. 2014: https://roninarmy.com/threads/149-Jab-s ... #post43366 (During my Avengers set)

May 2012: http://atomicthinktank.com/viewtopic.ph ... 72#p992679 (During a "Marvel Gods" set, which I'm essentially re-doing this and next month)

Dec. 2010: http://atomicthinktank.com/viewtopic.ph ... e0#p762499 (During my FIRST 3rd Edition Avengers set)

Oct. 2008: http://www.atomicthinktank.com/viewtopi ... 4b#p509211 (Good old-fashioned 2nd Edition build!)

Apparently I got seventy-five pages in to my original thread before I posted a Thor build. It's so funny to see my similar formatting, but nothing in bolt or anything, because I "didn't like how it looked" in my word files (something I don't care about anymore). And I've been starting off Thor builds with "Frickin' Thor" for about nine years at this point .

[Jabroniville]

-Frickin' Thor. Basically created to be Marvel's answer to Superman (some historical reports have said as much, others play coy), but with a mythological, magical bent, Thor's been all over the place, but has consistently been well-portrayed. That's thanks to the loving hands of several creators- Jack Kirby considered this a favourite, and then there's Walt Simonson and the last creative teams in recent years as well- Thor draws as many A-list creative teams as Wonder Woman (but sells better).

As a kid who loved Middle-Earth, D&D, and superheroes equally, Thor was pretty much a no-brainer. I was also lucky enough to be in the midst of my formative years as a comic book consumer when Walt Simonson was writing the book. It's really one of the greatest runs of all time, comparable to Stan & Jack on Fantastic Four or Stan & Steve on Spider-Man or Englehart & Rogers on Batman.

-I think some of the only Thor appearances that I enjoy involve him being a rarely-speaking giant dumb weapon, almost as if nobody's actually PLAYING him in a game, but that Thor himself is a Power of the other Avengers- sorta like Captain Planet. In many Hickman & Remender Avengers issues, he just kind of grunts along and then does something awesome, like pretending to give up, only to tear his hammer through an Alien Super-Robot or something like that. Thor, it seems, kicks ass the more silent he is.

I think that ignores one of the best aspects of Thor: his rampant, over the top braggadacio. Thor's much more fun when he's explaining in minute detail how he's going to kick your ass, in florid, faux-Shakespearean prose. It's the key to his charm, and the only real bursts of personality he gets (otherwise, he's just a straight-up paladin sort of guy in order to be worthy enough to wield Mjolnir).

What's more fun, Thor silently (the god of thunder, silent? C'mon!) beating up a huge giant monster, or Thor loudly exclaiming:

"Come lightning! Come thunder! Answer your master's call! Now, creature, you face the full fury of the unfettered storm! Have at thee!"

And then he thrakka-krakka-doom's the hell out of the guy.

I mean, yeah, Thor's overpowered. But the best Thor stories are him dealing with cosmic threats above and beyond the average Avenger's pay grade, or having to deal with something he's not actually equipped to deal with, like being turned into a frog or something.

Hm- you have a point! Well-argued, my friend . I can see how his bragging nature is kinda fun. And that Jormungand fight is EPIC- Simonson doing a comic entirely out of Splash Pages was amazing, and you really couldn't have done something like that issue with Daredevil or Spider-Man, much as I love the Street Levelers.

[Woodclaw]

I'm kind of surprised that Skurge got extended sight and regrowth regeneration, since neither of those powers feel iconic of the character for me.

On a side note, one of my many gripes with the character is the Bloodaxe, since no writer was ever able to do much good with it after Skurge's death. Granted it provided a good nemesis for Eric Masterson, but that's pretty much all it ever accounted for.

[Jabroniville]

I'm kind of surprised that Skurge got extended sight and regrowth regeneration, since neither of those powers feel iconic of the character for me.

