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

Where in all of your character write ups will go.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24690
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Jab’s Builds! (The Mad Thinker! H.E.R.B.I.E.! DOCTOR DOOM!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Also, this scene:

Image
User avatar
Goldar
Posts: 1229
Joined: Mon Nov 07, 2016 2:10 pm

Re: Jab’s Builds! (The Mad Thinker! H.E.R.B.I.E.! DOCTOR DOOM!)

Post by Goldar »

Ares wrote: Tue Feb 02, 2021 6:04 am I do think the FF should all be roughly on the same power level.

Johnny should be one of Marvel's most potent flying blasters, and his Nova Flame should be something even top tier heroes should be worried about getting hit with. In terms of raw damage output, Johnny should be the most dangerous member of the Four. Furthermore, people need to remember the kind of stunts Johnny used to be able to pull off. The guy can not only generate heat and flame, but he can control and shape it. He used to do things like create fire clones of himself as distractions, make fire cages, etc. While someone like Pyro might have more finesse in terms of his creations (Johnny rarely makes full on remote control Fire Giants and the like), Johnny is still very skilled and versatile.

Sue's already been upgraded to the point where she's the most powerful person on the team. I wouldn't walk back the upgrade she received, but I'd make it clear that said upgrade was more about putting her on a level playing field with the other members of the team, not pushing her past them. In terms of raw defense, he force fields can soak the most damage, while still giving her some decent offense as well. Her invisibility is highly useful, and people remember that she can make other things invisible, or even make invisible things visible (somehow).

I see Johnny and Sue as being opposite sides of the coin. Both of them have control over a type of energy, both have complete control over said energy and can project and shape it however they like. The main difference is that Johnny's energy is flashy and primarily offensive, while Sue's power is subtle and defensive. If Johnny was to use his Nova Flame against Sue's strongest shield, whether the shield holds or breaks depends on who has the strongest will that day. So, coin toss.

Ben can't match the max damage Johnny does, nor is he as tough as Sue's strongest shields. However, Ben has something the other two don't: consistency. Ben is always durable and his toughness doesn't require any concentration on his part. Likewise, Ben can land repeat blows that, while not as strong as Johnny's top damage, is stronger than Johnny's average attacks. Ben lacks the human frailty and the need for concentration Sue and Johnny have, and he has more stamina than them besides. The pair of them are likely to exhaust themselves with their highest showings, while Ben is always there to be the backbone of the team. Ben is literally the reliable rock of the group.

Reed is less obviously powerful compared to the rest, but that's largely because his intellect tends to overshadow his powers. If you think about it, Reed really isn't weak by anyone's standards. In terms of durability, he's roughly as durable as Ben when it comes to kinetic attacks and even a lot of energy attacks. His shape shifting makes him more or less a living version of one of Sue's Force Field's, able to shape himself into whatever he wants. He can even get a lot of hitting power when he moves the mass and size of his limbs around. He's less durable and less damaging than Ben to a degree, but he's got the same lack of frailty and the higher stamina, basically trading that higher damage/toughness for immense flexibility and versatility. The kind of stealth Sue can achieve through invisibility, Reed can achieve through careful shapeshifting, reducing his size, and can in some ways surpass her by being able to slip through small openings and such. While not the most powerful, his abilities are definitely useful and convenient, especially for a scientist like himself.
A most excellent declaration of the Four and their powers!

I would add for Reed, his ability even allows flight and he can shape his face and body to look like someone else, thereby being a master of disguise.
That Sullivan Guy
Posts: 131
Joined: Sat Jul 29, 2017 7:26 pm

Re: Ares

Post by That Sullivan Guy »

