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

Where in all of your character write ups will go.
Jabroniville
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Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Reassessed Power Levels

Post by Jabroniville »

Overwatch Power Levels:
Looking at Overwatch PLs is an interesting thing. For one thing, I actually stat them up HIGHER than most others are doing, which is definitely unusual (though perhaps this is no longer true, I once had the reputation for being "that guy who low-balls everyone"). Maybe it's just because I see them as semi-comparable to Marvel super-heroes. Plus, they fight Kill-O-Bots ALL THE TIME, and treat armed soldiers like true Cannon Fodder, which is a bit higher than PL 7-8s can pull off. Reaper once solo'd a guy in a HUGE Mech Suit in one of the shorts, too.

However, I definitely make them all SITUATIONAL guys in terms of PL. Nobody in the game is a full PL 10, and many can only reach that with certain "buffs". Eight characters are PL 9 defensively, and ELEVEN are only PL 8. Six are even lower- only PL 7 to dodge! So a PL 10 Marvel Hero would actually house most of these people. Even the "Armor Guy", Reinhardt, is pretty low-grade.

Taken as a whole, they stat up like:

PL 6- Offense: Zarya (Without Charging)
PL 7- Offense: Mercy; Defense: Widowmaker (defense), Bastion (Recon Form), Orisa (Non-Fortified), Mercy, Junkrat, Zenyatta
PL 8- Offense: Bastion (Recon Form), Moira, Winston (Blasting), D.Va, Sombra (Blasting), Brigitte, Wrecking Ball, Baptiste; Defense: Bastion (Sentry Form), Orisa (Fortified), Zarya (Non-Barrier), Symmetra, Torbjörn, Mei, Pharah, Moira, Ana Amari, Reinhardt (No Barrier), Sombra, Brigitte (No Barrier), Wrecking Ball, Ashe, B.O.B., Baptiste
PL 9- Offense: Bastion (Tank Form), Tracer, Orisa, Lúcio, Winston (Raging), Symmetra, Torbjörn, Junkrat, Roadhog (Standard), Mei, Pharah, Genji (Standard), Hanzo (Standard), Ana Amari, Reinhardt, Zenyatta, Ashe, B.O.B.; Defense: Bastion (Tank Form), Soldier: 76, Tracer, Lúcio, McCree, D.Va (Non-Matrix), Reaper, Doomfist, Brigitte (Barrier Shield/Rally)
PL 10- Offense: Widowmaker, Bastion (Sentry Form), Zarya (Fully-Charged), McCree, Roadhog (Raging), Reaper, Sombra (Hacking), Genji (Dragonblade), Hanzo (Dragonstrike); Defenses: Winston, Zarya (Barrier), D.Va (Defense Matrix), Roadhog, Genji, Hanzo, Reinhardt (Barrier Field)
PL 11- Offense: Orisa (Supercharged)

Widowmaker: PL 10 Sniper, PL 6.5 Defenses.
Bastion (Recon Form): PL 8 Blaster, PL 6.5 Defenses
Bastion (Tank Form): PL 9 Blaster, PL 9 Defenses
Bastion (Sentry Form): PL 10 Blaster, PL 8 Defenses
Soldier: 76: PL 9 Blaster, PL 8.5 Defenses
Orisa: PL 9 Blaster, PL 10.5 Supercharger, PL 7.5 Defenses (PL 6.5 Non-Fortified)
Tracer: PL 9 Blaster, PL 9 Defenses
Lúcio: PL 8.5 Blaster, PL 9 Defenses
Winston: PL 8 Melee, PL 9 Raging, PL 8 Blaster, PL 9 Defenses, PL 10 Raging Defenses
Zarya: PL 6 Uncharged, PL 10 Charged, PL 7.5 Defenses, PL 9.5 Barrier
McCree: PL 10 Blaster, PL 8.5 Defenses
Symmetra: PL 8-9 Blaster, PL 7.5 Defenses
D.Va: PL 8 Blaster, PL 8.5 Defenses, PL 10 Defense Matrix
Torbjörn: PL 9 Blaster, PL 8 Defenses
Mercy: PL 7 Blaster, PL 7 Defenses
Junkrat: PL 10 Blaster, PL 7 Defenses
Roadhog: PL 9 Blaster, PL 10 Whole Hog, PL 9.5 Defenses
Mei: PL 8.5 Blaster, PL 8 Defenses
Reaper: PL 10 Blaster, PL 9 Defenses
Doomfist: PL 10 Melee, PL 7.5 Blaster, PL 8.5 Defenses
Pharah: PL 8.5 Blaster, PL 8 Defenses
Genji: PL 9 Swords, PL 10 Dragonblade, PL 8 Blaster, PL 9.5 Defenses
Hanzo: PL 9 Arrow, PL 10 Dragonstrike, PL 9.5 Defenses
Moira: PL 8 Blaster, PL 7.5 Defenses
Ana: PL 9 Blaster, PL 7.5 Defenses
Reinhardt: PL 9 Melee, PL 8 Blaster, PL 7.5 Defenses, PL 10 Barrier
Zenyatta: PL 9 Blaster, PL 6.5 Defenses
Sombra: PL 10 Hacker, PL 8 Blaster, PL 8 Defenses
Ashe: PL 9 Blaster, PL 7.5 Defenses
B.O.B.: PL 8.5 Fighter, PL 8.5 Defenses
Baptiste: PL 8 Blaster, PL 7.5 Defenses
Jabroniville
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Cosmic Beings

