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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Onslaught

Post by Jabroniville »

Image

ONSLAUGHT II
Created By:
Scott Lobdell, Mark Waid & Andy Kubert
First Appearance: X-Man #15 (May 1996)
Group Affiliations: Mojoworld, Freedom Force, The Sisterhood of Mutants
Role: Cosmically-Powerful Menace
PL 17 (512)
STRENGTH
16 STAMINA -- AGILITY 0
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 8 AWARENESS 5 PRESENCE 4

Skills:
Deception 8 (+12)
Expertise (Science) 6 (+14)
Insight 2 (+7)
Intimidation 10 (+14, +15 Size)
Perception 10 (+15)
Technology 6 (+14)

Advantages:
Daze (Intimidation), Extraordinary Effort, Fearless, Improved Critical (Blasts) 2, Improved Initiative 2, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 8, Startle, Withstand Damage (Trade Defenses for Toughness)

Powers:
"Mutant Powers: The Combined Powers of Professor X, Magneto, Nate Grey & Franklin Richards"
"True Body- Psionic Energy" Insubstantial 4 (Feats: Innate) [21]
"Mighty Armour" Protection 24 (Extras: Impervious 23) [47]
Regeneration 12 [12]
"Large Size" Growth 3 (Str & Sta +3, +3 Mass, +1 Intimidation, -1 Dodge/Parry, -3 Stealth) -- (10 feet) (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [7]

Mind-Reading 17 (Feats: Dynamic) (Extras: Effortless, Cumulative, Sensory Link) Linked to Mental Communication 4 (Feats: Subtle) (Extras: Area, Selective) (106) -- [125]
  • Dynamic AE: "Focused Mind Control" Mind Control 16 (Feats: Dynamic) (64)
  • Dynamic AE: "Group Mind Control" Mind Control 12 (Feats: Dynamic) (Extras: Area- 60ft. Burst +2, Selective) (Flaws: Touch Range -2) (57)
  • Dynamic AE: "Mental Stun" Affliction 14 (Will; Dazed/Stunned/Incapacitated) (Feats: Dynamic) (Extras: Perception Range +2, Cumulative) (57)
  • Dynamic AE: "Astral Form" Remote Sensing 15 (Visuals & Hearing) (Feats: Dynamic, Dimensional) (Flaws: Physical Body is Defenseless) (32)
  • Dynamic AE: "Focused Mental Blast" Damage 16 (Feats: Dynamic) (Extras: Perception Range +2, Will Save) (65)
  • Dynamic AE: "Mental Illusions" Illusion (All Senses) 12 (Feats: Dynamic) (Extras: Selective) (Flaws: Resisted by Will) (56)
  • AE: "Area Mental Blast" Damage 12 (Extras: Area- 60ft. Burst +2, Selective, Will Save) (60)
  • AE: "Brainwashing" Affliction 14 (Will; Dazed/Compelled/Transformed Mentally) (Extras: Perception Range +2, Cumulative) (56)
"Mental Detection" Senses 7 (Mental Awareness- Ranged, Radius, Acute, Detect Mutants- Ranged & Radius) [7]

"Magnetism"
Senses 4 (Detect Magnetics/Metals- Ranged, Acute & Analytical) [4]
Immunity 10 (Mental Effects) (Extras: Sustained +0) [10]

"Telekinetic Might & Other Powers"
Flight 10 (2,000 mph) [20]
Features 1: May Spend 2 Hero Points and get to Double Area Effects [1]

