Jab’s Builds! (Beaker! Sam Eagle! Miss Piggy! The Swedish Chef!)

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

Halfcourt

Post by Jabroniville »

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The home team advantage goes to Halfcourt, the jumpshot jammin' giraffe. With his beehive basketball pumped and primed, Halfcourt's ready for some rough one-on-one action with any Foot fool who dares to come out 'n play. Halfcourt'll pump 'em up with his tire pump pistol and dribble 'em straight to a slam dunk - that's two points for the Green Team! It's always a game of sudden death when the Shredhead tries to take on Halfcourt. But with the help of his extendo neck, Halfcourt's got the height and the skill to score. And with his attachable backboard shield, Halfcourt is always ready for a game or a good fight. He's one Turtle Team player who knows the score - Turtles win, Foot Clan loses! So all you street warriors out there, watch out for the baddest blacktop bouncer to ever bash in a backboard. He's Halfcourt and when he shoots - he scores!

HALFCOURT
Role:
Toy-Only Character, Giraffe-Man
Played By: N/A
Group Affiliations: None
PL 7 (93)
STRENGTH
5 STAMINA 5 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 2

Bodacious Skills:
Acrobatics 3 (+7)
Athletics 4 (+8)
Expertise (Basketball Player) 4 (+8) -- Uses Agility
Insight 2 (+3)
Perception 5 (+6)
Persuasion 2 (+4)

Gnarly Advantages:
Benefit (Uses Athletics To Feint), Close Attack, Equipment 5 (Gun, Shield, B-Ball), Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Move-By Action, Ranged Attack 6, Sidekick 7

Radical Equipment:
"Tire Pump Gun" Blast 6 (Extras: Multiattack) (18)
"Basketball" (1)
"Backboard Shield" Enhanced Defenses 2 (2)

Tubular Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 2 (Acute Scent, Low-Light Vision) [2]

Righteous Offense:
Unarmed +9 (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Tire Pump Gun +8 (+6 Ranged Damage, DC 21)
Initiative +8

Awesome Defenses:
Dodge +8 (+9 Shield, DC 18-19), Parry +8 (+9 Shield, DC 18-19), Toughness +5, Fortitude +6, Will +4

Bummer Complications:
Prejudice (Freak)

Total: Abilities: 54 / Skills: 20--10 / Advantages: 23 / Powers: 2 / Defenses: 4 (93)

RUFF THE REF
Role:
Sidekick
PL 2 (32)
STRENGTH
-3 STAMINA -1 AGILITY 1
FIGHTING 2 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Athletics 10 (+7)
Expertise (Referee) 6 (+6)
Stealth 2 (+7 Size)

Advantages:
None

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 3 (Acute & Extended Scent, Low-Light Vision) [3]
Movement 1 (Environmental Adaptation- Aquatic) [2]
Flight 4 (Flaws: Winged) [4]

"Natural Size" Shrinking 4 (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [9]
(-1 Strength, +2 Dodge/Parry, +4 Stealth, -2 Intimidation)

Offense:
Unarmed +2 (-3 Damage, DC 12)
Initiative +1

Defenses:
Dodge +4 (DC 14), Parry +4 (DC 14), Toughness -1, Fortitude +1, Will +2

Complications:
Disabled (Injury)- Ruff's leg is in a sling.

Total: Abilities: 0 / Skills: 18--9 / Advantages: 0 / Powers: 18 / Defenses: 5 (32)


-One of the silliest Toy-Only Characters was Halfcourt, the goofy GIRAFFE MAN, who, naturally, was a basketball player. Now, Giraffes = Tall = Ideal for basketball, right? But... it's not like all that neck height is particularly useful at the hoop. At least he's got sorta-long arms. Halfcourt actually came with a gun made out of a TIRE PUMP, and was one of the few guys to come with a spherical object (a basketball, naturally), instead of the usual "flat stuff off of a sprue". Like a lot of the weirder figs, he came with a monochromatic sidekick, a Flamingo referee (??), who's lost most sidekicks, but lacks Perception (since, well, he's a REFEREE).
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

King Lionheart

Post by Jabroniville »

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Good knight, Foot Clan, wherever you are. King Lionheart is on the prowl and taking no prisoners. This royal robed roughcat is the result of Shredder's dirty work. Formerly a Shakespearean actor, Shredder tried turning this cat into "king of the mutants." But the Turtle dudes busted loose this beast before Shredder could give him the ol' whammy. Forever grateful, this King Arthur of the city sewers has joined the Turtles' crusade to wipe out the Foot Clan. He's the master of the slap 'em silly sceptre - and no defense can stop the penetrating power of his extra-cool Excalibur. So join allegiance with King Lionheart - ruler of righteousness and pizza-lovin' lion.