On a side note, one of my many gripes with the character is the Bloodaxe, since no writer was ever able to do much good with it after Skurge's death. Granted it provided a good nemesis for Eric Masterson, but that's pretty much all it ever accounted for.

I probably just gave him a full power based off of this bit in his Wikipedia bio:

In his first appearance Skurge demonstrated a 'super-human falcon hunting vision', that enabled him to find Jane Foster in a crowd.[27]

So it's probably a one-off that was never used again .

As for Regeneration, I kind of gave most high-tier Asgardians something like that. It's low enough in level that I think it more reflects someone just being really, really tough.

[Jabroniville]

THE ENCHANTRESS (Amora)
Created By: Stan Lee & Jack Kirby
First Appearance: Journey Into Mystery #103 (April 1964)
Role: The Seductress (duh), Evil Sorceress, The Manipulator
Group Affiliations: The Masters of Evil, The Lady Liberators, Asgard, The Mandarin's Minions
PL 12 (218)
STRENGTH 8 STAMINA 9 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 5 AWARENESS 5 PRESENCE 7

Skills:
Close Combat (Unarmed) 1 (+6)
Deception 5 (+12, +17 Attractive)
Expertise (Magic) 14 (+19)
Expertise (History) 6 (+11)
Expertise (Asgardian Lore) 6 (+11)
Insight 2 (+7)
Intimidation 1 (+8)
Investigation 5 (+10)
Perception 4 (+9)
Persuasion 4 (+11, +16 Attractive)
Ranged Combat (Magic) 5 (+12)
Treatment 3 (+8)

Advantages:
Artificer, Attractive 2, Daze (Deception), Eidetic Memory, Fascinate 2 (Deception, Persuasion), Luck, Ranged Attack 5, Ritualist, Taunt, Well-Informed

Powers:
"Asgardian Physiology"
Immunity 2 (Aging, Disease) [2]
Immunity 4 (Drowning & Suffocation, Poison, Pressure) (Flaws: Limited to Half-Effect) [2]
Regeneration 2 (Feats: Regrowth) [3]
Senses 1 (Extended Vision) [1]
Power-Lifting 2 (25 tons) [2]

"Magical Might"
Illusion (All Senses) 11 (Flaws: Distracting) (44) -- [56]

• AE: "Paralyzing Bolt" Affliction 12 (Will; Dazed & Fatigued/Stunned & Defenseless/Paralyzed) (Extras: Ranged, Cumulative) (36)
• AE: "Impair Others" Affliction 12 (Will; Impaired/Disabled/Transformed to Powerless) (Extras: Ranged, Cumulative) (36)
• AE: "Age Others" Affliction 10 (Will; Impaired & Hindered/Disabled & Exhausted/Transformed to Elderly) (Extras: Ranged, Cumulative, Extra Condition) (40)
• AE: Deflect 12 (12)
• AE: Movement 3 (Dimensional Movement 3) (Extras: Portal +2) (12)
• AE: Teleport 8 (Extras: Accurate, Extended Only +0) (24)
• AE: Transform (One Element to Another) 8 (Feats: Increased Mass- 25 tons) (41)
• AE: Eldritch Blast 12 (Feats: Variable 2- Any Magical Descriptor) (26)
• AE: Force Field 5 (Extras: Affects Others 10, Ranged 10) (25)
• AE: "Telekinesis" Move Object 12 (24)
• AE: "Brainwashing" Affliction 11 (Will; Dazed/Compelled/Transformed Mind) (Extras: Sustained +2, Ranged) (Flaws: Distracting) (33)
• AE: "The Enchantress' Kiss" Mind Control 14 (Extras: Progressive +2) (Flaws: Touch Range -2, Requires Grapple) (42)

Offense:
Unarmed +5 (+8 Damage, DC 23)
Eldritch Blast +12 (+12 Ranged Damage, DC 27)
Brainwashing +12 Ranged (+11 Ranged Affliction, DC 21)
Enchantress' Kiss +6 (+14 Affliction, DC 22)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +9 (DC 19), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +9 (+14 Force Field), Fortitude +11, Will +8

Complications:
Relationship (Thor)- Amora is obsessively-infatuated with the Thunder God, and a huge portion of her schemes are to win him over.
Power Loss (Magic)- Magic requires both free hands and an open mouth. Binding Amora's hands or mouth (and it'll happen, especially in the '90s) will leave her unable to cast spells.