Post by Jabroniville »

COSMIC BEINGS:
-So that's it for the Hook and Overwatch builds! Hook in particular was fun to revisit, mainly because it'd been YEARS since I'd touched on that film (it was in the middle of my Disney builds last time, and those were about five years ago sometime LAST year!). Overwatch wasn't one I'd planned to do... except I kinda realized I was "between" big sets, I hadn't statted Ashe at all and she debuted at LEAST six months ago, and more. So I shoved Ashe & Baptiste into my "To-Do List", thus messing up my planned posting by half a day, lol.

Next up... Marvel's Cosmic Beings! Also another set I hadn't touched on in ages. Just checking it out, some of them are ATT-only builds that were last posted in SEPTEMBER 2012, making them six and a half years old! As I kind of intended to do an "every five years" kind of thing in my thread(s), that's kind of unusual to leave one set for so long. But the casual re-posting of stuff for the Marvel Alphabet put out some more recently (Eternity, Ego, Epoch, etc.), and a few others had popped up with the Fantastic Four builds, and so on... so only a small handful of guys (Beyonder, Living Tribunal, Order & Chaos) had been left trapped on the ATT.

I don't really have much of a preamble for these guys- for the most part, they debuted separately. Stan Lee & Steve Ditko brought out the weirdest of them in Doctor Strange, while the Fantastic Four encountered others. Jim Starlin added a TON of names, and gave true voices to many of the others. The '90s saw a glut of new ones created, most of which never really mattered. Modern times has seen very few show up. It's... not something that really sells on its own, as the characters are just too powerful, esoteric, and weird. DC's tend to be even WEIRDER, but they have more artistic credibility, and credibility within the story- too often, Marvel's Cosmics are just used as high-powered dominoes to fall over in the wake of a big villain (Jim Starlin's Thanos is the biggest example, but Jon Hickman did the same thing with Doctor Doom). This means that even guys like Galactus and Eternity have just TONS of losses to their names.

I figure this list will take about 7-8 days, which means I'll be posting some of it while I'm at Disney World! After that will be a set featuring Power Instinct, one of the weirdest fighting game series ever.

To-Post List:
The Watchers
Uatu
Aron
Michael Korvac
Eon
Epoch
Eternity
Ego the Living Planet
Infinity
Master Order & Lord Chaos
The In-Betweener
Origin
Oblivion
Death
Cosmic Cubes (Kubik, Kobik, Kosmos & The Shaper of Worlds)
The Beyonder
The Beyonders (NOT THE SAME AS THE FIRST GUY)
Mistress Love & Master Hate
Nightmare & D'Spayre
The Phoenix Force
The Infinites
The Living Tribunal
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Korvac

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image
Image
Image

MICHAEL KORVAC- Early Form
Created By:
Steve Gerber & Jim Starlin
First Appearance: Giant-Size Defenders #3 (Jan. 1975)
Role: Ascended God
PL 12 (196)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 0
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 5
INTELLIGENCE 8 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Deception 8 (+11)
Expertise (Space Traveller) 5 (+13)
Expertise (Science) 9 (+17)
Insight 3 (+6)
Intimidation 3 (+6)
Perception 5 (+8)
Persuasion 3 (+6)
Technology 10 (+18)

Advantages:
Beginner's Luck, Diehard, Eidetic Memory, Great Endurance, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 5, Well-Informed

Powers:
"Computer Lower Body"
Flight 8 (500 mph) [16]
Movement 2 (Space Travel 2) [4]
Immunity 10 (Life Support) [10]
Protection 6 [6]

"Siphon All Energy" Affliction 14 (Power Rank; Impaired/Disabled/Transformed to Powerless) (Extras: Ranged, Cumulative) (42) -- [43]
  • AE: "Advanced Weaponry" Blast 14 (Extras: Multiattack) (42)
Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Blasts +10 (+14 Ranged Damage, DC 29)
Initiative +0

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +10, Fortitude +6, Will +8

Complications:
Motivation (Power)- Korvac wishes for the ultimate power to re-write the cosmos to fit a more orderly and peaceful plan. His plan.
Enemy (The Collector)- Taneleer Tivan uncovered the danger of Korvac years ago, and has been planning to oppose him.

