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

Where in all of your character write ups will go.
Shock
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Nova- Rider & Sam! The Sphinx! Folding Circle!)

Post by Shock »

Jabroniville wrote: Fri Jan 03, 2020 1:09 am
FIREBRAND III (Rick Dennison)
He's also a football coach with the Minnesota Vikings. :D
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Ares
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Re: Firebrand (Rick Dennison)

Post by Ares »

Jabroniville wrote: Fri Jan 03, 2020 1:09 am
Image
Man, I hope he was intentionally designed to look like an utter idiot, because I'd hate for a look that stupid to have come about through good intentions. A weird thing is how the shoes look especially dumb, like they're big metal slippers that could easily have pink bunnies on them.
"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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Psionex

Post by Jabroniville »

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PSIONEX:
-Psionex was a classic case of a '90s villain team. CLASSIC, I tell you. See, the brand-spankin'-new New Warriors book needed some quickie villains while its big backstory with Chord & Tai got underway, and what was big in the '90s? Especially if you were Fabian Nicieza and writing 900 books a month? Whole TEAMS of guys! While the '70s & '80s brought us jobbers by the dozen, it was always individual villains 90% of the time. Apparently Fabian, who wrote this book AND X-Force (thus having a hand in the Mutant Liberation Front, Weapon: PRIME, The Folding Circle, Force of Nature & Psionex), had a thing for giant groups of guys with funky names and weird power-sets. Either that or he couldn't say no to artists who wanted to make their Sketchpad Characters.

The backstory of this team was that they were a group of kids experimented on by a company named Genetech, who sort of took the "STAR Labs" route as the general reason bad things happened because their experiments always went awry. They were supposed to be superheroes, created by some guy who in the past had touched on MANY Marvel Universe touchstones- he was rejected for the Captain America Serum test; he helped Howard Stark & Reed Richards in their younger days, but watched them exceed him greatly. And now, he wanted a piece of history for himself. I felt like this was a neat origin story for a misguided scientist, actually- he didn't have bad intentions, and it wasn't that arrogant kind of "I'm going to re-write the origins for EVERYONE because I wanna put my STAMP on it!" garbage that so many writers do today, but he had his hand in all this great stuff without actually being a PART of it. You could buy how he'd want to be with the cool kids and fit in.

Apparently, though, his idea for this was to build a team out of psychopathic criminals and give them remarkable powers. They're just as '90s as The Folding Circle was, if not moreso- they even have a "Super-character in Plain Clothes" and a STRIPPER on the team! Now THAT is '90s Comic Book storytelling! They're made up of Asylum (Darkforce user, crazy), Asylum II (formerly Darkling, also Darkforce-using), Impulse (Speedster predating Bart Allen; crazy and uses poisoned arm-blades), Pretty Persuasions (stripper who uses a power that basically... pleasures people into unconsciousness), Coronary (shiny dude who can make people sick by controlling bodily functions) and Mathemanic (who has bizarre psionic powers to make people witness mathematical properties). As you can see, we'll be getting a lot out of the AFFLICTION power with these guys... More or less, the entire team comes off as an excuse to invent cool, un-used powers.

Psionex first appeared breaking out of Genetech's labs and committing crimes- they were impossible to handle, as many had super-speed, they were great fighters, and Pretty Persuasions kept seducing people to get out of her holding cells. The New Warriors got called in, mopped up the kids after a fight that didn't go there way at first, and scolded Genetech and its founder for their carelessness. But this formed a working relationship with Genetech (who often called the Warriors to help them with stuff, making them a great "Story Creator" concept), and a rivalry with Psionex. The team appeared a few more times, usually as enemies, and Genetech's founder was erased from the world when he tried to take the power of Terrax- the Herald completely took over his personality and we never saw him again.

Later, under a new Asylum, they attempted to become vigilantes... but their actions were way too careless- in a later story arc, they encountered a bunch of street kids in a shoot-out and attacked all of them... realizing only too late that they were using fake guns (this has actually got a LOT of cops into trouble for shooting black children armed with fake weapons). Have pre-judged the situation too quickly, they soon find themselves causing a tragedy, as one of the kids was tossed into Asylum's "Darkforce" portal, and when they bring him out... he's dead. See, turns out the kid had a pre-existing heart condition, and the shock & cold of the Darkforce Dimension (experienced by the victims of Cloak and other characters) had set it off. And so an innocent boy was killed, and Psionex were responsible. They were arrested and dragged through the mud, and both Asylum & Mathemanic had to deal with it in their own ways.