RainOnTheSun wrote: Thu Jan 21, 2021 8:44 am
That Sullivan Guy wrote: Wed Jan 20, 2021 9:08 pm Ares was one of the write-ups whose assignment I inherited when one of the other contributors flaked on the project (pretty sure that's how I ended up with Atomic Skull and Metallo as well). I had him at PL 14 at first and the developers balked (they had neglected to include a pre-determined PL for the character when they told me to add him to my list) and they told me to bump him to PL 16 and make sure that his attacks included Penetrating*.
This makes me very curious what their idea of Penetrating was. Did they think it did something it doesn't?
That Sullivan Guy wrote: Wed Jan 20, 2021 9:08 pm [*Sigh ... confession time. While I enjoy reading M&M material from GR and a few other sources, I don't care to run M&M, at least not RAW. In point of fact, when I do run M&M, I have somewhere around 8-9 pages of house rules (Book Antiqua, 10-point font), some of which change fundamental mechanics (the DC for ALL resistible powers is DC + Ranks, not just damage, I use 2d10 instead of a d20 so we actually see a bell curve, and so on and so on). I also changed the way Penetrating and Impervious work in my house rules somewhat as I hate the Penetrating extra RAW. Hate it. Outside of all but the lowest PL campaign levels, I find it pretty much useless and not worth spending points on.]
I'd also love to see these house rules.
Okay, I finally had time to post them. As per Ken's suggestion in this thread, they're over in the Gamer's Handbook sub-forum.


***
Jabroniville
Posts: 24690
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Doombots

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image
Image

DOOMBOTS
Role:
Helper Robots, Reasons Why Doom Didn't "Really" Lose

-"It was actually a Doombot" has gone on to become one of the bigger running gags in comics, but they were initially just kinda there as temporary impostors or ways for Doom to trick people, or just as minions (such as in his debut). However, other writers have used them to explain away past losses, in a childish way to "protect" their character. John Byrne prominently used one to explain away a story in which Arcade struck a match on Doom's armored body. Figuring that Doom would NEVER allow such casual disrespect from a goober like Arcade, Doom demanded to know in which way the Doombot executed the assassin. When he discovered that Arcade was allowed to do this and live, he commanded the Doombot to self-destruct. Jim Shooter was SERIOUSLY annoyed at Byrne's obvious attempt at disregarding a story by Chris Claremont- two adult men having a childish pissing contest in the books his company was publishing.

-In any case, Doombots were also used as disposable agents, such as in an issue where Rage figured out that Doom was lying and wasn't actually going to use a suicide attack on the Avengers (since Doom was the only one who could save his mother's soul, Doom would not have risked his own demise). In Avengers A.I., a Doombot gains sentience and is shown to become the ruler of the world in a possible future. Another sentient one gets involved in Squirrel Girl- it hid away in suburbia for years, but eventually learned to hate superhumans and started hiring assassins to take them out- he is undone when he "heroically" kills some alien arms dealers and is lauded as a hero, ruining his desire to be hidden.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Mon Aug 29, 2022 6:05 am, edited 1 time in total.
User avatar
Jack of Spades
Posts: 370
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:20 pm
Location: Top of the deck
Contact:

Re: Jab’s Builds! (The Mad Thinker! H.E.R.B.I.E.! DOCTOR DOOM!)

Post by Jack of Spades »

Ares wrote: Tue Feb 02, 2021 1:42 am Also, Reed needs to shave that damn beard off his face.
I like the beard. Techno-geeks have better things to do than shave.
Jack's Deck build threadFantasy Geographic Society campaign web site
FuzzyBoots
Posts: 2396
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:20 pm
Location: Pittsburgh, PA

Re: Jab’s Builds! (The Mad Thinker! H.E.R.B.I.E.! DOCTOR DOOM!)

Post by FuzzyBoots »

Just because I was reading it recently, Gwenpool also got a legit victory over Doom, exiling him into the space outside of the comic panels, although she did so during a time period when he was on the side of good, which she felt entirely cheapened her victory (her, at the time, being very much the Designated Hero who destroyed massive amounts of property and killed "bad guys"), and then got stymied by another, more evil, Doom from the past, and then saved by the current one who revealed that he'd figured out her trick of being able to move things off of the panel.
Sidney369
Posts: 328
Joined: Tue Dec 01, 2020 3:18 am

Re: Jab’s Builds! (The Mad Thinker! H.E.R.B.I.E.! DOCTOR DOOM!)