Total: Abilities: 66 / Skills: 46--23 / Advantages: 11 / Powers: 79 / Defenses: 17 (196)

Early Korvac:
-Michael Korvac debuted as a one-off Defenders villain. Sez Steve Gerber: "The character really was a throwaway, created for one story. And I never intended to bring him back, because, among other things, I hated the name! I still think it sounds more like a vacuum cleaner than a villain." He reappears only one other time before The Korvac Saga, which completely revolutionized him. Initially, Korvac was a human computer technician on Earth-691- when the Brotherhood of the Badoon conquer Earth, Korvac betrays his own people and allies with them. He is then transported through space by the Grandmaster in order to take part in one of his games, this one against the Defenders. Korvac takes the opportunity to scan the Grandmaster's gear, and uses it to kill his Badoon masters and attempt to conquer the cosmos. Here, he is defeated by Thor and the Guardians of the Galaxy.

MICHAEL KORVAC
Created By:
Steve Gerber & Jim Starlin
First Appearance: Giant-Size Defenders #3 (Jan. 1975)
Role: Ascended God
PL 19 (470)
STRENGTH
15 STAMINA 17 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 5
INTELLIGENCE 15 AWARENESS 5 PRESENCE 4

Skills:
Deception 8 (+12)
Expertise (Cosmic Lore) 2 (+17)
Expertise (Space Traveller) 5 (+20)
Expertise (Science) 9 (+24)
Insight 3 (+8)
Intimidation 9 (+13)
Perception 14 (+19)
Persuasion 6 (+10)
Technology 10 (+25)

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Beginner's Luck, Diehard, Eidetic Memory, Great Endurance, Improved Critical (Cosmic Blasts) 2, Last Stand, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 8, Startle, Well-Informed, Withstand Damage

Powers:
"Immortal Entity"
Regeneration 8 (Feats: Regrow Limbs) [9]
Speed 2 (8 mph) [2]
Flight 10 (2,000 mph) [20]
Movement 3 (Space Travel 3) [6]
Senses 7 (Detect Energy- Ranged 4, Acute, Analytical) [7]
"Knows All Languages" Comprehend 4 (Languages 4) [8]

"All-Seeing" Remote Sensing 25 (Visual, Hearing) (128,000 miles) (Feats: Dimensional, Subtle) [77]

"Wields the Power Cosmic"
"Cosmic Stream" Damage 19 (Feats: Dynamic, Variable 2- Any Energy) (Extras: Area- 500ft. Line +5) (98) -- [121]
  • Dynamic AE: "Cosmic Burst" Damage 19 (Feats: Dynamic, Variable 2- Any Energy) (Extras: Area- 500ft. Burst +5) (93)
  • Dynamic AE: "Cosmic Wave" Damage 19 (Feats: Dynamic, Variable 2- Any Energy) (Extras: Area- 1,000ft. Cone +5) (93)
  • Dynamic AE: "Cosmic Blast" Blast 26 (Feats: Dynamic, Variable 2- Any Energy, Extended Range 6, Indirect, Penetrating 14) (76)
  • Dynamic AE: "All-Reaching Blast" Blast 19 (Feats: Dynamic, Variable 2- Any Energy, Indirect, Penetrating 14) (Extras: Perception Range) (75)
  • Dynamic AE: Force Field 11 (Feats: Dynamic) (Extras: Affects Others 12, Impervious 23) (47)
  • Dynamic AE: Illusion 14 (Feats: Dynamic) (All Senses) (71)
  • Dynamic AE: Insubstantial 4 (Feats: Subtle 2) (22)
  • AE: "Return to Life" Healing 18 (Extras: Resurrection, Area- 30ft. Burst) (72)
  • AE: "Brainwashing" Affliction 18 (Will; Dazed/Compelled/Transformed Thoughts & Memories) (Extras: Perception Range +2, Progressive +2) (90)
  • AE: "Capable of Nearly Any Effect" Variable (Cosmic) 13 (91)
  • AE: "Molecular Transformation" Transform 14 (Anything to Anything) (Extras: Continuous) (72)
  • AE: Teleport 20 (Feats: Increased Mass 10) (Extras: Extended, Accurate) (90)
  • AE: Movement 6 (Dimensional Travel 3, Time Travel 3) (Feats: Increased Mass 5) (Extras: Attack) (23)
  • AE: Move Object 18 (Extras: Perception Range) (54)
  • AE: "Teleport Others" Teleport 20 (Feats: Increased Mass 5) (Extras: Attack, Ranged) (85)
  • AE: "Drain Energy" Affliction 16 (Will; Impaired/Disabled/Transformed to Powerless) (Extras: Perception Ranged +2) (Flaws: Limited to Energy Powers) (32)
Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+15 Damage, DC 30)
Cosmic Blast +12 (+26 Ranged Damage, DC 41)
Polar Opposite Attack +12 (+20 Ranged Damage & Weaken, DC 35 & 30)
Cosmic Area Attacks +19 (+19 Damage, DC 34)
Drain Energy -- (+16 Perception Ranged Affliction, DC 26)
All-Reaching Blast -- (+19 Perception Ranged Damage, DC 34)
Initiative +1

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +17 (+28 Force Field, +12 Impervious), Fortitude +20, Will +16

Complications:
Motivation (Power)- Korvac wishes for the ultimate power to re-write the cosmos to fit a more orderly and peaceful plan. His plan.
Enemy (The Collector)- Taneleer Tivan uncovered the danger of Korvac years ago, and has been planning to oppose him.