Total: Abilities: 90 / Skills: 56--28 / Advantages: 16 / Powers: 70 / Defenses: 14 (218)

-The Enchantress is an all-star villain of Thor, repeatedly plaguing him (except for that brief "Oh so 90s" period when Mike Deodato was drawing, where she was his scantily-clad bedmate) with her wicked feminine wiles in- she's no "Standard '60s Wilting Flower" of a love interest- she's an aggressive broad out to seduce the hero (this was meant to be a more-villainous quality... though obviously added to her OTHER evil attributes), but fans would take to pushier types as time went on). She's much more of a trickster than a front-liner, but is more than a capable villainess, and her tricks cause no end of trouble for the good guys.

-Amora was a constant presence in 1960s Thor stories, alongside The Executioner. A combination Sorceress/Seductress, her primary motivation seemed to be jumping Thor's bones (and this was before he was played by Chris Hemsworth!), but she also allies with those who wish him dead, such as Skurge and Loki. The two even join Baron Zemo's Masters of Evil for numerous storylines, and she later forms the "Lady Liberators" under false pretenses, and has a bunch of female superheroes assault Avengers Mansion (this was during the start of the "Women's Lib" movement, y'see). She didn't get up to much during the 1970s, but got some renewed energy under Walt Simonson during his run on Thor. Here, we discovered that she had a sibling rivalry with a sister, Lorelei, and there was some stuff with her in Secret Wars (she decided to say "F it" to the whole fight, and try to teleport away with Thor as her bedmate).

-She truly mourns the loss of Skurge when he dies at Gjallerbru, began a dalliance with Heimdall, and goes through a bit where she's the occasional ally of the Asgardians, often in situations where she would die if she didn't (such as when Surtur invades). However, the 1990s run of Thor that saw Mike Deodato on art featured her and Thor as MUTUAL lovers- this being Deodato's work, she was frequently seen in back-bending poses while wearing teeny-tiny nighties... and was also bound & gagged at least once. She disappears for the most part after Heroes Reborn (since Thor was dead and all, and later writers apparently had little use for her), and dies at Loki's hands during Ragnarok. She is resurrected with the others following the event, and engages in a small handful of schemes once more. She's a bit more "old school" than a lot of Thor's modern-day foes, but I'll be dipped if those funny leggings don't have a certain kind of STYLE to them.

-The Enchantress is HIGHLY powerful, both in Power Level (one below Dr. Strange). Like the comics state, she's not a spell-slinging super-powerhouse (I would pick Dr. Strange over her in a straight-up magical battle), she's just VERY capable, preferring to cast illusions & enchantments over people, and forcing others to do her muscle-work. Generally, anyone who costs 218 points is going to be dangerous no matter what, and Amora is no exception. She's more of a campaign-long threat than even a final boss, but you wouldn't want to get on her bad side. Both her Deception & Persuasion Skills are perilously high, especially for someone who can use Mind Control at Touch Range, and she can still Spell-Sling with the best of them.

[M4C8]

And the current "War Thor" that Volstagg has turned into is kinda like that. A bit edgier and "MY CHILDREN ARE DEEEEEEAAAD!", but similar.

Oh for F***S SAKE, don't tell me they actually went and killed Volstagg's kids. We can't even have that? One of Thor's buddies is actually happily married and a decent father with a bunch of kids?

They weren't his kids, he was trying to protect a bunch of light elf refugee kids but they were all killed and he sort of went mad with rage/vengeance.