"Restructure Reality" Transform 18 (Anything to Anything) (Extras: Continuous) (108) -- [136]
  • AE: "Create Worlds" Create 20 (Feats: Innate, Precise, Increased Mass 20) (Extras: Movable, Continuous) (112)
  • Dynamic AE: "TK Wave" Damage 16 (Feats: Dynamic, Penetrating 10) (Extras: Area- 250ft. Cone +2) (75)
  • Dynamic AE: "TK Burst" Damage 16 (Feats: Dynamic, Penetrating 10) (Extras: Area- 120ft. Burst +2) (75)
  • Dynamic AE: "TK Ram" Damage 16 (Feats: Dynamic, Penetrating 10) (Extras: Area- 120ft. Line +2) (75)
  • Dynamic AE: Telekinetic Blast 25 (Feats: Dynamic, Variable 2- Any Energy, Extended Range 4, Indirect 4, Penetrating 14) (75)
  • Dynamic AE: "Telekinesis" Move Object 22 (Extras: Perception-Ranged on 16 Ranks) (Feats: Dynamic) (61)
  • Dynamic AE: Nullify Electronics & Machinery 14 (Extras: Area- 60ft. Burst +2, Sustained +2) (Flaws: Touch Range) (43)
  • Dynamic AE: "Shape Metal" Transform Metals to Metals 15 (Feats: Increased Mass 5- 800 tons) (36)
  • Dynamic AE: "Metal Everywhere!" Environment 4 (Impede Movement 2) (9)
  • Dynamic AE: Concealment 10 (All Senses) (Flaws: Limited to Machines) (11)
  • Dynamic AE: "Remove Powers" Affliction 17 (Fort; Impaired/Disabled/Transformed to Powerless) (Feats: Dynamic) (Extras: Perception Range +2) (52)
  • Dynamic AE: Force Field 8 (Feats: Dynamic) (Flaws: Immobile -2) (3)
  • AE: "Drain Energy" Affliction 16 (Will; Impaired/Disabled/Transformed to Powerless) (Extras: Perception Ranged +2) (Flaws: Limited to Energy Powers) (32)
  • AE: "Sense Energy" Senses 11 (Detect Energy- Ranged 6, Acute & Analytical, Tracking) (11)
  • AE: "Capable of Nearly Any Effect" Variable (Cosmic) 15 (105)
  • AE: Teleport 20 (Feats: Increased Mass 10) (Extras: Extended, Accurate) (90)
  • AE: "Drag Out of the Psionic Plane" Teleport 12 (Extras: Extended, Accurate, Attack Only) (Flaws: Limited to Telepaths on the Astral Plane) (48)
Offense:
Unarmed +3 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Mind-Reading -- (+16 Mind-Reading, DC 26)
Focused Mind Control -- (+16 Perception-Ranged Affliction, DC 26)
Group Mind Control +12 Area (+12 Affliction, DC 22)
Mental Blast -- (+16 Perception-Ranged Damage, DC 31)
TK Area Attacks +16 (+16 Damage, DC 31)
TK Blast +8 (+25 Ranged Damage, DC 40)
Thrown Object +8 (+18 Ranged Damage, DC 30)
Initiative +0

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +24 (+34 if Immobile, +12 Impervious), Fortitude --, Will +18

Complications:
Motivating (Killing Everyone)- Onslaught hates humans for hunting mutants, and hates mutants for being willing to get along with humans.

Total: Abilities: 60 / Skills: 42--21 / Advantages: 18 / Powers: 391 / Defenses: 22 (512)

Onslaught- The Big Bad of the '90s:
-Onslaught is one of those iconic '90s characters and wannabe Mega-Villains that generally got ignored after a period of time- having stopped collecting comics RIGHT BEFORE HIS DEBUT, I missed out on his whole run (though I read an issue here or there featuring the build-up, like his "New Villain Stink" moment of jobbing out The Juggernaut by punching him cross-country), and when I returned in 2000 or so, he'd been long gone and nobody seemed to mention him again. It turns out his origins were in the sequence in X-Men #25, where Professor X mind-wiped Magneto (after Mags had ripped the Adamantium from Wolverine's body)- the influx of dark rage into Xavier's soul eventually (after a series of failures on Xavier's part, including the failed rehabilitation of Sabretooth and the death of an innocent mutant by racists) manifesting into a low-level Cosmic Being (COMICS, am I right?). This thus capped off the "Who Killed the X-Men?" mystery that was a huge part of Bishop's backstory, as in his timeline the X-Men were slain by one of their own.

