Jab’s Builds! (Lawnmower Man! Samus Aran! Metroids!)

[Ares]

I could be wrong, but I think Shimmer's power had some kind of time limit for how long the matter she altered would remain transformed. So if she turned someone to stone, after a certain length of time they'd turn back to normal. But she could actually use that to her advantage. She once turned a wall into oxygen, then when Donna chased after her, she undid the effect and Donna was trapped in a solid wall that was crushing her to death.

The whole goth look is just a case of "trying too hard". Her name is Shimmer, you kind of expect her outfit to be kind of bright and shinny (I know she was called Shimmer due to the shimmer effect of her power). Though that first outfit is pretty risque'. One of those buttons/clasps pops and the comic goes from PG-13 to R in a hurry.

[Jack of Spades]

I don't really find transformers any more problematic that other Affliction-based attackers or characters with Create. You want to turn Cyborg into water? He's not equipment; you'll need to use an Affliction on him. (I'm currently running a group of Eternals; every one of them has some degree of Transform, and it hasn't been a problem.)

[Jabroniville]

MAMMOTH (Baran Flinders)
Created By: Marv Wolfman & George Perez
First Appearance: The New Teen Titans #3 (Jan. 1981)
Role: Big Dumb Powerhouse
Group Affiliations: The Fearsome Five, The Injustice League
PL 10 (105)
STRENGTH 13 STAMINA 13 AGILITY 0
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -2 AWARENESS -2 PRESENCE -2

Skills:
Intimidation 10 (+8)

Advantages:
Daze (Intimidation), Fast Grab, Great Endurance, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Interpose, Power Attack, Startle

Powers:
Leaping 5 [5]
Impervious Toughness 11 [11]
"Groundstrike" Affliction 10 (Dodge; Hindered/Prone) (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (Flaws: Limited Degree, Instant Recovery, Limited to Grounded Targets) Linked to Damage 8 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (Flaws: Limited to Grounded Opponents) [11]

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+13 Damage, DC 28)
Initiative +0

Defenses:
Dodge +6 (DC 16), Parry +6 (DC 16), Toughness +13 (+6 Impervious), Fortitude +13, Will +4

Complications:
Motivation (Greed)
Relationship (Shimmer- Sister)- Baran is very devoted to his sister Selinda.

Total: Abilities: 52 / Skills: 10--5 / Advantages: 9 / Powers: 27 / Defenses: 12 (105)

-Mammoth is basically the "Big Giant Idiot" of the Fearsome Five, to a very literal extent- the gimmick is that despite his great strength, he is ACTUALLY MENTALLY RETARDED. Devoted to his sister Selinda (Shimmer), he is easily led and even more easily tricked (he once gave up to a powerless Superman, being tricked by Supes's pretend confidence). When Shimmer was murdered by Psimon, he went searching for her, not actually realizing why she was missing. He later appears in a lot of "Villain Groups" as a backup guy, as he's one of DC's only villains in the "Marvel Powerhouse Class"- the guys who are Class 100-ish, and are ONLY Super-Strong, not packing tons of Flight, Energy Blasts, etc.

-Mammoth is said to be a very poor fighter, so he readily fits the "Inaccurate Powerhouse" set-up, being more akin to Marvel guys like The Thing, She-Hulk and Warpath in power, rather than DC's super-heavyweights like the Superman & Marvel Families, or Wonder Woman.

[Ares]

And hey, bit of topical news for the Titans builds. Protector actually appeared in the latest issue of Tom King's "I Am Going To Make Every Superhero As Broken And Messed Up As I Feel" series. Also known as "Heroes in Crisis".

And in a moment of completely brilliant, genre defining creativity, Tom King decided that the character that was created to help kids not get addicted to drugs, was himself a drug addict. But not a Roy Harper "I got hooked on drugs and then went through rehab and now speak out against drugs". He was doing drugs while he was telling kids not to do drugs. His dialogue is almost literally:

"I'm the Protector. I use to tell kids 'Don't do drugs. Or else!' That's pretty much all I did. I also did a lot of drugs. While I was telling kids to not do drugs. It's so stupid. I'm so stupid. It was stupid."

Oh my God, what brilliant irony to have a character with a single purpose be guilty of the thing he spoke out against.