[M4C8]

With the past I dunno 10 or so years Marvel has done it's damnest to drive people from comics with horrible event after event. The weird civil war 2 thing was the last straw for me so I quit buying Marvel and I've switched to DC but I never could get into Jane as Thor, I guess because it goes out of it's way to turn a noble demigod into an arrogant ass in order to make her look better. (The whole Thor cheating on Jane stuff.) I dunno it just seems like Marvel has a certain level of contempt towards Fans now a days.

Yep, because we'd rather read the truly original icons that we all grew up with instead of the crappy teen copies that replaced them we're all bigots apparently.

[Jabroniville]

I said wait till the JaneThor build to make comments about that .

[Jabroniville]

LORELEI I
Created By: Walt Simonson
First Appearance: Thor #337 (Jan. 1984)
Role: The Seductress, Evil Sorceress, The Manipulator, Annoying Younger Sister
Group Affiliations: Asgard
PL 11 (192)
STRENGTH 8 STAMINA 9 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 4 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 4

Skills:
Close Combat (Unarmed) 1 (+6)
Deception 6 (+10, +12 Attractive)
Expertise (Magic) 11 (+15)
Expertise (History) 4 (+8)
Expertise (Asgardian Goddess) 6 (+10)
Insight 2 (+5)
Intimidation 1 (+5)
Perception 3 (+6)
Persuasion 5 (+9, +11 Attractive)
Ranged Combat (Magic) 5 (+11)
Treatment 3 (+8)

Advantages:
Artificer, Attractive, Daze (Deception), Fascinate 2 (Deception, Persuasion), Luck, Ranged Attack 4, Ritualist, Taunt

Powers:
"Asgardian Physiology"
Immunity 2 (Aging, Disease) [2]
Immunity 4 (Drowning & Suffocation, Poison, Pressure) (Flaws: Limited to Half-Effect) [2]
Regeneration 2 (Feats: Regrowth) [3]
Power-Lifting 2 (25 tons) [2]

"Magical Might"
Illusion (All Senses) 11 (Flaws: Distracting) (44) -- [52]

• AE: "Paralyzing Bolt" Affliction 11 (Will; Dazed & Fatigued/Stunned & Defenseless/Paralyzed) (Extras: Ranged, Cumulative) (33)
• AE: "Impair Others" Affliction 11 (Will; Impaired/Disabled/Transformed to Powerless) (Extras: Ranged, Cumulative) (33)
• AE: Movement 3 (Dimensional Movement 3) (Extras: Portal +2) (12)
• AE: Teleport 8 (Extras: Accurate, Extended Only +0) (24)
• AE: Eldritch Blast 11 (Feats: Variable 2- Any Magical Descriptor) (24)
• AE: Force Field 5 (Extras: Affects Others 10, Ranged 10) (25)
• AE: "Brainwashing" Affliction 11 (Will; Dazed/Compelled/Transformed Mind) (Extras: Sustained +2, Ranged) (Flaws: Distracting) (33)
• AE: "Lorelei's Kiss of Stone" Affliction 14 (Fort; Hindered & Impaired Vision/Defenseless & Disabled Vision/Transformed to Stone & Unaware Vision) (Extras: Progressive +2, Extra Condition) (Flaws: Limited to Vision, Requires Grapple) (28)

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+9 Damage, DC 24)
Eldritch Blast +11 (+11 Ranged Damage, DC 26)
Brainwashing +11 Ranged (+11 Ranged Affliction, DC 21)
Lorelei's Kiss +6 (+14 Affliction, DC 24)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +9 (DC 19), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +9 (+14 Force Field), Fortitude +10, Will +6

Complications:
Motivation (Power)
Rivalry (The Enchantress)- Though the two are sisters, they don't get along, and often compete.
Power Loss (Magic)- Magic requires both free hands and an open mouth. Binding Lorelei's hands or mouth (and it'll happen, especially in the '90s) will leave her unable to cast spells.