-Onslaught makes a few plans using minions (Post, Mimic, an empowered Blob) but is mostly just a Big Evil Genocidal Guy who attacks the good guys, resulting in a massive knock-down, drag-out fight in New York City involving nearly every active superhero at Marvel from that time. Jean Grey even telepathically turns the Hulk into a feral rage-monster to put him at maximum power, shredding Onslaught's armor! Along the way, his kidnapped victims include Xavier himself, Nate Grey & Franklin Richards. However, what keeps Onslaught from being Just Another Evil Cosmic Guy is the results- to do some dumb-ass de-powering thing, the heroes have to dive into Onslaught's untouchable Energy Form so that he can become solid, and thus killable to others. The end result of course KILLING THEM, which leads to the greatest mass-death of major characters in Marvel history: The Fantastic Four, The Hulk (who separated from Bruce Banner), Doctor Doom and The Avengers are all killed, because only humans could absorb the energy (Scarlet Witch was written in because of her Reality Warping powers... they just wanted to write their way out of THAT one, obviously...). Naturally, Spider-Man was the only major human hero left alive.

Heroes Reborn:
-This led to the creation of the Heroes Reborn universe (a controversial idea that basically saw Marvel stunt-hire Jim Lee & Rob Liefeld to re-work their '60s heroes- Lee's stuff was well-received, while Liefeld's was... not. His stuff was ugly as hell and was written like garbage (he'd copy his Cap work onto another couple lame rip-off series, thus draining his legacy EVEN MORE), but in general, most fans thought this was dumb, and when the heroes Returned a few years later, this was mostly dropped and ignored. However, I would argue the whole thing had a POSITIVE effect on comics as a whole, as it was like the final death of the "Iron Age of Comics"- the grittiness and crappiness went away, The Avengers got rebooted under Busiek & Perez (before this, it was dying on a vine- the whole "Tony Stark was a traitor all along" thing and Teen Tony Stark and whatever were KILLING THEM), we got The Thunderbolts (who'd debuted to replace the dead heroes), and more. We kind of needed this weird darkness before the dawn- it washed all the garbage away.

-2006 saw the return of the character in a Limited Series nobody seems to remember- he was reborn when the Scarlet Witch depowered most mutants, and Xavier & Magneto's powers combined to reform him. He was defeated in the Heroes Reborn universe, as Rikki Barnes (the Bucky of that world) trapped him in the Negative Zone, stranding her on Earth-616. He would show up once again to control Rikki, and she would commit suicide to prevent his return.

Image

Red Onslaught:
-A concept of Onslaught reappears, as "Red Onslaught", in the story where a clone of the Red Skull possesses the telepathic might of Charles Xavier. An enraged Magneto slaughters the Skull, but the proximity to Xavier's powers reforms an "Onslaught"-tier being with the Skull's personality. The resulting threat is so huge that Magneto summons a band of Marvel's villains to help, and Doctor Doom & the Scarlet Witch attempt to fend off Red Onslaught by casting a "moral inversion" spell to put Xavier's mind in control of the creature. This backfires as a backlash inverts most of the heroes and villains present, starting the AXIS event. Various characters turn good or evil and everything is messed up for a bit, but Red Onslaught becomes the good "White Skull"- a normal human attempting to make things right. Possibly being Xavier in control, the White Skull undoes the inversion, sacrificing himself as the Red Skull returns.

-This story was... dumb. I mean, "Everyone switches sides" was honestly a GREAT idea, but their means for this was ridiculous. You form the Extinction Level Event in Onslaught controlled by the RED FREAKING SKULL, but it's only as an excuse to invert everyone for a few months? Then you just do away with the guy entirely by story's end like it never mattered? Never mind that the event story kind of buggered a lot of active comics (it was also used to write out the "Havok & Wasp are together FOREVERRRRRRRRRR" thing Rick Remender was trying to do. In the end, AXIS proved unpopular, though a few characters maintained their inversion (like Havok).