Total: Abilities: 148 / Skills: 66--33 / Advantages: 20 / Powers: 250 / Defenses: 19 (470)

The Korvac Saga:
-Korvac is most famous for The Korvac Saga, a major arc in Jim Shooter's Avengers run of the late 1970s. Interesting stuff, though I can't say I was a huge fan of the whole thing. Early Perez artwork is always a plus, though- the guy got better on Fantastic Four, and REALLY hit his peak with the Teen Titans. But for a guy who's always tooting the "Every comic is someone's first comic" horn, Shooter REALLY does a poor job of explaining what in the unholy f*ck is going on. Granted, some of this story is SUPPOSED to be a mystery at first, but at no point does he really explain the whole "Guardians of the Galaxy" Starhawk/Aleta Shared-Body Thing overly-much, so if I hadn't read Wikipedia bios years ago, I'd have no idea what was going on. Plus it's never really explained why or how Carina & Korvac just happened to fall in love. He literally just sees her modelling at some show, they have a Cosmic Meeting Of The Minds, and then all of a sudden they're betrothed.

-It's a weird look at 1970s Marvel, too- nobody knows Iron Man's secret identity yet, Wonder Man is moping about his fear of death, and a lot of the team is unsure about trusting others. Also, Quicksilver is an asshole to others... but that's pretty much true in EVERY era. Bizarre Out of Character moment: At one point, Captain America gets so uppity over Iron Man's perceived-poor-leadership that he runs across the room and PUNCHES HIM IN THE FACE. WTF?? The best line, via Wanda: "The days of Avengers engaging is senseless brawls are PAST!!" .... HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!

-The funniest overall moment has gotta be when Gyrich (a new character, introduced by Shooter to comment on government obstruction) commandeers all the Quinjets, and so the Avengers are forced to get to Queens by commandeering a city bus and DRIVING THERE. Watching Thor, Hercules & Moondragon load up into a common bus for a drive between borroughs is worth the obvious question of "why didn't they just have Thor pick up the bus and fly them all over really quickly?"

-Korvac's whole story is a little... strange. First he's a bad guy (and a "Future Villain" who flies about with a big boxy computer for a lower-body). Then he gains enlightenment & cosmic power, and decides to be a benevolent God. But not before seducing some chick (who turns out to be expecting it, and the daughter of The Collector) and giving her power. He's hiding out from the other Cosmic Gods & Beings, but they discover him in the end, and once his cover is blown, he just decides it's time to FLAT-OUT KILL EVERYONE PRESENT. That's quite the bizarre turn of events, there. The final battle was EPIC, though- about the greatest fight scene you'll ever see that takes place between a Cosmic Being and a Super-Team inside a suburban household.

-Ultimately, the story ends in a very weird tone. Korvac slays the entire Avengers & Guardians of the Galaxy (ending with Captain America fighting on against all hope, as is tradition), but doing so attracts the attention of powerful beings like Galactus, the Norse Gods, and Mephisto- and so he commits suicide rather than face them in his unprepared state. This is meant to sort of be the undoing of a God, it seems... until Moondragon suddenly starts openly weeping, bawling about how the Avengers & Guardians have presumptuously ended the reign of a BENEVOLENT GOD (keep in mind this guy had previously annihilated someone from a million miles away just for PLOTTING to fight him), and that his death is a gigantic tragedy.

-Fans have quite rightly shat all over this epilogue, as it modifies what it seems like the moral of the story SHOULD be (ie. hubris; a man shouldn't attempt to be a god) into Jim Shooter's Favorite Tale: The Benevolent God who just wanted SO HARD to be the righteous lord everyone needed, but his poor, stupid subjects were just TOO DUMB to accept his rule without question, and everything got Ruined Forever. Keep in mind Jim Shooter's ultimate reputation in the comic book industry (ie. that of an interventionist who made power plays and cast down orders that often didn't make sense or were contradictory... others were even less kind. When I asked Bob Layton what working for Shooter was like, he flat-out said "Fine, if you like motherfucking pathological liars") when you read that. The readers of RPGnet's forums have brought forward the theory that Shooter was acting like the GM who throws a hissy-fit because his players didn't like his oh-so-glorious Special Snowflake character, and thus killed him off while telling the players they sucked for not enjoying his brilliance.

-It was such a dumb epilogue that the collected edition even ADDED ANOTHER ONE, featuring someone even smarter than Moondragon going "nuh-uh- this guy was an idiot monster and it was a good thing he died". Like, THAT is some spite- they Retconned in another ending to undo Shooter's point!

-It's easy to see how influential this is when I consider the era, though... Cosmic Storylines were NOT done that often, nor were "All the heroes are killed at the end, but then cosmic stuff fixes everything" resolutions common- you can see the seeds for The Infinity Gauntlet here, and this is a story from 1978.