Total: Abilities: 76 / Skills: 56--28 / Advantages: 12 / Powers: 63 / Defenses: 13 (192)

-Lorelei seems a bit redundant in the Thor-verse, being Amora's sister with the exact same tendencies as Amora herself. She debuted and mind-controlled Thor for a bit of Walt Simonson's run, and even seduced LOKI for a while, but she was kind of just the petulant teenager to Amora's Elite Seductress. This actually separates her a tiny bit, and makes for some fun stories. She was killed aiding Baldur during Seth's invasion of Asgard (and Hela demanded too high a price to Amora for a resurrection- Amora's own life), and ended up empowering the Destroyer Armor for a time (even trapping Hela in ice), but this was ended after a few months. Seth brought her back to life as a more-powerful villainess, but she was slain that issue by Amora, who realized that this was a mere copy of her sister.

-In the early-2000s Defenders series, Pluto arranges for a mysteriously-alive Lorelei to create a Valkyrie for him- Samantha Parrington- but he double-crosses her and traps her in a memory-less Valkyrie as well. When the Defenders attack while she's fighting the SamValkyrie, Lorelei regains her memories and assaults Pluto, allowing his "denizens of the dead" to pour through the gates. Both villainous Gods flee when Zeus arrives, promising punishment- the character has not returned in a signification role since then. Lorelei got some play between 1984-89, then a few one-off appearances since then, and that's it.

-Lorelei has pretty much the same powers Amora does, but on a slightly lower level- she's a powerful Mystic in any case. One of her powers allows her to turn men to Stone with a single kiss- it's basically a Medusa's Glare (Progressive Affliction) at Grapple Range.

[Jabroniville]

THE WARRIORS THREE:
-The Warriors Three are a recurring set of background characters in the Thor series, being original Marvel creations that tend to hang back and comment on things, while showing up for big battles. Seriously- in the Simonson run, these guys are effectively a "Greek Chorus" that provides seemless exposition for the goings-on of Asgard, and they discuss whatever's endangering them. Despite being powerful warriors by Earth standards, they're basically Jobbers in the Asgardian world, hitting PL 10 when the main character is PL 13-14.

-There's not really a lot of "Warriors Three Stories" out there- they're just kind of Thor's back-up (translation: guys who get their asses kicked so Thor can look stronger). Their Wikipedia article is more or less "Here's a bunch of stuff that happened that they were around to see". The characters are more or less known for a single trait- one is Dashing, one Grim, and the other a Happy-Go-Lucky sort.

[Jabroniville]

... What? He's still in that last one .

FANDRAL THE DASHING
Created By: Stan Lee & Jack Kirby
First Appearance: Journey into Mystery #119 (Aug. 1965)
Role: Errol Flynn Adventurer
Group Affiliations: Asgard, The Warriors Three
PL 10 (152)
STRENGTH 9 STAMINA 9 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 3
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 4

Skills:
Acrobatics 5 (+10)
Athletics 4 (+12)
Deception 2 (+6, +8 Attractive)
Expertise (Asgardian Warrior) 8 (+9)
Intimidation 2 (+6)
Perception 4 (+6)
Persuasion 2 (+6, +8 Atrractive)
Stealth 1 (+6)

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Benefit (God), Defensive Attack, Diehard, Evasion, Equipment 2 (Blade), Fearless, Great Endurance, Improved Critical (Sword) 2, Improved Defense, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Move-By Action, Precise Attack (Close/Concealment), Prone Fighting, Quick Draw, Ranged Attack 4, Redirect, Seize Initiative, Set-Up, Takedown 2, Taunt, Teamwork, Uncanny Dodge

