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

Where in all of your character write ups will go.
kirinke
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (NiCO! The Death Squad! Iron Man Builds!)

Post by kirinke »

Yeah, that is such a 70's edgelord look.
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Re: The Melter (Horgan)

Post by Spam »

Jabroniville wrote: Thu Jul 07, 2022 12:52 am Image
If you make your lab assistant dress like that, you're asking to get pum-spaked.
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Re: Iron Man Armors

Post by Skavenger »

Jabroniville wrote: Wed Jul 06, 2022 7:24 pm
Image

"Iron Man Hydro Armor" (Flaws: Removable) (Feats: Restricted 2- Only Tony, Remote Control) [95]
Y'know, it's funny that Tony's water armors are always so clunky. Stingray's armor is sleek and designed to go underwater and still take a punch from Namor without breaking. Tony looks like he was inspired by what gets tied to the feet of movie mobsters when they get chucked in the Hudson.
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MAULER (Aaron Soames)

Post by Jabroniville »

Image

M.A.U.L.E.R. I (Aaron Soames, aka "Mobile Armored Utility Laser-Guided E-Beam, Revised")
Created By:
David Michelinie & Frank Miller
First Appearance: Daredevil #167 (Nov. 1980)
Role: D-League Armored Villain, One-Off Foe
Group Affiliations: None
PL 8 (93)
STRENGTH
2/9 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 4 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Close Combat (Unarmed) 1 (+5)
Intimidation 2 (+3)
Technology 5 (+6)
Vehicles 2 (+4)

Advantages:
Ranged Attack 3

Powers:
"M.A.U.L.E.R. Armor" (Flaws: Removable) [66]
Enhanced Strength 7 (14)
Protection 8 (Extras: Impervious 7) (15)
Flight 7 (250 mph) (14)
Immunity 6 (Heat, Cold, Radiation, Pressure, Suffocation, Drowning) (6)
Senses 1 (Infravision) (1)

"Laser Cannon" Blast 10 (Feats: Improved Critical) (Extras: Penetrating 8) (29) -- (31)
  • AE: "Electron Particle Gun" Blast 9 (Extras: Multiattack) (27)
  • AE: "Electrical Shock" Damage 10 (10)
-- (82 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +5 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Armored +5 (+9 Damage, DC 24)
Electrical Shock +5 (+10 Damage, DC 25)
Laser Cannon +5 (+10 Ranged Damage, DC 25)
Particle Gun +5 (+9 Ranged Damage, DC 24)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +6 (DC 16), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +2 (+9 Armor), Fortitude +4, Will +3

Complications:
Enemy (Edwin Cord)- Cord was Soames's boss, and was uncaring when his employee's pesion was wiped out by computer error.

Total: Abilities: 30 / Skills: 10--5 / Advantages: 3 / Powers: 66 / Defenses: 9 (93)

-The first MAULER was actually a two-off guy who died quickly. Aaron Soames was an employee of Cord Conglomerate whose entire pension was destroyed by computer error- deprived of it, and with his boss Edwin Cord indifferent to Aaron's plight, he went postal and stole Cord's prototype suit of power armor and went on the rampage. He had two fights with Daredevil, and humiliated Cord by erasing his existence via destroying his driver's license, credit cards and all his personal information, but was unfortunately slain by advanced weaponry by Cord's men. Daredevil was one of the few mourners at Soames' funeral. The Mauler armor was swiped by frequent DD butt-monkey mook Turk Barrett shortly thereafter, but he proved to still be an easily-beaten idiot.

