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

Where in all of your character write ups will go.
Jabroniville
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Bloodstrike

Post by Jabroniville »

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BLOODSTRIKE (Eric Conroy)
Created By:
Fabian Nicieza & Mark Bagley
First Appearance: The New Warriors #21 (March 1992)
Role: Strong Guy, Ridulously-Dated Character
Group Affiliations: The Folding Circle, The Thunderbolts
PL 8 (80)
STRENGTH
10 STAMINA 7 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Deception 4 (+5)
Expertise (Criminal) 6 (+6)
Insight 3 (+3)
Intimidation 6 (+7)
Perception 3 (+3)

Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Daze (Intimidation), Fast Grab, Ranged Attack 4

Powers:
"Wellspring-Given Powers"
Protection 3 [3]

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+10 Damage, DC 25)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +6 (DC 16), Parry +6 (DC 16), Toughness +10, Fortitude +7, Will +3

Complications:
Motivation (Greed)- Bloodstrike's only issue when his boss was murdered by Left Hand was "how do I get my next paycheck?"

Total: Abilities: 52 / Skills: 22--11 / Advantages: 7 / Powers: 3 / Defenses: 7 (80)

-Bloodstrike is pretty generic, and a total "Filler" guy- strong without being unique in any possible way. Hell, when he starts growing in power, he gains these weird pink bands all over his arms, legs & torso, and everyone's just kinda like "... huh"- and then Tai reveals that same kind of colored thing when she uses her magic, making it clear they're all connected to the Wellspring that empowers them all... but it never really matters, nor is it brought up again.

-Bloodstrike is notable to me for three reasons:

1) His ridiculously 1990s name. I mean, BLOODSTRIKE?!?

2) His ridiculous red sunglasses. Why the hell is there an extra pair above the first one? He doesn't have four eyes! What STYLE is that supposed to be!? That apparently existed once upon a time, as explained by the poster "Colonel Clink" at Ronin Army: "The glasses can be seen onkadeem hardison in a Different World. That still doesn't answer why they're both tinted!". And yes, really- he has the lenses on his forehead also tinted red.

3) His showcasing of the difference between Fortitude & Toughness. See, he's a super-strong guy who can easily (and accidentally, as one unfortunate guard discovered) kill a human being with his bare hands, and is basically as tough. How does Night Thrasher beat him? By calmly tossing some Chloroform Gas in his face, pointing out that "you still have to breath!" Boom, like that- he's done. This also showcases the tendency of DCA/M&M to over-do the Fortitude & Will Saves on their guys- in the comics, these techniques almost ALWAYS WORK, yet the bare-bone stats of such Equipment in the game would make this nearly impossible in your games.

-Bloodstrike didn't get up to much, and is just his team's Powerhouse- probably around the level of Namorita or Nova circa the 1990s.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Thu Jul 21, 2022 9:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24690
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Speedball! Namorita! Nova- Rider & Sam! The Sphinx!)

Post by Jabroniville »

greycrusader wrote: Tue Dec 31, 2019 4:19 am The Sphinx is another of Marvel's failed would-be master villains, most of which seemed to get churned out from the late seventies through the mid-1980s; Graviton, Maelstrom, Nefaria, Superia (OK, I guess she was a 1990s era flameout), the Master (wow, John Byre, really put effort into that moniker, eh?), and a few others. NONE of them every caught on or developed into anything major.
Huh, that's interesting- I hadn't thought about how many of them debuted around the same time, but yeah, that's a pretty short amount of time.

Near as I can guess, it's PROBABLY because the same guys wrote most of the '60s stuff, and usually used their own creations extremely often: Loki, Mordo, Dormammu, Magneto, Zemo, Doom, etc.- Doom was basically the fifth character in Fantastic Four, and Magneto was in like EVERY ISSUE of the X-Men that I've read from the Stan & Jack years.

And so when the new generation of guys took over, they tried to create their OWN new villains to be mega-stars. But for various reasons, most of them never took (like, say, Roy Thomas's Ultron, who was actually a jobber in many comics I've seen, so he didn't always have cred, either). Part of it's just how diminished Marvel was in the 1970s, so not as many were reading. Or creators pulling out their "big idea" characters in... the pages of Alpha Flight, Nova and other tertiary books instead of the big-name ones.