Psionex reappeared after years away (they hadn't shown up since the cancellation of the first New Warriors book) as part of the Thunderbolts Initiative, becoming Maryland's official super "hero" team. Here, they were alongside other NW acts like Force of Nature & The Folding Circle, so apparently Christos Gage was a Warriors fan.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Thu Jul 21, 2022 10:07 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Asylum (Original)

Post by Jabroniville »

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ASYLUM I (name unknown)
Created By:
Fabian Nicieza & Mark Bagley
First Appearance: The New Warriors #4 (Oct. 1990)
Role: The Dark, Mysterious One
Group Affiliations: Psionex
PL 9 (112)
STRENGTH
1 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS -2 PRESENCE -2

Skills:
Insight 6 (+4)
Intimidation 10 (+8)
Ranged Combat (Darkforce) 4 (+9)

Advantages:
Improved Initiative 2, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 5

Powers:
"Dark Mist Form"
Alternate Form (Move Action -1) [-1]
Insubstantial 3 (Feats: Selective) (Quirks: Power Loss- Struck in Helmet- Opponent rolls 15-20 to-hit -3) [13]
Flying 4 (30 mph) [8]

"Darkforce Energies"
"Hallucinations" Affliction 9 (Will; Dazed/Stunned/Paralyzed) (Extras: Ranged, Cumulative, Concentration) (36) -- [37]
  • AE: Darkforce Blast 9 (18)
Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Darkforce Blast +9 (+9 Ranged Damage, DC 24)
Hallucinations +9 (+9 Ranged Affliction, DC 19)
Initiative +2

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

Complications:
Responsibility (Insane)- Asylum is crazy. Like, dangerously so.

Total: Abilities: 16 / Skills: 20--10 / Advantages: 8 / Powers: 48 / Defenses: 21 (112)

-The first Asylum was pretty forgettable, despite being the biggest heavy-hitter on Psionex. She was a former mental patient (yeah, these nice industrialists gave superhuman powers to an INSANE PERSON, a STRIPPER, and a GANG MEMBER) who had Darkforce-y powers that forced people to confront an inner truth or inner lie (essentially paralyzing them while they relived inner rage or their dads beating them or something). She was slightly less cheesy than other Insubstantial Affects Corporeal people, because a good aimed shot to the Mask could flat-out K.O. her easily. She fought some Warriors by herself in another appearance, and was dissipated permanently this time, basically dying. She got replaced by someone who could have actual characterization later.

-Asylum is weak mentally, with few Skills or Advantages (didn't even talk in my one issue), but is quite a lethal PL 9 fighter. Insubstantial + Ranged Paralyze is SCARY, but that Drawback to her invulnerable Mist form is a doozy- allowing guys to nail her with not just a critical hit- it's 15-20. So it's sorta like a more advanced form of Weak Point for Protection powers- I just kinda invented it as a makeshift -3 Quirk. Makes sense, I think- it's way worse than basic Insubstantial.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Thu Jul 21, 2022 10:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Spam
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Nova- Rider & Sam! The Sphinx! Folding Circle!)

Post by Spam »

Shock wrote: Fri Jan 03, 2020 2:23 am
Jabroniville wrote: Fri Jan 03, 2020 1:09 am
FIREBRAND III (Rick Dennison)
He's also a football coach with the Minnesota Vikings. :D
You can't get much more jobbery than that.
Jabroniville
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Impulse (Hubbard)

Post by Jabroniville »

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IMPULSE II (Dwight Hubbard)
Created By:
Fabian Nicieza & Mark Bagley
First Appearance: The New Warriors #4 (Oct. 1990)
Role: Psychotic Speedster, Ultraviolent 90s Villain
Group Affiliations: Psionex
PL 8 (122)
STRENGTH
5 STAMINA 5 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS -1 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Deception 5 (+5)
Expertise (Gang Member) 4 (+4)
Intimidation 6 (+6)
Perception 4 (+3)
Stealth 1 (+6)

Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Equipment 3 (Costume), Improved Critical (Blades), Power Attack, Move-By Action, Takedown

Powers:
Power Lifting 1 (3,200 lbs.) [1]
Quickness 7 [7]
Speed 7 (250 mph) [7]
Enhanced Advantages 2: Improved Initiative 2 [2]
"Rapid Slice" Strength-Damage +0 (Extras: Multiattack 6) & Weaken Strength +0 (Extras: Multiattack 5) [11]
Regeneration 1 [1]
Enhanced Dodge 4 & Parry 1 [5]

