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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Re: Jab's Builds! (Montenegro! Doombringer! Steel Serpent! Orson Randall!)

Post by Jabroniville »

MacynSnow wrote: Sun Jul 29, 2018 5:40 pm
KorokoMystia wrote: Sun Jul 29, 2018 4:11 pm Oh man, I'm really looking forward to Samurai Shodown. My first experience with it was the PS1 port of the third game (I think using Galford, since he's awesome), though apparently that port wasn't too great. (That's why Zankuro is the most memorable of the bosses to me, because he kicked my ass so many times. And, the most memorable thing about that fight..You couldn't win the match by time over! So no timer scamming. Like, if you tried to win the second round by time over, I think it just counted as a loss, but I don't recall.) Also, since it's a similar series by SNK, I'd love to see Last Blade at some point too, but I know how hard SNK guys are to research. I'm also curious about which of the SS games are being covered, since there's the six main 2D games and like four 3D games. I know that Asura from the Samurai Shodown 64 games also appeared in Neo Geo Battle Coliseum.
I was a lucky bastard growing-up and managed to play THE ARCADE version when it first came out,then got the PS1 game as soon as it came out(my brother still say's TO THIS DAY that the final boss somehow cheated his way to a win against him..). :D
Gotta love any game series that pits a bishonen Andrew Jackson against a shonen manga Tokugawa Ienari :).
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Ares
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Montenegro! Doombringer! Steel Serpent! Orson Randall!)

Post by Ares »

Jabroniville wrote: Mon Jul 30, 2018 7:15 am Oh good! Someone DOES know this guy :). I remember you being familiar with that Heroes for Hire book, so I suspected.

I realize this last day was full of lesser names, but Iron Fist is a tough set. Most of the bigger names are grouped together, so you need to stat them out at once. And I came up with these guys at the end, having discovered them later.
I seem to have either the blessing or misfortune of having favorite characters with somewhat limited appearances after I was born. Superman, Spider-Man and Batman have had upwards of four or five monthly books at times, but Capt. Marvel and Iron Fist? Sometimes the pickings were very slim and that made collecting almost all of their post 80s appearances relatively easy.

The 90s Heroes for Hire book was actually pretty interesting, and had a team of folks I actually would have enjoyed reading about: Iron Fist, Black Knight, Hercules (later swapped out for Luke), it gave Dane my favorite version of his power/weapon set and had Danny fight the Cat.

I've said it before, but if I was going to do a "magical book" for Marvel, I definitely wouldn't go the "everyone's a mage" flavor. It'd be guys like Iron Fist, Black Knight, Hercules, Captain Britain, Megan, Blade, maybe a few unknowns like Mechamage, and only have maybe one dedicated spellcaster in the group. It'd probably sell terribly unless I managed some REALLY good stories, but make it this fun book specifically about fighting evil gods, Lovecraftian old ones, vampires, the Mindless Ones, Dormmamu, the Hand, the Mandarin, etc.
"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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M4C8
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Re: Jab's Builds! (Montenegro! Doombringer! Steel Serpent! Orson Randall!)

Post by M4C8 »

Ares wrote: Mon Jul 30, 2018 8:51 am
Jabroniville wrote: Mon Jul 30, 2018 7:15 am Oh good! Someone DOES know this guy :). I remember you being familiar with that Heroes for Hire book, so I suspected.

I realize this last day was full of lesser names, but Iron Fist is a tough set. Most of the bigger names are grouped together, so you need to stat them out at once. And I came up with these guys at the end, having discovered them later.
I seem to have either the blessing or misfortune of having favorite characters with somewhat limited appearances after I was born. Superman, Spider-Man and Batman have had upwards of four or five monthly books at times, but Capt. Marvel and Iron Fist? Sometimes the pickings were very slim and that made collecting almost all of their post 80s appearances relatively easy.

The 90s Heroes for Hire book was actually pretty interesting, and had a team of folks I actually would have enjoyed reading about: Iron Fist, Black Knight, Hercules (later swapped out for Luke), it gave Dane my favorite version of his power/weapon set and had Danny fight the Cat.

