Jab’s Builds! (Nightmare Creatures/Circus! Lawnmower Man! Metroid!)

[Spectrum]

I've been really enjoying watching Mario Maker videos.

It's amazing how complicated the layouts can become and how difficult they are. My favorite streamer in that genre is DGR.

[squirrelly-sama]

On another note did you hear the song they had her sing for the game? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=er9ueNyz7Mk

Haha, nope. But why does she have a giant cartoon head with a tiny mouth that barely moves, while there's normal-looking people all around her?

"I'll be your 1-Up Gal" is pretty good stuff, though.

I assume it was to avoid having any main human characters appearing too realistic and clashing in aesthetic next to mario. Or they decided to go the Jessica Rabbit rout and made her a sexy cartoon babe instead of sexy realistic babe. They likely wanted her to look close enough to Mario's aethetic that it wouldn't clash outside of the context of the more realistic looking New Donk Town (such as on promotional posters and such) and just in case they may want to reuse her in future games.

[Jabroniville]

BOSS BASS
First Appearance: Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988)
Game Appearances: Mario 3
Japanese Name: Kyodai Pukupuku ("Giant Pukupuku")
Role: One-Shot-Kill Super-Monster
PL 8 (52)
STRENGTH 4 STAMINA 6 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -2 AWARENESS -1 PRESENCE -2

Skills:
Athletics 4 (+3)
Expertise (Survival) 4 (+3)

Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Improved Initiative, Startle

Powers:
"Aquatic Creatures"
Swimming 3 (4 mph) [3]
Immunity 2 (Drowning, Pressure) [2]
Leaping 1 (15 feet) [1]

"Big Gulp" Strength-Damage +6 (Feats: Penetrating 6) [12]

Offense:
Unarmed +5 (+10 Damage, DC 25)
Initiative +6

Defenses:
Dodge +4 (DC 14), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +6, Fortitude +6, Will +0

Complications:
Responsibility (King Koopa's Will)

Total: Abilities: 24 / Skills: 8--4 / Advantages: 3 / Powers: 18 / Defenses: 3 (52)

-Boss Bass is one of the most dangerous Mario 3 enemies- none of the others can kill ANY version of Mario in a single hit- even Bowser! These monstrous fish float about on "Just above water" stages in the Water World, and when the tide is high enough, they can make frequent leaps above-water to swallow Mario in a Big Gulp attack! This one-hit-kill was so dangerous that many players basically spend the whole level trying to kill these things the second they show up (single-hits can still kill them), but the level always replaces them with another Boss Bass!



Variants:
BIG BERTHA- PL 5 (43): FIGHTING -2, No Gulp Attack, "Baby Cheep" Damage 4 (Accurate, Reach 2) [-9]
-Big Berthas are similar, but are worse at fighting- only passively eating Mario if he swims right into their open mouths while they sit on the ocean floor. They CAN shoot "Baby Cheeps" out their mouths, acting like a longer-ranged attack.

CHEEP-CHOMP- PL 8 (52):
-Identical to Boss Bass in theory, Cheep-Chomps are a pair of very large fish in Mario 64 who harass the hero, and can also Insta-Kill him with their bites.

[Jabroniville]

BLOOPER
First Appearance: Super Mario Bros. (1985)
Game Appearances: Mario 1-3, Mario Sunshine, Mario Galaxy 1-2, Mario Odyssey, Yoshi's Island, Paper Mario Series, Mario & Luigi Series, New Super Mario Bros. Series
Japanese Name: Gesso ("Squid Leg")
Role: Elite Sea Mooks
PL 5 (47)
STRENGTH 2 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -2 AWARENESS -1 PRESENCE -2

Skills:
Athletics 4 (+3)
Expertise (Survival) 4 (+3)
Stealth 4 (+8)

Advantages:
Teamwork

Powers:
"Aquatic Creatures"
Swimming 4 (8 mph) [4]
Immunity 2 (Drowning, Pressure) [2]
"Squid Attack" Strength-Damage +2 [2]
Immunity 5 (Freezing/Cold Damage) [5]
Extra Limbs 2 [2]

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +6 (DC 16), Parry +6 (DC 16), Toughness +4, Fortitude +4, Will +0

Complications:
Responsibility (King Koopa's Will)

Total: Abilities: 22 / Skills: 12--6 / Advantages: 1 / Powers: 15 / Defenses: 3 (47)

-Bloopers were one of the cooler-looking foes in the original Super Mario Bros. game, and represented a tougher Undersea Foe- their random "hopping" underwater pattern made them more dangerous and likely to hit you. Mario 3 introduced a couple new types, but they were curiously absent in Mario World, being replaced by a HUGE amount of Fish-type creatures. In later games, Bloopers would hide behind things, prove invulnerable to Freezing, etc., so I added a couple of those things on.