"Impulse Costume" (Flaws: Removable) [14]
"Blades" Strength-Damage +1 (Feats: Split) (2)
Linked to
"Poison" Weaken Strength 5 (Extras: Progressive +2) (15)
-- (17 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+5 Damage, DC 20)
Blades +10 (+6 Damage & +5 Weaken, DC 21 & 15)
Initiative +13

Defenses:
Dodge +11 (DC 21), Parry +11 (DC 21), Toughness +5, Fortitude +7, Will +3

Complications:
Motivation (Destruction)- Impulse is pretty crazy, and likes to cause pain and mayhem.
Relationship (Sister)- Impulse has a sister with whom he was quite close. Her death in a gang war hurt him deeply.

Total: Abilities: 48 / Skills: 20--10 / Advantages: 8 / Powers: 48 / Defenses: 8 (122)

-Impulse II (the Wildfire rip-off "Impulse" from the Shi'Ar Imperial Guard predates him, and both predate Bart "Impulse/Kid Flash" Allan) is a pretty generic character archetype- the psychopath with a love for killing. He slashed up Namorita pretty bad in his first appearance with a sneak attack, but then Night Thrasher, who was ready for him, nearly murdered him in cold blood (remember, he was a '90s hero) before the other Warriors stopped him. An ex-gang member, Dwight Hubbard was given powers to utilize his lethal tactics at-will (no idea why Genetech would choose to DELIBERATELY arm a psychopath with death weapons & sweet powers, if their goal was to create great things, but their leader was seen as a bit naive), but there later turned out to be a bit more to him. He was paralyzed after one battle against Terrax, but recovered in time to see his sister killed in gang warfare, which hurt him terribly. Of course, by that point, Psionex was done, and he later reappeared with the rest of the team, sans characterization, as Maryland's Initiative team, and were basically generic Jobber villains again. C'est la vie.

-Impulse is an All-Out type of fighter, and can be very deadly if getting the drop on people. He's good enough using All-Out Attack to tag Namorita three times before she can even react, and the Poison dropped her immediately when he hit her. But once he fought Night Thrasher, who is much better in melee, he totally fell apart, being undisciplined and unready for real talent. This means he's a good, but very limited combatant. He's got low-level Super-Speed and mild Super-Strength, with only one "Power Feat" as it's the only one he was shown with. As Speedsters go, he's pretty low-level.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Thu Jul 21, 2022 10:08 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Coronary

Post by Jabroniville »

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CORONARY (James Sharp)
Created By:
Fabian Nicieza & Mark Bagley
First Appearance: The New Warriors #4 (Oct. 1990)
Role: Status Affecter, Prism Look-Alike
Group Affiliations: Psionex
PL 8 (145)
STRENGTH
2/8 STAMINA 3/9 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 4 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Deception 4 (+4)
Expertise (Science) 2 (+6)
Insight 1 (+3)
Intimidation 5 (+5, +8 Growth)
Perception 3 (+5)
Ranged Combat (Powers) 4 (+8)
Treatment 3 (+7)

Advantages:
Ranged Attack 4, Teamwork

Powers:
"Alter Own Composition"
Insubstantial 4 (20) -- [21]
  • AE: Growth 6 (Str & Sta +6, +6 Mass, +3 Intimidation, -3 Dodge/Parry, -6 Stealth) -- (18 feet) (12)
"Body of Shards" Sharp Aura 2 [8]
Regeneration 4 (Feats: Regrow Body Parts) [5]
Immunity 2 (Poison, Disease) [2]

"Alter Others' Bodily Functions"
"Congestion" Affliction 8 (Fort; Dazed/Stunned/Incapacitated) (Extras: Progressive +2, Perception +2) (40) -- [45]
  • AE: "Vomiting" Affliction 8 (Fort; Dazed & Fatigued/Stunned & Prone/Incapacitated) (Extras: Ranged, Extra Condition, Cumulative) (32)
  • AE: "Induce Unconsciousness" Affliction 8 (Fort; Fatigued/Exhausted/Asleep) (Extras: Perception Range +2, Cumulative) (32)
  • AE: "Heart Attack" Weaken Stamina 8 (Extras: Perception Range +2) (24)
  • AE: "Tire Out" Fatigue 8 (Extras: Perception Range) (32)
  • AE: "Control Body's Movements" Affliction 8 (Fort; Entranced/Compelled/Controlled) (Extras: Ranged, Cumulative) (24)
Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Growth +6 (+8 Damage, DC 23)
Shards +6 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Congestion/Sleep -- (+8 Perception Affliction, DC 18)
Heart Attack -- (+8 Perception Weaken, DC 18)
Control Body/Vomiting +8 (+8 Ranged Affliction, DC 18)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (DC 18), Parry +8 (DC 18), Toughness +3, Fortitude +4, Will +3
"Growth" Dodge +5 (DC 15), Parry +5 (DC 15), Toughness +9, Fortitude +10, Will +3