-This MAULER is a good example of a more normal man who gains good armor- he does great damage and has some killer weapons, but his sub-par accuracy in all regards makes him a PL 7.5 type of guy. Definitely not a match for other Powersuit guys, and only barely a thread to 1980s Daredevil.
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MAULER (Doyle)

Post by Jabroniville »

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Image
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M.A.U.L.E.R. II (Brendan Doyle, aka "Mobile Armored Utility Laser-Guided E-Beam, Revised")
Created By:
David Michelinie & John Romita, Jr.
First Appearance: Iron Man #156 (March 1982)
Role: D-League Armored Villain
Group Affiliations: The Deathspawn, International Contractors Unlimited, The Translords
PL 9 (137)
STRENGTH
2/9 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 7 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Close Combat (Unarmed) 1 (+8)
Deception 4 (+5)
Expertise (Mercenary) 5 (+6)
Intimidation 5 (+6)
Technology 5 (+6)
Vehicles 4 (+6)

Advantages:
Improved Aim, Move-By Action, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 7

Powers:
"M.A.U.L.E.R. Armor" (Flaws: Removable) [66]
Enhanced Strength 7 (14)
Protection 8 (Extras: Impervious 7) (15)
Flight 7 (250 mph) (14)
Immunity 6 (Heat, Cold, Radiation, Pressure, Suffocation, Drowning) (6)
Senses 1 (Infravision) (1)

"Laser Cannon" Blast 10 (Feats: Improved Critical) (Extras: Penetrating 8) (29) -- (31)
  • AE: "Electron Particle Gun" Blast 9 (Extras: Multiattack) (27)
  • AE: "Electrical Shock" Damage 10 (10)
-- (82 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Armored +8 (+9 Damage, DC 24)
Electrical Shock +8 (+10 Damage, DC 25)
Laser Cannon +7 (+10 Ranged Damage, DC 25)
Particle Gun +7 (+9 Ranged Damage, DC 24)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +3 (+10 Armor), Fortitude +5, Will +3

Complications:
Motivation (Greed)- If Brendan isn't getting paid, then he isn't fighting. When Tony Stark came looking for the M.A.U.L.E.R. Armor during the "Armor Wars", Brendan simply GAVE it too him- no sense fighting over it!

Total: Abilities: 38 / Skills: 24--12 / Advantages: 10 / Powers: 66 / Defenses: 11 (137)

-The MAULER Armor (Mobile Armored Utility Laser-guided E-Beam, Revised--- whatever the hell that means) has shown up a handful of times as a really minor-league set-up for villains to use. Initially used by a one-shot Daredevil foe, fighting against his boss' company, it was segued to an Iron Man villain's suit when David Michelinie, who'd created the first guy, moved to Iron Man. Brendan Doyle was hired by an imprisoned Edwin Cord to steal his company's suit and destroy all records of hte suit design and history. Doyle fails thanks to James Rhodes (then acting as Iron Man), but decides to keep the suit, becoming a soldier for hire. He continues on as a bit of a Journeyman, fighting Spider-Man & Wonder Man. A recurring element features him rying to get his estranged young son.

-Doyle was beaten in Armor Wars pretty casually (he's one of the easiest fights Tony has, if not THE easiest), and after that continues languishing in obscurity, coming to fight Alpha Flight & the Avengers (this was during the Civil War). One recent comic features him being easily-beaten by Hyperion in an Avengers fill-in issue (his son is tragically killed in a car accident, and Doyle kidnaps another boy under the delusion that it's his son- Hyperion manages to talk him down after the fight). But all in all, the guy's a total Jobber with zero cred.

-Power Armor guys can be pricey, especially once they start modifying their Strength, Toughness and add on powerful Blasts & Flight capabilities, and this guy's no exception. He actually fulfills a pretty decent, well-balanced PL 9 (135) build, with some pretty decent options in combat (Electric Shock, punching, Multiattack or Penetrating Blasts). Some are PL 8.5 (like his Ranged Weapons), but defensively he's PL 9. He's still no match for somebody on IRON MAN's level, to be sure, but even someone like Spidey or Cap would have some trouble bringing a fairly tough guy like this down. He'd be a bit more effective if he picked another recurring foe.
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Ares
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (The Death Squad! Iron Man! The Melter! MAULER!)