Post-Korvac Saga:
-Like many stories in which a character dies at the end, Korvac's death is his most iconic story, and so he's defined as much for dying as much as anything else, making any attempts at resurrection either unlikely, unappealing, or foolhardy (see Jean Grey, Elektra & Captain Mar-Vell). Later stories bring him back only in short spurts, such as the Korvac Quest, when it's revealed that he discarded his power after his death, but kept his consciousness alive. The Guardians of the Galaxy pursue his essence throughout time, and kill his father Jordan when Michael's essence possesses him. Jordan's widow promises to teach her son Michael to hate the Guardians as he grows up, thus keeping the cycle of violence continuing.

-Korvac reappears in the sequel to Contest of Champions, killing the Silver Surfer with his Cosmic Power while in the Land of the Dead. Later, he attempts to use Captain America in a scheme to gain the Cosmic Cube, but he ends up scattered across six dimensions by the Red Skull. His most recent appearance was in Avengers Academy, where his wife Carina is accidentally resurrected by the Veil (who was attempting to resurrect the Wasp, back when she was pointlessly dead, before being pointlessly resurrected). Korvac returns for his bride, but she refuses to go with him- he fights off several squads of Avengers at once, but he is beaten when Veil phases into his body, allowing Hazmat to blow him up with an antimatter pulse.

Powers:
-Overall, Korvac is a great deal like the other characters present with his Cosmic Stats, but his Remote Sensing is outside the Array (he kills The Collector while viewing him from across space!). At PL 19, he can handily fight off several super-teams at once (he EASILY cuts down the entire Avengers, Ms. Marvel & Guardians of the Galaxy, and is only vaguely hurt by Captain America & Wonder Man sneak-attacking him. he's stated to be more powerful than Odin, Zeus or Mephisto, BUT that he is dependent upon them not noticing him at first, lest all three Gods form a temporary alliance to vanquish him. Galactus too could probably end him (and in a more current storyline, the "Avengers Academy" kids are able to beat him using a careful strategy after ALL the Avengers teams fought him), as his power is still increasing. He's tough enough to easily kill The Silver Surfer without getting out of his chair, to put his powers into perspective.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Tue Jul 05, 2022 8:24 am, edited 5 times in total.
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Re: Jab’s Builds (Mystique! Destiny! Hook! The Pan! Ashe!)

Post by Sidious »

I've been calling the Beyonders the Ivory Kings, it just helps differentiate the two.

Cosmic guys usually fall into two places for me.

One is "they can do what they want" level of guys. These are the ones who never get stats because, at their level, the stats are meaningless. They're also boring as hell to stat up (for me at least). Nemesis (7th Infinity Stone), Eternity, Abraxas, Oblivion, etc.

Then you have the "not quite cosmic enough" cosmic beings. Like the Watchers, Korvac, Ego, The Stranger, any of the Cosmic Cube people. I kinda like to do these myself. Let's me play with the big numbers and ranks.
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Re: Jab’s Builds (Destiny! Hook! The Pan! Ashe! Baptiste! Korvac!)

Post by Woodclaw »

Considering that Shooter's (a person I think was a great editor, but not much of a writer) own baby was Starbrand, which was literally the same overarching plot of a common person becoming some kind of omnipotent entity, I wouldn't be surprised if Korvac was the prototype.
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Re: Jab’s Builds (Destiny! Hook! The Pan! Ashe! Baptiste! Korvac!)

Post by catsi563 »

Korvac also showed up in the avengers wca crossover where he basically melted the Surfer again and self destructed killing them both
Dr. Silverback has wryly observed that this is like trying to teach lolcats about Shakespeare

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Re: Jab’s Builds (Destiny! Hook! The Pan! Ashe! Baptiste! Korvac!)

Post by Ares »

Woodclaw wrote: Tue May 07, 2019 4:12 pm Considering that Shooter's (a person I think was a great editor, but not much of a writer) own baby was Starbrand, which was literally the same overarching plot of a common person becoming some kind of omnipotent entity, I wouldn't be surprised if Korvac was the prototype.
Given Shooter also wrote Secret Wars I and II, Korvac was more likely a proto-Beyonder. Secret Wars II was basically The Korvac Saga over a longer period and with someone who started out genuinely without malice, unlike Korvac.
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Re: Jab’s Builds (Destiny! Hook! The Pan! Ashe! Baptiste! Korvac!)

Post by Ares »

catsi563 wrote: Tue May 07, 2019 5:56 pm Korvac also showed up in the avengers wca crossover where he basically melted the Surfer again and self destructed killing them both
Jab mentioned it as the follow up to Contest of Champions.
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Re: Jab’s Builds (Destiny! Hook! The Pan! Ashe! Baptiste! Korvac!)

Post by catsi563 »

keep forgetting that little excursion was called sequel to he contest :p
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Re: Jab’s Builds (Destiny! Hook! The Pan! Ashe! Baptiste! Korvac!)