I've said it before, but if I was going to do a "magical book" for Marvel, I definitely wouldn't go the "everyone's a mage" flavor. It'd be guys like Iron Fist, Black Knight, Hercules, Captain Britain, Megan, Blade, maybe a few unknowns like Mechamage, and only have maybe one dedicated spellcaster in the group. It'd probably sell terribly unless I managed some REALLY good stories, but make it this fun book specifically about fighting evil gods, Lovecraftian old ones, vampires, the Mindless Ones, Dormmamu, the Hand, the Mandarin, etc.
Sounds awesome, I'd definitely read it.
'A shared universe, like any fictional construct, hinges on suspension of disbelief. When continuity is tossed away, it tatters the construct. Undermines it'
Jabroniville
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Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Firefly

Post by Jabroniville »

Image

FIREFLY I (Thomas Ewing)
Created By:
Marv Wolfman & Al Milgrom
First Appearance: Nova #10 (June 1977)
Role: Jobber Villain
Group Affiliations: None
PL 7 (79)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 3
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Deception 2 (+3)
Expertise (Criminal) 2 (+3)
Perception 2 (+4)

Advantages: 
Ranged Attack 3

Powers:
"Firefly Costume" (Flaws: Removable) [24]
Flight 6 (120 mph) (12)
Fire Blast 8 (16) -- (17)
AE: "Flame Touch" Damage 6 (Extras: Secondary Effect) (12)
-- (29 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +5 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Flame Touch +5 (+6 Damage, DC 21)
Fire Blast +6 (+8 Ranged Damage, DC 23)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +7 (DC 17), Parry +7 (DC 17), Toughness +2, Fortitude +4, Will +2

Complications:
Motivation (Greed)- Firefly appeared as a minion for The Sphinx, but ended up fighting on his own later.

Total: Abilities: 38 / Skills: 6--3 / Advantages: 3 / Powers: 24 / Defenses: 8 (76)

-Firefly is one of the few character names shared amongst both Marvel & DC, though even the 5th-Tier Batman villain is a bigger name than this joke, who fought Nova once, then Luke Cage & Iron Fist. Nova got set on fire, but his suit protected him, and he dumped the villain into the river and KO'd him. In the other fight, Cage blocked his Flame Blast with a steel door, then a guy named the Crime-Buster captured him with fire-retardant foam. His suit could be rather nifty, but he's very under-powered, and REALLY easy to hit. Most of his fights end in a one-hit KO.
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KorokoMystia
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Re: Jab's Builds! (The Immortal Weapons! Black Dragon! Lionmane!)

Post by KorokoMystia »

The head of Marvel Firefly's suit really makes me think of the Kamen Riders..Especially Kuuga:
ImageProbably a coincidence, though, since they share the bug theme. (And the fact that this particular kamen rider came many, many years after this character was created.)
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Ares
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Re: Jab's Builds! (The Immortal Weapons! Black Dragon! Lionmane!)

Post by Ares »

KorokoMystia wrote: Tue Jul 31, 2018 12:54 am The head of Marvel Firefly's suit really makes me think of the Kamen Riders..Especially Kuuga:
ImageProbably a coincidence, though, since they share the bug theme. (And the fact that this particular kamen rider came many, many years after this character was created.)
My favorite Kamen Rider of all time.
"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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Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Devastators

Post by Jabroniville »

Image

THE DEVASTATOR I (Kirov Petrovna)
Created By:
Len Wein & Herb Trimpe
First Appearance: The Incredible Hulk #186 (April 1975)
Role: Powersuit
Group Affiliation: The Soviet Union

-The first Devastator was a Soviet spy and saboteur, wearing a powersuit designed by The Gremlin, who hated America for killing his father, The Gargoyle. The Devastator fights the Hulk, but the energy in the suit's gauntlets fired back into the suit, incinerating both suit and wearer.

THE DEVASTATOR II (Gregori Larionov)
Created By:
Bill Mantlo & Sal Buscema
First Appearance: Rom- Spaceknight #44 (July 1983)
Role: Powersuit
Group Affiliation: The Soviet Union

-The second Devastator wore a suits the Soviets recreated (the Gremlin had since defected to the U.S., discovering that his bosses has lied about his father's death). He and the "Soviet Super-Troopers" were sent to execute The Gremlin, but he was defeated by Gremlin, Rom and another Spaceknight named Starshine. A Devastator was later seen fighting a Crimson Dynamo during a training excercise. Another one was seen in Avengers World as an agent of S.P.E.A.R.'s "Ascendants" superteam.

-The suit itself is pretty generic- a Flying Blaster suit. However, it has a unique weakness- it's powered by microwaves sent by a satellite from above- leaving its line of sight de-powers the wearer, making him pretty useless.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Tue Jun 14, 2022 11:10 am, edited 1 time in total.
Jabroniville
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The Circus of Crime

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image
Image

THE CIRCUS OF CRIME
Created By:
Stan Lee & Steve Ditko
First Appearance: The Incredible Hulk #3 (Sept. 1962)
Role: The Jobberiest of Jobber Villains EVER

-I loved seeing these guys, way back when I was a kid and read a re-print of the Spider-Man issue where he & Daredevil met up and defeated the entire Circus. It had several classic 60s Marvel touches, like the heroes meeting and fighting (at least the "misunderstanding" was replaced with mind control) in a brawl without a solid winner, and tons of stupid, ugly-looking mooks going flying. They debuted against The Hulk, but became Journeyman Villains, fighting guys all over the '60s and '70s (including interrupting the wedding of The Wasp & Yellowjacket) until turning into pure jobbers (they actually do pretty well against Hawkeye).

