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

Where in all of your character write ups will go.
Sidney369
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Sinbad! Roc! ERIS, GODDESS OF CHAOS! Watchmen!)

Post by Sidney369 »

I think Mothman was based on the obscure Golden Age hero the Moth https://pdsh.fandom.com/wiki/Moth_(Fox)?so=search published by Fox Feature. It would make sense, since at least 2 other Minutemen were (the original Nite-Owl=the original Blue Beetle(Dan Garret) and the original Silk Spectre=the Fox version of Phantom Lady)
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Ares
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Sinbad! Roc! ERIS, GODDESS OF CHAOS! Watchmen!)

Post by Ares »

Sidney369 wrote: Sat Aug 20, 2022 1:08 am I think Mothman was based on the obscure Golden Age hero the Moth https://pdsh.fandom.com/wiki/Moth_(Fox)?so=search published by Fox Feature. It would make sense, since at least 2 other Minutemen were (the original Nite-Owl=the original Blue Beetle(Dan Garret) and the original Silk Spectre=the Fox version of Phantom Lady)
He might also have been based on Charlton hero Yellowjacket
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Hooded Justice

Post by Jabroniville »

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HOODED JUSTICE (Real Name Unknown)
Created By:
Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons
First Appearance: Watchmen #1 (Sept. 1986)
Role: Golden Age Hero, The Originator, The Sadist
Group Affiliations: The Minutemen
PL 7 (86)
STRENGTH
4 STAMINA 5 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 9 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Acrobatics 2 (+6)
Athletics 4 (+6)
Deception 4 (+5)
Expertise (Streetwise) 6 (+7)
Expertise (Marine) 6 (+7)
Insight 2 (+5)
Intimidation 2 (+3)
Investigation 4 (+7)
Perception 2 (+5)

Advantages:
Fast Grab, Improved Critical (Unarmed)

Offense:
Unarmed +9 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Initiative +4

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

Complications:
Secret (Homosexual)- HJ is a deeply-closeted gay man who was in a relationship with Captain Metropolis.
Secret (Fetish)- Hooded Justice is seen by some as a sexual sadist. The Comedian calls him out on it, and a "prequel" comic says it flat-out.

Total: Abilities: 60 / Skills: 32--16 / Advantages: 2 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 8 (86)

-Hooded Justice is a big part of the mystery of the Golden Age superheroes in Watchmen, where the muscleman is stated to be the very FIRST masked superhero, and the inspiration to the rest of them- Nite-Owl, Captain Metropolis and others soon follow in his wake. Violently stopping a gang from assaulting a young couple, then foiling an armed robbery, he is dubbed "Hooded Justice" by the press. The Minutemen are soon formed, with Sally Jupiter hanging off of his arm- when the Comedian tries to rape her after a meeting, H.J. beats the shit out of him, calling him a "sick son of a bitch...", but is startled when the Comedian calls him out "This is what you like, isn't it? This is what gets you hot?". We never truly learn his identity, though it's suggested by Nite-Owl that he was believed to be a German strongman named Rolf Müller, whose physique lined up with H.J.'s. Müller's body later turned up on a beach in 1955, around when Hooded Justice disappeared for good. Given the Comedian's penchant for holding grudges and murdering enemies, it could easily be implied that he was responsible for the death- Ozymandias suspects as such in his own investigation into the matter. However, in Under the Hood, Nite Owl suggests that H.J. simply refused to reveal his true identity to the House of Un-American Activities Committee and disappeared.

-Hooded Justice is only barely mentioned as gay in the supporting materials, though his S&M obsession was seen as unhealthy, and his dominance towards Captain Metropolis in their relationship was noted- he was also seen as exceptionally brutal towards criminals, beating them savagely. Sally Jupiter was, of course, his "beard". Supporting "prequels" actually show that Müller was a former Nazi henchman, and the Comedian discovered that Müller was responsible for a series of child murders! However, the Comedian had killed Müller and then framed Hooded Justice as being the same man, hoping that the Minutemen would arrest and disgrace him- Nite Owl accidentally killed their old teammate with a huge, thunderous charge, going further than even Comedian intended. Captain Metropolis came on the scene and set fire to the place, disguising his lover's body for good. So Hooded Justice remains a mystery, though we discover his unfair end. Though this story kinda wasn't the best, and added an unnecessary wrinkle to everything.
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Sinbad! Roc! ERIS, GODDESS OF CHAOS! Watchmen!)