Variants:


BLOOPER NANNY- PL 6 (53): Fighting 8, Reach 2 [6]
-Blooper Nannies took part in Mario 3, and could reach out and hit you with the little Baby Bloopers floating behind them, which would also sometimes scatter.

SKY BLOOPER- PL 5 (49): Flight 1 [2]
-Sky Bloopers appear in the Japanese Mario 2- they're exactly the same as regular Bloopers, except their "swimming" pattern continues into the sky, making them a flying enemy! This oddly makes them easier to kill, as they're now vulnerable to the Stomp.

[Jabroniville]

DONKEY KONG
First Appearance: Donkey Kong (1981)
Game Appearances: Donkey Kong, Donkey Kong Jr., Donkey Kong 3, Donkey Kong Country Series, Donkey Kong Land Series, Mario vs. Donkey Kong Series
Japanese Name: Donkey Kong
Role: Big Bad, King Kong Knock-Off, Bluto Expy
PL 10 (104)
STRENGTH 8 STAMINA 8 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 11 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -1 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE -2

Skills:
Athletics 6 (+13)
Expertise (Survival) 6 (+6)
Intimidation 11 (+9, +11 Size)
Perception 6 (+6)
Stealth 1 (+5, +2 Size)
Vehicles 8 (+8) -- Flaws: Limited to Go-Karts

Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Beginner's Luck, Chokehold, Diehard, Fast Grab, Improved Critical (Barrel), Improved Hold, Jack-of-All-Trades, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 9, Startle, Takedown

Powers:
Growth 3 (Str & Sta +3, +3 Mass, +2 Intimidation, -2 Dodge/Parry, -3 Stealth) -- (10 feet) (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [7]
"Animal Senses" Senses 3 (Acute & Extended Scent, Low-Light Vision) [3]
Protection 1 [1]

Offense:
Unarmed +11 (+8 Damage, DC 22)
Thrown Barrel +9 (+9 Ranged Damage, DC 24)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +11 (DC 21), Toughness +9, Fortitude +8, Will +6

Complications:
Enemy (Mario)
Motivation (Capturing Pauline)

Total: Abilities: 44 / Skills: 34--17 / Advantages: 20 / Powers: 11 / Defenses: 12 (104)

-Donkey Kong was originally going to be Bluto from the Popeye franchise, but the rights fell through, and so they added "Donkey" (reflecting his stubbornness) to the word "Kong" (a generic term for apes in Japan), and made up a new group of characters. DK kidnapped some girl, sat at the top of a bunch of platforms, and threw barrels and fire & stuff down on some poor union employee who was trying to rescue her! Wonder if he filed a grievance over that kind of unsafe behavior? In any case, DK became one of the very first video game icons, and his son Donkey Kong Jr. became the star of the sequel game (in which Mario/Jumpman had captured his dad and was now at the top of each level), but soon he oddly vanished from sight as Mario went his own way, gaining a Clone Brother and engaging King Koopa as his new Arch-Foe. Donkey Kong thus missed the entire Nintendo Era.

-The years went by, and Donkey Kong was but a memory, save for the occasional rare appearance in games like Mario Kart (where he and Bowser were the fastest guys with the slowest acceleration). It was a game by the America-based company Rare that brougth him back to the limelight, as Donkey Kong Country became a major hit that spawned many sequels. The Japanese developers give the series some credit, allowing the claims that THEIR Donkey Kong is a descendent of the original (Cranky Kong, the elderly fussbudget who always longs for "his day", is implied to be DK himself).

-This build is meant to reflect the original Donkey Kong, a monstrous threat that somehow gained enough intellect to fashion cages, drive a Go-Kart, or play golf or whatever, since he joins in a lot of Mario side-games. As a threat, he's a PL 10 beast, tougher than even Mario or the Koopalings. The Donkey Kong Country games set off a whole different ball of wax, as DK there became relatively normal-sized, gained a chimp sidekick in Diddy (and later many other sidekicks, as Donkey Kong himself became nearly-irrelevant to things), etc., in a more standard platform adventure. Those builds will come later.