Post by Sidney369 »

The Doombot from Avengers A.I. is currently a supporting character in Runaways.

Also, currently on the forum for the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, Who Watches the Watchers, there is a debate on whether or not Reed Richards is skilled at judo and karate, as some Silver Age stories mention that he taught Sue and Johnny how to fight.
Always ask before you use someone's Original Character.
Never ever use them without permission. Only Villains do that.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24690
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Kristoff Von Doom

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image
Image

KRISTOFF VON DOOM (Kristoff Vernard)
Created By:
John Byrne
First Appearance: Fantastic Four #247 (Oct. 1982)
Role: Replacement Mega-Villain, Heir Apparent
PL 11 (212)
STRENGTH
3/9 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 7 DEXTERITY 3
INTELLIGENCE 8 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Close Combat (Unarmed) 3 (+10)
Deception 8 (+11)
Expertise (Business) 2 (+10)
Expertise (Current Events) 3 (+11)
Expertise (History) 3 (+11)
Expertise (Politics) 2 (+10)
Expertise (Science) 7 (+15)
Insight 6 (+9)
Intimidation 6 (+9)
Investigation 2 (+5)
Perception 5 (+8)
Persuasion 5 (+8)
Technology 7 (+15)
Vehicles 1 (+4)

Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Benefit 3 (Heir of Latveria), Fascinate (Intimidation), Fearless, Improved Critical (Blast), Jack-of-All-Trades, Languages (Various), Power Attack, Ranged Attack 7, Startle

Powers:
"Doom-Lite Armour" (Flaws: Removable) [80]
Enhanced Strength 6 (12)
"Armour" Protection 8 (Extras: Impervious) (16)
"Rocket Boots" Flight 7 (250 mph) (14)
Immunity 10 (Life Support) (10)
"Sensors" Senses 9 (Extended & Infravision, Accurate Radio Sense, Analytical Chemical Sense) (9)

Electrical Aura 9 (36) -- (39)
  • AE: Blast 12 (Extras: Penetrating 8) (20)
  • AE: Damage 11 (Extras: Area- 60ft. Line +2) (33)
  • AE: "Telekinesis" Move Object 12 (24)
-- (100 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Doom Armour +10 (+9 Damage, DC 24)
Blast +10 (+12 Damage, DC 27)
Line Blast +11 Area (+11 Damage, DC 26)
Electrical Aura +10 (+9 Damage, DC 24)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +4 (+12 Armour), Fortitude +6, Will +8

Complications:
Relationship (Victor Von Doom)- Kristoff is one of the few people alive on good terms with Doom. Doom was present when Kristoff's mother was killed by a usurper to the throne, and thus took the boy as an heir.

Total: Abilities: 66 / Skills: 60--30 / Advantages: 18 / Powers: 80 / Defenses: 18 (212)

-Kristoff is part of a weird John Byrne story in the early days of his FF run- a boy taken in by Doom as an heir, but not really to humanize him as much as display his self-obsession. During Doom's invasion of Latveria to oust the dictator Zorba, Kristoff was orphaned while in close proximity to Doom, who was infuriated that someone under his "protection" would be killed. When Zorba was deposed, Doom took Kristoff in as an heir. He was occasionally used as a sounding board for Doom's gloating or boasting, or to showcase more aspects of Doom's personality and megalomania (Tom DeFalco explained at a Con that this was the purpose of supporting characters- to outline more aspects of your characters' personalities)- once, the young boy was trying to be helpful in suggesting Doom ally with Magneto, who was "almost as great" as Doom was. Doom, rather than being enthused, was INFURIATED at the boy for suggesting anyone could be nearly equal to him, and drove him away.