Powers:
"Asgardian God"
Impervious Toughness 3 [3]
Immunity 2 (Aging, Disease) [2]
Immunity 4 (Drowning & Suffocation, Poison, Pressure) (Flaws: Limited to Half-Effect) [2]
Power-Lifting 1 (25 tons) [1]
Leaping 1 (15 feet) [1]
Speed 2 (8 mph) [2]

Equipment:
Strength-Damage +1 (Feats: Improved Critical, Penetrating 4) (6 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+9 Damage, DC 24)
Sword +10 (+10 Damage, DC 25)
Initiative +9

Defenses:
Dodge +11 (DC 21), Parry +11 (DC 21), Toughness +9 (+2 Impervious), Fortitude +9, Will +7

Complications:
Responsibility (Asgard)
Quirk (Adventurous)- Fandral is innately drawn to acts of great danger, and eagerly goes on quests and the like. This is often taken to the level of foolhardiness.

Total: Abilities: 84 / Skills: 28--14 / Advantages: 31 / Powers: 11 / Defenses: 12 (152)

-Fandral the Dashing is an Errol Flynn-type (this is plain as day, given his appearance and fighting style), charming the ladies and tricking the men (and the ladies, too!). He generally acts as a confident and happy-go-lucky fighter, usually getting himself into trouble. His backstory suggests he moved to Earth and married a woman named Marian generations ago, and thus inspired the Robin Hood fables. Like many characters, he died and was reborn following a Ragnarok event.

-He's a perfect example of the annoyance of "Super-Strong But Highly Accurate" guys in M&M, as even Taliesin, who normally shoots a PL or two higher than I do on the scale, gave these guys all PL 10 status, and the comics certainly don't treat him as better than the typical super-hero... and yet he's flat-out given the title of "The best of us with the Blade" in addition to being Class 30 in raw strength. The only solution is to really provide him with Accurate Attack and assume he gets the most out of it- he gets a rank of Power-Lifting to lessen his overall strength damage without the sword as well.

[HalloweenJack]

THE ENCHANTRESS (Amora)
Created By: Stan Lee & Jack Kirby
First Appearance: Journey Into Mystery #103 (April 1964)
Role: The Seductress (duh), Evil Sorceress, The Manipulator
Group Affiliations: The Masters of Evil, The Lady Liberators, Asgard, The Mandarin's Minions
PL 12 (218)
STRENGTH 8 STAMINA 9 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 5 AWARENESS 5 PRESENCE 7

Skills:
Close Combat (Unarmed) 1 (+6)
Deception 5 (+12, +17 Attractive)
Expertise (Magic) 14 (+19)
Expertise (History) 6 (+11)
Expertise (Asgardian Lore) 6 (+11)
Insight 2 (+7)
Intimidation 1 (+8)
Investigation 5 (+10)
Perception 4 (+9)
Persuasion 4 (+11, +16 Attractive)
Ranged Combat (Magic) 5 (+12)
Treatment 3 (+8)

Advantages:
Artificer, Attractive 2, Daze (Deception), Eidetic Memory, Fascinate 2 (Deception, Persuasion), Luck, Ranged Attack 5, Ritualist, Taunt, Well-Informed

Powers:
"Asgardian Physiology"
Immunity 2 (Aging, Disease) [2]
Immunity 4 (Drowning & Suffocation, Poison, Pressure) (Flaws: Limited to Half-Effect) [2]
Regeneration 2 (Feats: Regrowth) [3]
Senses 1 (Extended Vision) [1]
Power-Lifting 2 (25 tons) [2]

"Magical Might"
Illusion (All Senses) 11 (Flaws: Distracting) (44) -- [56]