-They're reappeared a dozen times over the years, but after getting demoted to Mooks early on, they never regained any dignity- they just got their asses kicked by the dozen, never doing any major damage to a hero again. But they're just so MOOK-Y, that they demand to be statted. In fact, I'm shocked it took me until 2013 to do it.

-The Circus members are in fairly good shape, and often quite Charismatic, but are still quite cheap, minor-level Mooks who have no chance against an experienced hero unless they fight en masse, which they always do. With The Ringmaster's Hypnosis, they usually end up with another ally (typically a hero like Spider-Man or Luke Cage or something) who does the most damage, while all the others dogpile and try to use their Teamwork feats. The entire crew is about PL 5-6, below every other Marvel character ever (even BOOMSLANG!).

FIRE-EATER (Tomas Ramirez)
PL 5 (52)
STRENGTH
1 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 3
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 2

Skills: 
Acrobatics 2 (+6)
Deception 4 (+6)
Expertise (Circus Performer) 4 (+6)
Intimidation 3 (+5)
Perception 3 (+3)

Advantages:
Equipment 2, Power Attack, Ranged Attack, Teamwork

Equipment:
"Fire-Eating Tools" Fire Damage 5 (Feats: Reach 2) (7)

Offense:
Unarmed +5 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Fire Breath +5 (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +3, Fortitude +3, Will +2

Complications:
Vulnerable (Fire Gone Wrong)- Being a Fire-Eater comes with certain risks- if Tomas was doused with gasoline or other flammable substances while Fire-Breathing, he'd be in some deep caca- he is NOT immune to his own Flames.

Total: Abilities: 36 / Skills: 16--8 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 3 (52)

-He eats fire and shoots it out at guys. Very simple. 

RAJAH (Kabir Mahadevu)
PL 4 (59)
STRENGTH
1 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 4 DEXTERITY 3
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 2

Skills: 
Deception 3 (+5)
Expertise (Circus Performer) 5 (+7)
Expertise (Animal Handling) 8 (+9)
Intimidation 3 (+5)
Perception 3 (+4)

Advantages:
Equipment (Elephant Trainer Stuff), Minions 10 (2 Elephants)

Equipment:
"Fire-Eating Tools" Fire Damage 5 (Feats: Reach 2) (7)

Offense:
Unarmed +4 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +2, Fortitude +2, Will +2

Total: Abilities: 32 / Skills: 22--11 / Advantages: 11 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 5 (59)

ASIAN ELEPHANT (Elephas maximus)
Role:
Giant Animal, Supreme Mount, Awesome Helper-Animal
PL 8 (71)- Minion Rank 5
Normal Version:
PL 8
STRENGTH 8 STAMINA 9 AGILITY -1
FIGHTING 3 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -4 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE -3

Skills:
Close Combat (Unarmed) 4 (+7)
Expertise (Survival) 5 (+7)
Insight 1 (+3)
Intimidation 9 (+8 Size)
Perception 3 (+5)

Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Diehard, Extraordinary Effort, Fast Grab, Fearless, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Grab, Startle, Takedown

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

"Natural Size" Growth 5 (Str & Sta +5, +5 Mass, +2 Intimidation, -2 Dodge/Parry, +1 Speed) -- (15 feet) (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [11]
Strength-Damage +1 (Feats: Reach) [2]
"Thick Layer of Skin" Protection 1 (Extras: Impervious 5) [6]

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+9 Damage, DC 25)
Initiative -1

Defenses:
Dodge +3 (DC 13), Parry +6 (DC 16), Toughness +10 (+3 Impervious), Fortitude +11, Will +6

Complications: 
Disabled (Animal)- Elephants cannot speak to humans, nor use their feet to easily manipulate objects. Their trunks can, however, but not to the extent of human hands.
Rivalry (Other Males)- Elephant Bulls must duel other males for mating rights.
Weakness (Poor Vision)- Elephants have poor eyesight, and often miss things unless directly in front of them, and close by. This makes them easy to startle or sneak up on, and makes them wary of small creatures that make great deals of noise (no really- the Mythbusters proved they don't like mice).
Temper- Elephants are notoriously ornery (especially males). Some are prone to sudden charges, however most are "bluffs".

Total: Abilities: 8 / Skills: 22--11 / Advantages: 9 / Powers: 25 / Defenses: 18 (71)

-Rajah controls a couple elephants to do damage for him, becoming one of the most lethal threats of the Circus.