[Jabroniville]

HOT FOOT
First Appearance: Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988)
Role: Hidden Menace
PL 4 (75)
STRENGTH -2 STAMINA -- AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 1 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -2 AWARENESS -1 PRESENCE -2

Skills:
Deception 2 (+0)
Expertise (Mushroom Kingdom Denizen) 2 (+1)
Stealth 2 (+3)

Advantages:
Close Combat 3, Improved Initiative

Powers:
"Small Size" Shrinking 4 (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [9]
(-1 Strength, +2 Defenses, +4 Stealth, -2 Intimidation)

Insubstantial 3 (Feats: Innate) (Flaws: Permanent +0) [16]
Fire Aura 4 [16]
Immunity 30 (Fortitude Effects) [30]
Protection 2 [2]
Immunity 10 (Fire & Heat Effects) [10]

Offense:
Unarmed +4 (-2 Damage, DC 13)
Heat Aura +4 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +2, Fortitude --, Will +0

Complications:
Enemy (Mario & Luigi)
Responsibility (Shy)- Hot Foot is like a Boo Buddy- it will stop moving if the hero turns towards them.
Power Loss (Insubstantial)- For some reason, Hammers can still injure Hot Foot.

Total: Abilities: -16 / Skills: 6--3 / Advantages: 4 / Powers: 81 / Defenses: 3 (75)

-Hot Foot is a unique little critter that leaps off of candlesticks in the Castle Stages of Mario 3 and follows Mario around, freezing if the hero turns around (like a Boo Diddley).

[Jabroniville]

FIRE SNAKE
First Appearance: Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988)
Game Appearances: Mario 3, Mario World, New Super Mario Bros. Series
Japanese Name: Faiaseneku ("Fire Snake")
Role: Leaping Menace
PL 5 (79)
STRENGTH -1 STAMINA -- AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 3 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -2 AWARENESS -1 PRESENCE -2

Skills:
Deception 2 (+0)
Expertise (Mushroom Kingdom Denizen) 2 (+1)
Stealth 2 (+3)

Advantages:
Close Combat 3, Improved Initiative

Powers:
Immunity 45 (Fortitude Effects, Stomp, Fire & Heat Effects) [45]
Fire Aura 4 [16]
Protection 2 [2]

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (-2 Damage, DC 13)
Heat Aura +6 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +3 (DC 13), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +2, Fortitude --, Will +0

Complications:
Enemy (Mario & Luigi)
Power Loss (Insubstantial)- For some reason, Hammers can still injure Hot Foot.

Total: Abilities: -12 / Skills: 6--3 / Advantages: 4 / Powers: 63 / Defenses: 3 (79)

-Wow, I forgot about these things- I didn't even stat them up the first time around! Fire Snakes appeared in Desert Land a lot, usually bouncing around those annoying "piled up platforms", where there'd be blocks in the way, and you could easily accidentally jump to a higher tier. Fire Snakes were slow-moving, but could hop between tiers easily, and they were large enough that dodging them was hard. Lacking much character (they're just fires with eyes), they did not recur very much, disappearing until the New Super Mario Bros. games.

-Fire Snakes are more difficult to avoid than Hot Foots, being larger and jump-y. However, they are vulnerable to everything BUT the Stomp.

Variant:
FLAME- PL 5 (79):
-Similar to the Fire Snake is the Flame, which appears in only one single level (the "Outrageous" level in Special World), where it's a single flame that leaps about. Yoshi can eat them, as do most Non-Stomp attacks (including the Spin Jump). It's functionally the same as the Fire Snake.

[Jabroniville]

LAKITU
First Appearance: Super Mario Bros. (1985)
Game Appearances: Mario 1, Mario 3, Mario World, Mario 64, Mario Galaxy 2, Mario Odyssey, Yoshi's Island, Mario- The Lost Levels, Mario & Luigi Series, Paper Mario Series, New Super Mario Bros. Series
Japanese Name: Jugemu (about a Japanese folktale featuring a boy with a comically long name beginning with "Jugemu Jugemu")
Role: Minion Summoner
PL 6 (119)
STRENGTH 2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Athletics 2 (+4)
Deception 2 (+3)
Expertise (Mushroom Kingdom Denizen) 5 (+6)
Expertise (Lights & Cameras) 6 (+7)
Perception 3 (+4)
Ranged Combat (Spinies) 2 (+6)