-When Doom was thought dead at the hands of Terrax, Doom's robots took Kristoff and enacted a failsafe of their master's- Kristoff had Doom's intellect and memories downloaded into his own brain, thus "rewriting" him into a duplicate of Doom himself. They stopped just short by accident, so he wasn't QUITE Doom, but he thought himself so. He actually blew up the Baxter Building, failing to kill the FF only because he didn't "remember" Sue having Force Fields. "Doom" was captured, and the FF were horrified to find a CHILD within the armor- he was kept at the FF's new base (the Four Freedoms Plaza) while they tried to cure him. Eventually, the real Doom returned, but Kristoff attacked this "imposter" and even drove him away, when Doom confessed that failing to save his mother's soul from Mephisto was "my one failure"- Doombots, who had stood by, unable to determine the real Doom, assumed this was un-Doomlike to say, and believed that Kristoff was the real one.

-Finally, the writers tired of this- Doom simply walked into his castle one day and uttered a codeword that immediately reverted Kristoff to his original personality. Kristoff was sent as a decoy to battle Mr. Fantastic, and was killed and placed in stasis. He was revived by Nathaniel Richards and actually became a Fantastic Four member for a short while (joining alongside Scott Lang, befriending his young daughter Cassie), at some point becoming an adult. This was during the "Reed Is Dead" era that also saw Namor wear a ponytail and stubble, while Susan Richards dressed in a one-piece bikini with the "4" on her chest cut out to show off her cleavage, in case you forgot that little part of history. He left on semi-friendly terms with the FF (in particular Cassie), but he eventually went off with Nathaniel and entered "comics limbo" for a time, going nowhere. He went off with Doom, left him, tried to take over Latveria himself, tried to become emancipated, and more, and generally now just sits as this uncomfortable "side character" that others have since gotten sick of, as writers barely ever use him but are forced to at least acknowledge his backstory. In Hickman's FF run, Kristoff does little else than exist as a way for Doom to cure his brain damage and memory loss- downloading his stolen memories back into Doom.

-In some of his incarnations (usually when channelling Doom's exact personality), Kristoff is basically EXACTLY like Doom himself, keeping the exact same stats (minus the Magic, since that wasn't as big a deal for Doom back in the day). Later on, it SEEMS like he kept going being as smart as Doom, but they never really SHOWED it, and thus it's pretty much canon that he's just not as good as Doom anymore. Every story I've seen featuring him (mostly recent ones, to be fair) pretty much have him as a back-up Doom guy in Latveria doing Doom-Lite stuff and generally not mattering too much. A full-blown Doctor Doom is PL 13 and much more well-rounded, while Kristoff apparently just has a SORT-OF Doom Skillset that doesn't accomplish as much (compare Doom's inventive genius to Kristoff basically never inventing anything).
Last edited by Jabroniville on Mon Aug 29, 2022 6:05 am, edited 1 time in total.
MacynSnow
Posts: 5631
Joined: Tue Dec 20, 2016 2:56 pm

Re: Jab’s Builds! (The Mad Thinker! H.E.R.B.I.E.! DOCTOR DOOM!)

Post by MacynSnow »

Sidney369 wrote: Wed Feb 03, 2021 1:33 am The Doombot from Avengers A.I. is currently a supporting character in Runaways.

Also, currently on the forum for the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, Who Watches the Watchers, there is a debate on whether or not Reed Richards is skilled at judo and karate, as some Silver Age stories mention that he taught Sue and Johnny how to fight.
Weirdly enough, Reed actually IS a Black Belt in both Judo & Karate, but is out-of practice since he doesn't spend enough time training.
MacynSnow
Posts: 5631
Joined: Tue Dec 20, 2016 2:56 pm

Re: Kristoff Von Doom

Post by MacynSnow »