And no, Protector is not a Red Guardian character of mine, nor do I have an issue with a character's intended purpose being subverted later. Batwoman was originally created because they didn't want people thinking Batman was gay (oddly enough, Batman being gay was worse than the idea of him being a pedophile). Making her a lesbian is a perfect middle finger to the kind of politics of that era and how wrong they were.

But the Protector was a Robin re-color designed specifically to help kids not do drugs. That is not something that needed an ironic twist or subverting.

I hate that series. I'm not sure if I hate Tom King, but I don't like how he writes, what he writes, and wish he was not writing established superheroes. It's a complete waste of some of the best art in comics.

[Jabroniville]

PSIMON (Dr. Simon Jones)
Created By: Marv Wolfman & George Perez
First Appearance: The New Teen Titans #3 (Jan. 1981)
Role: Super-Psionic, Sadist
Group Affiliations: The Fearsome Five, The Injustice League, Villains Inc.
PL 12 (173)
STRENGTH 0 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 1
FIGHTING 4 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 5 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Deception 4 (+6)
Expertise (Science) 4 (+9)
Insight 3 (+6)
Intimidation 6 (+8)
Perception 3 (+6)
Ranged Combat (TK) 4 (+10)

Advantages:
Improved Aim, Improved Disarm, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 2, Startle

Powers:
"Telepathy & Telekinesis"
Mind-Reading 12 Linked to Communication (Mental) 3 (Feats: Dynamic) (Extras: Area, Selective) (53) -- [69]

• Dynamic AE: Illusion (Visuals) 6 (Feats: Dynamic) (Extras: Selective) (Flaws: Limited to Living Beings) (12)
• Dynamic AE: Mind Control 10 (Feats: Dynamic) (41)
• Dynamic AE: Mind Control 6 (Feats: Dynamic) (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (Flaws: Touch Range -2) (19)
• Dynamic AE: "Mental Stun" Affliction 12 (Will; Dazed/Stunned/Paralyzed) (Feats: Dynamic) (Extras: Perception-Ranged +2) (37)
• Dynamic AE: "Sleep" Affliction 12 (Will; Fatigued/Exhausted/Asleep) (Feats: Dynamic) (Extras: Perception-Ranged +2) (37)
• Dynamic AE: "Telekinesis" Move Object 12 (Feats: Dynamic) (Extras: Perception-Ranged) (37)
• Dynamic AE: TK Blast 12 (Feats: Dynamic) (25)
• Dynamic AE: "Enhanced Field" Force Field +2 (Feats: Dynamic) (Extras: Impervious 11) (14)

Deflect 10 [10]
Force Field 8 [8]
Flight 2 (8 mph) [4]
"Telelocation" Senses 10 (Detect Minds- Ranged 4, Acute, Precognition- Limited) [8]

Offense:
Unarmed +4 (+0 Damage, DC 15)
Mind-Reading -- (+12 Mind-Reading, DC 22)
Mind Control -- (+10 Perception-Ranged Affliction, DC 20)
Area Mind Control +6 (+6 Affliction, DC 16)
Mental Stun -- (+12 Perception-Ranged Affliction, DC 22)
TK Blast +10 (+12 Ranged Damage, DC 27)
Initiative +1

Defenses:
Dodge +7 (DC 17), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +2 (+10 Force Field, +12 Enhanced Fields), Fortitude +5, Will +7

Complications:
Motivation (Greed)
Motivation (Sadism)- Psimon rarely kills his victims- he prefers instead to terrify people. He once launced a nuclear warhead at Canada simply to terrify the world.

Total: Abilities: 42 / Skills: 24--12 / Advantages: 6 / Powers: 99 / Defenses: 14 (173)

-Psimon was the most powerful of the Fearsome Five by FAR, to the point where he was basically a total game-breaker. His distinctive appearance, that of a scrawny pink man with an exposed brain and a defenseless pose, made him stand out in a crowd as well- it gave off a real sense of menace, and told you immediately that this man's MIND was the true threat. His origin is that he was a scientist working on contacting other dimensions- making the terrifying mistake of contacting TRIGON THE TERRIBLE, he was blasted with a beam that transformed him into an evil Psionic being. When Doctor Light recruited the Five through an ad in the newspaper (seriously), Psimon wasted no time in taking Light's role as team leader, though the team was defeated a couple of times.