Post by Davies »

And then there's the TV series version of him, which goes in yet a third direction; an intriguing but strange direction, though one that gives Captain Metropolis something of a grace note.
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Captain Metropolis

Post by Jabroniville »

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"Please! Don't all leave! Someone has to do it, don't you see? Someone has to save the world!!!"

CAPTAIN METROPOLIS (Nelson Gardner)
Created By:
Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons
First Appearance: Watchmen #1 (Sept. 1986)
Role: Golden Age Hero, The Whiner, Sad Old Man
Group Affiliations: The Minutemen
PL 6 (78)
STRENGTH
3 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Acrobatics 2 (+6)
Athletics 4 (+6)
Deception 4 (+5)
Expertise (Streetwise) 6 (+7)
Expertise (Marine) 6 (+7)
Insight 2 (+5)
Intimidation 2 (+3)
Investigation 2 (+5)
Perception 2 (+5)

Advantages:
Fast Grab, Improved Critical (Unarmed)

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Initiative +4

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

Complications:
Secret (Homosexual)- Nelson is a deeply-closeted gay man who was in a relationship with Hooded Justice.
Hatred (Ethnic Minorities)- Nelson considers the Civil Rights movement as a "societal ill", showing distaste towards Black & Latino people, feeling that they were inherently more lawless than whites.

Total: Abilities: 54 / Skills: 30--15 / Advantages: 2 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 7 (78)

-Captain Metropolis was another sad Golden Ager in Watchmen- one permanently stuck in the past. Though mostly ignored in the Golden Age-focused stuff, it's mentioned that he was the one who disbanded the Minutemen officially in 1949 after they'd become less focused on solving crimes, and had been decapitated in a car accident in 1974, and a later flashback involves a paunchy, older hero trying desperately to form a new "Minutemen" called The Crimebusters at a meeting where he showed off a self-made map of the U.S. with modern "societal ills" like hippies and black people being uppity, making him look hopelessly old-fashioned and out of touch. The Comedian rips on him, calling his plan "bullshit" and "you want to play Cowboys and Indians", stating that the Cold War will be the end of them all anyways, so all this stuff is pointless nonsense- Metropolis is horrified and whines at all the heroes as they bail, while Ozymandias claims the meeting "opened my eyes". Nelson's death is implied by some to have been a suicide.

-One thing I totally missed- and was made clear by an "Annotated Watchmen" website, was that Metropolis himself was gay, and was in a relationship with Hooded Justice. I'd glossed over one of Sally Jupiter's agent-husband's letters in the backup portions of Watchmen where she talks about Nelson and "H.J." fighting like an old married couple, and her having to cover for "two gay superheroes". This makes both of them look extra bad for kicking Silhouette out of the Minutemen for being revealed as a lesbian, though this was definitely not uncommon among deeply closeted people of the pre-1960s era. Naturally the "prequels" featured them in an S&M relationship with a controlling, brutal Hooded Justice.

-Nelson Gardner has a very "Golden Age" origin- an asthmatic, sickly boy, he built himself up through hard physical training, turning him into a physical marvel. A football player & U.S. Marine, he became one of the Golden Age superheroes.

-Captain Metropolis was a big, solid guy back in the Golden Age, and was probably a fair bit more capable than Dollar Bill or Mothman, at least.
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Sinbad! Roc! ERIS, GODDESS OF CHAOS! Watchmen!)

Post by Davies »

Mayfair's second Watchmen product for MEGS, the adventure module Taking Out The Trash, darkened him further by having him as the whodunnit of its murder mystery.
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Eris! Watchmen- Hooded Justice! Capt. Metropolis!)

Post by catsi563 »

The HUAC is to me one of the great untapped story potentials of the medium, Mccarthys reckless and absolutely horrifying violations of people's rights based on his sole prejudice and nationalistic nonsense all in the name of his political ambition ruined so many lives, Andin a superhero universe it becomes even more devestating when you look at the damage it can do which we see in the JSA series where they fall victim to it
Dr. Silverback has wryly observed that this is like trying to teach lolcats about Shakespeare

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Jabroniville
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Silhouette

Post by Jabroniville »

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Her only line of dialog is a “Women can’t get along” gag, lol.