LIVEWIRE (Rance Preston)
PL 6 (75)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 3
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 3

Skills: 
Acrobatics 4 (+7)
Deception 4 (+7)
Expertise (Rodeo Performer) 6 (+9)
Expertise (Animal Handling) 6 (+6)
Intimidation 2 (+5)
Ranged Combat (Lariat) 2 (+6)
Perception 4 (+4)

Advantages:
Equipment (Special Gear), Improved Disarm, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 2, Teamwork

Powers:
"Electrified Lariat" (Flaws: Easily Removable) (Feats: Restricted to Those with Special Gear) [10]
Snare 6 (Flaws: Limited to One Target -2) (Diminished Range -2) (4)
Linked to
Blast 6 (Diminished Range -2) (10)
-- (14 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +5 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Lariat +6 (+6 Ranged Affliction & Damage, DC 16 & 21)
Initiative +3

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

Total: Abilities: 38 / Skills: 28--14 / Advantages: 6 / Powers: 10 / Defenses: 7 (75)

-A moderately-developed minor character for this crew, he uses an Electrified Lasso to tie people up.

TEENA THE FAT LADY (Mary Stensen)
PL 5 (63)
STRENGTH
4 STAMINA 5 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 2

Skills: 
Acrobatics 4 (+7)
Deception 4 (+6)
Expertise (Circus Performer) 4 (+6)
Intimidation 2 (+4)
Perception 4 (+4)

Advantages:
Chokehold, Fast Grab, Move-By Action, Power Attack, Withstand Damage

Powers:
"Fatty-Fatty Boombalatty"
Features 2: Increased Mass 2 [2]
Leaping 1 (15 feet) [1]

Offense:
Unarmed +5 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +5, Fortitude +5, Will +2

Complications:
Prejudice (Morbidly Obese)- Being a titanically fat lady, Teena is likely prone to a large degree of prejudice in real life.

Total: Abilities: 42 / Skills: 18--9 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 3 / Defenses: 4 (63)

-Hey, this is sorta like my Pink Pearl build. She's fat and tough, and unusually quick for her size. In fact, this character pretty much IS the original Pink Pearl, right down to the concept and profession.

THE GREAT GAMBONNOS (Ernesto & Luigi Gambonno)
PL 5 (64)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 3
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 2

Skills: 
Acrobatics 6 (+11)
Deception 2 (+4)
Expertise (Circus Performer) 4 (+6)
Intimidation 2 (+4)
Perception 4 (+4)

Advantages:
Favoured Environment (Airborne), Equipment 1 (Clubs), Power Attack, Ranged Attack 3, Set-Up 2, Teamwork, Ultimate Acrobatics Skill

Equipment:
"Clubs" Strength-Damage +1 (Feats: Split) (Extras: Ranged 3) (Diminished Range -2) (3)

Offense:
Unarmed +5 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Clubs +5 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Clubs Ranged +6 (+3 Ranged Damage, DC 18)
Initiative +5

Defenses:
Dodge +7 (DC 17), Parry +6 (DC 16), Toughness +3, Fortitude +3, Will +2

Total: Abilities: 40 / Skills: 18--9 / Advantages: 10 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 5 (64)

-A pair of Trapeze-Artist criminals. Good athleticism, but they're no match for guys like Daredevil & Spider-Man when THEY get on the ropes, too. They have Ultimate Acrobatics and Favoured Environment, but at "only" +11 to their Skill, they aren't world-class, just very, very good.

THE HUMAN CANNONBALL (Jack Pulver)
PL 8 (55)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 3
INTELLIGENCE -1 AWARENESS -1 PRESENCE 0

Skills: 
Acrobatics 6 (+9)
Deception 2 (+4)
Expertise (Circus Performer) 6 (+6)
Intimidation 4 (+4)
Perception 3 (+3)

Advantages:
Favoured Environment (Being Shot Out of a Cannon), Equipment 3 (Cannon), Power Attack, Ranged Attack 2

Powers:
Immunity 1 (Disorientation From Being Shot Out of Cannons) [1]
Immunity 5 (Falling Damage) (Flaws: Limited to Half) [2.5]

Equipment:
"Cannonball" Damage 8 (Extras: Area- 60ft. Line +2) (Flaws: Distracting, Unreliable) (8)
"Mace" Strength-Damage +3 (3)

Offense:
Unarmed +5 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Mace +5 (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Cannonball +8 Area (+8 Damage, DC 23)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +3, Fortitude +3, Will +2

Total: Abilities: 28 / Skills: 21--10.5 / Advantages: 9 / Powers: 3.5 / Defenses: 4 (55)

-An idiotic guy who shoots himself out of a cannon. There could be a more complicated way to stat him firing himself, but it's basically an inaccurate +9 Blast, and most anyone can kick the tar out of him otherwise. The Cannon itself, when fired, is a dangerous PL 8 Line Area Damage effect that can do a number on the heroes if they're not careful.