Advantages:
Ranged Attack 4, Teamwork

Powers:
"Lakitu's Cloud" (Flaws: Removable) [10]
Flight 4 (30 mph)
Enhanced Dodge 2 & Parry (4)
-- (12 points)

"Spiny Toss"
Blast 4 (Diminished Range -1) [7]
Linked to
Summon Spiny 4 (Extras: Active, 16 Spinies +8) [44]

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Spiny Toss +6 (+4 Ranged Damage, DC 19)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +7 (+9 Cloud, DC 17-19), Parry +7 (+9 Cloud, DC 17-19), Toughness +3, Fortitude +4, Will +4

Complications:
Enemy (Mario & Luigi)

Total: Abilities: 34 / Skills: 20--10 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 61 / Defenses: 9 (119)

-Lakitu was the most powerful of all the Super Mario Bros. enemies, save the Bowsers- he would actually spawn foes like a bastard, tossing Spiny Eggs all over the place, which would then hatch into full-blown Spinies when they hit the ground. Levels featuring Lakitu would often take place over large straightaways or areas with few safe points, meaning you had to be REALLY nimble to avoid all the Eggs & Spinies, and hopefully get onto high ground so you could take Lakitu off his little Flying Cloud and go for a little ride in his own device! This was actually a BRILLIANT little addition to the series (first appearing in Mario 3, I believe), and it's really incredible that the designers thought of it. I mean, 1988 was a hell of a long time ago for someone to have gone "Hey, you know what would be awesome? If you kill Lakitu and take his cloud for a ride!". Usually that's the kind of thing we'd be talking about for years as a "wouldn't it be cool if..." situation.

-This appearance made Lakitu pretty famous, and so later games would often include him in more benevolent roles, like the light-guy in Mario Kart, and a camera guy in Mario 64 Presumably, there's tons of this guy's shelled species around, and so the ones you end up fighting are the EVIL ones, and there's tons of others that are nice dudes.

-Lakitu is fairly high-end in PL as Mario Foes go, but his primary threat isn't in offensive potential (he rarely goes for any hits himself, and the Spiny Eggs are easy enough to dodge), but the fact that he's hard as hell to hit in his fast-moving Cloud. Lakitu's power is a rarity- a Linked Blast & Summon Minion! Since the Spiny Eggs come down like a Blast at first, they link that to the Summon (when they hit the ground in the same round), and Lakitu can get up to sixteen of them out at once (but only one per round)! In Mario 3, Lakitu often throws out Green Spiny Eggs, which never hatch and simple roll along the ground.

Variants:


LAKITU IN A PIPE, WALL LAKITU- PL 5 (109): No Cloud [-10]
-These more vulnerable Lakitus appear in Super Mario World, popping out of pipe tops to throw their Spiny Eggs. Being more out in the open makes them more easily killed, as the Cape Spin or Yoshi Tongue can kill them, at which point you'll see his entire body. Yoshi's Island includes a Wall Lakitu, who pops out of holes in walls and acts the same way.



FISHIN' LAKITU- PL 6 (119):
-This variant in Mario World carries about a 1-Up Mushroom. But be wary- as soon as you grab his lure, he'll turn into a regular Lakitu!

THUNDER LAKITU- PL 6 (84): Blast 8, No Spinies [-35]
-Yoshi's Island introduces a Lakitu that instead of Spinies, throws out a massive Blast that can ignite the ground!

[Jabroniville]

SPINY
First Appearance: Super Mario Bros. (1985)
Game Appearances: Mario 1, Mario 3, Mario World, Mario 64, Mario Galaxy 2, Mario Odyssey, Yoshi's Island, Mario- The Lost Levels, Mario & Luigi Series, Paper Mario Series, New Super Mario Bros. Series
Japanese Name: Togezu ("thorn")
Role: Elite Monster
PL 5 (49)
STRENGTH 1 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 4 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -1 AWARENESS -1 PRESENCE -1

Skills:
Deception 2 (+1)
Expertise (Mushroom Kingdom Denizen) 2 (+1)

Advantages:
Close Combat 2, All-Out Attack, Teamwork

Powers:
"Spiked Shell"
Spike Aura 4 [16]
Protection 3 [3]
Immunity 5 (Stomp Damage) [5]

Movement 1 (Wall-Crawling) [2]

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Spiked Shell +6 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +4 (DC 14), Parry +4 (DC 14), Toughness +6, Fortitude +4, Will +0

Complications:
Responsibility (King Koopa's Will)
Power Loss (Protection)- Spinies are vulnerable to Fire Attacks.