THE SILHOUETTE (Ursula Zandt)
Created By:
Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons
First Appearance: Watchmen #1 (Sept. 1986)
Role: Golden Age Hero, Tragic Hero
Group Affiliations: The Minutemen
PL 6 (78)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Acrobatics 2 (+6)
Athletics 6 (+8)
Deception 7 (+8)
Expertise (Streetwise) 6 (+7)
Insight 3 (+6)
Intimidation 2 (+3)
Investigation 4 (+7)
Perception 3 (+6)
Stealth 1 (+5)

Advantages:
Benefit 1 (Wealth), Fast Grab, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Ranged Attack 2

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Initiative +4

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

Complications:
Prejudice (Lesbian)- Silhouette's reveal of homosexuality got her expelled from the Minutemen.
Secret (Identity)- Even the other Minutemen didn't know that Ursula was an Austrian Jew.

Total: Abilities: 48 / Skills: 34--17 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 8 (78)

-The Silhouette is another of the "Being a Superhero Sucks" tragic tales of Watchmen, as it's explained right away that she was publicly outed as a lesbian and immediately expelled from the Minutemen for it, and then she and her lover were murdered by a former enemy only weeks later. That's about all we get on her, so it's kind of a look at how unfair that life is, the brutal realism of it (what if your enemies found out where you lived?), and even how unfair your partners could be. It's made worse when supplemental information reveals that Hooded Justice AND Captain Metropolis were both gay, and still voted her out.

-The literal only clip we see of her speaking is maybe the most "WOMEN- AM I RIGHT?" bit of the whole thing, because it involves her and Sally Jupiter sniping at each other bitchily, with Silhouette sarcastically going "What do you think the POLES think of that, Sally?" to Jupiter, who hid her Polish ancestry to the point of changing her last name, and Sally huffing back "Well I sure wouldn’t know anything about what the POLES think!”. Like, the only time two active female superheroes were in the business at the same time and of course they hate each other and can't get along XD.

-Before Watchmen tells the story of the Minutemen investigating her murder- the men seem a bit hesitant to show initiative, and when they do arrive at the suspect's hideout, they discover Sally, who's already arrived and tortured the man to death. Disgusted with their lack of effort and apologetic to her old rival, she soon quits the Minutemen.

-Like the other Minutemen, Silhouette was a very good fighter, apparently delivering a huge beating to a child pornographer and his two cameramen in her debut. She was still very human and vulnerable, though- the Liquidator was said to be a very minor menace, and he still murdered her.
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The Silk Spectre (Sally Jupiter)

Post by Jabroniville »

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Carla Gugino as Silk Spectre 0_0 homina homina homina

THE SILK SPECTRE I (Sally Juspeczyk, aka Sally Jupiter)
Created By:
Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons
First Appearance: Watchmen #1 (Sept. 1986)
Role: Golden Age Hero, Stage Mom
Group Affiliations: The Minutemen
PL 4 (67)
STRENGTH
1 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 4

Skills:
Acrobatics 2 (+6)
Athletics 6 (+7)
Deception 3 (+7)
Expertise (Streetwise) 5 (+5)
Insight 3 (+4)
Investigation 4 (+5)
Perception 3 (+6)
Stealth 1 (+5)

Advantages:
Attractive, Fast Grab

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Initiative +4

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

Complications:
Relationship (Larry Shexnayder)- Sally is married to her nerdy-looking, bespectacled "agent", who directs a lot of the Minutemen's activities. She leaves the Minutemen to marry him, but they later divorce over her infidelity.
Relationship (The Comedian)- Sally eventually falls in love with the Comedian, despite him having attempted to rape her years prior during their superheroic careers. They live apart, but are still in contact until his murder ("Poor Eddie. Laurie, you're young. You don't KNOW. Things change. What happened forty years ago- it's history").
Relationship (Laurie- Daughter)- Sally and her daughter bicker constantly- Laurie says "God knows I'm not my mother's BIGGEST admirer, but some things shouldn't happen to ANYBODY" regarding the Comedian's attempted rape. They spend most of their scenes together arguing, albeit Sally trying to get her daughter to lighten up.
Secret (Polish)- As the Poles were stereotyped as stupid and job-stealing in the 1940s, Sally kept her real surname hidden and called herself "Sally Jupiter".
Rivalry (Silhouette)- The two didn't get along while on the Minutemen, Silhouette teasing Sally over her Polish heritage in a snide manner.