THE STRONGMAN (Bruce Olafson)
PL 6 (48)
STRENGTH
4 STAMINA 5 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 1
INTELLIGENCE -1 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 0

Skills: 
Close Combat (Unarmed) 1 (+6)
Intimidation 6 (+6)
Expertise (Circus Performer) 5 (+5)

Advantages:
Equipment (500-lb. Weight), Fast Grab, Improved Hold, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 2

Equipment:
"500-lb. Weight" Strength-Damage +2 (Feats: Reach, Restricted to Strength 4 or Greater) (4)

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Weight +5 (+6 Damage, DC 21)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +4 (DC 14), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +5, Fortitude +5, Will +2

Total: Abilities: 32 / Skills: 12--6 / Advantages: 6 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 4 (48)

-Pretty much your standard Mook, plus a ton of raw strength. He can heft a 500-lb. weight at Spidey, but SURPRISE- the ol' Web-Head just grabbed it and launched it at another couple bad guys. Like most super-tough humans, he's Strength 4 & Toughness 5, meaning he's no pushover.

THE CLOWN (Eliot "Crafty" Franklin)
PL 6 (80)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 2

Skills: 
Acrobatics 3 (+7)
Deception 5 (+7)
Expertise (Circus Performer) 6 (+8)
Expertise (History) 2 (+3)
Insight 3 (+5)
Perception 4 (+6)
Persuasion 3 (+5)

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Daze (Deception), Equipment 3 (Clown Gadgets), Improved Critical (Trick Cane), Power Attack, Ranged Attack 3, Teamwork

Equipment:
"Clown Gadgets"
"Gas Cane" Affliction 6 (Fort; Fatigued/Exhausted/Asleep) (Extras: Area- 15ft. Cloud) (12) -- (15)
  • AE: "Magnum Pistol" Blast 5 (10)
  • AE: "Juggling Balls" Strength-Damage +1 (Extras: Ranged 3, Multiattack 3) (7)
  • AE: "Trick Cane" Strength-Damage +2 (Feats: Reach) (3)
Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Trick Cane +6 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Magnum Pistol +7 (+5 Ranged Damage, DC 20)
Juggling Balls +7 (+3 Ranged Damage, DC 18)
Gas Cane +6 Area (+6 Affliction, DC 16)
Initiative +4

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

Total: Abilities: 48 / Skills: 26--13 / Advantages: 11 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 8 (80)

-Eliot's actually been given some characterization after being a generic background Mook for years, but it didn't really matter. Even splitting off from the Ringmaster and forming his own Circus multiple times never gave him anything more than "Named Mook" status, and he still goes down easy. 

THE RINGMASTER (Maynard Tiboldt)
PL 11 (87)
STRENGTH
0 STAMINA 1 AGILITY 1
FIGHTING 4 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 4

Skills: 
Deception 5 (+9)
Expertise (Criminal) 5 (+7)
Expertise (Circus Ringmaster) 6 (+10)
Perception 4 (+6)

Advantages:
Ranged Attack

Powers:
"The Ringmaster's Hat" (Flaws: Easily Removable) [27]
Affliction 11 (Will; Dazed/Compelled/Controlled) (Extras: Area- Perception, Sustained +2) (44 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +3 (+0 Damage, DC 15)
Hat +11 Area (+11 Affliction, DC 21)
Initiative +1

Defenses:
Dodge +7 (DC 17), Parry +7 (DC 17), Toughness +1, Fortitude +3, Will +4

Total: Abilities: 36 / Skills: 20--10 / Advantages: 1 / Powers: 27 / Defenses: 13 (87)

-Obviously the highest-PL and most expensive guy, he has the Mind Control w/ Perception Extra, plus the ability to keep the guys under his thrall while he does other things, and usually only a reversal (ie. taking the hat off and un-brainwashing the guy) will save the hero. It's high-level, but aside from that, The Ringmaster folds like a card table with the slightest touch, being only PL 4 defensively.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Tue Jun 14, 2022 11:11 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Ares
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Re: Jab's Builds! (The Immortal Weapons! Black Dragon! Lionmane!)

Post by Ares »

My only real exposure to these guys was from an old Johnny Blaze Ghost Rider issue from what must have been the late 70s/early 80s. It was blue jumpsuit Ghost Rider. Johnny was traveling with an actual circus doing motorcycle stunts, when the Eliot Franklin (aka, the Clown) joined up with them, working alongside his dad, and trying to go straight. But Eliot kept getting these notes saying some variant of "We need you back", and when the Clown would ignore them, some part of the normal circus would get sabotaged, hurting business. Eliot and his dad had an argument when his father saw one of the notes, and Eliot stormed off. Then another bit of sabotage happened that nearly killed Eliot's dad, but Johnny was able to save his life.