KING LIONHEART
Role:
Mutant Lion
Played By: N/A
Group Affiliations: None
PL 8 (91)
STRENGTH
5 STAMINA 6 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 7 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 4

Bodacious Skills:
Athletics 5 (+10)
Close Combat (Unarmed & Claws) 2 (+9)
Deception 2 (+6)
Expertise (Acting) 4 (+8)
Insight 2 (+3)
Intimidation 3 (+7)
Perception 4 (+5)

Gnarly Advantages:
Equipment 3 (Sceptre, Shield), Improved Trip, Ranged Attack 2, Startle

Radical Equipment:
"Slappin' Silly Sceptre" Strength-Damage +2 (2)
"Extra-Cool Excalibur" Strength-Damage +3 (Feats: Improved Critical, Penetrating 5) (9)
"Sovereign Safety Shield" Enhanced Defenses 1 (2)

Tubular Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 5 (Low-Light Vision, Acute & Extended Scent, Extended & Ultra-Hearing) [5]
"Claws" Strength-Damage +1 [1]

Righteous Offense:
Unarmed +9 (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Claws +9 (+6 Damage, DC 21)
Scepter +7 (+7 Damage, DC 22)
Excalibur +7 (+8 Damage, DC 24)
Initiative +3

Awesome Defenses:
Dodge +8 (+9 Shield, DC 18-19), Parry +8 (+9 Shield, DC 18-19), Toughness +6, Fortitude +6, Will +4

Bummer Complications:
Prejudice (Freak)

Total: Abilities: 58 / Skills: 22--11 / Advantages: 7 / Powers: 6 / Defenses: 9 (91)

-Another Toy-Only character. King Lionheart is apparently NOT a king at all, but a Shakespearean actor who was turned into a lion by Shredder. Exactly what kind of a nefarious plot involves making an ACTOR into a Mutant is beyond me, but that would only be like #20 in the Silliest Shredder Schemes list. He basically combines a bunch of Arthurian stuff together into one character- Noble Lion, King, Sceptre, Shield & Excalibur itself. Which makes you wonder where they got the SHAKESPEAREAN ACTOR bit from. The toy isn't... BAD, but kind of has a weird face (looking more wide-eyed and manic than angry). And the "one uncovered leg" thing is CLASSIC Ninja Turtles toyline- they LOVE leaving the "animal bits" exposed, even if somebody's wearing full clothes.
Jabroniville
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Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Wyrm

Post by Jabroniville »

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One day, a mild-mannered trash man slipped and fell headlong into Shredder's garbage bin. The resulting nightmare: Wyrm - a planetarium warped and wiggly creepy crawler. Embarrassed by his slimy stench, this greedy garbage ghoul gathers gunk from the bowels of the sewers. This head honcho of the Unsanitation Department has a voracious appetite for munchy mouth worms, which make his eyes bulge with hunger. Tenderizing rancid rubbish with his trash compactor mallet, Wyrm's got the belly of a beast - and the breath to prove it. Only Muckman's foul enough to be Wyrm's friend. Mostly, though, no one likes to get too close to Wyrm - and that's why he's one solitary slitherer.

WYRM
Role:
Hideous Freak
Played By: N/A
Group Affiliations: None
PL 8 (66)
STRENGTH
6 STAMINA 6 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 0

Bodacious Skills:
Close Combat (Unarmed) 2 (+10)
Expertise (Garbage Man) 3 (+3)
Intimidation 7 (+7)

Gnarly Advantages:
Equipment 1 (Mallet, Knife), Fast Grab, Improved Hold, Improved Trip, Power Attack, Startle

Radical Equipment:
"Trash Compactor Mallet/Porcupounder" Strength-Damage +2 (Feats: Reach) (3)
"Worm Knife" Strength-Damage +1 (Feats: Improved Critical) (2)