There's also a strong likelihood that the generation AFTER those guys grew up reading the '60s stuff, and so defaulted to them.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24690
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Smiling Tiger

Post by Jabroniville »

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SMILING TIGER (Conrad Mack)
Created By:
Fabian Nicieza & Mark Bagley
First Appearance: The New Warriors #21 (March 1992)
Role: Claw Guy, The Scrapper
Group Affiliations: The Folding Circle, The Thunderbolts
PL 7 (73)
STRENGTH
3 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 7 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -2 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE -2

Skills:
Acrobatics 4 (+9)
Athletics 5 (+8)
Close Combat (Claws) 2 (+9)
Expertise (Survival) 6 (+6)
Intimidation 8 (+6)
Perception 5 (+5)
Stealth 2 (+7)

Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Daze (Intimidation), Fast Grab, Startle, Takedown

Powers:
"Wellspring-Given Powers"
"Claws" Strength-Damage +2 (Feats: Split, Improved Critical, Penetrating 4) [8]

Offense:
Unarmed +7 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Claws +9 (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Initiative +5

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +4, Fortitude +7, Will +3

Complications:
Disabled (Mute)- Smiling Tiger cannot speak, apparently.

Total: Abilities: 30 / Skills: 32--16 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 8 / Defenses: 14 (73)

-Smiling Tiger is the least-developed and interesting member of the Folding Circle, in that he's a Generic Claw Guy, has the stupidest look of his entire squad, and can't even speak. He's no good in a fight, either- Night Thrasher just straight-up beat the crap out of him when they first met, and that was the guy's Villainous DEBUT, where guys usually do their best! Pretty much the entire rest of the time, he's just some pointless backgrounder, snarling with that grin etched onto his mask.

-With all his bad showings, Smiling Tiger is a mere PL 7 background character on his squad.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Thu Jul 21, 2022 9:55 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Spectrum
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Speedball! Namorita! Nova- Rider & Sam! The Sphinx!)

Post by Spectrum »

Each time I see Sphinx, I keep thinking of a more popular Egyptian supervillain- Apocalypse. Not anything directly related but a vastly improved version of the concept.
We rise from the ashes so that new legends can be born.
Spectrum
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Speedball! Namorita! Nova- Rider & Sam! The Sphinx!)

Post by Spectrum »

Well yes, while flipping sunglasses was an thing for a while...

Image

still doesn't explain why they were all red.

Or why he has the bastard child of a power button and the word IQ on his chest.
We rise from the ashes so that new legends can be born.
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Tattooedman
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Speedball! Namorita! Nova- Rider & Sam! The Sphinx!)

Post by Tattooedman »

Cause in the 90s (yes, I'm that old to remember it) color tinted sunglasses were among the "cool" things to wear. So, clearly Bloodstrike was ULTRA cool by combining the 2 things.
Jabroniville wrote: Tue Jul 13, 2021 11:45 pm
LOl- "The Tattooed Man"? What kind of ABSOLUTE DILDO would refer to himself as "The Tattooed Man" :P!?!
Jabroniville
Posts: 24690
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Silk Fever

Post by Jabroniville »

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SILK FEVER (Min Li Ng, aka "Firewall")
Created By:
Fabian Nicieza & Mark Bagley
First Appearance: The New Warriors #21 (March 1992)
Role: Elemental Jobber
Group Affiliations: The Folding Circle, Force of Nature
PL 9 (141)
STRENGTH
1 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Deception 4 (+6)
Expertise (Survival) 2 (+4)
Insight 2 (+4)
Intimidation 5 (+7)
Investigation 4 (+6)
Perception 3 (+5)
Ranged Combat (Fire) 2 (+8)

Advantages:
Daze (Intimidation), Ranged Attack 6

Powers:
"Wellspring-Given Powers"
Flame Aura 8 (Feats: Dynamic) (Extras: Continuous) (41) -- [49]
  • Dynamic AE: Damage 9 (Extras: Area- 60ft. Cone) (19)
  • Dynamic AE: Damage 9 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (19)
  • Dynamic AE: Fire Blast 9 (Feats: Split) (20)
  • Dynamic AE: Deflect 9 (10)
Flight 6 (120 mph) [12]
Immunity 10 (Fire & Heat Effects) (Flaws: Limited to Half-Effect) [5]
"Fire Field" Immunity 5 (Ballistics) [5]

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+1 Damage, DC 17)
Flame Aura +6 (+8 Damage, DC 23)
Fire Blast +8 (+9 Ranged Damage, DC 24)
Fire Attacks +9 Area (+9 Damage, DC 24)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +9 (DC 19), Toughness +3, Fortitude +5, Will +4

Complications:
Motivation (Environment)- The Force of Nature are out to save the environment, by any means necessary. Murder, kidnapping and extortion are all acceptable practices.

Total: Abilities: 38 / Skills: 22--11 / Advantages: 7 / Powers: 72 / Defenses: 13 (141)

-Firewall was a Cambodian woman who gained super-powers as a result of some mystical argle-bargle in the New Warriors run- she was a Force of Nature operative, but very shortly after that story, moved on to the NEXT team in the book- the Folding Circle. This was kind of unusual, but a bit clever and "true to life" in that things aren't always so simple, and people might just randomly switch teams at times. It turns out that she was one of many descendants from a group of soldiers stationed in Vietnam, who'd married the maidens of the Dragon's Breadth cult, and that's where her powers came from. So she left Force of Nature and went along with the Folding Circle, largely disappearing from relevance after that point, hanging about with that team until they stopped being used. Very powerful, she was probably the biggest threat on her team, but was still fairly vulnerable and was beaten.