Jabroniville wrote: Wed Feb 03, 2021 1:55 am Image
Image
Image

KRISTOFF VON DOOM (Kristoff Vernard)
Created By:
John Byrne
First Appearance: Fantastic Four #247 (Oct. 1982)
Role: Replacement Mega-Villain, Heir Apparent
PL 11 (212)
STRENGTH
3/9 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 7 DEXTERITY 3
INTELLIGENCE 8 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Close Combat (Unarmed) 3 (+10)
Deception 8 (+11)
Expertise (Business) 2 (+10)
Expertise (Current Events) 3 (+11)
Expertise (History) 3 (+11)
Expertise (Politics) 2 (+10)
Expertise (Science) 7 (+15)
Insight 6 (+9)
Intimidation 6 (+9)
Investigation 2 (+5)
Perception 5 (+8)
Persuasion 5 (+8)
Technology 7 (+15)
Vehicles 1 (+4)

Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Benefit 3 (Heir of Latveria), Fascinate (Intimidation), Fearless, Improved Critical (Blast), Jack-of-All-Trades, Languages (Various), Power Attack, Ranged Attack 7, Startle

Powers:
"Doom-Lite Armour" (Flaws: Removable) [80]
Enhanced Strength 6 (12)
"Armour" Protection 8 (Extras: Impervious) (16)
"Rocket Boots" Flight 7 (250 mph) (14)
Immunity 10 (Life Support) (10)
"Sensors" Senses 9 (Extended & Infravision, Accurate Radio Sense, Analytical Chemical Sense) (9)

Electrical Aura 9 (36) -- (39)
  • AE: Blast 12 (Extras: Penetrating 8) (20)
  • AE: Damage 11 (Extras: Area- 60ft. Line +2) (33)
  • AE: "Telekinesis" Move Object 12 (24)
-- (100 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Doom Armour +10 (+9 Damage, DC 24)
Blast +10 (+12 Damage, DC 27)
Line Blast +11 Area (+11 Damage, DC 26)
Electrical Aura +10 (+9 Damage, DC 24)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +4 (+12 Armour), Fortitude +6, Will +8

Complications:
Relationship (Victor Von Doom)- Kristoff is one of the few people alive on good terms with Doom. Doom was present when Kristoff's mother was killed by a usurper to the throne, and thus took the boy as an heir.

Total: Abilities: 66 / Skills: 60--30 / Advantages: 18 / Powers: 80 / Defenses: 18 (212)

-Kristoff is part of a weird John Byrne story in the early days of his FF run- a boy taken in by Doom as an heir, but not really to humanize him as much as display his self-obsession. During Doom's invasion of Latveria to oust the dictator Zorba, Kristoff was orphaned while in close proximity to Doom, who was infuriated that someone under his "protection" would be killed. When Zorba was deposed, Doom took Kristoff in as an heir. He was occasionally used as a sounding board for Doom's gloating or boasting, or to showcase more aspects of Doom's personality and megalomania (Tom DeFalco explained at a Con that this was the purpose of supporting characters- to outline more aspects of your characters' personalities)- once, the young boy was trying to be helpful in suggesting Doom ally with Magneto, who was "almost as great" as Doom was. Doom, rather than being enthused, was INFURIATED at the boy for suggesting anyone could be nearly equal to him, and drove him away.

-When Doom was thought dead at the hands of Terrax, Doom's robots took Kristoff and enacted a failsafe of their master's- Kristoff had Doom's intellect and memories downloaded into his own brain, thus "rewriting" him into a duplicate of Doom himself. They stopped just short by accident, so he wasn't QUITE Doom, but he thought himself so. He actually blew up the Baxter Building, failing to kill the FF only because he didn't "remember" Sue having Force Fields. "Doom" was captured, and the FF were horrified to find a CHILD within the armor- he was kept at the FF's new base (the Four Freedoms Plaza) while they tried to cure him. Eventually, the real Doom returned, but Kristoff attacked this "imposter" and even drove him away, when Doom confessed that failing to save his mother's soul from Mephisto was "my one failure"- Doombots, who had stood by, unable to determine the real Doom, assumed this was un-Doomlike to say, and believed that Kristoff was the real one.