Tubular Powers:
Immunity 2 (Drowning, Over-Eating) [2]
Movement 1 (Slithering) [2]
Burrowing 4 [4]

Righteous Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+6 Damage, DC 21)
Knife +8 (+7 Damage, DC 22)
Mallet +8 (+8 Damage, DC 23)
Initiative +3

Awesome Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +6, Fortitude +7, Will +4

Bummer Complications:
Prejudice (Freak)

Total: Abilities: 34 / Skills: 12--6 / Advantages: 6 / Powers: 8 / Defenses: 12 (66)

-Wyrm is one of the more hideous, yet dynamic-looking toys, but only appeared in the Archie Comics (fighting Scumbug in a random issue before being electrocuted- both later reappeared) and, much later, the Nickelodeon series. I can see why the cartoon didn't use him in a way- he's got the same origin as Muckman! But really, this guy's all about the design- a giant face with bulging eyes, multiple bright colors making him look unbelievably garish, and it's capped off with a gross, sucker-ridden tentacle for a leg! These guys REALLY knew how to make gross designs!

-In the Archie Comics, Wyrm was a big naked yellow monster who was a Norwegian Flatworm that got mutated by some dumped Mutagen- he attacked Scumbug (the mutant exterminator) and overpoweroed him, but they were both electrocuted. Many issues later, a bunch of worms were clinging to a wounded Scumbug- they promptly reformed into Wyrm, then attacked some reporters. Scumbug recovers and attacks once more- the two end up running afoul of ANOTHER villain, who freezes them with a gun that turns them into statues. In IDW Comics, Wyrm is an "aggregate" creature resulting from numerous flatworms being exposed to Mutagen- it collected tons of refuse as a substitute for social interaction- he soon went mad, fighting Michelangelo, but a cop whose brother was murdered by Wyrm set off a fire that killed him, leaving only a single flatworm.

-In the Nick Toon, the character oddly looks just like the toy (but with a bigger head), yet has a totally different concept and origin story- Wyrm is now one of "three reality-bending creators of chaos" who were trapped in the fifth dimension millennia ago. When unleashed, he will grant three wishes- if he grants a third, he is free. He acts funny and silly, but he's actually impatient and temperamental. Casey Jones ultimately re-seals him before he can be freed. This whole episode is identical to a Super Robot Monkey Team Hyperforce Go! episode which was written by the same writer- what are the ethics in something like that? I know various TV writers consider that unethical (you're being paid TWICE to do the same work).

-Wyrm is a pretty standard Strong-Ish Grappler, using some standard-issue weapons. The most-unique thing about him is his unquenchable appetite, and his Slithering/Burrowing set-up.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Sun Mar 06, 2022 7:55 am, edited 1 time in total.
Skavenger
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Armaggon! Venus de Milo! Usagi Yojimbo!)

Post by Skavenger »

I was going to do a lengthy post about how I initially fully dismissed Usagi Yojimbo as "that comic based on the rabbit from the TMNT comic" when I first saw it, and then later learned it was an (ugh) "indy" comic back when I was fully into DC and Marvel and thought that Image was about as "indy" as I'd ever want to get (oh, those innocent days), but after multiple attempts to put into words just how engrossing I found Usagi Yojimbo to be, I realized that (even without the artwork because ComicsAlliance went defunct some time ago), Chris Sims did a better job explaining why the series is so amazing than I ever could.
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Armaggon! Venus de Milo! Usagi Yojimbo!)

Post by catsi563 »

One of the TMNT games i ran had the PCs run into usagi in the past. they had great fun in the initial misunderstanding where he trounced the lot of them then joined with them to rout the bad guys in a samurai 7 style adventure

one of the PICs actually challenged him to a rematch and actually fought him to a draw which had the bunch of us cheering evey roll before time ran out and the PCs were flung forward on their time travel adventure
Dr. Silverback has wryly observed that this is like trying to teach lolcats about Shakespeare

