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

Where in all of your character write ups will go.
greycrusader
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Donkey Kong Country! Jessica Cruz! Star Boy! Miss Martian!))

Post by greycrusader »

Yeah, in-universe I just chalked it up to GA and John Stewart not being present, AND that several years have passed-so the Leaguers didn't immediately make the connection with Starboy, and when they did realize, it simply wasn't mentioned "on-camera". It is still a little odd that Kal-El wouldn't have inquired about Kara...but the real-world issue is probably that not everyone who rents/watches the movies is going to know about that old JLU episode, so it would have just come off as confusing. King of like (if you actually take their statements at face value), the CMU writers/directors considered having the various Marvel TV characters appear for the last big showdown, but if people who hadn't watched Agents of Shield, the Netflix shows, the Freeform Cloak and Dagger, Hulu's Runaways, etc., they would have just been random people with powers and costumes.

All my best.
greycrusader
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Donkey Kong Country! Jessica Cruz! Star Boy! Miss Martian!))

Post by greycrusader »

Heck, I've only seen roughly half of the Marvel shows, though I know all the characters from the comics.
Jabroniville
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Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Tharok

Post by Jabroniville »

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THAROK
Created By:
Jim Shooter & Curt Swan
First Appearance: Adventure Comics #352 (Jan. 1967)
Home Planet: Zadron
Role: Would-Be Conqueror, Killer Cyborg
Voice Actor: Peter Jessop
Finest Moment: Creating enough bombs to destroy all of Metropolis
PL 10 (153)
STRENGTH
2/8 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 0/8 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Deception 4 (+5)
Expertise (Space Villain) 3 (+11)
Intimidation 6 (+7)
Perception 3 (+4)

Advantages:
Equipment 3 (Flight Gear), Power Attack, Ranged Attack 6

Powers:
"Half-Robot"
Enhanced Strength 6 (Flaws: Limited to Right Side of Body) [6]
Protection [4]

"Super-Brain"
Enhanced Intelligence 8 [16]
Enhanced Advantages 1: Inventor [1]
Enhanced Skills 10: Expertise (Science) 5 (+13), Technology 5 (+13) [5]
Quickness 6 (Flaws: Limited to Mental Tasks) [3]

"Variable Left Arm"
"Bombs" Blast 10 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (30) -- [33]
  • AE: Blast 9 (18)
  • AE: "Elongating Arm" Elongation 2 (Flaws: Limited to Arm) & Fast Grab, Improved Hold (4)
  • AE: "That Time He Used Missiles" Blast 8 (Extras: Multiattack) (Flaws: Unreliable- I Dunno, He Used Them Once) (16)
Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Robotic Half +10 (+8 Damage, DC 23)
Blasts +10 (+9 Ranged Damage, DC 24)
Bombs +10 Area (+10 Ranged Damage, DC 25)
Initiative +4

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

Complications:
Motivation (Greed & Power)
Motivation (Returning To Human Form)- Tharok hates his robotic half.

Total: Abilities: 52 / Skills: 16--8 / Advantages: 10 / Powers: 78 / Defenses: 15 (153)

-Tharok was pretty much "there for the ride" along with Persuader in the movie, though he had a bit of the "practical one" thing going, as he was unsure over their plan to rescue the Emerald Empress, and had to be threatened into doing it. He was versatile, but the least-powerful of the Five, being beaten mostly off-camera by Mr. Terrific. There's little indication of his intelligence, but I just left his original persona and traits in the build.

About the Performer: Peter Jessop is a video game voice actor, which means I've never heard of any of his stuff. He was The Vision in "Avengers: Earth's Mightiest Heroes", though.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Fri Sep 13, 2019 6:22 am, edited 1 time in total.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Persuader

Post by Jabroniville »

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PERSUADER (Nyeun Chun Ti)
Created By:
Jim Shooter & Curt Swan
First Appearance: Adventure Comics #352 (Jan. 1967)
Eras: Original
Role: Would-Be Conqueror, Weapon Guy
Finest Moment: Nearly killing Superman.
PL 11 (126)
STRENGTH
6 STAMINA 9 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 7 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Close Combat (Unarmed) 4 (+10)
Deception 4 (+6)
Expertise (Space Villain) 3 (+4)
Intimidation 10 (+11)
Perception 3 (+5)

Advantages:
Power Attack, Ranged Attack 2, Startle

Powers:
Leaping 2 (30 feet) [2]

"The Atomic Axe" (Extras: Follows Mental Command) (Flaws: Easily Removable) [22]
"Thrown Axe" Blast 12 (Extras: Penetrating 10) (34) -- (35 points)
  • AE: "Axe Slash" Strength-Damage +9 (Feats: Improved Critical 2) (Extras: Penetrating 12) (23)
Offense:
Unarmed +11 (+6 Damage, DC 21)
Atomic Axe +7 (+15 Damage, DC 30)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +11 (DC 21), Parry +12 (DC 22), Toughness +9, Fortitude +10, Will +6