• AE: "Paralyzing Bolt" Affliction 12 (Will; Dazed & Fatigued/Stunned & Defenseless/Paralyzed) (Extras: Ranged, Cumulative) (36)
• AE: "Impair Others" Affliction 12 (Will; Impaired/Disabled/Transformed to Powerless) (Extras: Ranged, Cumulative) (36)
• AE: "Age Others" Affliction 10 (Will; Impaired & Hindered/Disabled & Exhausted/Transformed to Elderly) (Extras: Ranged, Cumulative, Extra Condition) (40)
• AE: Deflect 12 (12)
• AE: Movement 3 (Dimensional Movement 3) (Extras: Portal +2) (12)
• AE: Teleport 8 (Extras: Accurate, Extended Only +0) (24)
• AE: Transform (One Element to Another) 8 (Feats: Increased Mass- 25 tons) (41)
• AE: Eldritch Blast 12 (Feats: Variable 2- Any Magical Descriptor) (26)
• AE: Force Field 5 (Extras: Affects Others 10, Ranged 10) (25)
• AE: "Telekinesis" Move Object 12 (24)
• AE: "Brainwashing" Affliction 11 (Will; Dazed/Compelled/Transformed Mind) (Extras: Sustained +2, Ranged) (Flaws: Distracting) (33)
• AE: "The Enchantress' Kiss" Mind Control 14 (Extras: Progressive +2) (Flaws: Touch Range -2, Requires Grapple) (42)

Offense:
Unarmed +5 (+8 Damage, DC 23)
Eldritch Blast +12 (+12 Ranged Damage, DC 27)
Brainwashing +12 Ranged (+11 Ranged Affliction, DC 21)
Enchantress' Kiss +6 (+14 Affliction, DC 22)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +9 (DC 19), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +9 (+14 Force Field), Fortitude +11, Will +8

Complications:
Relationship (Thor)- Amora is obsessively-infatuated with the Thunder God, and a huge portion of her schemes are to win him over.
Power Loss (Magic)- Magic requires both free hands and an open mouth. Binding Amora's hands or mouth (and it'll happen, especially in the '90s) will leave her unable to cast spells.

Total: Abilities: 90 / Skills: 56--28 / Advantages: 16 / Powers: 70 / Defenses: 14 (218)

-The Enchantress is an all-star villain of Thor, repeatedly plaguing him (except for that brief "Oh so 90s" period when Mike Deodato was drawing, where she was his scantily-clad bedmate) with her wicked feminine wiles in- she's no "Standard '60s Wilting Flower" of a love interest- she's an aggressive broad out to seduce the hero (this was meant to be a more-villainous quality... though obviously added to her OTHER evil attributes), but fans would take to pushier types as time went on). She's much more of a trickster than a front-liner, but is more than a capable villainess, and her tricks cause no end of trouble for the good guys.

-Amora was a constant presence in 1960s Thor stories, alongside The Executioner. A combination Sorceress/Seductress, her primary motivation seemed to be jumping Thor's bones (and this was before he was played by Chris Hemsworth!), but she also allies with those who wish him dead, such as Skurge and Loki. The two even join Baron Zemo's Masters of Evil for numerous storylines, and she later forms the "Lady Liberators" under false pretenses, and has a bunch of female superheroes assault Avengers Mansion (this was during the start of the "Women's Lib" movement, y'see). She didn't get up to much during the 1970s, but got some renewed energy under Walt Simonson during his run on Thor. Here, we discovered that she had a sibling rivalry with a sister, Lorelei, and there was some stuff with her in Secret Wars (she decided to say "F it" to the whole fight, and try to teleport away with Thor as her bedmate).

-She truly mourns the loss of Skurge when he dies at Gjallerbru, began a dalliance with Heimdall, and goes through a bit where she's the occasional ally of the Asgardians, often in situations where she would die if she didn't (such as when Surtur invades). However, the 1990s run of Thor that saw Mike Deodato on art featured her and Thor as MUTUAL lovers- this being Deodato's work, she was frequently seen in back-bending poses while wearing teeny-tiny nighties... and was also bound & gagged at least once. She disappears for the most part after Heroes Reborn (since Thor was dead and all, and later writers apparently had little use for her), and dies at Loki's hands during Ragnarok. She is resurrected with the others following the event, and engages in a small handful of schemes once more. She's a bit more "old school" than a lot of Thor's modern-day foes, but I'll be dipped if those funny leggings don't have a certain kind of STYLE to them.