Total: Abilities: 40 / Skills: 34--17 / Advantages: 2 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 8 (67)

-One of only two Golden Age heroes to make it to modern day 1986 intact was Sally Jupiter, then called the Silk Spectre, a super-heroine who banked on her sexuality to make her a big star. With her agent/husband Larry Shexnayder (who'd discovered her at a burlesque club), she was the most publicity-savvy of the Minutemen, to the point of distraction (she desired to use superheroics to fuel a modeling & acting career), and acted as the public "beard" to Hooded Justice. However, this was seen as a fairly negative thing- she forced her daughter Laurie to follow in her footsteps, having ordered her training as a super-heroine. Laurie seemed much less interested in the live than her mother was, driving a bit of a wedge between them- the two still meet regularly, but can't agree on anything and bicker endlessly. Rorscach, being anti-sex to the point of pathology, refers to her as "an aging whore dying in a California rest resort".

-We learn more fairly quickly- Sally was beaten up and nearly raped by the horny young Comedian back in the '40s, leading to him being beaten by Hooded Justice and expelled from the Minutemen- Hollis Mason later revealed this to the general public, probably against Sally's wishes. Much, MUCH later, we learn more backstory, as Sally had apparently forgiven Eddie much later on, and had been impressed by some act of kindness or delicacy from him, arguing to her then-husband Lou during a fight over her infidelity "Do you have ANY IDEA what that means from a man like that?!". Sally, thus, had apparently fallen for the old "Be a complete jerk, then do one nice thing" trick a lot of players use. Moore, however, places this to be a fairly meaningful thing and part of the wonder of humanity- Dr. Manhattan figuring this out is what convinces him that humanity is worthwhile and worth saving, because his beloved Laurie is the result of a love between a woman and a man she has every reason to hate (Laurie herself confesses she doesn't understand it but chooses to accept it). Sally is later seen weeping and kissing a photograph of Eddie.

-Sally, as a heroine, lacked the mental or fighting skills of her allies (The Comedian, uh, easily handles her physically), but was much more publicly savvy and able to dominate things in that manner. Her public debut, for example, was apparently the result of a hired actor as a "criminal" and the cops being in on it, and did so at other times (this must have been a later story).
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Nite Owl (Hollis Mason)

Post by Jabroniville »

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NITE OWL I (Hollis Mason)
Created By:
Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons
First Appearance: Watchmen #1 (Sept. 1986)
Role: Golden Age Hero, Blue Collar Hero
Group Affiliations: The Minutemen
PL 6 (95)
STRENGTH
3 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Acrobatics 2 (+6)
Athletics 4 (+7)
Deception 3 (+6)
Expertise (Streetwise) 4 (+6)
Expertise (Police Officer) 6 (+8)
Expertise (Automotives) 6 (+8)
Insight 3 (+6)
Intimidation 2 (+5)
Investigation 6 (+9)
Perception 3 (+6)
Persuasion 1 (+4)
Vehicles 4 (+6)

Advantages:
Equipment (Pistol) 2, Fast Grab, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Ranged Attack 3

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +4, Fortitude +5, Will +6

Complications:
Motivation (Doing Good)- Hollis was inspired by the actions of other masked vigilantes, and wanted to do his part. He held high moral positions, and refused to let the Comedian's actions towards Sally go unrevealed.

Total: Abilities: 58 / Skills: 44--22 / Advantages: 7 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 8 (95)

-Hollis Mason ends up being a major Watchmen character- the Golden Age Nite Owl, he not only inspires a legacy hero in Dan Drieberg, but he wrote Under The Hood, a major in-universe book about a hero talking about how the business worked. The first few "chapters" are printed in the supporting materials for the graphic novel, giving us a great look at things, not only revealing that the Comedian tried to rape Sally Jupiter in the past, but his own inspiration, a desire to do work he couldn't as a police officer, and more. He quit in the 1950s when the House of Un-American Activities Committee investigated the remaining heroes and forced them to unmask- retiring to eventually be an automotive mechanic, working on the now-obsolete gas engines (once electric cars became the norm thanks to the advances of Dr. Manhattan). This cleverly makes sure that Hollis is "obsolete" TWICE OVER in a narrative trick- a legitimately super-powered being makes him retire as a hero, and his "fallback job" now involves older model vehicles instead of modern ones, too.