Post by Ares »

Doyle was definitely the easiest "fight" Tony had during the Armor Wars. Tony showed up at Doyle's place and demanded the armor. Doyle gave it up without a fight, even smiling the whole while. He knew better than to fight Tony and was more than happy to just hand it over. He figured he could get something just like it later.
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Jabroniville
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Edwin Cord

Post by Jabroniville »

Image

EDWIN CORD
Created By:
David Michelinie & Frank Miller
First Appearance: Daredevil #167 (Nov. 1980)
Role: Evil Rich Guy
PL 2 (45), PL 4 (45) Businessman
STRENGTH
0 STAMINA 1 AGILITY 0
FIGHTING 0 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 4 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Deception 6 (+9)
Expertise (Business) 8 (+12)
Insight 2 (+5)
Technology 6 (+12)

Advantages:
Benefit 5 (Extreme Wealth)

Offense:
Unarmed +0 (+0 Damage, DC 15)
Initiative +0

Defenses:
Dodge +2 (DC 12), Parry +1 (DC 11), Toughness +1, Fortitude +2, Will +6

Complications:
Motivation (Greed & Power)- Edwin Cord is out for greed and power- his desire of power causes him to act arrogantly, bullying others when he should accept what he has.
Enemy (Tony Stark & Iron Man)- Cord lost his business to Tony Stark when his agents were humiliated by Iron Man. Enraged, Cord has attempted to kill Iron Man and embarrass Stark.

Total: Abilities: 22 / Skills: 22--11 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 7 (45)

-Holy cow, what a find! A Patron Saint of Jobber Villains, Edwin Cord is responsible for the MAULER, The Raiders AND Firepower! Now THAT is a resume worthy of respect!

Humorously, Tony Stark's Rival Businessman Ed Cord debuted literally the year after Iron Man's Rival Businessman Justin Hammer did. However, Cord first showed up in Daredevil, where he was set up as the evil asshole businessman who was indifferent to the sufferings of an employee, as the original MAULER's pension was wiped out by a computer error. Cord was trying to recruit lawyer Matt Murdock to Cord Conglomerate, with its pricey military contracts for power armor development, but the man, Aaron Soames, attacked. Daredevil fought MAULER, but Cord's own men used a weapon to kill the man- an offended Daredevil punched Cord out when he realized that Cord was immune from prosecution or even having the armor reported to the police (at it was a defense contract). Evil Businessman 101.

-So the next year, David Michelinie is off Daredevil and LOOK WHO SHOWS UP- Cord becomes a new Tony Stark enemy in David's Iron Man. He shows up boasting about his new "Raider" suits, sending the Raiders to humiliate Stark & Iron Man at a public unveiling- they initially do well, but lose round two and Cord is arrested and indicted. Cord, imprisoned, has to sell off Cord Conglomerate to pay his legal fees, and hires the mercenary Brendan Doyle to swipe the MAULER armor & blueprints- Doyle simply becomes the new MAULER instead, while Stark buys what he calls "Cordco" as a subsidiary of Stark Enterprises. Incredibly, six years later Cord shows up again, building the "Firepower" armor to do the exact same stuff- embarrass Stark & kill Iron Man. He believes he has succeeded, then uses Firepower to bully hapless government agents and Stark employees, but Iron Man naturally does the "Round Two Marvel Fight" thing and handily defeats Firepower with a new armor, and Cord is arrested again. This is his final appearance for ten years.

-Cord doesn't show up again until 1999's Thunderbolts, where he reveals that after he left prison, he became a billionaire AGAIN, building "Cordco Industries". He funds The Jury and hires U.S.Agent to fight alongside them, humorously taking issue with the T-Bolts being former villains in various press releases. The Jury lose, but Cord passes it off like the T-Bolts fled, and finally U.S.Agent quits when he's told not to help the Thunderbolts be heroes- the Jury soon leave his employ as well. Cord has not reappeared since then, being forgotten. Granted there's a ton of Rival Businessmen who do what he does and better, but it's kinda funny that way- like he shows up when Hammer or Stane or whomever is busy, so it looks like we have a fresh new villainous name, when all he does is create more Jobber Villains!