Showdown at the Litterbox

Catsi stories
Jabroniville
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Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Armaggon! Venus de Milo! Usagi Yojimbo!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Skavenger wrote: Mon May 24, 2021 6:35 pm I was going to do a lengthy post about how I initially fully dismissed Usagi Yojimbo as "that comic based on the rabbit from the TMNT comic" when I first saw it, and then later learned it was an (ugh) "indy" comic back when I was fully into DC and Marvel and thought that Image was about as "indy" as I'd ever want to get (oh, those innocent days), but after multiple attempts to put into words just how engrossing I found Usagi Yojimbo to be, I realized that (even without the artwork because ComicsAlliance went defunct some time ago), Chris Sims did a better job explaining why the series is so amazing than I ever could.
Cool! I'll take a read through that along with the 90 other tabs I have open on my browser, lol. Looks like that site is still operating, but all their images died.
Jabroniville
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Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Agent Bishop

Post by Jabroniville »

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People love the 2003 series, but this is a complete failure of a design to me. It's literally just a "Man In Black". Who would want a toy of this character? The 1980s toyline had amazing designs all over the place, especially for major characters, and this is just a guy in a suit.

AGENT BISHOP (John Bishop)
Role:
Dark Government Figure
Played By: David Zen Mansley
Group Affiliations: The U.S. Government
PL 10 (168)
STRENGTH
6 STAMINA 6 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 14 DEXTERITY 5
INTELLIGENCE 5 AWARENESS 4 PRESENCE 4

Bodacious Skills:
Athletics 4 (+10
Deception 8 (+12)
Expertise (History) 9 (+14)
Expertise (Military) 5 (+10)
Expertise (Alien Lore) 3 (+8)
Expertise (Science) 7 (+12)
Insight 4 (+8)
Intimidation 4 (+8)
Investigation 6 (+10)
Perception 2 (+6)
Persuasion 3 (+7)
Steath 3 (+7)
Technology 8 (+13)

Gnarly Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Equipment 6 (Anything Imaginable), Improved Critical (Unarmed), Ranged Attack 6, Takedown 2

Tubular Powers:
Immunity 2 (Aging, Disease) [2]
Regeneration 5 [5]

Righteous Offense:
Unarmed +14 (+6 Damage, DC 21)
Laser Guns +11 (+6 Ranged Damage, DC 21)
Initiative +3

Awesome Defenses:
Dodge +14 (DC 24), Parry +14 (DC 24), Toughness +6, Fortitude +8, Will +8

Bummer Complications:
Obsession (Killing Aliens)- Agent Bishop carries a permanent grudge owing to being experimented on by aliens centuries ago.
Obsession (In Control)- Bishop only shows negative emotion when someone tricks him- he prefers to always be in control.

Total: Abilities: 96 / Skills: 66--33 / Advantages: 16 / Powers: 7 / Defenses: 16 (168)

-Agent Bishop is one of the top antagonists of the 2003 cartoon series- a dark government figure, Bishop works to protect the Earth from alien invasion, and immediately shows his hand by capturing the Turtles and trying to DISSECT them! We learn his full backstory later- he was a soldier during the early 19th century, and was abducted by "Grey Aliens" and given superhuman strength and agelessness, living to modern times but giving him extrerme paranoia. He created a cyborg Slayer, eventually becoming this show's Rat King, tortured the mutant Leatherhead, and later lost an old friend to mutation and a fire. Allying with Baxter Stockman, he failed one too many times and had his funding cut by the President, but staged an alien invasion to regain it. He ends up a temporary ally of the Turtles in the battle against Demon Shredder, however.

-In the Fast Forward season, a further-altered Bishop still lives a hundred years into the future, where he is now President of the Pan-Galactic Alliance, keeping intergalactic peace through diplomacy- this eventually proves to the Turtles that he has changed. We eventually learn why- many years ago, Stockman was seemingly killed by an experiment and Bishop himself would have joined him had one of their alien test subjects not rescued him, despite Bishop's inhumane treatment of it. Touched and changed, Bishop realized that not aliens were evil.

-Agent Bishop is shown to be a sadistic, calm, collected individual, but breaks down when anyone puts one over on him. He's also apparently a good enough fighter to hold off all four Turtles simutaneously at one point. Overall, he's a highly-skilled PL 10 hand-to-hand fighter.
Jabroniville
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Doctor El

Post by Jabroniville »

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The Shredder went on safari to steal subjects from the jungle for an evil experiment. Shredhed was impressed with Doctor El's witch doctorin' ways - so he went the way of the Ooze. But what Shredder didn't know was that elephants are big, friendly fellas. Now this beast of burden is a fond follower of the Ninja Turtles.