Complications:
Motivation (Greed & Power)

Total: Abilities: 68 / Skills: 24--12 / Advantages: 4 / Powers: 24 / Defenses: 18 (126)

-Persuader was used perfectly in Justice League vs. The Fatal Five- a merciless, battle-hungry Weapon Master. And, owing to the one-off nature of the movie, he could ACTUALLY HIT PEOPLE. In his first real scrap against a serious fighter, he manages to get the drop of Superman and actually tear his stomach open, making him nearly bleed out on the battlefield. There were some great bits which showed off his thirst for blood, too- when three members of the Five appear in Oan airspace, one fears the Guardians showing up to fight them. "I HOPE THEY TRY..." snarls Persuader. He openly hopes that he might be the reason they don't exist in their future. THAT's how much he loves to fight and kill. Great villainous moment for a guy so "background" that we never see his face.

-Persuader ends up being given some very good showings, owing to nearly killing Superman at one point, and he's generally super-strong and can leap dozens of feet (though to be fair, normal humans are gifted with some INCREDIBLE physical might in the Timmverse). He gets into a big fight with Wonder Woman near the end, being defeated after she snags his weapon and throws him around repeatedly, then he's beaten again by Jessica Cruz. So a fearsome, yet beat-able, enemy.

About the Performer: Matthew Yang King does a lot of one-off roles and minor parts, but also directs and produces his own stuff. He was on "Numb3rs" for five years, but only did fourteen episodes in that span, for example.
Jabroniville
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Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Mano

Post by Jabroniville »

Image

Weird how they went with the Sinestro Corps logo instead of the red hand this time.

MANO
Created By:
Jim Shooter & Curt Swan
First Appearance: Adventure Comics #352 (Jan. 1967)
Home Planet: Angtu
Origin of Powers: Mutation
Eras: Original & Reboot
Role: Would-Be Conqueror
PL 11 (135)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 6 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Deception 3 (+4)
Expertise (Space Villain) 8 (+10)
Insight 4 (+5)
Intimidation 6 (+7)
Perception 5 (+6)

Advantages:
Equipment (Environment Suit- Rebreathers), Power Attack, Ranged Attack 4

Powers:
"Anti-Matter Touch" Damage 16 & Weaken Toughness 16 (Extras: Affects Objects) (Quirks: Only on Right Hand) [47]

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Anti-Matter Touch +6 (+16 Damage, DC 31)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +11 (DC 21), Parry +11 (DC 21), Toughness +4, Fortitude +5, Will +5

Complications:
Vulnerable (Regular Atmospheres)- Angtu was a world of incredibly-high pollution. Mano must wear an environment suit on worlds that give few others any kind of trouble.

Total: Abilities: 52 / Skills: 26--13 / Advantages: 6 / Powers: 47 / Defenses: 17 (135)

-Mano is shown as the most fearsome (ie. never hits anybody) of the Fatal Five trio we initially meet, as he consistently misses the heroes. He's the most driven and pushy of the members we see, doing it all for his "love"- the Emerald Empress, imprisoned in our time, in Oa's Sciencells. This makes him a bit obsessive, to the point where he gets led around by the Empress like a scolded puppy. In his defense, she's wicked-hot.

-Mano's power isn't shown at quite the same level as it was Pre-Crisis (where he destroyed his entire homeworld of Angtu just by frickin' touching it), but he still devastates an entire building just by holding his hand against it for a few seconds. He manages to tag Batman a couple of times in their fight, but is ultimately beaten down by Exploding Batarangs and physical force, as he's nowhere near Batman's level in accuracy or defenses. In the final battle, he's thrown into the Empress, badly burning her face before Jessica Cruz brings the whole battlefield down on top of them.

About the Performer: Philip Anthony-Rodriguez is a Latino actor with, again, a lot of one-off roles, as is usual. His longest-running thing was playing Ruben on "The Secret Life of the American Teenager", and that was an ABC Family show! VERY minor. Most of his other stuff is video game voice acting, like Maurice Chavez in the "Grand Theft Auto" series.
Jabroniville
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Validus

Post by Jabroniville »

Image

VALIDUS
Created By:
Jim Shooter & Curt Swan
First Appearance: Adventure Comics #352 (Jan. 1967)
Home Planet: Zadron
Role: Unthinking Monster
Voice Actor: N/A
Finest Moment: Token "Holding Off Superman" stuff.
PL 12 (207)
STRENGTH
16 STAMINA 16 AGILITY -1
FIGHTING 7 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -3 AWARENESS -2 PRESENCE -3

Skills:
Intimidation 14 (+11, +14 Size)

Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Fast Grab, Improved Grab, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 4, Startle