-Cord is like a lot of businessmen- an evil liar, but not great in combat. Unlike many other Stark Rivals, he's a mere businessman and NOT the inventor of the stuff his agents use. He's nonetheless able to build companies from the ground up like nothing.
Jabroniville
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The Raiders

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
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RAIDER 1 (Real Name Unknown)
Created By:
David Michelinie & Bob Layton
First Appearance: Iron Man #145 (April 1981)
Role: Flying Pirates
Group Affiliations: The Raiders
PL 8 (132)
STRENGTH
2/7 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 7 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Close Combat (Unarmed) 1 (+8)
Expertise (Criminal/Pirate) 6 (+7)
Insight 1 (+2)
Intimidation 5 (+6)
Investigation 2 (+3)
Perception 4 (+5)
Technology 2 (+3)
Vehicles 5 (+5)

Advantages:
Equipment (Radio, Gear), Improved Aim, Power Attack, Precise Attack (Ranged/Cover), Ranged Attack 8, Set-Up, Teamwork

Powers:
"Raider 1 Armor" (Flaws: Removable) [60]
Enhanced Strength 5 (10)
Power-Lifting 1 (6 tons) (1)
Protection 5 (Extras: Impervious 7) (12)
Immunity 5 (Radiation, Suffocation 2, Pressure, Vacuum) (5)
Flight 7 (250 mph) (14)

"Weapon Array"
"Acid" Blast 6 Linked to Weaken Toughness 6 (Extras: Ranged, Affects Objects) (30) -- (32)
  • AE: "Bullets" Blast 8 (Extras: Multiattack) (24)
  • AE: "Lasers" Blast 9 (Extras: Penetrating) (Inaccurate -1) (26)
-- (74 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+7 Damage, DC 22)
Bullets +8 (+8 Ranged Damage, DC 23)
Lasers +6 (+9 Ranged Damage, DC 24)
Acid +8 (+6 Ranged Blast & Weaken, DC 21 & 16)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +3 (+8 Armor, +4 Impervious), Fortitude +5, Will +2

Complications:
Motivation (Greed)
Enemy (Iron Man)

Total: Abilities: 36 / Skills: 26--13 / Advantages: 14 / Powers: 60 / Defenses: 9 (132)

---

RAIDER 2 (Real Name Unknown)
Created By:
David Michelinie & Bob Layton
First Appearance: Iron Man #145 (April 1981)
Role: Flying Pirates
Group Affiliations: The Raiders
PL 9 (141)
STRENGTH
2/7 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 7 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Close Combat (Unarmed) 1 (+8)
Expertise (Criminal/Pirate) 6 (+7)
Insight 1 (+2)
Intimidation 5 (+6)
Investigation 2 (+3)
Perception 4 (+5)
Technology 2 (+3)
Vehicles 5 (+5)

Advantages:
Equipment (Radio, Gear), Improved Aim, Power Attack, Precise Attack (Ranged/Cover), Ranged Attack 8, Set-Up, Teamwork

Powers:
"Raider 2 Armor" (Flaws: Removable) [45]
Enhanced Strength 5 (10)
Power-Lifting 1 (6 tons) (1)
Protection 5 (Extras: Impervious 7) (12)
Immunity 5 (Radiation, Suffocation 2, Pressure, Vacuum) (5)
Flight 7 (250 mph) (14)
"Energy-Dampening Shields" Enhanced Dodge 2 & Parry 2 (Extras: Sustained +0) Linked to Immunity 20 (Energy Damage) (Extras: Sustained +0) (Flaws: Limited to Half-Effect) (14)
-- (56 points)

"Weapon Array" (Flaws: Easily Removable) [26]
"Energy-Siphoning Net" Affliction 8 (Strength or Sleight of Hand; Hindered, Vulnerable & Impaired Power/Restrained, Immobile & Disabled Powers/Transformed to Energy-less) (Feats: Homing 2) (Extras: Ranged, Extra Condition +2, Progressive +2) (Flaws: Limited to a Few Uses) (42 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+7 Damage, DC 22)
Net +8 (+8 Ranged Affliction, DC 18)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +6 (+8 Shield, DC 18), Parry +8 (+10 Shield, DC 20), Toughness +3 (+8 Armor, +4 Impervious), Fortitude +5, Will +2

Complications:
Motivation (Greed)
Enemy (Iron Man)