Complications:
Involuntary Transformation (Shattered Pieces)- If struck by blunt force of at least +12 in intensity (or a fall from 100 feet or more), Coronary will shatter, and take at least 3-10 rounds to reform.
Motivation (Pain)- Coronary is a sick puppy, and just likes to make people violently ill.

Total: Abilities: 38 / Skills: 22--11 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 81 / Defenses: 10 (145)

-Coronary is one of the more interesting and unique members of his team, though most of them have Stun-based powers at range. He can control the life functions of others just by looking at them- he frequently made New Warriors members double over in pain. I can't recall the last time I saw a character with those powers in comics, so he gets a thumbs-up from me, even though he's your standard "guy who's actually crazy and likes to hurt people" most of the time. He's fairly tough himself, but is prone to shattering (he had the GENIUS idea of Stunning Namorita as she was flying with him in her arms, 100 feet in the air).

-Coronary's powers are actually QUITE horrifying, as they're all Perception-Range (he's never shown "blasting" someone with power; they just double over in agony as he waves his hands around), meaning he's PL 8 without even having to roll the damn dice to hit. Add to that the fact that he's got FIVE Alt-Effects, all at various ranges (often Perception), to work with- Vomiting (Incapacitated), Passing Out/Pain (Asleep), Heart Attacks (Weaken Stamina), Tiring (Fatigue), simply Controlling the Body (Mind Control, but with a Fortitude Save) & Blocking the lungs (Suffocate). Oh yeah, and he can control his own body, allowing him to phase through things, grow to Large size plus a bit, and be covered in shards of glass (or whatever he's made of). He can also slowly Regenerate over time, as he's prone to shattering. That's actually a big drawback (lots of guys can break +12 damage and higher), as it takes him a fair bit of time to pull himself back together (feel free to randomize it). So he's got a ton of powers & abilities, and is very dangerous, but still quite easily hurt, meaning he's not overwhelming.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Thu Jul 21, 2022 10:08 pm, edited 2 times in total.
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Mathemanic

Post by Jabroniville »

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MATHEMANIC (Thomas Sorenson)
Created By:
Fabian Nicieza & Mark Bagley
First Appearance: The New Warriors #4 (Oct. 1990)
Role: The Brainiac, Cracked-Out Power Concept Guy
Group Affiliations: Psionex
PL 9 (162)
STRENGTH
0 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 1
FIGHTING 4 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 6 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Deception 4 (+4)
Expertise (Science) 5 (+11)
Expertise (Science) 4 (+15) -- Flaws: Limited to Physics
Perception 4 (+6)
Persuasion 3 (+3)
Technology 4 (+10)

Advantages:
Improved Initiative, Ultimate Skill (Sciences)

Powers:
"Math Telepathy"
"Alter Personal Reality" Affliction 8 (Will; Hindered/Compelled/Transformed to Believing Reality) (Extras: Area- 240ft. Burst +4, Continuous +3, Selective) [72]

"Force Others to Conceive Mathematical Concepts" Affliction 8 (Will; Dazed/Stunned/Paralyzed) (Extras: Area- 60ft. Burst +2, Selective) (32) -- [34]
  • AE: Force Field 10 (10)
  • AE: "Alter Perception of Time" Affliction 8 (Will; Dazed/Stunned/Paralyzed) (Extras: Perception Range +2) (24)
Offense:
Unarmed +4 (+0 Damage, DC 15)
Alter Reality/Conceive Concepts +8 Area (+8 Affliction, DC 18)
Time Perception -- (+8 Perception Affliction, DC 18)
Initiative +1

Defenses:
Dodge +7 (DC 17), Parry +7 (DC 17), Toughness +2 (+12 Force Field), Fortitude +4, Will +4

Complications:
Motivation (Weirdness)- Mathemanic is an odd one, and is prone to flights of fancy. He often just casually decides on random acts.