Onslaught's Might:
-Onslaught is basically a super-powered combo of Professor X's Mental Powers, Nate Grey's Telekinesis, some Magneto stuff, plus Franklin Richards' Reality Warping power, turning him into a Super-Powerhouse. Oddly, his Power Feats aren't entirely that apparent in combat- aside from punching The Juggernaut across a continent, he seemed to struggle to bring down whole super-teams, despite all of his power. However, he IS nigh-unkillable, which is why he was so dangerous and the heroes had to sacrifice themselves to kill him- he effectively had little to worry about from their physical attacks (when a fully-psychotic Hulk punched through his armour, he was left an untouchable field of energy), and could basically out-attrition anybody, even IF he didn't really manage to beat anyone up in the final battle.

-His biggest feats of power involve basically taking the attacks of all of Earth's heroes at once, creating a Citadel that no power could break though (The Vision's intangibility was needed), and creating a second Sun in Earth's atmosphere that threatened to tear apart the planet (over time). Otherwise, he's your everyday unstoppable Cosmic Menace (with PL 16 defenses and the ability to do basically everything).
Last edited by Jabroniville on Wed Aug 24, 2022 4:11 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Davies
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Re: Onslaught

Post by Davies »

Jabroniville wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 12:16 am but in general, most fans thought this was dumb,
Understatement of the <fill in the time period>.

I can't really argue with your conclusion about the ultimate outcome, but ohhhhh the darkness before the dawn was really friggin' dark.
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
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KorokoMystia
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Robocop! The Tinkerer! Equinox! Onslaught!)

Post by KorokoMystia »

It says something that he's probably better known for his appearance as the Final Boss in Marvel vs. Capcom than his actual comic book appearances.
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Robocop! The Tinkerer! Equinox! Onslaught!)

Post by Shock »

Jabroniville wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 12:16 am Then you just do away with the guy entirely by story's end like it never mattered?
You mean like every event since Civil War?
Jabroniville
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Robocop! The Tinkerer! Equinox! Onslaught!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Oh yeah, I forgot if I did my preamble for this stuff, but:

So my initial idea was "two 7-day sets of Marvel builds" in between the other stuff, and I'd do the remaining Overwatch, Tekken & Mortal Kombat guys, THEN do Rival Schools, then do Captain Marvel & Wonder Woman. But I realized the Marvel sets were kinda long for what were mostly re-posts, plus the Marvel Family builds were very popular in the poll I did and I didn't want two DC sets to be so close together, so I wanted them much earlier. So I reshuffled everything- the Marvel sets were split into three smaller groups of 4-5 days each, and pushed to the beginning, middle and end. Despite having done the OW/Tekken/MK set WAY earlier (like 2 months ago now- I actually forgot the damn names of all the characters by the time I was ready to post them), I pushed them until just recently.

So there's a gap between them and the Rival Schools builds, which might be for the best, as I like to spread the fighting game builds out sometimes. I'm really curious as to how those builds will do, actually- Fighting Game builds can be tricky, and some are way more popular than others. I've done almost all of the really popular ones, so a side-game of Capcom's might do well, or it might do crappily. I'll have to see, and base my future posting on that.

And after Rival Schools will be another short set of Marvel builds, then finally you'll see Wonder Woman & Co.
Jabroniville
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Robocop! The Tinkerer! Equinox! Onslaught!)

Post by Jabroniville »

And PS- wrestling fans, the new Botchamania is out, and I contributed to this one, lol: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmNGbHu ... FLbB_k2GEg

The AJW match at 9:30 where the unfortunate wrestlers attempt to do lucha libre despite not having the athleticism for it. Sad thing is all four of these women were good-to-great wrestlers.
Jabroniville
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Torpedo (one-off)

Post by Jabroniville »

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TORPEDO I (Real Name Unknown)
Created By:
Roy Thomas & Gene Colan
First Appearance: Daredevil #59 (Dec. 1969)
Role: One-Off Villain
Group Affiliations: None

-The name "Torpedo" is such an awesome one (the original use was the "Torpedo Ray", with the military weapon being named after the animal) that it's no surprise it's been used in comics... but oddly, always on losers.