-He's seen having friendly visits with Dan ("Watch the language!" he jokes, "This is the fist that flattened CAPTAIN AXIS, remember?"), and has a phone chat with Sally, comparing her more luxurious Florida lifestyle with his blue collar New York one. He is overall moral, self-effacing and honest about things, confessing to his own inadequacies and even that his being a superhero was kind of a flight of fancy. However, tragedy strikes when some "knot-tops" (NYC's most prominent gang- a skinhead-adjacent group) hear of Rorschach and Nite Owl returning, and druggedly mix up Hollis for Dan, breaking into his apartment and beating him to death. Dan nearly strangles a knot-top on the spot when he reveals Mason's death to him during routine questioning of another crime. One last personal tragedy before the end-game of the series. The "Watchmen Fandom" wiki actually points out something I'd not thought about- Hollis dying ahead of the final act ensures that Adrian's plan isn't personally responsible for his death as well- this gives Dan less emotional stake in what Adrian did, and helps him come to a more rational decision. It's unlikely Dan would be as... not FORGIVING, but understanding... had Adrian killed Hollis as well. In the end, the only named deaths in the climax of Chapter XI are people the heroes wouldn't know or care about directly.

-Hollis, as Nite Owl, was fairly similar to Captain Metropolis, I would imagine. He wore one of the simpler, more practical outfits of his group, owing to an incident where a drunken knife-wielder nearly got him because the string of his mask was pulled down- he switched to keeping his on with spirit gum. He's another PL 6 crimefighter, but has some police skills added on. Even as an old man, he puts up a bit of a fight when a gang charges him unexpectedly.
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Eris! Hooded Justice! Capt. Metropolis! Sally Jupiter!)

Post by Davies »

More than any other, Hollis did a lot to shape my ideas about how earlier generations of superheroes should be portrayed -- and how anyone who puts them into combat is making a terrible mistake.

I think it might actually have been interesting if Dan had accused Veidt of causing Hollis' death as part of his elaborate scheme, only for Veidt to disabuse him of this notion, throwing Dan's certainties into doubt. But that probably would have used up time and space they didn't have ...
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Eris! Hooded Justice! Capt. Metropolis! Sally Jupiter!)

Post by Ares »

I'll say this for Captain Metropolis: whatever failings he might have had as a hero, he had an AWESOME name and costume.

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That is just a solid look for either a Pulp / Golden Age hero, or even a flying brick. There's a clear Captain Marvel vibe with the second one.

I actually have an updated hybrid setting I've been working on called "Who Watches" that uses Watchmen as a base, but includes other settings like the inFAMOUS games, [PROTOTYPE], Crackdown, Milestone comics, Wildguard, Comics Greatest World, and even Green Ronin's own Paragon's setting. I might have to post that up here sometime soon.

Anyway, for said setting I opted to have more legacy heroes, with the first being a third Nite-Owl, followed by more legacy heroes of the original Minute Men. So I gave Captain Metropolis a legacy hero, one who is actually a flying brick.

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I think it overall came out pretty good.

There's also the fan theory that Hooded Justice and Captain Metropolis actually faked their deaths, and are living happily in the modern age thanks to this panel:

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The theory being that the ties of the two men are drawn to resemble domino masks, that the mustached man somewhat resembles the circus strongman who was said to possibly be Hooded Justice, etc.

Dave Gibbons said it wasn't technically true, as in that wasn't any kind of instructions he got from Alan Moore, but he actually liked the theory and found it plausible. So unintended, but it has some mild creator approval. Me, I'm happy to accept it.
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Eris! Hooded Justice! Capt. Metropolis! Sally Jupiter!)

Post by Ares »

Davies wrote: Sun Aug 21, 2022 7:17 pm More than any other, Hollis did a lot to shape my ideas about how earlier generations of superheroes should be portrayed -- and how anyone who puts them into combat is making a terrible mistake.