Total: Abilities: 14 / Skills: 4--2 / Advantages: 4 / Powers: 26 / Defenses: 3 (49)

-Spinies are classic foes from Mario 1, notable primarily because they were one of the only regular mooks who couldn't be Stomped, and unlike the Piranha Plants, these guys moved around, often turning up in huge groups! In this, they're the opposite of Buzzy Beetles, who could be Stomped but were immune to Fireballs- Spinies are vulnerable to Fireballs, but cannot be Stomped. Even hitting them from above (if they're on a platform) won't kill them. They could be flipped upside-down by the Raccoon Tail, but later games feature more weapons (like the Cape or Yoshi) that will kill them.

-Some of the most horrendous graphics of Mario 64 feature the Spinies as weird red & white blobs with polygonal triangles on them for "spikes". Immune to Mario's punches, they're among the more impossible enemies to defeat.

-Spinies are PL 5 like your standard Upgraded Grounded Mooks, but the difficulty in Stomping them makes them hard to beat unless you have one of the Power-Ups.

[squirrelly-sama]

Japanese Name: Jugemu (about a Japanese folktale featuring a boy with a comically long name beginning with "Jugemu Jugemu")

Here's the joke brought to you by Full Metal Alchemist in a skit where the two characters who don't have canonical real names reveal their real names to each other. It's a youtube vid.

[Jabroniville]

ROCKY WRENCH
First Appearance: Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988)
Game Appearances: Mario Bros. 3, New Super Mario Bros. Series, Paper Mario Series
Japanese Name: Pu (tooting/honking sound)
Role: Annoying-Ass Mook Bastards
PL 4 (35)
STRENGTH 0 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 4 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE -1

Skills:
Expertise (Mushroom Kingdom Denizen) 2 (+1)
Perception 4 (+4)
Ranged Combat (Wrenches) 3 (+5)
Stealth 3 (+5)

Advantages:
Ranged Attack 2

Powers:
"Tunnelling Creature"
Burrowing 5 (4 mph) [5]
Senses 1 (Low-Light Vision) [1]

"Wrenches" (Flaws: Easily Removable) [3]
Blast 3 (Diminished Range) (5 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +4 (+0 Damage, DC 15)
Wrench +5 (+3 Ranged Damage, DC 18)
Initiative +0

Defenses:
Dodge +6 (DC 16), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +2, Fortitude +2, Will +0

Complications:
Responsibility (King Koopa's Will)

Total: Abilities: 14 / Skills: 12--6 / Advantages: 2 / Powers: 9 / Defenses: 5 (35)

-I hated these bastards. Stupid little Mole-Turtle things, busting out of holes in the ground and throwing wrenches at you... hate them! Despite being just like the later enemy Monty Moles, Rockies tended to be lizard-like at first, but soon just turned into Monty Moles with thrown weapons, but do not appear in later games in the official series- they were entirely replaced by Monty Mole.

[Jabroniville]

MONTY MOLE
First Appearance: Super Mario World (1990)
Game Appearances: Mario World, Mario 64, Mario & Luigi Series, Paper Mario Series, New Super Mario Bros. Series
Japanese Name: Choropu ("darting around")
Role: Annoying Mook, Surprise Attacker
PL 5 (41)
STRENGTH 1 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE -1

Skills:
Deception 2 (+1)
Expertise (Mushroom Kingdom Denizen) 2 (+2)
Perception 6 (+6)
Stealth 2 (+6)

Advantages:
Improved Initiative

Powers:
"Tunnelling Creature"
Burrowing 3 [3]
Senses 1 (Low-Light Vision) [1]
"Tremorsense" Senses 3 (Ranged Touch 2, Radius) [3]
"Mole Attack" Strength-Damage +2 [2]

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Initiative +8

Defenses:
Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +6 (DC 16), Toughness +2, Fortitude +2, Will +0

Complications:
Responsibility (King Koopa's Will)

Total: Abilities: 24 / Skills: 12--6 / Advantages: 1 / Powers: 9 / Defenses: 1 (41)

-GAAAHHHHH DIE MONTY MOLE!!! These little bastards would pop up in GIANT numbers at times, and come bursting out of holes in the ground and charge right towards you. This made them a foe that was hard to avoid at times (coming from below at high speeds), despite the fact that they were as easy to kill as anyone in the game (since they didn't regenerate like Goombas or Koopas). Appearing in Mario World at first, they don't reappear in numerous other places.