-The original Torpedo is a one-off Daredevil villain- a random assassin who hunts down a blind ex-cop who had given information to the police about the villain "Crime-Wave". Crime-Wave hired Torpedo to assassinate the cop, and he nearly succeeded if not for Matt Murdock, who was working with him at the time. Torpedo nearly kills Daredevil when the hero rescues the cop, throwing his HAT at him- the bladed hat slices a pole in half, with DD suggesting he was going to "pull an oddjob on me" (an obvious reference to Oddjob from the James Bond films). The cop, hearing what was going on, heard Torpedo stomping on Daredevil's fingers to knock him off the building, and heroically tackled the villain, sending them both over the edge. DD recovered and saved the cop, but was unable to prevent Torpedo from falling to his death. The character has never reappeared.

-A half-decent fighter, apparently, Torpedo had Daredevil dead to rights before a sneak attack resulted in his death. The hat is probably Blast 6 of all things!
Last edited by Jabroniville on Wed Aug 24, 2022 4:42 am, edited 1 time in total.
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KorokoMystia
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Robocop! The Tinkerer! Equinox! Onslaught!)

Post by KorokoMystia »

For a one-shot guy, he at least had some decent gimmicks, with his bladed hat and his multiple setting gun. (could be set to blast or to fire knockout gas) Also, amusing note: "Torpedo" used to be slang for hitman. So he's got a rather indicative name.
Jabroniville
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Torpedo (Stivak)

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image

TORPEDO II (Michael Stivak)
Created By:
Marv Wolfman & Bob Brown
First Appearance: Daredevil #126 (Oct. 1975)
Role: One-Off Character
Group Affiliations: None
PL 8 (125)
STRENGTH
2/9 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 5 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Athletics 2 (+4)
Deception 2 (+2)
Perception 1 (+2)
Ranged Combat (Turbo Punch) 1 (+6)
Technology 6 (+11)

Advantages:
Inventor, Move-By Action, Ranged Attack 1

Powers:
"Turbo Suit" (Flaws: Removable) (Feats: Powers Restricted Based on Unique Physiologies) [61]
Flight 11 (4,000 mph) (22)
Features 1: May Reconfigure Itself Costmetically (1)
Immunity 6 (Friction, Radiation Damage) (Flaws: Limited to Half-Effect) (3)
Senses 2 (Counters Illusion) (Flaws: Limited to Dire Wraiths) (1)
Protection 5 (5)
Enhanced Strength 7 (14)
Power-Lifting 1 (25 tons) (1)
Enhanced Feats: Improved Initiative (1)
Enhanced Dodge 3 (3)
Enhanced Parry 2 (2)

"Torpedo Punch" Blast 10 (20) -- (22)
  • AE: "High-Speed Air" Affliction 8 (Dodge; Hindered & Vulnerable/Prone & Defenseless) (Extras: Area- 60ft. Cone, Extra Condition) (Flaws: Instant Recovery, Limited Degree) (8)
  • AE: "High-Speed Air" Affliction 10 (Dodge; Hindered & Vulnerable/Prone & Defenseless) (Extras: Ranged, Extra Condition) (Flaws: Instant Recovery, Limited Degree) (10)
-- (76 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Torpedo Strength +6 (+9 Damage, DC 24)
Torpedo Punch +6 (+10 Ranged Damage, DC 25)
High-Speed Air +6 (+10 Ranged Affliction, DC 20)
High-Speed Air Wave +8 Area (+8 Affliction, DC 18)
Initiative +3 (+7 Torpedo Suit)

Defenses:
Dodge +6 (+8 Suit, DC 16-18), Parry +6 (+8 Suit, DC 16-18), Toughness +3 (+8 Suit), Fortitude +4, Will +4

Complications:
Relationship (Uncle Kligger)- Michael was hired by his uncle to make a suit- when he discovers that his Uncle works for The Corporation and is allied with the Dire Wraiths, he is disgusted and vows to prevent him from ever using the suit.