-Finally, the writers tired of this- Doom simply walked into his castle one day and uttered a codeword that immediately reverted Kristoff to his original personality. Kristoff was sent as a decoy to battle Mr. Fantastic, and was killed and placed in stasis. He was revived by Nathaniel Richards and actually became a Fantastic Four member for a short while (joining alongside Scott Lang, befriending his young daughter Cassie), at some point becoming an adult. This was during the "Reed Is Dead" era that also saw Namor wear a ponytail and stubble, while Susan Richards dressed in a one-piece bikini with the "4" on her chest cut out to show off her cleavage, in case you forgot that little part of history. He left on semi-friendly terms with the FF (in particular Cassie), but he eventually went off with Nathaniel and entered "comics limbo" for a time, going nowhere. He went off with Doom, left him, tried to take over Latveria himself, tried to become emancipated, and more, and generally now just sits as this uncomfortable "side character" that others have since gotten sick of, as writers barely ever use him but are forced to at least acknowledge his backstory. In Hickman's FF run, Kristoff does little else than exist as a way for Doom to cure his brain damage and memory loss- downloading his stolen memories back into Doom.

-In some of his incarnations (usually when channelling Doom's exact personality), Kristoff is basically EXACTLY like Doom himself, keeping the exact same stats (minus the Magic, since that wasn't as big a deal for Doom back in the day). Later on, it SEEMS like he kept going being as smart as Doom, but they never really SHOWED it, and thus it's pretty much canon that he's just not as good as Doom anymore. Every story I've seen featuring him (mostly recent ones, to be fair) pretty much have him as a back-up Doom guy in Latveria doing Doom-Lite stuff and generally not mattering too much. A full-blown Doctor Doom is PL 13 and much more well-rounded, while Kristoff apparently just has a SORT-OF Doom Skillset that doesn't accomplish as much (compare Doom's inventive genius to Kristoff basically never inventing anything).
Honestly, Kristoff's potential was WASTED. Having him be friendly with Cassie was a perfect way to introduce him into Young Avengers. He'dve been a perfect verbal foil to Iron Lad(owing to his partial Doom programming & the fact he's a Richards), even as a possible Romantic Rival for Cassie's affections. If you want him as a Villian, fine. He still play's fairly well off of them.
Sidney369
Posts: 328
Joined: Tue Dec 01, 2020 3:18 am

Re: Jab’s Builds! (The Mad Thinker! H.E.R.B.I.E.! DOCTOR DOOM!)

Post by Sidney369 »

MacynSnow wrote: Wed Feb 03, 2021 1:55 am
Sidney369 wrote: Wed Feb 03, 2021 1:33 am The Doombot from Avengers A.I. is currently a supporting character in Runaways.

Also, currently on the forum for the Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe, Who Watches the Watchers, there is a debate on whether or not Reed Richards is skilled at judo and karate, as some Silver Age stories mention that he taught Sue and Johnny how to fight.
Weirdly enough, Reed actually IS a Black Belt in both Judo & Karate, but is out-of practice since he doesn't spend enough time training.
Image
Of course, this may not actually be canon, as things were played fast and loose in the early Silver Age (as mentioned in the discussion about Kala's first story a few days ago)
Always ask before you use someone's Original Character.
Never ever use them without permission. Only Villains do that.
User avatar
Davies
Posts: 5080
Joined: Thu Mar 23, 2017 10:37 pm
Location: Edmonton, AB

Re: Doombots

Post by Davies »

Jabroniville wrote: Tue Feb 02, 2021 8:59 pm John Byrne prominently used one to explain away a story in which Arcade struck a match on Doom's armored body. Figuring that Doom would NEVER allow such casual disrespect from a goober like Arcade, Doom demanded to know in which way the Doombot executed the assassin. When he discovered that Arcade was allowed to do this and live, he commanded the Doombot to self-destruct.
Making the thing even more amusing, in a sick sort of way, is that this nonsense was revisited in 2014, when Doom was pontificating about his history to Loki in the latter's book, noting that just as his Doombots are thought to be him, he is sometimes thought to be a Doombot, and mentioned, "I once let Arcade strike a match on me, just to maintain that confusion."