Powers:
"Twelve Times Stronger Than Superboy" Power-Lifting 8 (800,000,000 tons) [8]
Impervious Toughness 15 [15]
Immunity 21 (Life Support, Aging, Mental Effects) [21]
Growth 6 (Str & Sta +6, +6 Mass, +3 Intimidation, -3 Dodge/Parry, -6 Stealth) -- (18 feet) (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [13]
Movement 1 (Space Travel 1) [2]

"Brain Bolts" Blast 12 (Feats: Accurate 2) [26]

Offense:
Unarmed +7 (+16 Damage, DC 31)
Brain Bolts +8 (+12 Ranged Damage, DC 27)
Initiative -1

Defenses:
Dodge +6 (DC 16), Parry +7 (DC 17), Toughness +16 (+8 Impervious), Fortitude +16, Will +4

Complications:
Responsibility (Mindless Monster)- Validus must be controlled and directed by others in order to accomplish anything other than wanton destruction.

Total: Abilities: 36 / Skills: 14--7 / Advantages: 9 / Powers: 87 / Defenses: 19 (207)

-Validus was HEAVILY de-powered for Justice League vs. The Fatal Five, especially compared to his Pre-Crisis Version, where he was capable of easily overpowering Superboy. Here, he was just a mindless, savage monster who could tangle with Superman for a while, ultimately losing to the Man of Steel after a protracted battle (unfortunately, not among the more legendary Super-scraps that the JLU series specialized in), then jobbing to Jessica Cruz when she formed a chain barrier around him, which made him shatter his own brain case when he tried a Brain Bolt on her. These showings more or less run along the lines for the character in the modern era of comics, where he's just a generic baddie and held off by a single Kryptonian.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Fri Jul 15, 2022 3:56 am, edited 1 time in total.
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kreuzritter
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Joined: Sat Nov 05, 2016 12:37 am

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Jessica Cruz! Star Boy! Miss Martian! The Fatal Five!)

Post by kreuzritter »

I'm glad my gift hasn't gone to waste and that you're enjoying yourself with it as i'd hoped
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drkrash
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Jessica Cruz! Star Boy! Miss Martian! The Fatal Five!)

Post by drkrash »

I haven't finished watching it yet (don't really care about the spoilers I got here), and I'm enjoying it. I didn't realize it was functionally a sequel to JLU, so initially I was thrown off by the art. In fact, my very first impression was "this art blows," before I realized that it didn't. :) But unlike Jab, I like a lot of (but not all) of the "mature" art in the other DC animation. DC animation still blows me away on 2 counts especially:
1) They are not afraid to drop in 15 A-listers in a single movie when they want to.
2) They have the best team vs, team fight scenes in any super media.

I really like the character of Jessica Cruz from the comics.
Shadow Ops - cinematic espionage action RPG - Kickstarter live now!
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Goldar
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Jessica Cruz! Star Boy! Miss Martian! The Fatal Five!)

Post by Goldar »

I am enjoying seeing these DC cartoon character profiles!
Jabroniville
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Emerald Empress

Post by Jabroniville »

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Man, I really preferred the 50s Bombshell looks of the original design, here.

THE EMERALD EMPRESS (Sarya)
Created By:
Jim Shooter & Curt Swan
First Appearance: Adventure Comics #352 (Jan. 1967)
Home Planet: Venegar
Origin of Powers: Gained Super-Weapon
Eras: Original & Reboot
Role: Would-Be Conqueror
Finest Moment: Easily defeated the League.
PL 14 (180)
STRENGTH
2/16 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 7 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Deception 3 (+6)
Expertise (Space Villain) 8 (+10)
Insight 4 (+7)
Intimidation 2 (+5)
Perception 5 (+8)

Advantages:
Power Attack, Ranged Attack 4

Powers:
"The Emerald Eye of Ekron"
Immunity 3 (Aging, Poison, Disease) [3]
Immunity 6 (Radiation, Cold, Heat, Vacuum, Suffocation, Drowning) (Extras: Affects Others) [12]
Flight 9 (1,000 mph) [18]
Senses 1 (Radius Sight) [1]
Remote Sensing (Vision) 2 (Flaws: Limited to Through The Eye) [2]

Blast 18 (Feats: Accurate, Indirect 4, Improved Critical 2, Dynamic) (Extras: Penetrating 10) (54) -- [60]
  • Dynamic AE: Move Object 15 (Feats: Dynamic) (31)
  • Dynamic AE: Damage 14 (Feats: Dynamic) (Extras: Area- 60ft. Cone) (29)
  • Dynamic AE: Force Field 16 (Feats: Dynamic) (Extras: Affects Others, Ranged) (49)
Offense:
Unarmed +7 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Enhanced Strength +7 (+16 Damage, DC 21)
Blast +10 (+18 Ranged Damage, DC 33)
Area Attack +14 (+14 Damage, DC 29)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +2 (+18 Force Field), Fortitude +6, Will +8