Later, when finding out what the hospital bills would cost, Eliot left the circus, put on his old costume and found the hiding spot of the Circus of Crime. See, at this point, Ringmaster was in prison and Python Princess was off somewhere else, so it was just Fire-Eater, Live Wire, Bruto, the Gambino Brothers and Cannonball. The group wanted Clown to join them and lead them, since he was actually really good at leadership (though Fire-Eater secretly wanted to be leader in a very Starscream way), and they needed a leader. So when ignored them, the sabotaged the place to place to let him know they were serious. They never intended for anyone to get hurt (save for Fire-Eater, who didn't care and had been the one to cause the sabotage that injured Clown's dad), and they figured with the circus in such a bad state, they'd be willing to sign on as the CoC's cover circus.

So the Clown went speak to the circus' manager, and explained everything. They had a big meeting with all of the carnies present, and all of the CoC on a stage with him. He told his folks that the circus was flat broke, that the recent troubles had left them in dire straights, and that the CoC was offering them a deal that would fix their problems.

"So after much consideration, the only responsible thing I can say is . . . FUCK THESE GUYS!"

Okay, so he didn't literally say that, but it was the gist of it. Basically he said he'd rather be poor than take a single penny of blood money from these guys, and the Clown announced that the CoC had CAUSED all of their troubles, including hurting his old man. At which point, everyone present who wasn't part of the Circus of Crime attacked the CoC.

And you want to know how jobbery the Circus of Crime are? With the exception of Fire-Eater, all of them got taken down but a bunch of regular carnies. Clown and Fire-Eater squared off, with Fire-Eater causing a lot of damage to the circus, since he could not only breath fire, but he also had these exploding disc weapons he'd throw that had lit have the place on fire. In the confusion, Johnny got stuck in this inferno, when his old motorcycle leathers landed next to him.

That's when Ghost Rider starts talking in his head.

See, for a while, Johnny Blaze was basically a demon-powered superhero. He could turn back and forth between the Ghost Rider at will, had all these cool powers, it was fun. But then Zarathos, the demon bound to Johnny's soul, started to regain his sentience. Instead of Johnny being in control of the Ghost Rider form, Zarathos would come out and go on his quest for vengeance. He started to hurt people. Really hurt people. So Johnny became very much like the Hulk TV show of the time, constantly trying to keep Ghost Rider pent up inside of him, with Zarathos in his head constantly whispering "Let me out, Blaze. Let me out to visit retribution on the guilty. You know you want to. LET ME OUT!"

So surrounded by flame, with innocent people presumably being hurt all around him, Johnny gives in.

As the Clown and Fire-Eater fight, they suddenly hear laughter. And then Ghost Rider comes ripping through a wall of fire, hefting his flaming motorcycle and throwing it at Fire-Eater, who barely dodges. He then throws one of his exploding discs at Ghost Rider, who catches it. The disc explodes, and Ghost Rider just . . . stands there, mocking the idea of trying to use normal fire to hurt someone who was born in Hell itself. Ghost Rider then offers Fire-Eater a choice. Stay and fight, and see if his skills could allow him to survive, or take his chances with the 15 foot tall wall of flame behind him and hope for the best. Fire-Eater looks into Ghost Rider's eyes, and can SEE what GR has in store for him.

Fire-Eater tosses his belt of explosive discs off and leaps into the flame. The Rider yells "COWARD!", even as Fire-Eater emerges from the other side of the flame, ON FIRE, and it's up to the very people he put in danger to save his life.

Ghost Rider then turns to the Clown, who just NOPES! the Hell out of there, trying to escape, when the Ghost Rider gets his hands on him. And we get something kind of interesting, because this version of Ghost Rider didn't have the Penance Stare. Instead, he had the "Ghost Flames of Hell", which basically worked the same way. The flames would consume their victim, show him every bad thing he or she had ever done, and make them face the pain and suffering they'd caused others, all while not burning them physically.

The Clown is just consumed by the flame, relives his evil past, and is left in a catatonic state on the ground, just crying.

Ghost Rider is overjoyed, finally happy to have served vengeance on someone, when one of Johnny's friends shows up. See, he had known that Johnny was the Ghost Rider, but had never told anyone, Johnny included, instead covering for him. The friend reveals that, yes, the Clown had done things in the past, but he had made a real effort to go straight, and when presented with the temptation to go back to crime, he instead took the moral high ground and did the right thing.

Ghost Rider turns back to the Clown, who is on his knees, just sadly saying over and over, "I'm sorry pop. I'm so sorry. All I ever wanted to do was make you proud."

And we get a rare moment where the Rider is actually appalled by what he's done. He says he really doesn't care about the innocent, but it isn't his job to punish them. And that causes the Rider to just fade back, leaving regular Johnny Blaze.

Johnny and his friend talk, with the latter telling how he found out Johnny's secret, and the pair look at the wrecked circus, and wonder what will happen next.