DOCTOR EL
Role:
Toy-Only Character, Witch Doctor, Mutant Elephant
Played By: N/A
Group Affiliations: None
PL 8 (81)
STRENGTH
7 STAMINA 7 AGILITY 0
FIGHTING 7 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 2

Bodacious Skills:
Close Combat (Unarmed) 2 (+9)
Expertise (Witch Doctor) 10 (+12)
Insight 3 (+5)
Intimidation 4 (+6)
Perception 4 (+6)
Persuasion 1 (+3)
Stealth 2 (+2)

Gnarly Advantages:
Benefit (Ambidexterity), Equipment 2 (Nunchucks), Ritualist

Radical Equipment:
"Bone Nunchucks" Strength-Damage +1 (Feats: Split, Improved Disarm) (3)
"Spear" Strength-Damage +2 (Feats: Reach) (3)

Tubular Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 3 (Acute & Extended Scent, Extended Hearing) [3]
"Tremor-Detecting Feet" Senses 4 (Accurate Ranged x2 Touch) (Flaws: Limited to Half-Perception) [2]
"Trunk" Extra Limb 1 [1]

Righteous Offense:
Unarmed +9 (+7 Damage, DC 22)
Nunchucks +7 (+8 Damage, DC 23)
Spear +7 (+9 Damage, DC 24)
Initiative +0

Awesome Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +7, Fortitude +8, Will +5

Bummer Complications:
Prejudice (Freak)

Total: Abilities: 54 / Skills: 26--13 / Advantages: 4 / Powers: 6 / Defenses: 13 (90)

-Doctor El's one of the last "Toy-Only" characters, and I actually find him one of the better one-off figures they did- proof that the line didn't just totally crap out at the end. Doctor El has the curious origin of being a real-live Witch Doctor who was actually TURNED GOOD by exposure to Mutagen- all because elephants are actually super-nice creatures genetically! As he's a guy with a very tiny bio, and no real impact on the overall universe, I kind of had to guess as to what a "Witch Doctor" is really capable of in this universe. I imagine a lot of Ritualistic type stuff, as the TMNT typically did not encounter Marvel & DC-style Spell-Slingers. He's stronger and tougher than the usual Mutant, but is still about PL 7.5 most of the way.
Jabroniville
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Lord Dregg

Post by Jabroniville »

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Fanart by Decepticoin.

LORD DREGG
Role:
The Second "Big Bad"
Played By: Tony Jay (!!)
Group Affiliations: The TechnoGang
PL 10 (156)
STRENGTH
5 STAMINA 6 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 7 AWARENESS 4 PRESENCE 4

Bodacious Skills:
Deception 8 (+12)
Expertise (Science) 10 (+17)
Insight 2 (+6)
Intimidation 4 (+8)
Perception 4 (+8)
Technology 10 (+17)
Vehicles 4 (+6)

Gnarly Advantages:
Benefit 5 (Galactic Conqueror), Equipment 3 (Laser Sword, Gear), Ranged Attack 8, Startle

Radical Equipment:
"Laser Sword" Strength-Damage +3 (Improved Critical)

Tubular Powers:
"Laser Eyes & Hands" Blast 10 (Feats: Split) [21]

Righteous Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Laser Sword +10 (+8 Damage, DC 23)
Laser Eyes +10 (+10 Ranged Damage, DC 25)
Initiative +3

Awesome Defenses:
Dodge +11 (DC 21), Parry +11 (DC 21), Toughness +6, Fortitude +8, Will +8

Bummer Complications:
Enemy (The Turtles)- Lord Dregg's plan to rule the universe is in danger of foiling by the Turtles.

Total: Abilities: 82 / Skills: 42--21 / Advantages: 17 / Powers: 21 / Defenses: 15 (156)

Lord Dregg- The New Big Bad:
-Lord Dregg is part of the infamous two final seasons of the original TMNT cartoon- the "Red Sky Seasons", where the show had a darker theme, red skies (which was the style at the times), and a new cast of bad guys. Shredder & Krang were trapped in Dimension X, and were replaced by this new guy. Dregg is... the most generic villain imaginable. "Lord" in his name, an ugly face, a cape, and with intentions to conquer the universe- he's your archetypical "Dark Lord" loser that's generally advised against in Fantasy novels, as they're a dime-a-dozen and tend to be very forgettable as a result. Even more tragically for this series, he's never comedic and doesn't joke around. At least they got Tony Jay for the role, so I can imagine that was pretty cool.