Complications:
Motivation (Power)
Enemy (The Legion of Super-Heroes)

Total: Abilities: 54 / Skills: 22--11 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 96 / Defenses: 14 (180)

-The Emerald Empress was put over like crazy in JL vs. The Fatal Five, to the point where she wasn't even in any of the early fights, owing to her incredible power levels. As the "Villain in Prison", the picture was an Escape Flick for a while, with a trio of Five members trying to spring both her and Validus, while she dominated and lectured poor Mano, who was in love with her. It... it was lovely. And then when they finally break her free, she kicks ass, delivering a (possibly?) fatal wound to Kilowog, absorbed the Central Power Battery on Oa, and then trapped the entire Justice League in an agony loop that took them completely out of the fight. In one of the coolest "Villain Things" in the JLU-verse, her method of disposing of Heroic Mooks was to simply walk forward, not paying attention, while the Emerald Eye of Ekron casually threw out dozens of spikes at once, impaling the soldiers. It made her look as uncaring as she was deadly.

-In the end, her fate is ambiguous, as she takes Mano's Disintegrating Touch to the FACE, and is buried under rubble. The Eye itself is supposed to destroy the Earth's Sun, dooming generations of heroes (I suppose she was just gonna pick it up again when they returned to their own time), but is foiled by Star Boy's sacrifice.

-Thankfully I'd already statted up the Emerald Empress, who has kind of a "Nuisance Power-Set", owing to the powers coming from the Eye and not her. Here, she's equally powerful, defeating the League almost without effort... though that was from a souped-up Eye, empowered by the Central Power Battery.

About the Performer: Sumalee Montano does a lot of one-off roles in TV shows and video games, but nothing major (like most Asian actors- she's Filipino/Thai, cutting the "available roles" even SMALLER). Her biggest roles are probably Arcee in "Transformers: Prime", and a ten-episode gig on "E.R.".
Jabroniville
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Visionaries

Post by Jabroniville »

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”It is a time when Magic is more powerful than Science,
and only those who control the magic, control destiny.
...They are the Visionaries.

Visionaries, knights of the magical light,
Visionaries, with magical powers they fight!
Powers of mind and strength, skill and speed,
Powers to accomplish the greatest of deeds!

Visionaries, Knights of the Magical LIIIIIGHT!”


VISIONARIES: KNIGHTS OF THE MAGICAL LIGHT:
-The 1980s was a pretty spectacular time to be a kid, all things considered. While adults worried over the faltering economy and the media described Ronald Reagan as a satanic monster who was dooming the world, kids had the greatest of all toy-lines to satisfy them. See, once executives realized that the best way to sell profitable toys was to advertise them to children via cartoon series (something sort of learned from the INSANE money Kenner got from the Star Wars toyline), it set off a HUGE storm of toy propaganda, from He-Man to G.I. Joe to The Transformers. Numerous toylines sprouted up all over the place, many of them becoming eternal icons that would be famous for decades.

Visionaries was... NOT one of them. The toyline was too pricey to make (it involved little men, a bit bigger than G.I. Joes, with holograms on their chests & staffs), and so it died very quickly, alongside Sectaurs, Dino Riders, and countless others (a shocking EIGHTEEN new figures were anticipated for the second set in 1987, but it was cancelled). Despite that, it was one of my absolute favourites at the time- falling just under Transformers, Battle Beasts & Dino-Riders on my favourite-list at the time.

The overall concept is that there was a huge disaster that wiped out all technology on the once-ideal world of Prysmos. A new medieval-style society sprouted up as a result, with the remaining humans going to war with each other as they pledged allegiance to certain powerful men. A Wizard named Merklynn (REALLY? Is Merlin not Public Domain or something?) appears before the two biggest factions, and decides to bestow upon them tremendous power. A massive contest is declared- men and women from all around must bypass the traps in Merklynn's castle, with those who survive and escape gaining power. Leoric, leader of the good guys, makes some friends and they succeed, while Lord Darkstorm blackmails others into joining HIS cause- these are the only ones who make it. They gain special chest-symbols that allow them to transform into animals, and Magic Staffs that give them one-shot super-powers- and a group even gets some Vehicles (for those kids with richer parents).

The show has a cool concept, but unfortunately draws most of its characters from the Standard '80s Character Archetype Bin- there's a coward (NOT voiced by Chris Latta this time!), a Cool Villain That The Kids Will Like (who IS voiced by Chris Latta!), a Generic Leader Guy, a Standard Evil Boss Villain (ALSO Chris Latta, and he's not a coward either!), a Heroic Chick Who Never Gets a Toy, a Villainous Chick Who Never Gets a Toy, a Naive Young Hero, etc. Some of the voices are very bland, as are the remaining characters- the heroic Visionaries are chief among them, with every guy being pretty stoic.