-Psimon's great power would become an issue- Wolfman first had him exiled to another dimension for displeasing Trigon with his lack of progress. And then, in the famous Crisis on Infinite Earths issue detailing the war between every super-villain in existence and every SUPER-HERO in existence, Psimon planned to take control himself by slaying Lex Luthor and Brainiac. Destroying the robot, he moved in on Luthor... but had his brain shot right out of his skull in an exceptionally-gory shot for a 1980s comic book, with Brainiac having recovered into a new body. Wolfman & Perez would later state that they weren't "comfortable" with a villain that powerful floating around the DC Universe. With continuity altered at the end of the story, memories were altered so that the rest of the Five had turned on Psimon, killing him.

-Psimon was thus one of DOZENS of victims of the Crisis, but would make his return in the early 1990s, enraged with the rest of the Five for killing him. He permanently shrank Gizmo and killed Shimmer by turning her to glass and shattering her, among other things, but he was defeated by the Titans and the Darkstars. The Five were reformed and joined with Dr. Sivana, but Psimon's evil acts caused even the mad Doctor to cut ties with the squad, and they were beaten by the Outsiders. And then, bizarrely, he was killed during Salvation Run by THE JOKER of all people, who simply smashed his brain-case with repeated blows from a rock. Yes, a guy THIS POWERFUL was executed by the "Killer Croc School of Self-Defense". Psimon reappeared in both the New 52 (as a psionic child) and DC's Rebirth.

-Psimon is a Perception-Range Telekinetic powerhouse, and one of the DCU's few proper psionic bastards. Usually, that's Marvel's purview, so Psimon doesn't get the full gamut of feats people like Professor X or the White Queen do, mainly because DC telepaths tend to focus just on blasting stuff and controlling people. He's a devastating PL 12, but remember that he can't use his full Force Field while attacking, and his defenses are garbage, so he's a total glass cannon, with a +2 Toughness save and weak defenses.

[Jabroniville]

I don't really find transformers any more problematic that other Affliction-based attackers or characters with Create. You want to turn Cyborg into water? He's not equipment; you'll need to use an Affliction on him. (I'm currently running a group of Eternals; every one of them has some degree of Transform, and it hasn't been a problem.)

I just find it one of those things prone to "I can do anything"-itis, like Magic & Variable. But I already went into my Eternals rant, lol.

[Jabroniville]

I could be wrong, but I think Shimmer's power had some kind of time limit for how long the matter she altered would remain transformed. So if she turned someone to stone, after a certain length of time they'd turn back to normal. But she could actually use that to her advantage. She once turned a wall into oxygen, then when Donna chased after her, she undid the effect and Donna was trapped in a solid wall that was crushing her to death.

The whole goth look is just a case of "trying too hard". Her name is Shimmer, you kind of expect her outfit to be kind of bright and shinny (I know she was called Shimmer due to the shimmer effect of her power). Though that first outfit is pretty risque'. One of those buttons/clasps pops and the comic goes from PG-13 to R in a hurry.

Yeah, Transform is Sustained by default, so the time limit thing would be reflected by that, I think.

[Sidious]

And hey, bit of topical news for the Titans builds. Protector actually appeared in the latest issue of Tom King's "I Am Going To Make Every Superhero As Broken And Messed Up As I Feel" series. Also known as "Heroes in Crisis".

And in a moment of completely brilliant, genre defining creativity, Tom King decided that the character that was created to help kids not get addicted to drugs, was himself a drug addict. But not a Roy Harper "I got hooked on drugs and then went through rehab and now speak out against drugs". He was doing drugs while he was telling kids not to do drugs. His dialogue is almost literally:

"I'm the Protector. I use to tell kids 'Don't do drugs. Or else!' That's pretty much all I did. I also did a lot of drugs. While I was telling kids to not do drugs. It's so stupid. I'm so stupid. It was stupid."

Oh my God, what brilliant irony to have a character with a single purpose be guilty of the thing he spoke out against.