—-



MEGA MOLE
First Appearance: Super Mario World (1990)
Game Appearances: Mario World only
Role: Giant Mook
PL 6 (46)
STRENGTH 4 STAMINA 5 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE -1

Skills:
Deception 2 (+1)
Expertise (Mushroom Kingdom Denizen) 2 (+2)
Perception 2 (+2)
Stealth 2 (+5, +2 Size)

Advantages:
None

Powers:
"Tunnelling Creature"
Burrowing 3 [3]
Senses 1 (Low-Light Vision) [1]
"Tremorsense" Senses 3 (Ranged Touch 2, Radius) [3]
"Mole Attack" Strength-Damage +2 [2]

Growth 3 (Str & Sta +3, +3 Mass, +1 Intimidation, -1 Dodge/Parry, -3 Stealth) -- (10 feet) (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [7]

Immunity 15 (Stomp Damage, Fire Damage, Spike Hazards) [15]

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+6 Damage, DC 21)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +2 (DC 12), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +5, Fortitude +5, Will +0

Complications:
Responsibility (King Koopa's Will)

Total: Abilities: 10 / Skills: 8--4 / Advantages: 0 / Powers: 31 / Defenses: 1 (46)

-Mega Moles were another show-offy "Big" enemy in Mario World, and had a few unique properties, like being able to walk effortlessly across Spikes, and being Immune to the Stomp or Fireballs, meaning you could use them as riding beasts over certain hazardous parts of the Cave Stages in which they made their homes. Despite their immunities, they could be killed by Blocks and even swallowed by Yoshi (!!), making them vulnerable. They actually hit QUITE hard, being able to hurt Mario & Yoshi simultaneously, rather than just sending Yoshi running.

[Jabroniville]

CHAIN CHOMP
First Appearance: Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988)
Game Appearances: Mario 3, Mario 64, Mario Sunshine, Mario Odyssey, Yoshi's Island, Paper Mario Series, Mario & Luigi Series, New Super Mario Bros. Series
Japanese Name: Wanwan (onomatopoeia for a dog's bark- "Wan Wan!")
Role: Annoying Attack Dog, Chained Monster
PL 6 (51)
STRENGTH 2 STAMINA 5 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -3 AWARENESS -2 PRESENCE -3

Skills:
Expertise (Survival) 3 (+1)
Intimidation 7 (+4)
Perception 6 (+4)

Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Close Combat, Improved Critical (Chomp), Improved Initiative, Startle

Powers:
"Chomp" Strength-Damage +2 [2]
Immunity 15 (Stomp, Flying Attack & Fire Damage) [15]

Offense:
Unarmed +7 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Initiative +7

Defenses:
Dodge +6 (DC 16), Parry +6 (DC 16), Toughness +5, Fortitude +5, Will +0

Complications:
Enemy (Mario & Luigi)
Reputation (Mad Dogs)- Chain Chomps are so volatile that King Koopa has had them chained to posts around the conquered lands, refusing to allow them freedom to attack anything and everything.
Disabled (Animals)- Chain Chomps are basically like animals, unable to talk to sentients or use their chains to manipulate objects.

Total: Abilities: 16 / Skills: 16--8 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 17 / Defenses: 5 (51)

-Chain Chomps were a common Obstacle/Enemy in Mario 3, but disappeared from Mario World, meaning they were gone for quite a few years (Mario 64 brought them back, but the Wii-era games dropped them again). They were basically there to be an EXTRA-big pain in the ass, preventing you from making critical jumps or getting to certain areas without a hell of a fight- they would just lash out at you with gnashing Teeth, and you were hard-pressed to kill them without certain rare weapons (I mean, the game made Tanooki & Hammer Suits VERY powerful, but I can't think of a single player I knew who had regular access to either thing- one hit and those powers were GONE). This made them a huge, dangerous nuisance, as they ignored obstacles that would slow every other enemy monster.

-The other thing I most remember about Chain Chomps is when Bowser used one as a MELEE WEAPON in Mario RPG- it basically acts like a Chainsaw-on-a-Chain, tearing the enemy apart. It was metal as hell. Shigeru Miyamoto says that the inspiration for Chain Chomps came from when a dog tried to attack him as a child- the lunging animal was stopped by his chain.