-Silk Fever is the most dangerous of her team in some ways (being full-on PL 9), and has a really powerful Aura that won't go down if she's unconscious (she can, however, turn it off at will). She's a standard Flying Blaster Elementalist build otherwise, with Half-Immunity, Flight and a "Firewall" Force Field that blocks bullets & arrows easily, but doesn't stop Nova from just flying up to her and chucking her into a tree. So like the others, she's a Glass Cannon, but is a really POWERFUL type of Cannon, despite being only PL 9. Night Thrasher actually explicitly points out how dangerous her fire is, nearly explaining the M&M "Area Effect" rules flat-out, with "you can't dodge it and she doesn't aim it- it just APPEARS in the area she chooses".
Last edited by Jabroniville on Thu Jul 21, 2022 9:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24690
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

The Force of Nature

Post by Jabroniville »

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THE FORCE OF NATURE:
-A squad of Captain Planet rejects (three of whom were older characters- Plant Man, Water Wizard & Aireo were given new names as Terraformer, Aqueduct & Skybreaker). They were joined by new character Firewall and done up with strict Rookie Mark Bagley designs (this means lots of goggles/visors). They fought for the environment, but used murder to do it, and when Speedball's mother was threatened (she was an actress using standard Hollywood Liberal Activism in a foreign country beset be clear-cutting deforestation-happy guys with bulldozers and stuff), the Warriors intervened and did the typical "they lose the first fight, but come back and win the second" comic book thing.

-The story was pretty minor, but interesting in that Nicieza actually did that "Mark Gruenwald/Kurt Busiek" thing and actually remembered that characters like this existed ALREADY, and thus he didn't need to invent a whole new squad of jobbers- he just modernized some failed losers and turned them into something. Overall, this is just a random grouping of guys, set up much like the Warriors (a few under-utilized older characters; one new one), with the Eco-Terrorist theme. One of them, Firewall, later got recruited into the Folding Circle, as it turned out she'd been empowered the same way they were. Force of Nature are later seen in The Vault, rioting for prisoners' rights (Marvel Boy, then imprisoned, agrees with them and acts as a go-between between the super-villains and the prison administration). They reappeared much later in an Iraq stand-in situation, where they allied with the rebels and fought the New Warriors (led by Namorita), but eventually escaped.

-These guys mostly vanished, but the Initiative writers (one of whom, Christos Gage, was obviously a New Warriors fanboy, judging by the line-up of the first book, and the following info) utilized both them and Psionex (other NW foes) as members of the Fifty State Initiative. They were seen as backgrounders in Norman Osborn's army of ex-villains, taking up the role as defenders of Oregon. No idea what became of that whole idea post-Dark Reign, though- looks like it just randomly ended.

The Roster:
Skybreaker- An Inhuman villain with Air Powers.
Terraformer- An offshoot of Plant-Man.
Firewall/Silk Fever- Fire-wielder. New character.
Aqueduct- The former "Water Wizard", and the one guy to survive Scourge's rampage (because he was late for the meeting at The Bar With No Name).
Sunstreak- Iron Man Jobber Villain, replacing Firewall when she quit.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Thu Jul 21, 2022 9:56 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24690
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Skybreaker/Aireo

Post by Jabroniville »

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SKYBREAKER (aka Aireo)
Created By:
Stan Lee & Jack Kirby
First Appearance: The Fantastic Four #47 (Feb. 1966)
Role: Elemental Jobber
Group Affiliations: The Inhumans, Force of Nature
PL 9 (99)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Deception 4 (+5)
Expertise (Streetwise) 4 (+4)
Expertise (Survival) 3 (+3)
Intimidation 4 (+5)
Perception 3 (+3)
Ranged Combat (Air Attacks) 4 (+9)

Advantages:
Move-By Action, Ranged Attack 5

Powers:
"Terrigen Mist-Given Powers: Air Control"
"Air Control" Move Object 9 (Extras: Perception Range) (Flaws: Limited to Air) (18) -- [24]
  • AE: "Air Blast" Blast 8 (16)
  • AE: "Wind" Features 2: Snuff Flames, Throw Off Arrows, Other Effects (2)
  • AE: Environment 5 (250 feet) (Impede Movement 2) (10)
  • AE: Move Object 8 (16)
  • AE: Deflect 8 (8)
  • AE: "Air Stealing" Affliction 8 (Fort; Dazed/Stunned/Incapacitated) (Extras: Ranged, Concentration) (Flaws: Distracting) (16)
Flight 5 (60 mph) [10]

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Air Blast +9 (+8 Ranged Damage, DC 23)
Suffocation +9 (+8 Ranged Affliction, DC 18)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +4, Fortitude +7, Will +3

Complications:
Motivation (Environment)- The Force of Nature are out to save the environment, by any means necessary. Murder, kidnapping and extortion are all acceptable practices.