The Character Designs are incredible, at least- with the designers doing a terrific job showing just how many different ways you can design Medieval Plate Armor in various colours without making it seem garish (there are guys in YELLOW or PURPLE Armor that avoid that pratfall!). The animation is actually WELL beyond what Transformers brought us, entirely throughout- largely thanks to the involvement of the TMS studio (one of the top-tier ones of the age- Visionaries luckily had them do every episode)- the complex designs are almost always consistent. Sadly, the actual faces of the characters leave much to be desired, with all the villains having Parallel Universe Goatees and the heroes being Standard '80s Animated Faced guys.

The cartoon has the Usual Eighties Voices as well- you know how today you'll find Jennifer Hale, Tara Strong & Phil LaMarr in EVERYTHING? Well back in the '80s we had Susan Blu (Stormer/Arcee), Chris Latta (Starscream/Cobra Commander) and Peter Cullen (Optimus Prime/Ironhide). You'll hear all three immediately in this show.


THE ROSTER (and their Animal Totems):

The Spectral Knights:
Leoric (Lion)- The Generic Leader Guy, who is always the wisest one, and the best overall guy. His Staff summons an owl that gives cryptic advice. The only Knight with facial hair, since BEARDS ARE EVIL.
Ectar (Fox)- The Lieutenant, but ultimately a pretty-bland supporting guy. Just there to bounce stuff off of Leoric.
Feryl (Wolf)- The Kid, but less flightly and obnoxious than most with that Archetype. Ectar & Feryl have no Staffs, but can pilot vehicles.
Cryotek (Bear)- A big, tough guy. His Staff has a One-Shot Blast.
Arzon (Eagle)- Generic dude.
Witterquick (Cheetah)- Generic dude, but with a bit of a risk-taking side.
Galadria (Dolphin)- The Chick, who is hooked up with Cryotek instead of a leaderly character. Being a boys show, both women are pretty useless, having Animal Forms that only work underwater, no Staffs, and they can't even activate the Vehicles! It of course bears to reason that they had no action figures, either- since this is a BOYS' TOY LINE, and there's no need for frails in a BOYS' LINE, DAMMIT!!

The second series would have introduced- Lazorslash, Slywire, Malitor, Ramazon (Ram), Hydron (Dolphin, stealing Galadria's), Craggor, Ramak (a moose-antler helmet and symbol makes him look like a Fantasy Moose/Yak-type guy), Cybron & possibly Cerator (who was listed as a Darkling Lord in a toy catalogue, but that would make the numbers uneven, and he looked like a Spectral Knight). I can't tell what their animal forms were about, though a Prysmos-Wiki site mentions a couple thanks to getting a better look at the ToyFair catalogue.

The Darkling Lords:
Darkstorm (Mollusk)- Generic Evil Ruler, though his greed and desire for minions is actually pretty amusing. Less cowardly than many villains, too. His Mollusk is actaully a giant, Doom-spitting snail monster, one of the few guys to get a fictional animal.
Reekon (Lizard)- A greedy mercenary, only in it for the wealth. Nonetheless, he's "loyal" to Darkstorm from the start.
Mortdredd (Scampering Beetle)- A whiny toady to Darkstorm. Even his Animal Totem sucks. Reekon & Mortdredd are the first to learn they can pilot vehicles.
Lexxor (Armadillo)- Cowardly whiner- fitting more of a "Cobra! RETREAT!! RETREEEEEEEEEEAT!" sensibility.
Cravex (Phylot)- An insane brawler who appears greedy at first, but quickly turns into a psychotically-aggressive guy who fights for the hell of it. One guess as to whom Young Jab's favourite character was. A "Phylot" is basically a lion-sized Wyvern.
Cindarr (Gorilla)- Minion with an "F" in Evil. A general idiot and buffoon, though he's the strongest Darkling Lord. An obvious Opposite to Cryotek.
Virulina (Shark)- The Evil Chick, basically taking a Baroness role, but without the fetish gear (and really, what's the point of her without THAT?).

The second series would have introduced- Kabor (a wicked sideways rhino head for a helmet, but his totem looks like a Goblin), Braxe, Cyclor (Cyclops), Lizar (Lizard), Pyrok (some other lizardy thing), Croil (Snake), Aquarrior, Draculan (Bat thing) & Osteon (Looks like a cross between a New God and a Day of the Dead skeleton, which makes him AWESOME). Draculan appears to be a "leader" type- possibly a new faction leader or a Darkling leader that feuds with/replaces Darkstorm.

The Toys:
-Visionaries figures are somewhat notable for looking very cool and having a lot of detail- a ton of work went into this line. They are built like G.I. Joe figures, with the same "legs & hips fall apart" joint problems, but are a fair bit larger. Figures consist of a Caucasian person with their hair, eyebrows, and pupils colored in, and two-colored armor- usually a primary or secondary color (though Cravex has black, Reekon brown, and Witterquick grey). The armor is generally well-detailed, with cross-hatching on the limbs, circuits drawn in, distinctive shoulder-pads, etc. No two characters look much alike.