And no, Protector is not a Red Guardian character of mine, nor do I have an issue with a character's intended purpose being subverted later. Batwoman was originally created because they didn't want people thinking Batman was gay (oddly enough, Batman being gay was worse than the idea of him being a pedophile). Making her a lesbian is a perfect middle finger to the kind of politics of that era and how wrong they were.

But the Protector was a Robin re-color designed specifically to help kids not do drugs. That is not something that needed an ironic twist or subverting.

I hate that series. I'm not sure if I hate Tom King, but I don't like how he writes, what he writes, and wish he was not writing established superheroes. It's a complete waste of some of the best art in comics.

I can't really disagree with this. So far I haven't read anything in "Heroes in Crisis" yet to make me reslly like the book.

Plus they killed Wally! Bastards.

[Jabroniville]

So I finally got around to watching the new season of Young Justice (which, for those of you who might have forgotten, I used to get recommendations for DOZENS OF TIMES back in the day ). How many friggin' regular characters are ON this show? There's like a cast of forty speaking characters already! And there's all this stuff going on with very little backstory (makes sense; Greg Weisman oddly blames "Previously On..." bits for ruining Gargoyles ratings and resolved to never do them again). I wouldn't mind, as JLU featured a huge cast, too, but... those had FOCUS. 3-4 main characters PER EPISODE. This one feels like there's a dozen stories going around, so you can't dwell on anything. Like, does BRION MARKOV really require two episodes just to get to the part where he gets thrown into Megagene Tar?

Delighted to see Donna Troy, but as Troia, she seems very passive-aggressive & snarky. THAT'S NOT MY WAIFU!!

UGH- Superboy.

LOL at Black Lightning getting this big "OH NO I CAN'T DO THIS ANYMORE!" thing for two seconds before he's immediately recruited into another super-mission.

Alas, I think my PVR missed 6 episodes because its timeslot is horrible- too many of my other shows (one of which is definitely not a PBS series about a British monarch) are on at the same time.

[Tattooedman]

So I finally got around to watching the season of Young Justice (which, for those of you who might have forgotten, I used to get recommendations for DOZENS OF TIMES back in the day). How many friggin' regular characters are ON this show? There's like a cast of forty speaking characters already! And there's all this stuff going on with very little backstory (makes sense; Greg Weisman oddly blames "Previously On..." bits for ruining Gargoyles ratings and resolved to never do them again). I wouldn't mind, as JLU featured a huge cast, too, but... those had FOCUS. 3-4 main characters PER EPISODE. This one feels like there's a dozen stories going around, so you can't dwell on anything. Like, does BRION MARKOV really require two episodes just to get to the part where he gets thrown into Megagene Tar?

Delighted to see Donna Troy, but as Troia, she seems very passive-aggressive & snarky. THAT'S NOT MY WAIFU!!

UGH- Superboy.

LOL at Black Lightning getting this big "OH NO I CAN'T DO THIS ANYMORE!" thing for two seconds before he's immediately recruited into another super-mission.

Alas, I think my PVR missed 6 episodes because its timeslot is horrible- too many of my other shows (one of which is definitely not a PBS series about a British monarch) are on at the same time.

Is it safe to assume you'retalking about the "new" season?

[Jabroniville]

GIZMO (Mikron O'Jeneus)
Created By: Marv Wolfman & George Perez
First Appearance: The New Teen Titans #3 (Jan. 1981)
Role: Matter Transmuter
Group Affiliations: The Fearsome Five, The Injustice League
PL 9 (116)
STRENGTH -1 STAMINA 1 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 7 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Deception 4 (+5)
Expertise (Science) 4 (+11)
Insight 2 (+3)
Perception 3 (+4)
Stealth 2 (+5)
Technology 7 (+13)
Vehicles 2 (+6)

Advantages:
Defensive Roll, Evasion, Favored Environment (Airborne), Improved Initiative, Improvised Tools, Inventor, Ranged Attack 6, Teamwork

Powers:
"Gizmo Costume" (Flaws: Removable) [10]
Flight 5 (60 mph) (10)
Protection 2 (2)
-- (12 points)

"Gadgets" (Flaws: Easily Removable) [21]
Variable 5 (Sample: Blast 8, Snare 8) (35 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (-1 Damage, DC 14)
Blaster +10 (+8 Ranged Damage, DC 23)
Snare +10 (+8 Ranged Affliction, DC 18)
Initiative +7

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +1 (+3 Suit, +4 D.Roll), Fortitude +4, Will +5

Complications:
Motivation (Greed)
Prejudice (Small)- Gizmo is extremely short- child-sized- and does not get taken seriously very often.