Total: Abilities: 30 / Skills: 22--11 / Advantages: 2 / Powers: 106 / Defenses: 13 (162)

-Mathemanic is the crown jewel of Psionex, as he has by far the hardest power to describe ("we're still figuring him out", said the head scientist of Genetech). He's a "Math Telepath". This basically means he can make others percieve math-stuff, which makes him a semi-supercharged version of Amadeus Cho, replacing accuracy and Mary Sue Medusa-seducing powers with being able to mentally-stun people by making them perceive mathematical concepts like the distance between stars and stuff. By slowing people's perceptions of time, he can paralyze them, and he once convinced the entire city of New York it was August 27th for five straight days. In that full-issue story, he was reeling from the team's accidental killing of an innocent kid during a "bust" gone wrong, and was trying to go back in time to before the kid died. This ended up having far-reaching effects that mind-warped most of the city (he was trying to prove that time and reality are just concepts agreed upon by the group, and perception could alter both, thus BELIEF that the kid was still alive could bring him back to life), and necessitated the New Warriors coming in to convince him he was going to have to deal with the tragedy the way everyone else was. He didn't hang with the team a lot after that point, kind of going his own way, but he's back as of the Initiative.

-Yeah, people like this tend to be a pain to stat. Most of the standard powers are the same Will-Save-Perception-Range Mental Stun everyone else on the team has, along with Area Paralysis (for slowing people's perception of time), a Force Field (no idea how he did that one mathematically- they just ass-pulled it), and the doozy, an ability to essentially brainwash mass groups of people (it took a little while for him to pull it off) into thinking something is a fact. Nearly went with Mind Control, but it's actually a Mental Transform Effect (ie. Affliction), replacing memories with ones of his own choosing. It has a 240-foot range, allowing him to hit a MASSIVE amount of people at once, and most of them stay transformed until something happens (like they realize the memory HAS to be false). It's a big power, but it's not overly offensive or anything. So he's still just PL 8 offensively (sticking to PL 8.5 defensively with his Force Field up). In one issue, he temporarily upgraded to hitting all of MANHATTAN with his power, which (as I showed in an older build of Shriek) is a +13 (30 miles) Area Burst Affliction, probably around his standard +8.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Thu Jul 21, 2022 10:09 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Nova- Rider & Sam! The Sphinx! Folding Circle!)

Post by Ares »

I always kind of dug Psionex as the "anti-New Warriors", as they really were less a group of outright villains and more "rebels without a clue". Impulse was the only truly bloodthirsty one of the group, and even he eventually displayed a deeper side to himself. Asylum was likewise the only one who came off as kind of irredeemable, and that was largely because she was literally insane.

Mathemanic was kind of interesting, as he seemed like the one of the bunch with a genuine desire to do some good in the world and just had the misfortune of being on this team when he got his powers. Based on what I've read, his personality is essentially that of Egon Spengler from the Ghostbusters, that of a smart young man with some issues relating to people, but having a wry sense of humor and some good intentions. I'd actually want to use the guy on a proper superhero team, though I'd basically explain his power as being basic telepathy, telekinesis and illusion control, only due to how he got his powers he has to apply some sort of math formula to what he's doing. Basically where most telekinetics can just look at something and exert their will on it, and just mentally strain harder to lift something, Mathemanic has to REASON his way to access more of his power. Like, he has to actually calculate the weight/force combo to move something and throw it at someone, and if he's off, different things happen. If he overshoots the estimate, it hits too hard and causes property damage, and if he undershoots it he doesn't get the effect he wants. It's a somewhat unique limitation for such generic abilities, and it'd oddly make him one of the few "telepaths" that doesn't regularly use his ability to communicate with others.
"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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Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Pretty Persuasions

Post by Jabroniville »

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PRETTY PERSUASIONS (Heidi P. Franklin)
Created By:
Fabian Nicieza & Mark Bagley
First Appearance: The New Warriors #4 (Oct. 1990)
Role: The Slut, Miss Fanservice, Stripper-Turned-Supervillain
Group Affiliations: Psionex
PL 8 (113)
STRENGTH
1 STAMINA 2 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 4

Skills:
Athletics 4 (+5)
Close Combat (Whips) 3 (+9)
Acrobatics 3 (+8)
Deception 1 (+5, +7 Attractive)
Expertise (Exotic Dancer) 6 (+10, +12 Attractive)
Insight 3 (+3)
Persuasion 2 (+6, +8 Attractive)

Advantages:
Attractive, Daze (Persuasion), Defensive Roll, Fascination (Persuasion), Improved Critical (Psionic Whip), Power Attack, Ranged Attack 4, Teamwork