Post by Woodclaw »

Ares wrote: Tue May 07, 2019 6:35 pm
Woodclaw wrote: Tue May 07, 2019 4:12 pm Considering that Shooter's (a person I think was a great editor, but not much of a writer) own baby was Starbrand, which was literally the same overarching plot of a common person becoming some kind of omnipotent entity, I wouldn't be surprised if Korvac was the prototype.
Given Shooter also wrote Secret Wars I and II, Korvac was more likely a proto-Beyonder. Secret Wars II was basically The Korvac Saga over a longer period and with someone who started out genuinely without malice, unlike Korvac.
I thought Shooter wrote only Secret Wars I, but this does make a lot of sense.
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The Watcher

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image

THE WATCHER (Uatu)
Created By:
Stan Lee & Jack Kirby
First Appearance: The Fantastic Four #13 (April 1963)
Role: Cosmic Peeping Tom, The Chronicler of the World
Group Affiliations: The Watchers
PL 17 (481)
STRENGTH
14 STAMINA 17 AGILITY 0
FIGHTING 4 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 15 AWARENESS 8 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Deception 9 (+12)
Expertise (Science) 13 (+28)
Expertise (Cosmic Lore) 9 (+24)
Expertise (Space Traveller) 5 (+20)
Expertise (Current Events) 9 (+24)
Expertise (History) 11 (+26)
Insight 11 (+19)
Investigation 11 (+19)
Perception 16 (+24)
Persuasion 9 (+12)
Technology 11 (+26)

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Assessment, Beginner's Luck, Benefit (Watcher), Diehard, Eidetic Memory, Equipment 10 (Moon Fortress, Assorted Gear), Extraordinary Effort, Great Endurance, Jack-of-All-Trades, Ranged Attack 7, Tracking, Ultimate Perception Skill, Ultimate History Skill, Well-Informed, Withstand Damage

Powers:
"Watcher Physiology"
Immunity 12 (Aging, Life Support, Sleep) [12]
Regeneration 2 (Feats: Regrow Limbs) [3]
Flight 9 (1,000 mph) [18]
Movement 1 (Space Travel 1) [2]
Impervious Toughness 15 [15]
"Watching But Not Interfering" Concealment (All Senses) 10 (Feats: Precise) [21]

"Cosmic Mind"
Comprehend 4 (Languages 4) [8]
Movement 1 (Environmental Adaptation- Space) [2]
"Cosmic Sight" Senses 9 (Extended Vision 4, Analytical Vision, Precognition) [9]
"Mental Detection" Senses 5 (Mental Awareness- Ranged 2, Radius, Acute) [5]
Immunity 20 (Mental Effects) (Extras: Affects Others, Ranged) (Flaws: Limited to Half-Effect) [30]

"Cosmic Awareness"
Features 1: Directed Inspiration- May ask the GM a Question With an HP [1]
Senses 1 (Cosmic Awareness- Ranged 3) [4]
Quickness 14 (Flaws: Limited to Mental Tasks) [7]

"Impressive Size" Growth 8 (Str & Sta +8, +8 Mass, +4 Intimidation, -4 Dodge/Parry, +1 Speed, -8 Stealth) -- (24 feet) (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [17]

"Wields The Power Cosmic"
Remote Sensing 30 (Visual, Hearing) (4 million miles) (Feats: Dynamic, Dimensional, Subtle) (93) -- [108]
  • Dynamic AE: Cosmic Blast 23 (Feats: Dynamic, Accurate, Affects Insubstantial, Penetrating 12, Extended Range 5- x3,200 ft., Split) (62)
  • Dynamic AE: Move Object 15 (Feats: Dynamic, Subtle, Precise) (Extras: Perception Range) (56)
  • Dynamic AE: Mind-Reading 16 (Feats: Dynamic, Subtle) (Extras: Sensory Link) (50)
  • Dynamic AE: Communication (Mental) 5 (Feats: Dynamic, Subtle, Dimensional) (Extras: Area, Selective) (33)
  • Dynamic AE: Force Field 5 (Feats: Dynamic, Subtle, Dimensional) (Extras: Area 13, Selective 13) (33)
  • AE: Teleport 15 (Feats: Increased Mass 5- 3 tons) (Extras: Extended, Accurate, Attack) (80)
  • AE: Insubstantial 4 (Feats: Precise) (21)
  • AE: Movement 7 (Dimensional Travel 2, Space Travel +2, Time Travel 3) (Extras: Portal +2) (28)
  • AE: Mind Control 15 (60)
  • AE: Illusion (All Senses) 14 (70)
Offense:
Unarmed +4 (+14 Damage, DC 19)
Cosmic Blast +11 (+23 Ranged Damage, DC 38)
Mind Control -- (+14 Perception Affliction, DC 24)
Initiative +0

Defenses:
Dodge +12 (DC 22), Parry +11 (DC 21), Toughness +17 (+22 Force Field, +8 Impervious), Fortitude +17, Will +15

Complications:
Motivation (Watching)- The Watcher is devoted to eternally watching, and never interfering. The more important the event, the more likely it is he will be watching.
Secret (Always Interferes)- Seriously, Uatu does this ALL THE TIME. He was instrumental in saving the Earth from Galactus the first time, then saved it again in the "Sphinx" battle. He even helped Spider-Man save a girl's life in "Marvel Team-Up" one time. The other Watchers apparently never notice this.
Relationship (Ulana)- Uatu and Ulana, a fellow Watcher, form a partnership, and later produce an offspring together.