Total: Abilities: 34 / Skills: 22--11 / Advantages: 6 / Powers: 34 / Defenses: 14 (99)

-Talk about jobbers... Originally named "Aireo", he's apparently a Lee/Kirby original (proof positive that even the BEST have off-days), a renegade Inhuman and stooge of Maximus- one of many that was used and then got forgotten. Years later, the New Warriors (itself a book designed to make once-failed concepts work) refashioned a new team for the guy- comprised of elementalists engaging in criminal behavior while being hired by an eco-terrorist group. They didn't really make it much further than that '90s book, but they popped up in the Initiative books alongside literally DOZENS of other tossed-out, nobody villains, and helped take out the Heavy-Hitters one time. Not that any really have personality these days, but hey- they're jobbers, and thus CRY OUT TO BE STATTED. Funnily enough, I hadn't even heard of these guys when I first checked the Wiki page for Inhumans ages ago, and then looked through my old New Warriors books and found them. So they're pretty forgettable, seeing as how I read many an appearance of them and then forgot. Thankfully, having statted them out makes them stick out in my mind, now.

-Skybreaker (a wannabe bad-ass '90s name from "Aireo"... yeah, I guess that's a decent trade) is your standard everyday Wind-User, but with varied other effects. He uses the standard Air Control stuff (making him PL 9 for that Perception-Range Power, but PL 8-8.5 everywhere else), but also packs Environment, Deflect, and Suffocate, since he could suck the air right out of people's lungs. That's an unusual power for me (not a lot of characters have it at all- probably because it's nigh-fatal), and he's got good Range on it- but loses his ability to defend himself properly. Still, he's a total Glass Cannon who won't last to more than a few key hits. Curiously, like a lot of Inhuman characters who went outside the usual bend of the group, he lacks the Complication of being weak to Pollution- Medusa is the same way, as are the Dark Riders, for unknown reasons (they just got used to it?).
Last edited by Jabroniville on Thu Jul 21, 2022 9:59 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Jabroniville
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Plantman/Blackheath

Post by Jabroniville »

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PLANTMAN (Samuel Smithers, aka Blackheath)
Created By:
Stan Lee & Jack Kirby
First Appearance: Strange Tales #113 (Oct. 1963)
Role: Elemental Jobber, "I'LL SHOW THEM ALL!" Villain
Group Affiliations: The Thunderbolts, The Maggia
PL 8 (93)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 7 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 3 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Intimidation 5 (+5)
Expertise (Botany) 8 (+11)
Perception 3 (+4)
Ranged Combat (Plants) 2 (+8)

Advantages:
Power Attack, Ranged Attack 6

Powers:
"Vega-Ray Gun" (Flaws: Easily Removable) [29]
Comprehend 2 (Speak To & Understand Plants) (4)
"Plant Control" Mind Control 4 (Extras: Area- 60ft. Burst +2) (Flaws: Touch Range -2, Limited to Plants) (12)

"Plant Control"
"Wide Snare" Snare 8 (Feats: Reversible, Indirect) (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst, Selective) (Flaws: Touch Range, Source- Plants) (26) -- (32)
  • AE: Snare 8 (Feats: Reversible, Indirect) (Flaws: Source- Plants) Linked to Blast 4 (Flaws: Source- Plants) (22)
  • AE: "Plant Growth" Growth 10 (Flaws: Affects Others +0, Limited to Plants) (20)
  • AE: "Plant Blast" Blast 8 (Feats: Split, Indirect) (Flaws: Source- Plants) (10)
  • AE: "Multiple Vine Stabs" Blast 8 (Feats: Indirect) (Extras: Multiattack) (Flaws: Source- Plants) (17)
  • AE: "Vines Tear the Earth" Affliction 8 (Dodge; Hindered & Vulnerable/Prone & Defenseless) (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst, Extra Condition) (Flaws: Instant Recovery, Limited Degree, Source- Plants) (5)
  • AE: "Mold Toss" Concealment (Visuals) 2 (Feats: Indirect) (Extras: Attack, Ranged) (Flaws: Source- Plants) (5)
-- (48 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +7 (+9 Damage, DC 24)
Plant Snare +8 (+8 Ranged Affliction, DC 18)
Wide Snare +8 Area (+8 Affliction, DC 18)
Plant Blast +8 (+8 Ranged Damage, DC 23)
Vines Tear the Earth +8 Area (+8 Affliction, DC 18)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +3, Fortitude +5, Will +4