Total: Abilities: 36 / Skills: 26--13 / Advantages: 14 / Powers: 71 / Defenses: 7 (141)

---

RAIDER 3 (Real Name Unknown)
Created By:
David Michelinie & Bob Layton
First Appearance: Iron Man #145 (April 1981)
Role: Flying Pirates
Group Affiliations: The Raiders
PL 8 (131)
STRENGTH
2/7 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 7 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Close Combat (Unarmed) 1 (+8)
Expertise (Criminal/Pirate) 6 (+7)
Insight 1 (+2)
Intimidation 5 (+6)
Investigation 2 (+3)
Perception 4 (+5)
Technology 2 (+3)
Vehicles 5 (+5)

Advantages:
Equipment (Radio, Gear), Improved Aim, Power Attack, Precise Attack (Ranged/Cover), Ranged Attack 8, Set-Up, Teamwork

Powers:
"Raider 2 Armor" (Flaws: Removable) [59]
Enhanced Strength 5 (10)
Power-Lifting 1 (6 tons) (1)
Protection 5 (Extras: Impervious 7) (12)
Immunity 5 (Radiation, Suffocation 2, Pressure, Vacuum) (5)
Flight 7 (250 mph) (14)

"Weapon Array"
"Sonic-Wave Amplifier" Blast 10 (Feats: Split, Improved Critical) (Extras: Penetrating) (Inaccurate -1) (31)
-- (73 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+7 Damage, DC 22)
Bullets +8 (+8 Ranged Damage, DC 23)
Lasers +6 (+9 Ranged Damage, DC 24)
Acid +8 (+6 Ranged Blast & Weaken, DC 21 & 16)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +3 (+8 Armor, +4 Impervious), Fortitude +5, Will +2

Complications:
Motivation (Greed)
Enemy (Iron Man)

Total: Abilities: 36 / Skills: 26--13 / Advantages: 14 / Powers: 59 / Defenses: 9 (131)

-I would've never seen The Raiders without reading Armor Wars story in the Iron Man '80s run of Michelinie (aka "that guy who created all those damn Symbiotes") and Layton. They're basically among the Mookiest of Mooks, lacking even real names- they're just some faceless guys in fairly decent Armor, designed to harass Iron Man once or twice. They're a bunch of armored hired guns who go around stealing junk or fighting Iron Man at the behest of their superiors- Edwin Cord, having lost a fortune with his MAULER gear losing to Iron Man, put his company's remaining money in the "Raider" armor, hedging his bets by sending THREE of them against the Armored Avenger. They initially befuddled him by putting innocent lives in danger, but of course he won round 2 and Cord was arrested when he tried to show S.H.I.E.L.D. this fight. I mean, his team nearly killed innocents!

-In Armor Wars, Tony attacks and neutralizes the Raiders because of their Armor being based off of his own designs, thus he feels responsible for their crimes. They had meant to steal more armor components for Cord so he could build the "Firepower" armor, but Tony wiped two of the three out easily, then chased down the third one. They vanished for over a decade after Tony beat them up there, showing up again as "we're hired to stomp on you"-type hired jobbers.

-The Raiders are just jobbers, but at PL 8 and a fairly-expensive set-up, they're one-note Blaster/Powersuit Guys who aren't so tough, but are pretty dangerous in tandem. After all, three PL 8s at once can give even someone like Iron Man a challenge when they start teaming up. The three Raiders are mostly identical in set-up, except for their individual weapons. Raider 1 has a multi-weapon array of Blasts (a powerful, less-accurate Laser, Automatic Bullets, and a Ranged Acid attack). Raider 2 has a very dangerous Ranged Snare Weapon (unlike the others, it can be removed with a casual Disarming) that also Drains Energy, going along the Transformed & Disabled path in addition to Snaring, as well as Energy Shields that suck up all the energy from Iron Man's Repulsor Rays (effectively Shields with a Half-Immunity to Energy). This makes him a PL 9 fighter defensively, but only to Ranged Attacks. Lastly, Raider 3 fires a simple, more powerful Blast, making him the most limited, but most damaging member of the team. Iron Man would STOMP any one of them by himself, but a trio is actually rather dangerous, especially since one has a Snare.
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Ares
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Iron Man! The Melter! MAULER! The Raiders!)