Total: Abilities: 98 / Skills: 114--57 / Advantages: 31 / Powers: 262 / Defenses: 34 (482)

To Watch But Never Interfere... But Actually Interfere All of the Time:
-Uatu is one of the neater concepts out there- an Eternal Chronicler of the Ages, always watching and recording stuff he sees, for an entire race of guys with tons of raw Cosmic Might, but no desire to use it (and actual RULES against doing so). And of course because it's a Stan Lee story, you've got to have this great dichotomy of character- the guy devoted to non-interference who is always interfering because he loves humanity so much. It's great for what it is, really, especially because he was introduced good and early, and was thus able to chronicle some standard stuff in the early days (in his debut, the FF stumble into his home, and he allows them to leave)... until finally GALACTUS showed up. He later led us through the What If? part of the Marvel Universe. I find it interesting that he started out as kind of a big-headed guy, but slowly got bigger and fatter over time- he was downright pudgy in The Coming of Galactus. It was John Byrne who decided that the... wait for it... BACK TO BASICS approach was needed, and Uatu became known as a big skinny guy with a huge bobble-head again. To be fair, this hits in the 1980s, so he's been bobble-headed for longer than he's not been.

-Uatu aids the FF on several occasions- most notably when Galactus arrived, he tried to shield the Earth from the Silver Surfer's notice, and then basically took Johnny Storm by the hand and led him right to the exact weapon they needed to win- a bit of a Deus Ex Machina, but in a sense DELIBERATELY SO- it told you that the heroes were basically NOTHING before what we'd just witnessed. Later, he acts as Mr. Fantastic's lawyer when Reed is put on trial by the Shi'ar for a later adventure, in which he actually SAVED the Devourer's life- his testimony (that Galactus is actually necessary to the survival of the universe) saves Reed's life. In another John Byrne bit, the FF's home is destroyed and all their crap broken... but the Watcher pops in and says "I apologize, but I absconded with some of your property to properly study it" and drops a pile of Reed's gear off. Reed is all "well that was lucky" and of course it's Sue who points out that Reed's smart as hell, but utterly clueless about people- Uatu clearly did it because he LIKES the FF and wanted to do something nice for them.

The Watcher Continues:
-Uatu was the central cog in the What If? series of the '80s and '90s, featuring stories both interesting and dumb about what might have happened should something in a comic go differently- stuff like "What if Cable Killed the X-Men?" or "What If Someone Else Became the Hulk?". The first one was "What If Spider-Man Joined the Fantastic Four?". But in each one of these, The Watcher introduced the issue, explaining his purpose, and describing the following events as an imaginary scenario. Generally, in every story, the heroes had the mandatory Alternate Universes Mean You Die Easier complication. During the "Cosmic Stories" of the '90s, he appeared much more often as an observer (despite the world being much MORE at risk than when it was just Galactus trying to chow down on Earth)- a "grounding" influence on a world that was full of crazy Super-Powerful Cosmic Beings. It eventually became a running gag at how many times he actually interfered and broke his own rules, but he was found "Not Guilty" by his peers... somehow.

-Modern times saw a bunch of embarrassing stuff, as the Red Hulk once KO'd him and took his powers (oh, Jeph Loeb). There was some fun stuff in Matt Fraction's FF run where he kind of responded to a lot of silliness ("The three quickest forms of communication- telepathy, teleportation, and tell a human"), and his base was used by Scott Lang as a means to find a lot of info and cheat like hell in his battle against Doctor Doom. And he made time with Ulana, a Sexy Lady Watcher, even having their "date" interrupted by the heroes. Alas, Uatu was then murdered in the horrendous Original Sin Event Story (which had a positive START, especially using the ORB of all people as a Surprise Reveal... but later turned to garbage, especially the whole "Nick Fury is an undercover defender of the Earth against alien threats... and does so by standing on a Space Bike and sniping single individuals in outer space" thing), his eyes being removed from his head, and used to reveal hidden truths about various Marvel characters. In it, Uatu is maimed by some villains who want to steal the eyes that see everything, but then an aging Nick Fury KILLS HIM IN SELF-DEFENSE and takes the other eye for his own purposes. Uatu The Watcher, a Cosmic Being, slain by REGULAR PEOPLE. It was really dumb.

The Watcher as a Whole:
-Though the whole "He keeps interfering" thing got silly after a point, I always found it great how his appearance could STILL be used as a "Shit just got REAL" moment in pretty much any book. There's a great moment in the Hickman FF run, where Reed and many of his enemies have shown up in one room to debate a problem, at the behest of his daughter Valeria. Reed looks at the assembled names (Doom, The Wizard, The Mad Thinker, etc.), and then turns to see UATU in the room, staring at the proceedings. "The Watcher. Valeria... what have you done?". It's a spine-tingling moment.