Total: Abilities: 48 / Skills: 12--6 / Advantages: 3 / Powers: 61 / Defenses: 7 (125)

-The second Torpedo is an odd character, coming six years after the first died in his only appearance. He was an inventor who was hired by his uncle, who was secretly working with the Dire Wraiths, and wanted a special powersuit. When he realized what the plans were, Michael Stivak was furious, and hid the Torpedo suit, giving his uncle a much weaker one instead. His uncle realized the deception, and tried to find the suit, so Michael donned it and went on a rampage across New York, breaking into various faults to destroy any information that would reveal the suit's existence! This drew the attention of Daredevil, and the two got into a fight because Michael was too single-minded to even explain himself.

-Torpedo nearly succeeded in killing DD with a rocket-powered punch, but when an innocent man stumbled onto the fight, Michael desperately redirected his punch, collapsing a building onto everyone. Daredevil and the man (an ex-football player, Brock Jones) survived, but Michael was fatally injured. Realizing he was doomed, he gave his life story to Brock, and warned him to keep his uncle from ever getting the suit. Daredevil, seeing Brock put on the costume and a dead man lying at his feet, immediately assumed that HE had murdered an innocent, and engaged in another silly super-battle.

-Michael Stivak is apparently a really good inventor, though his gear is only PL 8-ish, as everyone who's ever worn it has been a low-tier superhero at-best. He manages to nearly defeat Daredevil in their first encounter, as DD is likely only PL 8-9 in the 1970s, and "New Character Stink" is apparent.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Sun Sep 04, 2022 5:28 am, edited 2 times in total.
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Davies
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Robocop! The Tinkerer! Equinox! Onslaught!)

Post by Davies »

In case you're wondering how the Dire Wraiths could be involved in a story published four years before the first issue of ROM, all that is a retcon. Jones' initial account of what Stivak told him was just that he found out that the people who hired him to build the suit were "crazy", with no mention of any aliens.
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
Jabroniville
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Robocop! The Tinkerer! Equinox! Onslaught!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Davies wrote: Mon Dec 14, 2020 10:50 pm In case you're wondering how the Dire Wraiths could be involved in a story published four years before the first issue of ROM, all that is a retcon. Jones' initial account of what Stivak told him was just that he found out that the people who hired him to build the suit were "crazy", with no mention of any aliens.
Oh, that's interesting. I never read a ROM comic, so I didn't even piece that together.
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Torpedo (Brock Jones)

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image
Image

TORPEDO III (Brock Jones)
Created By:
Marv Wolfman & John Romita
First Appearance: Daredevil #126 (Oct. 1975)
Role: Jobber Hero
Group Affiliations: None
PL 8 (115)
STRENGTH
2/9 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Athletics 2 (+4)
Deception 2 (+3)
Perception 1 (+2)
Ranged Combat (Turbo Punch) 1 (+6)

Advantages:
Move-By Action, Ranged Attack 1

Powers:
"Turbo Suit" (Flaws: Removable) (Feats: Powers Restricted Based on Unique Physiologies) [61]
Flight 11 (4,000 mph) (22)
Features 1: May Reconfigure Itself Costmetically (1)
Immunity 6 (Friction, Radiation Damage) (Flaws: Limited to Half-Effect) (3)
Senses 2 (Counters Illusion) (Flaws: Limited to Dire Wraiths) (1)
Protection 5 (5)
Enhanced Strength 7 (14)
Power-Lifting 1 (25 tons) (1)
Enhanced Feats: Improved Initiative (1)
Enhanced Dodge 3 (3)
Enhanced Parry 2 (2)

"Torpedo Punch" Blast 10 (20) -- (22)
  • AE: "High-Speed Air" Affliction 8 (Dodge; Hindered & Vulnerable/Prone & Defenseless) (Extras: Area- 60ft. Cone, Extra Condition) (Flaws: Instant Recovery, Limited Degree) (8)
  • AE: "High-Speed Air" Affliction 10 (Dodge; Hindered & Vulnerable/Prone & Defenseless) (Extras: Ranged, Extra Condition) (Flaws: Instant Recovery, Limited Degree) (10)
-- (76 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Torpedo Strength +6 (+9 Damage, DC 24)
Torpedo Punch +6 (+10 Ranged Damage, DC 25)
High-Speed Air +6 (+10 Ranged Affliction, DC 20)
High-Speed Air Wave +8 Area (+8 Affliction, DC 18)
Initiative +3 (+7 Torpedo Suit)