-The Enchantress is HIGHLY powerful, both in Power Level (one below Dr. Strange). Like the comics state, she's not a spell-slinging super-powerhouse (I would pick Dr. Strange over her in a straight-up magical battle), she's just VERY capable, preferring to cast illusions & enchantments over people, and forcing others to do her muscle-work. Generally, anyone who costs 218 points is going to be dangerous no matter what, and Amora is no exception. She's more of a campaign-long threat than even a final boss, but you wouldn't want to get on her bad side. Both her Deception & Persuasion Skills are perilously high, especially for someone who can use Mind Control at Touch Range, and she can still Spell-Sling with the best of them.

drrrrr....girl purdy


but yeah, I LOVE the Enchantress. it's what she's there for but like I said about Doom in Secret Wars that comic made the character for me.

Her manipulation of Thor....but still obviously feeling for him.....her feats like driving Xavier out of her mind......the scene where she's drunk and angry....going on about how she would have enslaved Thor if he kissed her....but then ponders that maybe she would have fallen to his charms....beating the Hulk but losing to Cap.....being sympathetic but still clearly villainous. all good stuff.

[HalloweenJack]

also another few tidbits.



About Amora: there was an issue of a Marvel Superheroes Special that featured Volstagg telling his kids some stories about his previous heroic ages. The one he told had Odin sending him to earth to get Thor back to Asgard. He was young and petulant and hanging out with Loki, Skurge, and Amora....with the latter three plotting against him unbeknownst to him. Loki had Amora to lead Thor to get her some huge jewels which were a component to keeping Frost Giants from escaping into earth. Volstagg of course tells the kids that he was a great hero and Thor sort of a doddering fool (of course it's the other way around) and that he had the Enchantress infatuated him. Of course as he tells the story, Amora just happens to be passing by.....gets amused and listens.....by the end of the story the kids of course don't believe him, but Amora so amused by the story walks up onto the porch and confirms the story before giving Volstagg the kiss he claims to have never gotten....which makes steam shoot out his ears and turn beet red. Amora walks off amused...the kids believe him....and Volstagg's wife comes out henpecking him for kissing strumpets in front of their children. He follows "Yes my pet....of course my dove", etc.

Amora's POV about Secret Wars trying to talk some sense into Lorelei about not wasting chances at actual love was good too. Didn't take but it was good.


about Fandral: Well, one of my favorite memories there is Fandral telling a story about how as a young warrior he met Volstagg while travelling to Asgard to join their ranks....and it's of course the Robin Hood/Little John encounter. Not sure if Fandral was talking up Volstagg or not ( he was telling it to someone to help Volstagg's standing after all) but I kind of like the idea of Volstagg having been a great warrior who's way past his prime and still hanging out with the young lads who are still in that game.

But my favorite Fandral moment (and the first story I ever read with him....and yes I thought "wow, he's practically Westley from Princess Bride!" was this old Tales of Asgard back up story.

Fandral has just fended off some barbarians and has a TON of young maidens throwing themselves at him....but he declines their advances. One barbarian thinks "Whaaaaat?" and listens to Fandral explain that he has the fairest lady of all to visit to whom the beauty of all others pale. The barbarian approaches Fandral explaining that he too would like to see such a beauty and he means no ill will (of course he's planning on killing Fandral and then taking said beauty).

Fandral agrees and takes the guy with him, the two of them facing all sorts of insane peril like sea monsters, warriors, and so forth all while Fandral talks up the beauty of the woman they're going to see.

Finally they approach the humble cottage where said woman lives with the barbarian getting completely excited by the thought of it.

The woman comes out....and it's Fandral's mother who proceeds to make them dinner as the barbarian pouts.