The way I run it, if Doom ever behaves in a somewhat admirable manner ... that's when you know it's a Doombot, because he's programmed the things to always act in the honorable and dignified way that he wants to be seen, while he himself is a cad and bounder.
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
RainOnTheSun
Posts: 1152
Joined: Wed May 03, 2017 7:20 am

Re: Jab’s Builds! (The Mad Thinker! H.E.R.B.I.E.! DOCTOR DOOM!)

Post by RainOnTheSun »

If I were writing the FF (which I shouldn't), every defeat of Doctor Doom would be a Doombot. Every one. The Doom who destroys a Doombot for being disrespected or inept? Also a Doombot. Doombots all the way down. Is there a real Doctor Doom? Does it matter?
Jabroniville
Posts: 24690
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Zorba

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image

ZORBA (Prince Zorba Haasen Fortunov of Latveria)
Created By:
Marv Wolfman & Keith Pollard
First Appearance: The Fantastic Four #198 (Sept. 1978)
Role: Freedom Fighter
Group Affiliations: None
PL 9 (109)
STRENGTH
3 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 7 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 3 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Deception 2 (+5)
Expertise (Politics) 1 (+4)
Insight 2 (+5)
Technology 3 (+6)

Advantages:
Benefit 4 (Ruler of Latveria), Leadership, Ranged Attack 3

Powers:
"Cybernetic Nega-Beam Eye" Blast 11 (Feats: Improved Critical) (Extras: Penetrating 6) [29]

Offense:
Unarmed +7 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Nega-Beam +7 (+11 Ranged Damage, DC 26)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +3, Fortitude +5, Will +5

Complications:
Motivation (Latveria)- Zorba is the true heir to the Latverian throne, and seeks to take it back from Dr. Doom, and free his people with a series of reforms.
Responsibility (Mad)- Zorba, paranoid and anxious, soon loses control when he becomes unpopular. Eventually he sends Doombots to kill all of Latveria, and no longer trusts anyone.

Total: Abilities: 58 / Skills: 8--4 / Advantages: 8 / Powers: 29 / Defenses: 10 (109)

-As Doctor Doom has been the off-and-on dictator of Latveria since his debut, it's easy to forget there was a time when he WASN'T the leader of the country, and was in fact the child of nobody Roma peasants. The original monarch was King Zorba, who was overthrown and slain by Doom- Prince Zorba here is his son. Captured and experimented upon on Doom's orders, he gained super-powers and escaped to lead a resistance against Doom. A couple storylines later, and he in fact SUCCEEDED, seeing Doom off after a plan to "pass power" to a man who was actually a controlled clone had failed.

-Zorba was elected into power, but met with resistance over the taxes required to fund his various reforms. His revocation of Doom's horrible laws sent the country into poverty & crime, a sick foreshadowing of what happens in the REAL WORLD when things like this happen. Evil Dictators are awful as balls, but at least there's ORDER- the infamous quote "at least he made the trains run on time" is often well-founded in real life, sick as it is to see monsters take control of millions of people. Zorba, paranoid over traitors in his midst, fired his cabinet and had the Doombots acting as his personal secret police. Going mad, he sent them to kill everyone in Latveria- at this point, Doom escaped thanks to an underground movement of loyalists, and executed Zorba, the only person in the way of Doom's claim to the throne. So more or less someone went "Back To Basics" while also kinda showing just WHY Doom ruled a country that didn't seem to mind him- there were rebels against him, but it was often shown that the alternative was WORSE.

-No great warrior, Zorba is a half-decent leader who isn't quite good enough at reforming government to change things for the better.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Mon Aug 29, 2022 6:07 am, edited 2 times in total.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24690
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Jab’s Builds! (The Mad Thinker! H.E.R.B.I.E.! DOCTOR DOOM!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Also, of importance only to me, Zorba is the last of the "Z" builds I had to transfer over to Echoes. So after like 4.5 years here, I'm finally done re-posting TWO letters of the alphabet for my index :).
Post Reply