I think it might actually have been interesting if Dan had accused Veidt of causing Hollis' death as part of his elaborate scheme, only for Veidt to disabuse him of this notion, throwing Dan's certainties into doubt. But that probably would have used up time and space they didn't have ...
The movie isn't perfect, but it has a lot of elements I do like, and Hollis getting a last stand, putting up a damned good fight before the end, was something I enjoyed. It didn't make his death any less tragic or pointless, but it gave us the chance to see him go down swinging, rather than the off screen murder we got in the book.

But yeah, there's a reason why retired heroes usually stay retired, especially if there's nothing to keep them young and vital. The only reason the Comedian was in excellent shape was thanks to a combination of regular work and being a lot younger than the other Minute Men.
"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."
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Nite Owl (Dan)

Post by Jabroniville »

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NITE OWL II (Dan Dreiberg)
Created By:
Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons
First Appearance: Watchmen #1 (Sept. 1986)
Role: Legacy Hero, Inventor, The Straight Man
Group Affiliations: None (partnership with Rorschach)
PL 6 (105)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 1
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 4 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Acrobatics 2 (+6)
Athletics 4 (+7)
Deception 3 (+6)
Expertise (Streetwise) 2 (+6)
Expertise (Science) 4 (+8)
Insight 3 (+6)
Investigation 3 (+6)
Intimidation 2 (+5)
Perception 3 (+6)
Persuasion 1 (+4)
Technology 6 (+10)
Vehicles 6 (+8)

Advantages:
Equipment (Owlship, Gear) 14, Fast Grab, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Initiative, Ranged Attack 6

Equipment:
"Laser" Blast 4 (8)
"Smoke Bombs" Cloud Area Obscure Vision Attack (8)
"Grappling Gun" Movement 1 (Swinging) (1)
"Hoverskis" Flight 4 (Low Ceiling) (4)
"Night-Vision Goggles" Infravision (1)
"Nite Owl Costume" Protection 1 (1)

"Archimedes- Owlship"
(Huge Size, Toughness 12, Defense 0, Flight 7)
(Navigation System, Remote Control, Public Address System, Control From Any Part, Radiation Shields, "Flamethrower" Line Damage 6, "Air to Air Missiles" Burst Blast 8, "Machine Gun" Multiattack Blast 5, Smokescreen)
-- (53 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Laser +8 (+4 Ranged Damage, DC 19)
Initiative +5

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

Complications:
Disabled (Impotent)- Dan is... a soft, weak-willed man, unable to perform sexually, having lost his vitality when he was forced to retire from super-heroics. As Nite Owl, however, his problems seem gone- he is confident, capable and vital. Out of costume, Dan is only PRE 0 and Will +4.
Disabled (Retired)- Dan is past his physical prime, and will likely have an Exhausted affliction beset him after 4-6 rounds of combat.
Relationship (Laurie)- Dan is attracted to Laurie, but she was always with Dr. Manhattan. The two come together emotionally and physically after she leaves Jon.
Relationship (Rorschach)- The two were former partners in crimefighting, but after Rorschach went insane, they stopped working together as much. Dan remains Rorschach's only human lifeline, and constantly has to deal with him breaking in, mooching, and being his sounding board.

Total: Abilities: 52 / Skills: 38--19 / Advantages: 23 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 11 (105)

Dan- The Normal Guy:
-Dan Dreiberg represents perhaps the most "typical" of the Silver Age heroes who took up after the Golden Agers quit- not an old vet or the child of another hero, Dan was an aviation pro with a love of birds who asked Hollis Mason if he'd be okay with Dan becoming the new "Nite Owl", being legitimately inspired by him. And, like other heroes, quit when the Keene Act made masked vigilantism illegal. Dan had the fewest hangups and least extreme personality of any of the modern day heroes, which made him a nice contrast- he was a regular, if weak-willed and overly passive, sort of guy. He had romantic ideals of heroism (loving Sir Galahad of the Round Table knights) and was badly dejected when forced to quit. He is, of course, based off of Ted "Blue Beetle" Kord, who was himself a legacy hero to the Golden Age Blue Beetle.