Post by Ares »

I've been re-reading a lot of the older Iron Man stuff due to these builds, and it's a nice reminder of how good Tony's stories used to be.

It's kind of funny reading the stretch during the early 80s. David Michelinie is probably THE iconic Iron Man writer, taking over in issue 115 and lasting until 156, when the series then gets passed off to Denny O'Neil at around the 160 mark and lasting until issue 214, at which point Michelinie takes over again until issue 250. Michelinie was the one who gave us the Demon in a Bottle storyline, had Tony and Doom visit Camelot, gave us the Armor Wars, etc. Meanwhile Denny O'Neil gave us the Iron Monger, Tony actually losing his company, Rhodey taking over as Iron Man, and the Silver Centurion armor.

What's interesting is that when Michelinie took control back from O'Neil, he basically spent the first two issues wrapping up a lot of things O'Neil had established during his run. Iron Man's chameleon circuit? Causing Tony nerve damage and needs to be removed. Cly Erwin? Went crazy due to her brother's death and gets killed trying to get revenge on Tony. Tony's new satellite project? Ruined by AIM. AIM? Dealt with. Boca Caliente? Liberated.

On the one hand, it does feel like Michelinie was rapid fire dealing with O'Neil's plot lines so he could get back to Tony being in charge of a massive corporation, go back to his kind of stories, etc. On the other hand, at least he actually gave O'neil's stories proper closure, and it's possible that he conferred with O'Neil on how best to wrap up said storylines. Either way, it was better than some writer transitions went.

Both of those runs combined gave us some damn good Iron Man stories, and honestly should be required reading for the character. They just need to be used as references for what to do, not to be used as things to repeat over and over (ie, Tony has given up his wealthy life style AGAIN. Tony fights other heroes AGAIN, etc.). I'd consider this era the equivalent of the Byrne/Claremont X-Men era, or the Wolfman/Perez Titans era.

Another thing the older books get across is how POWERFUL the 80s Iron Man armor was. He really did come off as a kind of Flying Brick Batman who punched jet planes out of the sky, had missiles bouncing off of him, and who could fight guys like Namor and the Hulk. While Iron Man wasn't in the Thor / Hercules / Wonder Man / Hulk strength level, he seemed like he was easily in the Thing / Colossus strength bracket. He was doing things like:
Moving the Helicarrier so that it doesn't crash into a mountain
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Catching and righting a skyscraper Titanium Man tried to drop on him
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Catching and slowing an enormous cargo freighter
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Tony also had an in-universe ability to mess with his caps. By turning off power regulators and pushing his armors energy reserves past their tolerances, he could briefly supercharge his armor to gain full on Class 100 / Thor level strength. He could only do it for a very short while tho, and it was often too risky to use often. When he used it on Count Nefaria, he was briefly able to go toe-to-toe with the immensely powerful villain, only for his energy to give out and the Count to knock him aside.

A riskier move he could pull off was to put all of his armor's power into a single, focused strike. Doing so he could achieve immense damage, but at the cost that he would literally burn out most of his suit's systems. He had to have Ant Man go inside his armor and manually shut it down so that it could be removed safely.
Still, the results speak for themselves
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And that was a Hulk who had a device artificially increasing his heart rate, and thus having his strength increasing exponentially the entire time.

The big notion at the time was that Tony had built such an incredible suit of armor that it's limits were mostly due to its energy reserves. If you pumped enough power into the armor, it could move mountains (or at least, blow them up like he did in Secret Wars).
It could move Thunder Gods as well
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Again, these are all higher end stuff from Tony, but it's a reminder that he really was considered one of the big powerhouses on the Avengers, made more dangerous due to his incredible versatility and intelligence. In some ways he was like the Martian Manhunter of the Avengers, except he didn't job nearly as much.