Complications:
Motivation (Environment)- The Force of Nature are out to save the environment, by any means necessary. Murder, kidnapping and extortion are all acceptable practices.
Vulnerable (Flame, Herbicides)- Plant Material is prone to being set aflame.
Involuntary Transformation (Unmoving Plant Material if Dehydrated)

Total: Abilities: 36 / Skills: 18--9 / Advantages: 7 / Powers: 29 / Defenses: 12 (93)

-The original Plantman (no dash; which is annoying to me. That name looks like it needs to be "Plant-Man"!) was an assistant to a botanist who was trying to uncover the mental activity of plantlife- he took over the man's work when he died after ten years of this. Reduced to working as a gardener because his life's work wasn't taken seriously, he was empowered with a lightning bolt (well now how did I know that was going to be what did it?) struck his experimental device, thus giving him the power to control and animate plant life. Now desiring to "SHOW THEM ALL!", he of course became a super-villain- his attempt at revenge against his detractors was stopped by the Human Torch (literally the worst possible superhero for a plant-controlling villain to fight, right?). He made an attempt at getting even with the Torch, but was again defeated, next time facing Iron Man when Plantman tried to take over the world.

-Following this, he joined Count Nefaria's Maggia crime family along with The Porcupine, Eel, Scarecrow & Unicorn, facing the X-Men before getting arrested. Next time, he used some stolen Maggia tech in London, but was beaten by Namor & the Inhuman Triton in Namor's book. He was so diminished as a threat that by the time Acts of Vengeance rolled around in the 1990s, he & Quill accidentally defeated each other during a group attack on the Fantastic Four, literally running into each other and getting Plantman stuck with quills and Quill tangled in a vine.

-Eventually, he created "Simuloids"- plants given human form. These would often be him duplicating himself and going on mercenary work- these were defeated by Captain America, The Falcon, The Defenders, Spider-Man and even the Micronauts! And one of them ended up calling itself "Terraformer" and joining the Force of Nature, acting as the real guy in The New Warriors! Eventually calling himself Blackheath, he joined up with the Thunderbolts before they were disbanded, as he himself had become more plant-like. This was in the early 2000s, and was again written by Nicieza- who I guess had a liking for the jobber, and was responsible for turning him into a literal plant-man TWICE.

-Plantman in the early days was actually a Gimmick-User, using his "Vega-Ray" gun to communicate with, control, and manipulate plants.

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BLACKHEATH (Samuel Smithers, aka Plantman)
Created By:
Stan Lee & Jack Kirby
First Appearance: Strange Tales #113 (Oct. 1963)
Role: Elemental Jobber
Group Affiliations: The Thunderbolts, The Maggia
PL 9 (150)
STRENGTH
8 STAMINA 8 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 3 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Intimidation 5 (+5)
Expertise (Botany) 8 (+11)
Perception 3 (+4)
Intimidation 6 (+6)
Ranged Combat (Plants) 2 (+8)

Advantages:
Power Attack, Ranged Attack 6

Powers:
"Living Plant" Immunity 4 (Heat, Drowning, Starvation, Poison) [4]
"Tough Bark" Protection 1 [1]
"Moving Along Vines" Speed 2 (8 mph) [2]
Movement 1 (Slithering) [2]
Comprehend 2 (Speak To & Understand Plants) [4]
"Plant Control" Mind Control 4 (Extras: Area- 60ft. Burst +2) (Flaws: Touch Range -2, Limited to Plants) [12]
"Natural Size" Growth 3 (Str & Sta +3, +3 Mass, +1 Intimidation, -1 Dodge/Parry, -3 Stealth) -- (10 feet) (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [7]

"Plant Control" Snare 9 (Feats: Reversible) Linked to Blast 4 (39) -- [45]
  • AE: "Wide Snare" Snare 8 (Feats: Reversible) (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst, Selective) (Flaws: Touch Range) (33)
  • AE: "Plant Growth" Growth 10 (Flaws: Affects Others +0, Limited to Plants) (20)
  • AE: "Plant Blast" Blast 8 (Feats: Split) (17)
  • AE: "Multiple Vine Stabs" Blast 8 (Extras: Multiattack) (24)
  • AE: "Vines Tear the Earth" Affliction 9 (Dodge; Hindered & Vulnerable/Prone & Defenseless) (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst, Extra Condition) (Flaws: Instant Recovery, Limited Degree) (9)
  • AE: "Mold Toss" Concealment (Visuals) 2 (Extras: Attack, Ranged) (8)
Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+8 Damage, DC 23)
Plant Snare +8 (+9 Ranged Affliction, DC 19)
Wide Snare +8 Area (+8 Affliction, DC 18)
Plant Blast +8 (+8 Ranged Damage, DC 23)
Vines Tear the Earth +9 Area (+9 Affliction, DC 19)
Initiative +3