-Chain Chomps are PL 5.5 enemies, who would normally be easy to avoid if you didn't HAVE TO cross their path to get past the levels, and they weren't Immune to three of your most regular attacks.

Variants:
BIG CHAIN CHOMP- PL 7 (53): Close Attack 2 [2]
-Mario 64, and most other 3D games, typically use a larger variety of Chain Chomp, owing to Mario's greater defensive abilities in those games (ie. he can jump in three dimensions). This makes them slightly more accurate.



FLAME CHOMP
First Appearance: Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988)
Game Appearances: Mario 3, Mario 64, New Super Mario Bros. Series
Japanese Name: Keronpa (possibly from "kerosene")
Role: Flying Blaster
PL 5 (50)
STRENGTH 2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 4 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -3 AWARENESS -2 PRESENCE -3

Skills:
Expertise (Survival) 3 (+1)
Intimidation 7 (+4)
Perception 6 (+4)

Advantages:
Ranged Attack 4

Powers:
"Chomp" Strength-Damage +2 [2]
Flight 2 (8 mph) [4]
Fire Blast 5 (Flaws: Limited to 4 Uses) [5]

Offense:
Unarmed +4 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Fire Blast +4 (+5 Ranged Damage, DC 20)
Initiative +7

Defenses:
Dodge +4 (DC 14), Parry +4 (DC 14), Toughness +3, Fortitude +3, Will +0

Complications:
Enemy (Mario & Luigi)
Disabled (Animals)- Flame Chomps are basically like animals, unable to talk to sentients or use their chains to manipulate objects.
Disabled (Suicidal)- Flame Chomps will explode in a suicidal maelstrom if they run out of Flames behind them (ie. upon shooting 4 Fireballs). The explosion is essentially a 7 rank Damage effect with a 15-foot range, often catching allies along with Mario himself.

Total: Abilities: 6 / Skills: 16--8 / Advantages: 4 / Powers: 11 / Defenses: 4 (50)

-Fire/Flame Chomps were a very unusual enemy that I mostly forgot about (they only appeared in two Lands in Mario 3)- they were a subspecies of Chain Chomp (unusual for a game to include new creatures AND new subspecies in the same game) that would fly around in the air, shooting little Fireballs your way, then exploding if they ran out of them. However, they were easy to Stomp on, so the threat was diminished unless they got too far out of the way.

[Jabroniville]

THE HAMMER BROS.
First Appearance: Super Mario Bros. (1985)
Game Appearances: Mario 1-3, Mario Galaxy 2, Mario Odyssey, Wario Land, Mario & Luigi Series, Paper Mario Series, New Super Mario Bros. Series
Japanese Name: Hanma Buroso ("Hammer Brothers" with a Japanese accent)
Role: Elite Mooks, Blasters
PL 7 (82)
STRENGTH 3 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Acrobatics 3 (+7)
Athletics 4 (+7)
Expertise (Mushroom Kingdom) 3 (+3)
Intimidation 5 (+5)
Ranged Combat (Hammers) 5 (+9)

Advantages:
Improved Aim, Improved Critical (Hammers), Ranged Attack 4, Teamwork

Powers:
Leaping 1 (15 feet) [1]
"Shell" Protection 1 [1]

Blast 7 (Feats: Ignore Obstacles 2) (Extras: Multiattack) (Diminished Range -2) [21]

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Hammers +7 (+7 Ranged Damage, DC 22)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +4 (+5 Shell), Fortitude +5, Will +1

Complications:
Responsibility (King Koopa's Will)

Total: Abilities: 34 / Skills: 20--10 / Advantages: 7 / Powers: 23 / Defenses: 8 (82)

-The Hammer Bros. appear as the Elite Mooks in the first NES Super Mario game, throwing numerous hammers at you, making it hard to get in close enough to Stomp one of them. Generally, your best bet is to get underneath them and do the "Bump From Below" thing. They showed up in Mario 3 with NUMEROUS variations, becoming a major feature (you even got a Hammer Suit to mimic their abilities!), but by Mario World, they'd been replaced by Magikoopas & Chargin' Chucks as the Elites, with only a pair of Bro. types existing. So Mario 3 was largely their peak in relevance (they would even patrol the World Maps- blocking your path and requiring you to fight them in special stages!), before new villains were created. For example, the Bros. are absent in every single 3D game in the main series until Mario Galaxy 2, which is a HUGE chunk of time, missing the N64 and GameCube eras entirely.