-Dregg appeared with his army, the TechnoGang (a group of bug-like soldiers), and his #2 HiTech. He is stopped attempting to rob the Federal Reserve Bank to supply world conquest, and carries a grudge- he begins a propaganda campaign to discredit the Turtles and prop himself up as mankind's savior (getting set up in Dregg Tower after "proving himself" by purifying polluted water), and April ultimately has to break the truth. He brought Shredder & Krang back once, but re-exiled them (from which they NEVER RETURNED) when they revealed they intended to turn on him. He throws HiTech out of airlock for failing him and uses a new #2 named Mung. In the final battle, the Turtles use Krang's abandoned Android Body and a special technique taught them by Splinter earlier in the episode to defeat Dregg, and his own android body self-destructs, taking him with it. In the Series Finale, Splinter declares the Turtles are now his equals, and as masters, no longer need a guide.

NickToons Dregg:
-Shockingly, even LORD DREGG shows up in the 2012 Nick Toon- here, he is Vringath Dregg, the "Lord of All Insect Life In the Universe". The Turtles literally bump into him while in an alien marketplace, and he swears vengeance after they argue and make it worse. For several episodes, he pursues them, hiring the bounty hunter Armaggon to kill them. He nearly succeeds in killing Raphael's beloved Mona Lisa, causing the enraged Raph to decapitate Dregg, revealing a robotic head underneath the original. Raph defeats Dregg once more, and Dregg continues the chase, but is betrayed by an ally named Mozar and sent out of airlock, nearly killing him. He is finally killed during a big battle where the Salamandrian commander sets off a chain reaction in Dregg's ship, and it explodes, vaporizing Dregg once and for all.

Lord Dregg's Might:
-Lord Dregg is a PL 10 Blaster and PL 9 melee fighter who is capable of challenging the four PL 8 Turtles by himself, but typically uses minions and powerful gear instead. In the Series Finale, he absorbs the power of five powerful aliens into a suit some microscopic bugs make for him, making him the most powerful villain yet.
Jabroniville
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Carter

Post by Jabroniville »

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CARTER
Role:
Human Buddy
Played By: Bumper Robinson

-Another "Red Sky Seasons" character, Carter is the NEW "Human Buddy" of the Turtles, effectively replacing Zach. A biracial-looking kid in punker (I hate punkers...) clothes, he is initially disliked by the Turtles for always wanting to do things his way, but they finally see him as a proper team member. He was later exposed to Mutagen, giving him the power to turn into a large yellow mutant with super-strength. He has a lot of "Cool Kid" features to make kids want to be like him, such as a motorocycle and leather jacket, and was often instrumental in defeating Lord Dregg (who was both powerful AND super-smart). However, Carter eventually just got "Put On A Bus", travelling to the future with two other allies, seeing it as the only way to cure his mutation (Note: Poochie died on the way to his home planet).
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Venus! Usagi Yojimbo! Agent Bishop! Lord Dregg!)

Post by Ares »

Honestly, Peter Laird's dislike for adding a female Turtle to the mix in general, Venus de Milo in particular. With Venus, she's got a lot of very Mary Sue-ish qualities (being a chi-channeling martial arts mystic who the other four Turtles are all pining over), and she was created as part of one of the worst adaptation of the Turtles franchise (along with the recent Rise of the TMNT and the older Turtles as a Rock Band gimmick).

I get the desire to add to the Turtles lore with characters like Venus and Jennika, and even the reason to have them outside of just leaving your mark on a franchise. Having another female character beyond April for the Turtles to interact with is seen as a positive thing, and having a new family member throws off the Turtles established dynamic, preventing it from being stale. At the same time, the dynamic the Turtles and Splinter have is cherished specifically because it's established while having room to grow. Having a new "family member" pop up like this is frequently seen as intrusive at worst, and as a case of poorly handled "suddenly introduced sibling" at best.