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

Complications:
Motivation (Environment)- The Force of Nature are out to save the environment, by any means necessary. Murder, kidnapping and extortion are all acceptable practices.
Vulnerable (Flame, Herbicides)- Plant Material is prone to being set aflame.
Involuntary Transformation (Unmoving Plant Material if Dehydrated)

Total: Abilities: 50 / Skills: 24--12 / Advantages: 7 / Powers: 77 / Defenses: 11 (157)

-By The Initiative in modern times, Blackheath looks a fair bit different, and gets a boost in personal power. He's now part-Powerhouse as well, but still just as vulnerable to flame & heat- a missed pulse by Sunstreak wiped the floor with him. That's the problem with Plant-Guys... they have a TON of potential powers (the Alt-Effect potential boggles the mind, especially if you spend lots of points), but most all of them will have a boatload of weaknesses alongside them. He also loses his Deception & Teamwork, as his humanity falters. Fire & herbicides will wipe them right out.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Thu Jul 21, 2022 10:01 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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drkrash
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Nova- Rider & Sam! The Sphinx! Folding Circle!)

Post by drkrash »

Things have gone far too far past the KoF builds for me to offer any more comments on them (though I am really enjoying the NW builds!).

The last story I'll share about KoF is in regard to MI: 2. I really thought that game was far better than many give it credit for. The story wasn't great, but it worked well enough. I generally liked Falcoon's designs, except for his weird penchant for jester's shoes. I liked that several of the alternate costumes were actually different designs altogether, which was not common at the time.

It's also important to me personally because it was the specific game I was playing (I remember the day well) when I realized that the present rule-set for Fight! (which was still unpublished at the time) was going in the wrong direction. With that observation, I started paying a lot more attention to what was going on in the details of fighting game combat, jotted down some notes, and started a brand new direction for the rules. A couple years later, the game was published with those new rules, and now I'm hopefully no more than a month away from publishing the 2nd edition of the game after a successful decade.

Sorry I don't have any comments about the New Warriors - I haven't read them, though these posts are making me add them to my eventual read list. I just remember that, back in the day, I really liked the looks of Namorita.
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Jabroniville
Posts: 24690
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Terraformer

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image

TERRAFORMER (Simuloid of Samuel Smithers, aka Plantman)
Created By:
Fabian Nicieza & Mark Bagley (based on Stan Lee & Jack Kirby's character)
First Appearance: The New Warriors #7 (Jan. 1991)
Role: Elemental Jobber
Group Affiliations: The Thunderbolts, The Maggia
PL 9 (138)
STRENGTH
3 STAMINA 5 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Deception 3 (+3)
Intimidation 5 (+5)
Expertise (Botany) 12 (+12)
Ranged Combat (Plants) 2 (+8)

Advantages:
Power Attack, Ranged Attack 6, Teamwork

Powers:
"Living Plant" Immunity 4 (Heat, Drowning, Starvation, Poison) [4]
Features 1: May Change to Human Form as a Free Action [1]
"Moving Along Vines" Speed 2 (8 mph) [2]
Movement 1 (Slithering) [2]
Comprehend 2 (Speak To & Understand Plants) [4]
"Plant Control" Mind Control 4 (Extras: Area- 60ft. Burst +2) (Flaws: Touch Range -2, Limited to Plants) [12]

"Plant Control" Snare 9 (Feats: Reversible) Linked to Blast 4 (39) -- [45]
  • AE: "Wide Snare" Snare 8 (Feats: Reversible) (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst, Selective) (Flaws: Touch Range) (33)
  • AE: "Plant Growth" Growth 10 (Flaws: Affects Others +0, Limited to Plants) (20)
  • AE: "Plant Blast" Blast 8 (Feats: Split) (17)
  • AE: "Multiple Vine Stabs" Blast 8 (Extras: Multiattack) (24)
  • AE: "Vines Tear the Earth" Affliction 9 (Dodge; Hindered & Vulnerable/Prone & Defenseless) (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst, Extra Condition) (Flaws: Instant Recovery, Limited Degree) (9)
  • AE: "Mold Toss" Concealment (Visuals) 2 (Extras: Attack, Ranged) (8)
Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Plant Snare +8 (+9 Ranged Affliction, DC 19)
Wide Snare +8 Area (+8 Affliction, DC 18)
Plant Blast +8 (+8 Ranged Damage, DC 23)
Vines Tear the Earth +9 Area (+9 Affliction, DC 19)
Initiative +3

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

Complications:
Motivation (Environment)- The Force of Nature are out to save the environment, by any means necessary. Murder, kidnapping and extortion are all acceptable practices.
Vulnerable (Flame, Herbicides)- Plant Material is prone to being set aflame.
Involuntary Transformation (Unmoving Plant Material if Dehydrated)