Each wears a helmet, which reveals the face for the heroic Spectral Knights, and obscures it for the evil Darkling Lords- only Lexor & Cravex reveal part of their face (eyes and a mouth, respectively), while Darkstorm, Mortdredd, Reekon & Cindarr have their entire faces obscured. Helmets are monochromatic in every case but for Cindarr, who has huge eye-plates that are colored black. This has the unusual effect of having characters who cannot express themselves facially in fighting or action scenes on the cartoon. The helmets are a softer plastic than the armor, allowing them to be slid onto the character's head- in the case of characters like Arzon, it's often very rubbery, while others use a harder plastic.

Every character has a hologram and a weapon, while all but the Vehicle-pack-in toys have staffs. This gear is silver for the Spectral Knights, and gold for the Darkling Lords. Most weapons are quite small (ie. easily lost- good luck finding Feryl or Reekon's gear online), while Leoric has a giant whip, and Witterquick's boomerang is also a good size. The holograms are the same shape on all characters, each showing their Totem Animal- these do NOT age well, and most holograms seen online have dots, miscolorings, or entirely blank sections. Staffs aren't quite as easily damaged, but also suffer from it a bit- the polearm section is easily chewed-up or damaged.

Visionaries Game Mechanics:
Generally speaking, the characters spend 90% of their time in their Armor, using weapons in straight-up melee combat. The Armor (which counts as a Device now- before their empowering they was just Equipment) allows them to transform into Animal Form, which has certain limitations. They cannot hold the Animal Forms continuously (at least, Cryotek couldn't in the opening three-parter), nor can they speak while transformed. The Animal Forms are a bit trickier to figure out- in some cases, a Metamorph "Morph" power (for animals that are cheaper than the Knight themselves) is sufficient- it is notably NOT better to be a bug or an armadillo compared to a fully-Armored knight with a weapon. Similarly, while I would not want to engage a Cheetah or an Eagle in hand-to-hand, I am quite certain I could beat either one of them in a fight to the death if it REALLY came down to it, much less if I had access to the Visionaries' gear. In other cases, the Animals require some statistical boosts (Cryotek's Bear Form, Leoric's Lion Form).

The Armor is quite tough (and heat-resistant- flames barely bother them), but a human with a big stick can still K.O. a Knight in one shot. Their Staffs bestow great powers, but are only ONE-SHOT WEAPONS, a -2 Flaw that renders them pretty useless unless they use them JUST right. Some are better than others- The Darkling Lords all Summon Monsters (Cindarr summons a giant beast, while Cravex's Cthulhubug terrifies people), while the Spectral Knights boost their own power or gain knowledge. All of their Staffs will also lose power quickly, with Summons fading after a handful of rounds.

-In response to getting the shaft in terms of powers (they have no Staffs), four characters in the Visionaries franchise received the ability to pilot Vehicles instead. Now, this may sound like a total short-shrifting or "What Kind of Power is Heart, Anyways?" situation, BUT there is one major advantage- they are the ONLY FOUR PEOPLE IN THE WORLD who can activate Vehicles. In a medieval society, that's the equivalent of the Atom Bomb, particularly since the vehicles have access to military-grade hardware like Cannons & Machine Guns- the next highest-damaging weapon in the world is a friggin' CATAPALT, to put that in perspective. To stat this out, I chose to give the Pilot characters the ability to Transform Vehicles, using Increased Mass to justify the giant size of the vehicles- nothing else really fits. It's expensive, but considering that nobody else on the entire planet can get into a vehicle more advanced than a chariot, it's a pretty big benefit.

-Since each Visionary tends to get one vehicle to themselves, but can alternate them, I figure I'd have both guys share the cost of each vehicle. In Ectar & Feryl's case, this means they share the combined 138 Equipment Points, costing 14 points each (138 points = 28 points, and then you split that in two).
Jabroniville
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Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Arzon

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image

Knowledge - "A whim, a thought, and more is sought. Awake my mind; thy will be wrought!"

ARZON
Role:
Generic Guy, Flier
Played by: Hal Rayle
PL 7 (134)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Acrobatics 3 (+7)
Athletics 9 (+11)
Expertise (Knight) 3 (+5)
Intimidation 2 (+5)
Investigation 2 (+4)
Perception 3 (+5)
Persuasion 2 (+5)
Vehicles 4 (+8)

Advantages:
Equipment (Mace Thingie), Evasion, Fast Grab, Improved Critical (Mace Thingie), Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Improvised Tools, Move-By Action, Ranged Attack 2, Set-Up, Teamwork, Uncanny Dodge

Powers:
"Spectral Knight Armor" (Flaws: Removable) [31]
Protection 2 (2)
Immunity 10 (Fire & Falling Damage) (Flaws: Limited to Half-Effect) (5)