More pertinent to the recent builds, the Doyle piloting the Mauler armor was actually pretty damned impressive in his first showing against Iron Man. The Mauler armor was shown to be very durable, strong and powerful, not quite on Iron Man's level but close enough that it was a close fight. What was more impressive was Doyle, who being an experienced soldier and mercenary was able to out-fight Tony in terms of sheer combat skills. He actually sounded like he was having fun during the fight.

The Raiders were actually a solid threat thanks largely to their teamwork and their individual weapons. Honestly, the idea of a basic suit of power armor (decent strength and armor, plus flight and life support) that has different weapons load outs for different members is a solid concept. It could easily be expanded to a larger group. Like, have someone with an energy melee weapon to be the close combat support, for instance. Or conversely, you could have a single 'super Raider' who has all of their gear in one suit and is more formidable.
"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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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Iron Man! The Melter! MAULER! The Raiders!)

Post by Jabroniville »

See, this is why I'm glad I put "Extraordinary Effort" into Tony's armor, lol. A PL 12 can pull off some crazy stuff with self-sacrifice ploys like that by doubling and redoubling his power temporarily.

It's interesting how his armor's durability seems to go up and down- there are certainly pages back in the day where it takes a lot of ablative damage, and even since the mid-90s it's seemed that even mid-level superhumans can damage it, but at other points he tanks a lot of fire. I guess that's the nature of having your durability come from your gear- it's dramatic (or a story cheat by the writer) to have it be more vulnerable sometimes, because you can easily draw the visuals of the armor falling apart to show "Oh CRAP- the hero's in for it now!".
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Iron Man! The Melter! MAULER! The Raiders!)

Post by Ares »

Yeah, seeing the armor actually damaged back in the day was kind of a big deal. In his own book, the armor got hit with missiles, tank blasts, punches from Namor and the Hulk, etc. It really did have some high durability. The fight with Firepower during the Armor Wars was notable for how badly damaged the Silver Centurion armor got during it. Even during a fight with the Hulk, the most damage Tony received was self-inflicted, though the Hulk did show if he got a solid enough grip on Tony he could deform the armor with effort.

Since the early 90s tho it feels like the armor's durability has taken a nose dive. I remember when Carol was fighting Tony in her own book because a) Tony held back because he liked her and b) She could just rip his armor to shreds with her bare hands. The latter wouldn't have happened that easily in the old days, and the former is hilarious give Carol "killed" Tony not that long ago and he should honestly be deeply uncomfortable and/or angry with her. But nope, everyone loves Carol.

It's also why guys like the Melter weren't complete jokes at the time. Someone who could do direct damage to Tony's armor was considered useful to some degree. But once Tony's armor got upgraded to resist the Melter's ray to some degree, well, only jobberhood awaited him.
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Ares
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Iron Man! The Melter! MAULER! The Raiders!)

Post by Ares »

Also, the red and gold armor is just a classic. Give the gold on the arms and legs the sectional plates look and the higher collar of the current armor and its perfect.
"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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Firepower (Taggert)

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image

FIREPOWER I (Jack Taggert)
Created By:
David Michelinie, Bob Layton & Mark Bright
First Appearance: Iron Man #230 (May 1988)
Role: Jobber Villain
Group Affiliations: None
PL 10 (168), PL 15 (168) with Terminatrix
STRENGTH
2/12 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 1
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 3
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Close Combat (Unarmed) 2 (+8)
Deception 2 (+3)
Expertise (Soldier) 4 (+4)
Intimidation 4 (+5)

Advantages:
Ranged Attack 5

Powers:
"Firepower Armor" (Flaws: Removable) [112]
Enhanced Strength 10 (20)
Protection 9 (Extras: Impervious 9) (18)
"Turbine Boot Jets" Flight 7 (250 mph) (14)
Immunity 6 (Cold, Heat, Radiation, Pressure, Suffocation 2) (6)
"Armor Sensors" Senses 7 (Extended & Infravision, Extended Hearing, Radar 4) (7)