Total: Abilities: 36 / Skills: 22--11 / Advantages: 8 / Powers: 70 / Defenses: 13 (138)

-Terraformer's a weird idea. A Plant Controller? Fine. A few characters in comics like that, and it's one of the few power-sets that hasn't been completely overdone over the years, so he's appreciated. But being a sentient plant-creature created by no-name character Plantman years earlier, who has somehow gone off on his own? I mean, why didn't they just use PLANTMAN then? This guy was an early Mark Bagley character design (meaning he had a visor- which Bagley loved like Liefeld loved pouches & eye-markings), being a ripped guy who got dehydrated and turned into a plant after doing by far the best out of the Force of Nature (why not FORCES, I always wondered- the plural made more sense). He reappeared a few years later as much more plant-like, and in the Initiative series as an unspeaking gigantic dude who looked alot like Groot of the Guardians of the Galaxy. He is potentially still around, but was last seen being slashed in half by an Asgardian sword during Dark Reign and the assault on Asgard.

-Terraformer (actually a sentient Simuloid version of himself, but with the same overall abilities) actually seemed REALLY effective in the New Warriors comics I have featuring him. He was pretty built, and his Plant Control extended over a MASSIVE range, with vines strong enough to hold Nova and Namorita in place, helpless, and he ensnared dozens of civilians at a time with the greatest of ease. Marvel Boy & Firestar had to team up to beat him, but her Microwave Pulse turned him into a brown piece of slag due to dehydration, and he lost his form as a result. So he's got some big-time weaknesses, but is a bit more expensive than the other guys on his team.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Thu Jul 21, 2022 10:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24690
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Re: Jab’s Builds! (Nova- Rider & Sam! The Sphinx! Folding Circle!)

Post by Jabroniville »

drkrash wrote: Wed Jan 01, 2020 7:12 pm Things have gone far too far past the KoF builds for me to offer any more comments on them (though I am really enjoying the NW builds!).
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO but I need to know why you hated K'!

In any case, thank you for actually going back and reviewing all those notes and characters. Having multiple KoF fans be busy right as I was posting them was kind of a bummer, because it'd been such a requested set of builds :).
Jabroniville
Posts: 24690
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Water Wizard/Aqueduct

Post by Jabroniville »

Image
Image
Image

WATER WIZARD (Peter Van Zandte, aka Aqueduct)
Created By:
Jim Shooter & Don Heck
First Appearance: Ghost Rider #23 (April 1977)
Role: Elemental Villain
Group Affiliations: Force of Nature, The Thunderbolts, The Masters of Evil
PL 8 (108)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 5 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Close Combat (Unarmed) 2 (+7)
Deception 4 (+5)
Expertise (Streetwise) 5 (+5)
Expertise (Survival) 2 (+2)
Intimidation 3 (+4)
Perception 4 (+4)
Ranged Combat (Water Attacks) 4 (+8)

Advantages:
Ranged Attack 4

Powers:
"Underwater Lifestyle"
Immunity 2 (Drowning, Pressure) [2]
"Riding the Waves" Flight 5 (60 mph) (Extras: Affects Others) (Flaws: Platform) [10]

"Hard Water Snare" Snare 8 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (Quirk: Requires Water -2) (30) -- [40]
  • AE: "Water Blast" Blast 8 (16)
  • AE: "Tidal Wave" Blast 8 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Shapeable) (Quirk: Requires Water -2) (22)
  • AE: "Water Wall" Force Field 5 (5)
  • AE: Water Control 10 (20)
  • AE: "Aerial Whirlpool" Blast 8 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Cylindar) (Quirk: Requires Water -2) (22)
  • AE: Create (Water Objects) 8 (Quirk: Requires Water -2) (14)
  • AE: "Current Control" Swimming 4 (Extras: Affects Others +0) (4) & Weaken Swimming 4 (Extras: Ranged, Area- 30ft. Shapeable, Selective) (16)
  • AE: "Dehydrate" Affliction 8 (Fort; Fatigued & Impaired/Exhausted & Disabled/Incapacitated) (Extras: Ranged, Cumulative, Extra Condition) (Flaws: Distracting) (24)
  • AE: "Drown" Affliction 8 (Fort; Dazed/Stunned/Incapacitated) (Extras: Ranged, Area- 30ft. Shapeable, Cumulative) (Flaws: Distracting) (Quirk: Requires Water -2) (24)
  • AE: "Pushing Wave" Affliction 8 (Strength or Athletics; Hindered & Impaired/Prone & Disabled) (Extras: Area- 30ft. Shapeable, Extra Condition) (Flaws: Limited Degree) (Drawbacks: Power Loss- Requires Water -2) (14)
Offense:
Unarmed +7 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Snares, Drowning & Waves +8 Area (+8 Affliction, DC 18)
Water Attacks +8 Area (+8 Damage, DC 23)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +3 (+8 Force Field), Fortitude +5, Will +2