Characters like Carter aren't bad in theory, but instead of just being another recurring ally like April and Casey, Carter tends to get pushed as basically a 5th member of the Turtle team, which as a very "look at this cool new guy" aspect to it. We're expected to accept and care about this new guy without any real reason to, and once again, his presence is seen as intrusive.

Gargoyles handled the addition of Angela to the cast extremely well. For one thing, her presence makes sense as Goliath and Demona's daughter, given the pair were in a relationship before and their eggs were sent to an island where time passed slowly. It at least makes more sense than most "suddenly introduced children" stories. For another, we were given time to get to know her over several episodes, she proved herself to Goliath and Elisa, and her dynamic with Goliath mostly affected just him rather than throwing off the entire clan dynamic. And while there was one episode when Brooklyn, Broadway and Lexington were fighting over (back before Lex was established as gay, which I can write off as him just being competitive with his 'brothers'), Angela quickly shut that down and allowed for a more natural relationship with Broadway to progress.

Basically, Angela was shown how to do it right, or at the very least, how to do it better than most of these types of characters. With the Turtles it makes even less sense, since the Turtles are this one group of experimental mutants and not really a species unto themselves. One issue of the Mirage Comic I believe actually had April contemplating how sad it was that the Turtles couldn't really have kids. The four of them are these unique creatures that, when they die, will be gone for good. No lineage of Turtles lasting into the future, these four are it.
"My heart is as light as a child's, a feeling I'd nearly forgotten. And by helping those in need, I will be able to keep that feeling alive."
- Captain Marvel SHAZAM! : Power of Hope (2000)

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Jabroniville
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Spider Bytez

Post by Jabroniville »

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SPIDER BYTEZ (Vic)
Role:
Minor Villain
Played By: N/A
Group Affiliations: None
PL 9 (139)
STRENGTH
7 STAMINA 7 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 11 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -1 AWARENESS -1 PRESENCE -1

Bodacious Skills:
Acrobatics 5 (+10)
Athletics 5 (+12)
Deception 6 (+5)
Intimidation 5 (+4)
Perception 3 (+2)

Gnarly Advantages:
Ranged Attack 8, Taunt

Tubular Powers:
Extra Limbs 4 [4]
Movement 2 (Wall-Crawling, Swinging) [4]

"Corrosive Acid Spit" Blast 6 (Extras: Secondary Effect) Linked to Weaken Toughness 6 (Extras: Ranged, Affects Objects, Progressive +2) (48) -- [49]
  • AE: "Webbing" Snare 6 (Feats: Accurate) (19)
Righteous Offense:
Unarmed +11 (+7 Damage, DC 22)
Webbing +8 (+6 Ranged Affliction, DC 16)
Acid Spit +10 (+6 Ranged Damage & Weaken, DC 21 & 16)
Initiative +5

Awesome Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +11 (DC 21), Toughness +7, Fortitude +8, Will +4

Bummer Complications:
Prejudice (Freak)
Enemy ("The Kung-Fu Frogs!")- The imbecilic Vic filmed the Turtles hoping to get rich off the footage, and resents them after he got mutated during their fight with the Kraang.

Total: Abilities: 54 / Skills: 24--12 / Advantages: 9 / Powers: 57 / Defenses: 7 (139)

-Spider Bytez was a name given to a one-off duo of monsters in the 2003 show's Back to the Sewer season. They were created by a demonically-possessed April, and beaten quickly by Casey Jones & Raphael.

-In the 2012 Nick Toon, the name is given to a big, fat, annoying guy voiced by comedian Lewis Black. Looking and acting an awful lot like Carl from Aqua Teen Hunger Force, Vic was filming the Turtles and planning to get rich off the footage. However, he was abducted by the Kraang, who wanted the footage for themselves, and he ended up mutated into a hideous, rotund spider-monster with a mouth in its stomach and arms surrounding its head-body. In this, he looked an awful lot like Octo from Clayfighter 2. Even more furious over this turn of events, he absolutely wrecked three of the Turtles in a fight (this was actually when I realized that the heroes were DEFINITELY low-level, PL 8 heroes in this continuity as well, as a brand-new villain can effortlessly trash the team), but Raphael, sent home due to his temper, returned in a calmer state and carefully used his skills to defeat Vic.