Total: Abilities: 44 / Skills: 24--12 / Advantages: 13 / Powers: 31 / Defenses: 16 (116)

-... MICRON O'JENEUS. Really.

-Gizmo is the tech-guy of the Fearsome Five, being rather unimpressive-looking bearded dwarf (little person, not "and MY AXE!") who flies alongside the rest of his team with a jetpack. Arguably the biggest nuisance of the team besides Psimon, Gizmo had a thing for nearly every encounter. His schtick is turning everyday objects into dangerous weapons- vacuum cleaners and other things become game-changing devices in his hands.

-Gizmo quit crime for a while, working for S.T.A.R. Labs until Psimon shrank him to microscopic size in revenge for past betrayal. He ended up turning to crime once he reverted back years later. When Dr. Sivana reformed the Five, he killed Gizmo when the dwarf suggested they ignore orders. He remained dead for a time, but was revived by a super-science firm, which he then took over (despite missing an eye and being partially decomposed).

-There's a certain degree of "Variable Power" to him, in that he can turn common objects into weapons like some kind of super-MacGyver, which can be dealt with via Inventor & Improvised Tools, in addition to the "Gadgets" power for his casual stuff. He's also the second of FOUR FF-ers who have some kind of way to gain a million powers relatively cheaply (Shimmer came first, followed by Jinx & Psimon). They're a CHEAP bunch of buggers, no question. Hell, they whupped the Titans but GOOD a bunch of times, but generally fall apart under pressure with their lower Toughness saves and lack of well-rounded team-up potential and tactics.

[Jabroniville]

Is it safe to assume you'retalking about the "new" season?

Yeah- how long has it been out for?

[Woodclaw]

Is it safe to assume you'retalking about the "new" season?

Yeah- how long has it been out for?

A month or so.

[Ares]

I'll admit, I enjoyed the Outsiders bit involving Dr. Sivana and the Fearsome Five, because it actually portrayed Sivana as something akin to the threat he's suppose to be. He used SCIENCE! to bring Shimmer back to life, organized the Fearsome Five into something of a competent team, using them to drive down Lex Corps. stock so that he could make a new fortune while simultaneously sticking it to Luthor, and then used his funds to buy himself a tropical island, because as he put it "What's the point of being an evil super-genius if you don't have your own island headquarters?"

He also gave the Five a little speech about being evil, and how it's a sign of weakness to try and justify why you do evil stuff, whether it's for righteous revenge, "the greater good", etc. Once you admit that you're evil, that you enjoy things any decent human being considers evil, then you've got the freedom to do whatever you want.

And later on, the Five decide to stop following Sivana's plan, figuring they'll take an opportunity to grab some nukes instead. Sivana starts to give them a speech, and when Shimmer rolls her eyes and asks if it's about them being evil, he basically just goes "No, it's about you being schmucks!", pointing out that every time the Five become a legit threat, instead of sticking to a plan, they overstep themselves, reach for the fast and relatively easy means for power, and screw themselves over. And when the Five threaten him, Sivana casually presses a button and his security system kills Gizmo.

And Sivana just grins at them. "Oh dear. Looks like you're down to the Fearsome Four. Anyone want to make it the Terrifying Three?"

At which point Pismon is all "Nah bruh, we're cool", and Sivana tells them to leave and never cross him again. And the Four do leave, and naturally, do overstep themselves and wind up captured, because Sivana actually knows what he's doing.

I''ll also admit that the Teen Titans cartoon re-imagining Gizmo as an amoral, super-intelligent little kid with a Techno/Fixer-style tech pack actually worked for me. I can easily see how a super-intelligent child lacking maturity could behave in a villainous manner. Just look at Riri Williams.

[RUSCHE]

What did they do to the Superboy character? I have not seen any of the new show. I had high Hope's it would be as good as the original.