Defenses:
Dodge +6 (+8 Suit, DC 16-18), Parry +6 (+8 Suit, DC 16-18), Toughness +3 (+8 Suit), Fortitude +4, Will +4

Complications:
Enemy (The Dire Wraiths)

Total: Abilities: 42 / Skills: 6--3 / Advantages: 2 / Powers: 61 / Defenses: 7 (115)

-What an odd character to have a repeating influence at Marvel Comics. The third Torpedo (the first was a one-shot Daredevil opponent who threw a spinning hat like Odd Job from the Bond films) is a scientist who was forced to build a power suit by his uncle, a United States Senator. Upon realizing his uncle's true nature (he's the head of the evil Corporation), Michael Stivak deliberately builds an INFERIOR suit, then builds a better one for himself. However, in trying to destroy the plans for the suit, he looks like a criminal, and is confronted by Daredevil- he is killed when their fight demolishes a building. Brock Jones, just passing by, ends up finding Stivak, and the dying man explains his life story.

-Jones thus becomes the recurring Torpedo, finally able to team up with Daredevil after another pointless super-battle (DD assumed he'd killed Stivak)- Stivak's uncle dies of a heart attack, completing the tale. Torpedo then shows up in some Defenders issues before becoming a recurring character in Rom: Spaceknight. He's a solid ally to the alien hero, but he's murdered by Dire Wraiths once he retires, thinking their threat ended. This was said to be pretty shocking for the time- 1970s comics were usually not that bloodthirsty, especially not with major characters. Jones' cousin Phillip gets the suit bequeathed to him, and his son Michael grabs it and becomes the hero "Turbo", alongside his friend Mickey Musashi- the two are New Warriors characters, and go on their own thing (Michael is killed by a Dire Wraith as well). So this very plain (but still somewhat-interesting) costume ends up with a decade-plus legacy, all because some creators remember it from way back in the day (almost ten years exists between Torpedo's death and Turbo's debut).

-Jones is a perfectly-acceptable hero- a PL 8 Flying Blaster/Brick. And yes, once again, I'm forced to ask why it's SO EASY to build suits that enhance almost every one of a person's important physical stats, and why NOBODY ELSE ever seems interested in grabbing them. You'd think EVERY HERO would want a copy of Torpedo's gear if it gave you all these huge benefits. Torpedo II would be similar, but presumably a bit smarter and a worse fighter (he engages in one brawl, and dies in the process).
Last edited by Jabroniville on Wed Aug 24, 2022 4:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Torpedo (Brock Jones)

Post by FuzzyBoots »

Jabroniville wrote: Tue Dec 15, 2020 12:02 am -Jones is a perfectly-acceptable hero- a PL 8 Flying Blaster/Brick. And yes, once again, I'm forced to ask why it's SO EASY to build suits that enhance almost every one of a person's important physical stats, and why NOBODY ELSE ever seems interested in grabbing them. You'd think EVERY HERO would want a copy of Torpedo's gear if it gave you all these huge benefits. Torpedo II would be similar, but presumably a bit smarter and a worse fighter (he engages in one brawl, and dies in the process).
I always figured it to be a matter of that most people don't survive the adaptation period with these suits. Something like Iron Man's suits (and boy has he handed a lot of those out) probably has extremely sophisticated AI that adapts to the user, but for the amateur inventors, they build it custom for one person, tuning it for their reflexes, or it works for a family line. Other people... I figure it's like The Specialists, or the succession of failed suits in Iron Man 2, or the prototypes in Robocop 2. Honestly, given they're one-offs, I'm half tempted to go the route of that the suits aren't really science, but rather something empowered by the inventor's beliefs.
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Davies
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Robocop! The Tinkerer! Equinox! Onslaught!)