-Hammer Bros. are PL 7s because of the nuisance of getting past them- the wild number of hammers they can toss can provide real trouble, though their durability is only PL 6-ish, owing to some good speed and little else.

Variants:


BOOMERANG BROS.- PL 7 (75): Ranged Attack 5, Blast 6 (Feats: Ricochet 2, Ignores Obstacles 2, Homing) (Diminished Range -2) [14]
-Boomerang Bros. are another Mario 3, add-on, and became more popular in the New Super Mario Bros. games (after taking the same huge sabbatical the other Bros. did- missing Mario World through Galaxy). One of them even teamed up with Mario in a Japanese-only Mario anime short. Games since Mario Superstar Baseball have actually turned their shells blue, rather than making them look just like the other types.



FIRE BROS.- PL 7 (82): Ranged Attack 5, Blast 6 (Feats: Ricochet 2, Feature- Works Underwater) (Extras: Multiattack) (Diminished Range -1) [21]
-Fire Bros. were an ultra-rare enemy in Mario 3, being fire-spitting variants that appeared only three times (once in a secret in Desert Hill, where you had to bust through a rock to get to them and find a Warp Whistle- sadly, I can't remember if I ever knew this as a kid). In the New Super Mario Bros. games, it's they who are the more common Bros., appearing numerous times. They basically replace the Hammers with the Fire Flower's abilities, gaining accuracy but losing a point of Damage (since in-game, the Hammers seemed stronger, particularly when Mario used them).



THE AMAZING FLYING HAMMER BROTHER- PL 6 (74): Fighting 4, Dodge 6, Ranged Attack 2 [-8]
-Super Mario World skipped out on including the regular Hammer Bros., but contained a limited-animation squat dude on a flying platform who threw Hammers at each side which were less accurate than past versions. He was rather easy to kill, but the Platform could make it tricky. The enemy made very little impact, disappearing from the series thereafter until Super Princess Peach included some.



ICE BROS.- PL 7 (82): Ranged Attack 5, Affliction 6 (Strength; Hindered & Vulnerable/Immobile & Defenseless/Paralyzed) (Feats: Ricochet 2) (Extras: Ranged, Multiattack, Extra Condition) (Flaws: Lasts For 2 Rounds, tops) (Diminished Range -1), AE: Transform 4 (Lava to Ice) (Extras: Ranged) [21]
-Ice Bros. add on the Ice Flower's abilities to mimic the Fire Bros., and appear in the New Super Mario Bros. games.

[Jabroniville]

THE SLEDGE BROS.
First Appearance: Super Mario Bros. 3 (1988)
Game Appearances: Mario 3, New Super Mario Bros. Series
Japanese Name: Himan/Mega Burosu ("Obese/Mega Bros.")
Role: Elite Mooks, Blasters
PL 7 (83)
STRENGTH 5 STAMINA 6 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Acrobatics 3 (+7)
Athletics 4 (+7)
Expertise (Mushroom Kingdom) 3 (+3)
Intimidation 5 (+5)
Ranged Combat (Hammers) 3 (+6)

Advantages:
Improved Critical (Hammers), Ranged Attack 3

Powers:
Leaping 1 (15 feet) [1]
"Shell" Protection 1 [1]

Blast 8 (Feats: Ignore Obstacles 2) (Extras: Multiattack) (Diminished Range -2) (24) -- [25]

• AE: "Sledge Slam" Affliction 7 (Strength; Dazed & Vulnerable/Stunned & Defenseless) (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst, Extra Condition) (Flaws: Limited to Grounded Targets, Limited Degree) (7)

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Hammers +6 (+8 Ranged Damage, DC 22)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +6 (DC 16), Parry +6 (DC 16), Toughness +6 (+7 Shell), Fortitude +6, Will +1

Complications:
Responsibility (King Koopa's Will)

Total: Abilities: 38 / Skills: 18--9 / Advantages: 4 / Powers: 27 / Defenses: 5 (83)

-Sledge Bros. are large, Sledgehammer-throwing variants of Hammer Bros., appearing only in Giant Land in Mario 3, which is why I don't remember them (I spent very little time in that Land). They can either Blast you like normal Hammer Bros. (but with a bigger weapon), or stun you with a Ground Stomp, leaving you highly-vulnerable. Until the New Super Mario Bros. games, they had only appeared in Mario 3, making them one of many one-shot enemies from that game until the modern era. An early plan to include them in Mario World was dropped, replacing them with Sumo Bros. instead.