It was actually a pretty good story, IMO. I'd make me want to revisit Eliot and his dad later, give them a proper happy ending. And it just showcases how jobby the CoC are, when regular circus folks can beat them up.

Now the idea of an evil circus as supervillains isn't a bad one. One of the Heroes Unlimited books had a solid write-up of The Fun Bunch, which are basically the Circus of Crime, but everyone has superpowers, and everyone is the Joker. It's kind of scary, really.
"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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MacynSnow
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Re: Jab's Builds! (The Immortal Weapons! Black Dragon! Lionmane!)

Post by MacynSnow »

Ares wrote: Tue Jul 31, 2018 4:58 am My only real exposure to these guys was from an old Johnny Blaze Ghost Rider issue from what must have been the late 70s/early 80s. It was blue jumpsuit Ghost Rider. Johnny was traveling with an actual circus doing motorcycle stunts, when the Eliot Franklin (aka, the Clown) joined up with them, working alongside his dad, and trying to go straight. But Eliot kept getting these notes saying some variant of "We need you back", and when the Clown would ignore them, some part of the normal circus would get sabotaged, hurting business. Eliot and his dad had an argument when his father saw one of the notes, and Eliot stormed off. Then another bit of sabotage happened that nearly killed Eliot's dad, but Johnny was able to save his life.

Later, when finding out what the hospital bills would cost, Eliot left the circus, put on his old costume and found the hiding spot of the Circus of Crime. See, at this point, Ringmaster was in prison and Python Princess was off somewhere else, so it was just Fire-Eater, Live Wire, Bruto, the Gambino Brothers and Cannonball. The group wanted Clown to join them and lead them, since he was actually really good at leadership (though Fire-Eater secretly wanted to be leader in a very Starscream way), and they needed a leader. So when ignored them, the sabotaged the place to place to let him know they were serious. They never intended for anyone to get hurt (save for Fire-Eater, who didn't care and had been the one to cause the sabotage that injured Clown's dad), and they figured with the circus in such a bad state, they'd be willing to sign on as the CoC's cover circus.

So the Clown went speak to the circus' manager, and explained everything. They had a big meeting with all of the carnies present, and all of the CoC on a stage with him. He told his folks that the circus was flat broke, that the recent troubles had left them in dire straights, and that the CoC was offering them a deal that would fix their problems.

"So after much consideration, the only responsible thing I can say is . . . FUCK THESE GUYS!"

Okay, so he didn't literally say that, but it was the gist of it. Basically he said he'd rather be poor than take a single penny of blood money from these guys, and the Clown announced that the CoC had CAUSED all of their troubles, including hurting his old man. At which point, everyone present who wasn't part of the Circus of Crime attacked the CoC.

And you want to know how jobbery the Circus of Crime are? With the exception of Fire-Eater, all of them got taken down but a bunch of regular carnies. Clown and Fire-Eater squared off, with Fire-Eater causing a lot of damage to the circus, since he could not only breath fire, but he also had these exploding disc weapons he'd throw that had lit have the place on fire. In the confusion, Johnny got stuck in this inferno, when his old motorcycle leathers landed next to him.

That's when Ghost Rider starts talking in his head.

See, for a while, Johnny Blaze was basically a demon-powered superhero. He could turn back and forth between the Ghost Rider at will, had all these cool powers, it was fun. But then Zarathos, the demon bound to Johnny's soul, started to regain his sentience. Instead of Johnny being in control of the Ghost Rider form, Zarathos would come out and go on his quest for vengeance. He started to hurt people. Really hurt people. So Johnny became very much like the Hulk TV show of the time, constantly trying to keep Ghost Rider pent up inside of him, with Zarathos in his head constantly whispering "Let me out, Blaze. Let me out to visit retribution on the guilty. You know you want to. LET ME OUT!"

So surrounded by flame, with innocent people presumably being hurt all around him, Johnny gives in.

As the Clown and Fire-Eater fight, they suddenly hear laughter. And then Ghost Rider comes ripping through a wall of fire, hefting his flaming motorcycle and throwing it at Fire-Eater, who barely dodges. He then throws one of his exploding discs at Ghost Rider, who catches it. The disc explodes, and Ghost Rider just . . . stands there, mocking the idea of trying to use normal fire to hurt someone who was born in Hell itself. Ghost Rider then offers Fire-Eater a choice. Stay and fight, and see if his skills could allow him to survive, or take his chances with the 15 foot tall wall of flame behind him and hope for the best. Fire-Eater looks into Ghost Rider's eyes, and can SEE what GR has in store for him.

Fire-Eater tosses his belt of explosive discs off and leaps into the flame. The Rider yells "COWARD!", even as Fire-Eater emerges from the other side of the flame, ON FIRE, and it's up to the very people he put in danger to save his life.