Post by Davies »

My own guess focuses on some practical considerations that don't generally feature in these sorts of stories -- maintenance and the expenses thereof. Daredevil might benefit from wearing a suit of powered armor, but he doesn't have Tony Stark's (or even Gears Garvins') ability to keep it in working order, and probably can't afford it, either.

Also ... I suspect that the 'ability enhancement' model works for this game of ours, but that's not really how these things actually function, and that for really well-trained fighters, what benefit they'd get from these things (except, probably, in the area of strength-amplification and body armor) is minimal. The Weapons Locker supplement for Marvel FASERIP usually gave the various armors column shifts to abilities, with the note that they could only improve them up to a certain level.
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Captain Ultra

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image
Image

That costume is just a TREMENDOUS eyesore and I love it.

CAPTAIN ULTRA (Griffin Gogol)
Created By:
Roy Thomas & George Perez
First Appearance: The Fantastic Four #177 (Dec. 1976)
Role: Joke Hero, Superman Parody
Group Affiliations: The Defenders, The Revengers
PL 8 (104)
STRENGTH
8 STAMINA 8 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Close Combat (Unarmed) 1 (+7)
Deception 1 (+3)
Expertise (Stand-Up Comedian) 4 (+6)
Ranged Combat (Force Breath) 4 (+8)

Advantages:
Ranged Attack 2

Powers:
"Hypnosis-Derived Powers: Ultra-Potential"
"Ultra One-Offs" Enhanced Advantages 1: Beginner's Luck [1]
Flight 5 (60 mph) [10]
"X-Ray Vision" Senses 4 (Vision Penetrates Concealment) [4]
"Concussive Force Breath" Blast 8 (16) -- [18]
  • AE: Insubstantial 4 (15)
  • AE: "Tapping the Ultra-Force" Variable 1 (Ultra-Feats & Skills) (7)
Offense:
Unarmed +7 (+8 Damage, DC 23)
Force Breath +8 (+8 Ranged Damage, DC 23)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +6 (DC 16), Parry +6 (DC 16), Toughness +8, Fortitude +8, Will +3

Complications:
Phobia (Fire)- Captain Ultra was extremely pyrophobic at first, and once passed out when someone lit a match for a cigarette. Even later, this can be used to defeat him.

Total: Abilities: 56 / Skills: 10--5 / Advantages: 3 / Powers: 33 / Defenses: 7 (104)

-Griffin Gogol here got his powers from a psychologist hypnotist who was actually an alien who hypnotized him into both quitting smoking, and unlocking his latent powers! At least when the creators went weird, they REALLY went with it. Donning the world's most hideous costume ever, he tried to join the Frightful Four one time (not realizing they were villains), but passed out after spotting an open flame- see, he's pyrophobic. The Four immediately reject him despite his vast array of powers, marking him a Joke Character. He briefly considers joining the Defenders, but isn't impressed with the team.

-He then kind of got over his fear, but was still a joke, despite his rather high level of power- he became one of those Recurring Joke Characters that would show up here or there, usually in a humorous context, largely owing to his garbage-ass outfit. He turned into a stand-up comedian, joined the Initiative as the leader of one of the "Flyover State" teams (Nebraska's Initiative team), but didn't have much success- his teammates Paragon and Gadget were killed. He then joined Wonder Man's "Revengers" team that attacked the Avengers (Wondy was going nuts due to "ionic leakage" or whatever)- he is easily seen-off when Dr. Strange makes him think he's been set ablaze (now how would you guess that the next writer would forget he cured his pyrophobia?... though to be fair, that would probably scare ANYONE). His reason for joining? He'd felt disrespected by the team not making him an Avenger, even though he was as powerful as they were. He was last seen as an inmate at the Pleasant Hill prison, now oddly just a generic criminal.

-Captain Ultra is pretty much what happens when a super-powerful character has few actual abilities in combat. He's sort of a Mini-Superman (complete with Super... excuse me, ULTRA-Breath), but at a PL 8 level because he's so below-average as a combatant.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Wed Aug 24, 2022 4:43 am, edited 2 times in total.
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