"Terminatrix- Tactical Nuclear Missile" Blast 15 (Feats: Triggered- Time, Extended Range 5) (Extras: Area- 1,000-ft. Burst +6) (Flaws: Unreliable -2- One Use, Side-Effect- Can Be Caught in Explosion) (81) -- (84)
  • AE: "Surface-To-Air Missiles" Blast 10 (Feats: Extended Range 2) (Extras: Area- 60ft. Burst +2) (Flaws: Unreliable- 5 Uses) (22)
  • AE: "Chest-Mounted Heat Beams" Blast 11 (22)
  • AE: "Concussion Cannons" Blast 13 (Extras: Multiattack) (Inaccurate -1) (38)
-- (139 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Powersuit Unarmed +8 (+12 Damage, DC 27)
Missiles +10 Area (+10 Ranged Damage, DC 25)
Heat Beams +8 (+11 Ranged Damage, DC 26)
Concussion Cannons +6 (+13 Ranged Damage, DC 28)
Terminatrix +15 Area (+15 Ranged Damage, DC 30)
Initiative +1

Defenses:
Dodge +7 (DC 17), Parry +7 (DC 17), Toughness +3 (+12 Suit), Fortitude +4, Will +4

Complications:
Responsibility (Arrogant)- Taggert is a bit overconfident thanks to the power of his new suit- he is easily-goaded into a fight, and doesn't take losing well.

Total: Abilities: 34 / Skills: 12--6 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 112 / Defenses: 11 (168)

-Firepower was created by Edwin Cord's company during Armor Wars as a deterrent against anti-American forces, and was set against Iron Man as a "test" of the suit's capabilities. Immune to the "Negator Pack" that Tony was using to de-power all of the knock-off suits, Firepower (James Taggert wearing the suit) actually won the fight, and used a NUCLEAR FREAKING MISSILE to destroy the Iron Man armor. Tony used this to fake Iron Man's death (using the Silver Centurion armor and some blood he kept "just in case" on Rhodey's helicopter). The "Standard Tony Stark Corporate Rival Villain" Edwin Cord blackmailed the government into letting him keep it, and sent it against rivals like Stark. Tony, who'd been willing to retire, was forced to build a NEW Iron Man suit to counter Firepower, and of course this suit proved FAR superior to his old ones, and trounced the guy. Taggert activated the nuke AGAIN, but a malfunction nearly caused it to kill him and everyone nearby- Tony had to carefully-halt the timer and save Taggert's life... then tore apart the Firepower suit to stun him into giving up. Taggert has only appeared one other time, wearing a new armor from the Mandarin and teaming up with a ton of other guys. Another Firepower has since appeared as well. Taggert actually appears as one of Killian's generic Extremis-powered goons in the Iron Man 3 film.

-Few characters properly-reflect "New Villain Stink" like this guy right here- a MASSIVE ass-kicking is delivered to Iron Man in Firepower's debut, culminating in not only the armor being out-fought, but completely destroyed, causing Tony to retire the concept. In the second appearance? Tony builds a new, BETTER suit (which of course slots into an identical spot in the tiers of superheroes & villains), and this time easily hands Firepower his ass. Classic pro wrestling... but with armor.

-Firepower is an interesting look at what a fairly "One-Off" character is like, even when he shows a lot of power. He REALLY whups on Iron Man in their first fight, probably showing a +2 bonus to everything (I've suggested for years now that comics seems to operate as if the debuting villain is much better than he normally would be, as they soon "settle down" into a more-minor threat). And that Terminatrix thing... well that kind of messes with the PL system. As it stands, Firepower is PL 9.5 (enough to handle '80s Iron Man alright with some New Villain Stink), but the Terminatrix is a low-yield NUCLEAR MISSILE, and as such, is at least PL 15 in intensity. He only has one, and he himself can be caught in the conflagration, but still- that's got some power AND some distance. The later Firepower suit didn't include one.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Sat Jul 09, 2022 12:43 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Davies
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Iron Man! The Melter! MAULER! The Raiders!)

Post by Davies »

I'd just treat the Terminatrix as a plot device, honestly.
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Iron Man! The Melter! MAULER! The Raiders!)

Post by EternalPhoenix »

Chest Mounted Heat Beams my ass. Those are Nipple Lasers. And for that reason I can't take this clown seriously.
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