"Eagle Form"
Morph 1 (Flaws: Recognizable- Blue Body) (4)
Enhanced Strength 2 (4)
Reduced Stamina 1 (-2)

Enhanced Animal Skills: (6)
Acrobatics 1 (+8)
Close Combat (Natural Weapons) 2 (+12)
Intimidation 5 (+10, +6 Size)
Perception 4 (+9)

Enhanced Advantages 2: Improved Hold, Startle (2)

"Animal Senses" Senses 3 (Extended, Ultra & Low-Light Vision) (3)
"Natural Weapons- Talons & Beak" Strength-Damage +1 (1)
Flight 5 (60 mph) (Flaws: Winged) (5)

"Small Size" Shrinking 4 (8)
(-1 Strength & Speed, +2 Defenses, +4 Stealth, -4 Intimidation)
-- (38 points)

"Magic Staff" (Flaws: Easily Removable) [4]
Summon the Power of Knowledge 6 (Extras: Controlled) (Flaws: Limited to One Use -2) (6 points)

Equipment:
"Silver Four-Pronged Spike Mace Thingie" Strength-Damage +1 (1)

Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Mace Thingie +10 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Initiative +8

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +3 (+5 Armor), Fortitude +5, Will +6

Complications:
Power Loss (Animal Form)- Visionaries cannot maintain Animal Form continuously, and will eventually change back to normal.
Power Loss (Staff Time-Out)- The Staff's Powers have a very short shelf-life. Arzon's Power of Knowledge will only summon a glowing spirit for a single conversation, for the most part.
Power Loss (Staff)- To utilize a Staff's power, a Visionary must speak a short two-line poem aloud.
Disabled (Animal)- The Visionaries may not speak whilst in Animal Form, nor use their limbs to easily manipulate objects.
Responsibility (Honor)- Arzon is honorable, and refuses to slay an injured Dragon, despite its claw being part of the cure to a fatal affliction shared by the Visionaries. Instead, he binds the Dragon's wounds and makes an ally out of it.

Total: Abilities: 60 / Skills: 28--14 / Advantages: 13 / Powers: 36 / Defenses: 12 (134)

-Arzon is kind of a generic character (the son of a character named King Talzon according to a deleted scene), who gained his Eagle Totem via an unusual bit in the first episode- when dumped down a pit with a bunch of other would-be Knights, he uses it as an "opportunity in disguise" to build some makeshift wings out of a palm tree (in the bottom of a Dungeon?), flying it like a hanglider to escape. PHYSICS. He soon becomes a basic background Spectral Knight, but gets a focus in Episode 8, where he acts as the more honorable one to Witterquick's pragmatic character, refusing to kill a Dragon for its claw, despite that being the only way to save the lives of his comrades (it's part of a cure). His design was just as generic, being a basic Blue Guy with the kind of face you'd just as easily give a third-tier G.I. Joe or a backgrounder.

-Arzon's toy is easily the most boring of the entire line to me- it's almost 100% light blue (the purple only exists on some joints and small parts of his limbs), the helmet is plain and form-fitting, and his weapon is one of the smallest- a four-pronged mace. At least his staff has a cool figure- a large-brained guy who looks like something out of a Cosmic super-hero book.

-Arzon fits the "standard" Spectral Knight- a PL 7 Weapon Guy who is good in a fight, but not quite ready for The Avengers or X-Men or anything. He's fast, smart and charismatic enough that he has no real flaws. His Eagle Form is noticeably more powerful than a real eagle, too. Eagles are strong and tough, sure, but at one point Arzon PICKS UP LEORIC (a full-grown man in a suit of plate armor), FLIES HIM TO THE CEILING, then breaks through a metal grating! At another time, he easily carries Cryotek (even larger than Leoric) ALONG WITH ANOTHER GUY. All of this is extraordinarily beyond the strength of any Bird of Prey that has ever existed- even a Haast's Eagle could never hope to fly upwards while holding 200+ lbs. of weight. Therefore, the Eagle Form is kind of expensive, despite not REALLY enhancing his fighting that much.

-Arzon & Leoric's Summons were among the harder things in the series to figure out- they sort of take the role of Hero Point-given Divine Inspiration, giving them some advice. The Summons themselves seem to basically know EVERYTHING, but can only give a single answer for the most part- this means that they have great Intellect & Wisdom, but know things about multiple subjects. I choose to represent this with high stats (but no physical abilities- they never touch anything), and plenty of ranks in Current Events, History and Insight, meaning they can do a lot of "general knowledge". At one point, Arzon's summon lets him know that a rescued maiden is actually Virulina in disguise (Counters Illusion/Insight), and at another, it points out the location of a Fountain of Youth. In other cases, just use the old "Cosmic Awareness" cheat of "you get to ask the GM a single question and he has to answer you".