-Spider Bytez only gets one more appearance for real- he is chased down and captured by the Kraang, then freed by the Turtles. As Black was a celebrity "get" of sorts, I can't imagine the creators wanted him as a regular. The character only appears in one background scene after that- watching Mondo Gecko's race.

-Spider Bytez is one of those one-off foes who does really well at first, but is eventually “figured out”- he easily goads Raphael into getting too aggressive and making mistakes, but is beaten once Raph becomes more level-headed.
Skavenger
Posts: 335
Joined: Wed Jan 27, 2021 5:56 pm
Location: Seattle, Washington, USA

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Venus! Usagi Yojimbo! Agent Bishop! Lord Dregg!)

Post by Skavenger »

ComicsAlliance was a pretty good site during its time, providing some decent "comics are cool, but..." perspectives when the industry got out of control but doing what it could to support some more indy titles. Chris Sims was particularly fun to read, he later went on to write the X-Men '92 comic book during the more recent Secret Wars, he's been interviewed as a "Batmanologist," and... well, was involved in a harassment problem with Valerie D'Orazio. Having listened to his podcast a bit and read his writings, I feel like he really does sincerely regret his involvement and his actions, but it did sour my attitude for a bit. But it's that "it happened, it's serious it happened, his actions since then have not shown he approves of such behavior any more, and he did (eventually) do a thorough apology for the behavior and acknowledge that he was fully the villain in the situation..." issue where you wonder about second chances and whether someone is the same as who they once were.

Side note, having just picked up the second Ghostbusters/TMNT trade, I found the matching up of personalities interesting. Peter and Michaelangelo discussing Mikey's natural knack for psychology and reading people, Ray talking to Raph about his anger issues, Winston discussing what it means to be a leader with Leo, and Egon and Donny having a (for Egon) emotional discussion about what it means to die and come back to life.
Ares wrote: Tue May 25, 2021 3:14 pm I get the desire to add to the Turtles lore with characters like Venus and Jennika, and even the reason to have them outside of just leaving your mark on a franchise. Having another female character beyond April for the Turtles to interact with is seen as a positive thing, and having a new family member throws off the Turtles established dynamic, preventing it from being stale. At the same time, the dynamic the Turtles and Splinter have is cherished specifically because it's established while having room to grow. Having a new "family member" pop up like this is frequently seen as intrusive at worst, and as a case of poorly handled "suddenly introduced sibling" at best.


The only difficulty is that the four turtles are already so perfectly balanced, it's hard to find a way to introduce a new regular character without first giving the four a collective personality trait to bounce off of ("immaturity and youth" when it comes to their interactions with Splinter). Borrowing a bit from After Hours, the four so perfectly portray the four humors that it's hard to find something to conflict with all of them without needing to either go very basic ("new gender" or "new pair of eyes for others to exposit towards") or extremely complex with a particular trait that interacts with all of the characters in different, but distinctive ways (Spike joining the cast of Angel, Cap joining the Avengers, etc).
Jabroniville
Posts: 24689
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Nano

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image

NANO
Role:
Super-Robot

-Nano is from the 2003 TMNT series, and is the name given to a set of nanobots that can materialize into a size-shifting super-robot. Only given the mind of a three-year old, Nano was uncooperative and escaped its creator, then was taken in by a burglar. The Turtles eventually realized the truth and the burglar was arrested. Nano later recovered and, desiring a “family” like the ones it was seenig on TV, broke out the burglar and abducted its creator and built a house for them. Donatello & April shocked Nano using a roller coaster’s electrical system and beat it. Later, Baxter Stockman accidentally reawakened Nano, but it eventually reformed and joined the Justice Force, becoming a superhero with some added maturity.

-Nano, as a living nanotech pile, can more or less build any device instantaneously, Regenerate from harm, and more. Effectively unkillable and with a high end of Variable.
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KorokoMystia
Posts: 1402
Joined: Fri Nov 11, 2016 8:42 pm

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Venus! Usagi Yojimbo! Agent Bishop! Lord Dregg!)

Post by KorokoMystia »

Nano's a pretty interesting recurring threat and later ally, being very versatile and also hard to stop. Though kind of horrifying if you think about in how his first episode (one of the early ones, so it's rather memorable to me as one of the ones that I've seen), this robot with the mentality of a child is melted in a furnace, until he's shown to have survived and become a recurring character later.
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