Complications:
Motivation (Greed)

Total: Abilities: 28 / Skills: 24--12 / Advantages: 4 / Powers: 52 / Defenses: 12 (108)

-Well now THIS guy has had a weird run, and a lot of longevity for a one-note villain with an idiotic name. Given the name "Water Wizard", he was a sailor who gained powers during a calamity at sea- he was badly injured and was being healed with an experimental radiation device, which was then struck with lightning. Naturally, he uses these powers to become a professional criminal, like ya do- he is a thief foremost, but is hired by the Enforcer to kill Ghost Rider. He is defeated by GR repeatedly in the hero's book, eventually being institutionalized after Blaze's Hellfire burns him and throws him into shock. Later, GR recruits him out of jail to help a drought-stricken town, in an oddly good bit of use for a guy with powers like this- a very "solve real problems" kind of a thing. He later ends up fighting the Arabian Knight when he discovers he can manipulate all liquids, and starts messing about with foreign oil, and is arrested by Ghost Rider again. After this, the Ghost Rider feature is cancelled, leaving the recurring foe orphaned.

-More things would be afoot for him, however- he's a mercenary hired by Justin Hammer in Iron Man, but abandons the battle out of cowardice. And then, in his most important appearance, he's included among a group of 18 villains organized at the Bar With No Name in order to discuss the recent killings by the Scourge of the Underworld. HOWEVER, he fortuitously gets a flat tire on the way to the bar, and arrives... to find seventeen corpses. Horrified, he does the smartest thing possible and calls Captain America's hotline, luring Cap out in order to find the dead bodies himself! And so Water Wizard was thus instrumental in the Scourge story-arc being brought to a close at that time- Mark Gruenwald getting rid of some unused villains and giving this generic douche a moment in the sun- he turns himself in out of fear.

-Later, he briefly skirmishes with Hydro-Man during a group assault on Four Freedoms Plaza during Acts of Vengeance, and finally joins the Force of Nature in New Warriors, now a mercenary Eco-Terrorist with a new name- "Aqueduct" being the generic title after dropping his very "60s Flash Rogue" original name. After two appearances in this title, he's hired on for the fifth incarnation of the Masters of Evil as one of 25+ guys in Thunderbolts led by the Crimson Cowl, again being easily beaten.

-He reappeared during the Initiative story, but didn't say anything. Huh- this guy's actually been all over the place for a jobber villain- it seems many writers are actually aware of him and use him, as he's the only water-based villain in the Marvel U who isn't already wrapped-up in Spider-lore.

-Aqueduct is PL 8 unlike most Scourge victims, and that's because he's actually a pretty tolerable "team villain" and a guy who can ruin the heroes' day. Weak chin, but lots of Alt-Effects, many of which are rarely-seen, and they're quite varied as well (Drowning, Dehydrating, Tripping, lots of Area Attacks). He can drown people, knock them around, Blast them, drain them of water (Fort Save Damage), and all sorts of things, plus he can fly around like Iceman does. It's too bad he's an utter jobber, because power-sets like these can be deadly if used right.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Thu Jul 21, 2022 10:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Ares
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Nova- Rider & Sam! The Sphinx! Folding Circle!)

Post by Ares »

Honestly, I think "Water Wizard" is a way better name than Aqueduct. It at least sounds like a supervillain code name with some imagination put into it, as opposed to just an old method of moving water around a city.

The Folding Circle is kind of a shame, since they feel really 'small' for the kind of backstory and set up they were given. The culmination of an ancient conspiracy of mystics over a font of incredible power, a millennia long mystical eugenics project to breed powerful mystical superhumans, all done so that the one masterminding it could essentially become a god, it's all very epic in scale and felt like it should have had a bigger impact. The kids born from this kind of set up should have each been some kind of high powered individual, with the group being a menace for the Avengers or a Dr. Strange-led Defenders.

Instead we get:

- Generic Claw Guy
- Generic Fire Woman
- Generic Mid-Tier Strong Man
- Spider-Man-lite
- A shadow teleporter
- A guy who can teleport and shot energy beams out of his hand.

Not exactly the stuff of legends. I'd almost want to give that whole storyline a do-over, file the serial numbers off and use it elsewhere. Or maybe do something where Tai jumped the gun and it's actually the generation after who are going to be these epic individuals.

Re-reading the older stuff, it's kind of clear Nicieza had some kind of love of the Darkforce concept. One of the Psionex could use it, the Left Hand could use it, there was a whole storyline with a new villain that could use it, etc.
"My heart is as light as a child's, a feeling I'd nearly forgotten. And by helping those in need, I will be able to keep that feeling alive."
- Captain Marvel SHAZAM! : Power of Hope (2000)

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