Image

THE POWER OF KNOWLEDGE
PL 1 (84), PL 8 (84) Skills
STRENGTH
-- STAMINA -- AGILITY 0
FIGHTING 0 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 10 AWARENESS 6 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Expertise (History) 8 (+18)
Expertise (Current Events) 8 (+18)
Insight 10 (+16)
Perception 10 (+16)

Advantages:
Beginner's Luck, Jack-of-All-Trades, Well-Informed

Powers:
Flight 1 (4 mph) [2]
Immunity 30 (Fortitude Effects) [30]
Protection 2 [2]

"Knowledge of All Things" Senses 6 (Vision Counters Illusion & Penetrates Concealment) [6]
Features 1: Directed Inspiration- May ask the GM a Question With an HP [1]

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

Defenses:
Dodge +0 (DC 10), Parry +0 (DC 10), Toughness +2, Fortitude --, Will +6

Total: Abilities: 12 / Skills: 36--18 / Advantages: 3 / Powers: 41 / Defenses: 10 (84)

EAGLE FORM
PL 7
STRENGTH
3 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Acrobatics 4 (+8)
Athletics 9 (+11)
Close Combat (Natural Weapons) 2 (+12)
Expertise (Knight) 3 (+5)
Intimidation 12 (+6 Size)
Perception 9 (+9)
Investigation 2 (+4)
Perception 3 (+5)
Persuasion 2 (+5)
Vehicles 4 (+4)

Advantages:
Equipment (Mace Thingie), Evasion, Fast Grab, Improved Critical (Mace Thingie), Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Move-By Action, Ranged Attack 2, Set-Up, Teamwork, Uncanny Dodge

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 3 (Extended, Ultra & Low-Light Vision) [3]
"Natural Weapons- Talons & Beak" Strength-Damage +1 [1]

Flight 5 (60 mph) (Flaws: Winged) [5]

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

Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Talons +10 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +12 (DC 12), Parry +12 (DC 22), Toughness +2, Fortitude +4, Will +6
Last edited by Jabroniville on Sat Sep 14, 2019 7:48 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Jessica Cruz! Star Boy! Miss Martian! The Fatal Five!)

Post by Ares »

Ooh! Ooh! Something from the 80s that had either a cartoon or a toyline (or both!)! I can contribute to this!
"My heart is as light as a child's, a feeling I'd nearly forgotten. And by helping those in need, I will be able to keep that feeling alive."
- Captain Marvel SHAZAM! : Power of Hope (2000)

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Jabroniville
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Jessica Cruz! Star Boy! Miss Martian! The Fatal Five!)

Post by Jabroniville »

Goldar wrote: Fri Sep 13, 2019 9:42 pm I am enjoying seeing these DC cartoon character profiles!
Thanks :)! Nice to see you commenting again! Alas, this is all that was left for my JLU set.
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Jessica Cruz! Star Boy! Miss Martian! The Fatal Five!)

Post by Ares »

The Visionaries in general were a fun concept, and just an example of how full of creativity and energy the 80s were. They got a brief revival recently as part of the shared Hasbro-verse that IDW was putting out, but due to the creative team and some bad decisions, it didn't really go anywhere. There's a rumor Hasbro might try to do their own revival.

Merklynn was actually interesting as he was the "wise mentor" figure typical of 80s animation, but rather than be benevolent the way 99.9% of them were, he as actually completely self-serving. Not EVIL precisely, but he had his own agenda and being good or evil had no impact on his thought process. It was pretty clear that he intentionally gave the Visionaries with Power Staffs only one-shot powers so that they would have to do favors for him to get their powers restored. He was like some kind of magical drug pusher who empowers the heroes and villains with useful abilities (animal forms, vehicle operation), but for the really powerful stuff, you need to keep coming back over and over and do some favor for Merklynn to maintain your power.

Galadria and Virulina DEFINITELY got a raw deal with their animal forms, essentially being the "Aquaman"s of the show. Though in my own personal headcanon, since both of them were shown in the group shot of those who didn't have power staffs, which Merklynn said would have their own abilities, I simply choose to believe that they could operate vehicles as well. It would help balance things out.

The overall designs of the show are fantasic, and the holographic abilities makes for an interesting gimmick. It honestly wouldn't take much to update the concept for the modern era. I think one thing I'd do is swap out the Power Staffs for Power Shields. Makes a little more sense to have a shield that can also summon some magical power rather than some bulky staff.

With Arzon, my take was that he was meant to be "the smart one" of the group, given his whole "this is not a problem, it is merely a cleverly disguised opportunity" line. His power staff being linked to knowledge also seems to point in that direction. I also got the impression that his whole "we need to help the dragon" bit was less about being honorable and more that he was someone who valued nature and animals. When he and Witterquick go hunting, Arzon mentions that it's a shame to kill the animal, while Witterquick points out that he hunts for FOOD, not for sport.
"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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