Ghost Rider then turns to the Clown, who just NOPES! the Hell out of there, trying to escape, when the Ghost Rider gets his hands on him. And we get something kind of interesting, because this version of Ghost Rider didn't have the Penance Stare. Instead, he had the "Ghost Flames of Hell", which basically worked the same way. The flames would consume their victim, show him every bad thing he or she had ever done, and make them face the pain and suffering they'd caused others, all while not burning them physically.

The Clown is just consumed by the flame, relives his evil past, and is left in a catatonic state on the ground, just crying.

Ghost Rider is overjoyed, finally happy to have served vengeance on someone, when one of Johnny's friends shows up. See, he had known that Johnny was the Ghost Rider, but had never told anyone, Johnny included, instead covering for him. The friend reveals that, yes, the Clown had done things in the past, but he had made a real effort to go straight, and when presented with the temptation to go back to crime, he instead took the moral high ground and did the right thing.

Ghost Rider turns back to the Clown, who is on his knees, just sadly saying over and over, "I'm sorry pop. I'm so sorry. All I ever wanted to do was make you proud."

And we get a rare moment where the Rider is actually appalled by what he's done. He says he really doesn't care about the innocent, but it isn't his job to punish them. And that causes the Rider to just fade back, leaving regular Johnny Blaze.

Johnny and his friend talk, with the latter telling how he found out Johnny's secret, and the pair look at the wrecked circus, and wonder what will happen next.

It was actually a pretty good story, IMO. I'd make me want to revisit Eliot and his dad later, give them a proper happy ending. And it just showcases how jobby the CoC are, when regular circus folks can beat them up.

Now the idea of an evil circus as supervillains isn't a bad one. One of the Heroes Unlimited books had a solid write-up of The Fun Bunch, which are basically the Circus of Crime, but everyone has superpowers, and everyone is the Joker. It's kind of scary, really.
That's so weird in that i meet these lovably loser's loser's by reading the EXACT same issue of GR...
Btw,did you ever feel Blazes Friend's way of finding out his Secret a little TOO convenient?It Wouldnt've suprised me to find out later his 'Buddy' was working for Mephisto all along....
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Re: Jab's Builds! (The Immortal Weapons! Black Dragon! Lionmane!)

Post by Ares »

MacynSnow wrote: Tue Jul 31, 2018 6:21 am That's so weird in that i meet these lovably loser's loser's by reading the EXACT same issue of GR...
Btw,did you ever feel Blazes Friend's way of finding out his Secret a little TOO convenient?It Wouldnt've suprised me to find out later his 'Buddy' was working for Mephisto all along....
He'd found out about Johnny before this issue. From what I remember, his friend had one of those Marvel "catches a hero changing without the hero realizing it" bits and really, that's not as unrealistic as it sounds, especially given Blaze is now sometimes transforming involuntarily.
"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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MacynSnow
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Re: Jab's Builds! (The Immortal Weapons! Black Dragon! Lionmane!)

Post by MacynSnow »

Ares wrote: Tue Jul 31, 2018 6:28 am
MacynSnow wrote: Tue Jul 31, 2018 6:21 am That's so weird in that i meet these lovably loser's loser's by reading the EXACT same issue of GR...
Btw,did you ever feel Blazes Friend's way of finding out his Secret a little TOO convenient?It Wouldnt've suprised me to find out later his 'Buddy' was working for Mephisto all along....
He'd found out about Johnny before this issue. From what I remember, his friend had one of those Marvel "catches a hero changing without the hero realizing it" bits and really, that's not as unrealistic as it sounds, especially given Blaze is now sometimes transforming involuntarily.
Your right,maybe i Was just reading to much into it...
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Re: Jab's Builds! (The Immortal Weapons! Black Dragon! Lionmane!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Wow, that actually sounds like a fun issue. Funny how these guys actually beat a carny like Hawkeye so bad, when his brethren did so much better :).
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Re: Jab's Builds! (The Immortal Weapons! Black Dragon! Lionmane!)

Post by Ares »

It was a very well done issue, solid art and writing. And it shows just how stupid the Circus of Crime are.

"Man, we really want this guy to be our boss!"

"Yeah, but he keeps ignoring us when we ask him to lead us!"

"What do we do?"

" . . . . destroy his livelyhood until he gives us what we want?"

"BEST! PLAN! EVER!"

I mean, these guys basically went all psycho-ex-girlfriend on him and expected him to just be their leader? What did they THINK was going to happen?

It's like a bunch of grown men in circus costumes going "Notice me, sempai! NOTICE ME!"
"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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Re: Jab's Builds! (The Immortal Weapons! Black Dragon! Lionmane!)

Post by Batgirl III »

It’s been my experience that criminals who dress like circus performers usually aren’t the most stable of personalities...
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