The Watcher's Cosmic Might:
-Uatu is surprisingly-powerful, and is generally given as being in the Low Cosmic Class- around the Odin/Zeus level of power, but below Galactus and probably The Stranger too. He's strong enough that he can pull a "WTF? Get out of my house" on The Red Ghost by Teleporting him outside of his home casually, and he has some unique attributes- near-total Concealment (including an Insubstantial in his Cosmic Array), much more vast Remote Sensing (to the point where it's his most-pricey Power), AND the ability to render others semi-invulnerable to Mental Stuff. Uatu is no fighter (his Fighting Ability is really low, though like a lot of big Cosmic Guys it's pretty hard to actually get in and hit the guy), but if he was absolutely forced to do battle, he would handily trounce just about anybody on Earth in a fight.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Tue Jul 05, 2022 8:26 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Goldar
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Re: Jab’s Builds (Destiny! Hook! The Pan! Ashe! Baptiste! Korvac!)

Post by Goldar »

Love all these Cosmic builds coming!

Starting with Korvac is great. A blast from the past. In that initial multi-part story, Korvac seemed omnipotent against the Avengers. They all fell against him in rapid succession.

Oh--I think you meant to have Moondragon in Korvac write-up, but Moonstone appears instead. Moonstone was not there.
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drkrash
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Re: Jab’s Builds (Hook! The Pan! Ashe! Baptiste! Korvac! Uatu!)

Post by drkrash »

Ooooohhhh.....Power Instinct.....
Shadow Ops - cinematic espionage action RPG - Kickstarter live now!
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Jab’s Builds (Destiny! Hook! The Pan! Ashe! Baptiste! Korvac!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Goldar wrote: Wed May 08, 2019 12:38 am Love all these Cosmic builds coming!

Starting with Korvac is great. A blast from the past. In that initial multi-part story, Korvac seemed omnipotent against the Avengers. They all fell against him in rapid succession.

Oh--I think you meant to have Moondragon in Korvac write-up, but Moonstone appears instead. Moonstone was not there.
Oops! My mistake!
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

The Watchers

Post by Jabroniville »

Image

THE WATCHERS
Created By:
Stan Lee & Jack Kirby
First Appearance: The Fantastic Four #13 (April 1963)
Role: Cosmic Chroniclers

-The Watchers, of whom only Uatu was initially seen, were elaborated upon a bit more by later writers. Their vow of non-interference came from when they first attempted to spread their knowledge and wisdom throughout the cosmos. Sharing the concept of nuclear-powered technology with the inhabitants of Prosilicus, they were horrified to return to that world and see that the people had started a nuclear war that destroyed the entire race. From then on, the Watchers, blaming themselves for the catastrophe, vowed to never again interfere with the actions of another people. Instead, they would simply passively observe and record events, no matter the significance or danger.

-The Watchers typically rarely appear- you often don't even get them in Matters Of Grand Cosmic Importance, with Uatu representing them there, even though he's an Earth-based Watcher. In an issue of Quasar, the Watchers started going "inert", believing that their very EXISTENCE threatens to interfere with reality, given their powers. Only Quasar's theory prevents this automatic-intertness from annihilating the entire race. The Watchers once kicked Uatu out for killing Aron the Renegade Watcher, but eventually let him back in.

Named Watchers:
Uatu: Earth's Watcher.
Ulana: Uatu's girlfriend/wife, pregnant with his child as he dies.
Aron: The Renegade Watcher who threatened existence. Killed by Uatu.
Ecce: Watched the birth of Galactus. Refused to interfere upon the then-helpless being, thus contributing to the Devourer of Worlds.
Emnu: The Watcher who opposed the attempts to interfere with the Proscilicans, and was proven right.
Eta: Lives on Weirdworld.
Ikor: Uatu's father- revealed in Original Sin as being the Watcher who proposed the Prosilicus experiment.
The One: The repository of the collective knowledge of the Watchers. Killed by Exitar the Celestial.
Otmu: Watches the Shi'ar galaxy.
Ualu: Watched Quasar fight Otmu.
Qyre: Discovered the "recluses" in She-Hulk, whoever they are.
Zoma: Present at the trial of the "recluses" in She-Hulk.
Talmadge: A newborn Watcher. One of the only ones with more than two syllables in its name.
Uilig: Alternate Universe Watcher. Survived the Hawk God's attack on the Watchers in Guardians of the Galaxy.
Uravo: Attempted to find Uatu when he abandoned his post on Earth.
Ute: Alternate Universe Watcher. Told the Avengers the history of Proctor on her homeworld.
Watcher of the Calishee: Watches the planet Calishee.
Xecu: No specific purpose seen.
He Who Summons: Leader of the Watchers who engaged Exitar the Celestial.

Groups of Watchers:
Acba, Edda, Egma: Watched during the potential collapse of the universe in Quasar.
Eihu, Ocam: Watched and interfered with the battle between the Stranger and the Overmind.
Engu, Ing: Present at the trial of Uatu.
The Critics: A branch of the Watchers that COMMENT on everything they observe. Obviously from a comedy book, as the only one seen sports a mustache and goatee, and wears a tweed sport coat.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Tue Jul 05, 2022 8:26 am, edited 1 time in total.
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