-In olden times, Dan flew around in Archie, his Owlship (resembling Blue Beetle's "Bug Ship") and used a variety of impressive science-gear like a grappling gun and stuff (he had a large inheritance from his father, and no longer needed to work, despite a double major in Zoology & Aeronautics), and partnered up with Rorschach as a crimefighting due. But by now, Dan was an overweight guy who lived on his own, and Rorschach had long since gone off the deep end (and refused to give up the fight, thinking less of Dan for doing so). Dan now has to deal with Rorschach frequently busting in to his apartment to mooch food, appearing completely clueless as to how inconvenient this is- Dan himself is just kind of whiny and weak-willed about things, going along with others, acting as "Straight Man" so Rorschach doesn't have to monologue for once (his old buddy tells Dan about the murder of The Comedian, suggesting that a "Mask Killer" is at large). In probably the most boring but still insightful addendums in the supporting materials, Dan has a long description of a particular kind of bird- it's somewhat fanciful and romantic descriptions invite a look into the psyche of a man who has lofty, faux-poetic thoughts and is maybe a bit of a romantic at heart. When Laurie inspects all his amazing equipment, Dan keeps being self-effacing, attempting to convince himself as much as her that it's all just this childish romantic fantasy ("It was just this adolescent, ROMANTIC thing").

Dan & Laurie:
-Dan has a friendly relationship with Laurie owing to a shared past (they laugh over their old "foe", a pervert who took sexual pleasure in being beaten up- Dan cracks up Laurie by telling him he'd tried it with Rorschach, who tossed him down an elevator shaft), and the two actually manage to beat a gang of knot-tops half to death during a planned mugging, showing what even older superheroes were capable of. However, when Dan & Laurie suddenly cave to romantic desires when she's crying about Dr. Manhattan's weirdness, Dan finds himself... unable to perform. He was just a fumbling, awkward, nerdy man- however, when Rorschach is imprisoned and Dan puts on the Nite Owl gear to try and fix some of the issues in New York, suddenly NOW he's able to get it up, and he & Laurie make love in his friggin' Owl Ship, even shooting fire out of its nozzle in perhaps Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons's cheekiest pun in the series. But it's made pretty clear that "Dan Dreiberg" is an awkward, nerdy guy who can't perform; NITE OWL is manly, vital and strong. So Dan has hangups of his own, if only minor ones- he needs to the uniform to become what he's capable of being. Laurie says "I'd HOPED tonight might awaken something inside you, but it sounds like it's awoken with an APPETITE"- "You're right. It has. A BIG appetite". "I feel so confident it's like I'm on FIRE. And all the mask killers, all the wars in the world, they're just CASES- PROBLEMS to be solved".

-Dan's ship and gear are instrumental in much of the book- he & Laurie spring Rorschach, discover Adrian's conspiracy in everything via Dan's hacking skills (he swiftly figures out Adrian's password in a funny bit), then fly to Antarctica where they confront Ozymandias in his "Xanadu". However, all the heroes are swiftly beaten, being no match for the physical specimen they confront, and in the end, Dan agrees not to reveal Adrian's plot to the world. He insists Rorschach compromise, but his former friend refuses and is vaporized by Dr. Manhattan. Even so, Dan & Laurie, under new identities and blonde hair, form a new crimefighting duo as things end- he meets Sally Jupiter and even admits to once owning a pervy Tijuana Bible featuring her.

Nite Owl's Capabilities:
-Nite Owl is an interesting look at a modern-day, aged hero. The only Watchmen character to use gadgets, he even has a LASER, though the one time he uses it he misses (giving us the closest thing the book has to a "motion line", as the beam fires out and is bent- everything else in the series is flat and has no motion lines at all, simply being caught mid-motion). He is easily beaten by Ozymandias, along with Rorscach- improvised use of dining implements houses both of them. However, even a fat, past his prime Dan easily defeats several knot-tops along with Laurie, taking no damage (albeit getting heavily winded). His gear is quite effective as well- Rorschach uses a grappling gun to badly injure a SWAT officer, while Dan easily gets him & Rorschach to Antarctica. As nearly everyone else just uses their fists or guns aside from the one super-powered guy, it stands out a fair bit.
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Davies
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Eris! Hooded Justice! Capt. Metropolis! Sally Jupiter!)

Post by Davies »

I think the best illustration of Dan's capabilities is how easily he and Laurie take down a pair of crooks in their march towards Rorschach's cell in chapter 8 -- they're having a conversation with each other and the fighting is almost taking place unconsciously. The movie turns this into more of a production.

Tragically, he's the only surviving member of the original cast who doesn't show up in the TV series, as he's apparently in prison ... but that's a subject for a different rant.
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