Powers:
"Stimulate Pleasure Centres"
Affliction 8 (Will; Dazed/Stunned/Paralyzed) (Extras: Perception Range +2, Cumulative) (32) -- [35]
  • AE: Affliction 8 (Will; Entranced/Compelled/Controlled) (Extras: Area- 60ft. Burst +2, Sustained +2) (Flaws: Limited to Emotions, Limited to Lust) (24)
  • AE: "Lust Whip" Affliction 8 (Will; Entranced/Compelled/Controlled) (Extras: Ranged, Sustained +2) (32)
  • AE: "Psionic Weapon" Damage 7 (Feats: Improved Disarm, Improved Trip, Reach 4) (13)
Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Psionic Whip +9 (+7 Damage, DC 22)
Stimulation -- (+8 Perception Affliction, DC 18)
Area Stimulation +8 (+8 Afflicton, DC 18)
Initiative +5

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +2 (+3 D.Roll), Fortitude +4, Will +3

Complications:
Motivation (Money, Hedonism)- Heidi is in it for cash and pleasure. When doing her thing with Psionex got boring, she went back to stripping. She is exactly the type of woman your mother warned you about.

Total: Abilities: 40 / Skills: 22--11 / Advantages: 11 / Powers: 35 / Defenses: 16 (113)

-Yup, it's a stripper-turned-supervillain. You'd think that was an entirely-'90s concept, but no- once comics started pushing the Comics Code a little bit in the 1980s, Marvel actually produced THREE of these that I know of (Asp of the Serpent Society & Dansen Macabre are the other two). Chalk it up to horny comic book writers, I guess. Pretty Persuasions was YET ANOTHER member of the team who specialized in mentally screwing with people and stunning them, which was ridiculously common for this team. Methinks Fabian Nicieza just ran out of ideas after a point, so came up with four variations of the same thing. P.P. here pretty much exists just so Mark Bagley can show off his early "Pin-Up" drawing ability, with her fishnet-based skimpy costume and high heels (curiously, she left far more to the imagination than many other, NON-stripper super-characters).

-Pretty Persuasions left Psionex after their first fight, and went back to stripping (as Horsenhero once noted, probably due to the "Anna Nicole Smith" syndrome of strippers marrying old rich dudes), but has since shown up again. I saw her in the background scenes of the Thunderbolts series (also by Nicieza).

-Stripper culture is actually a pretty fun thing to look into if you're in the mood (I know that perversion and comics TOTALLY DON'T GO TOGETHER AT ALL, so you probably won't be :)). As people who provide a necessary service (as Chris Rock mentioned, men kinda NEED strippers to an extent, though if "your daughter's a stripper- YOU ****ED UP!"), they lead rather interesting lives. Didja know that it's considered a bad idea to work in a club close to where you live (Mimi in the musical Rent TOTALLY fails this one- she's an S&M dancer who lives in a crap apartment AROUND THE CORNER from her place of business)? Or that a huge proportion of strippers are lesbians (because really, who's seen more men at their worst than a STRIPPER)? Oh, and in Edmonton, pretty much every strip club in town is owned by the Hells Angels (sex shops, too), so you can find any sort of scum there. Or Horsenhero :).

-Pretty Persuasions is pretty simple- an athletic young woman who's good at "dancing" and whips or Stimulates people. Her whip is +7 damage, and her Nauseate (the equivalent of the "Orgazmerator" in Orgazmo) and Emotion Control- Lust effects are +8 at Perception & Area Range. Like most of her team, she really can't take a hit, though. That and the money drew her back to stripping.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Thu Jul 21, 2022 10:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Jab’s Builds! (Nova- Rider & Sam! The Sphinx! Folding Circle!)

Post by greycrusader »

Dansen Macabre is actually a belly dancer, not a stripper.

Yeah, I'm that much of a nerd.

All my best.
Shock
Posts: 2978
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:27 pm
Location: Connecticut USA

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

Post by Shock »

The trouble with these sketchpad teams is the writer/artist don't have the patience to introduce them individually. They just throw them all on a splash page and a few panels later, they're beaten and forgotten. Many of the classic Spiderman villains were little more than sketchpad characters when they started but they were introduced one at a time. Like Rhino, Shocker, etc. But they each got an issue of a little bit of characterization and they didn't throw them all together into a team until much later. You can't build memorable characters 6 at a time.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

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

Post by Jabroniville »

Shock wrote: Sat Jan 04, 2020 2:17 am The trouble with these sketchpad teams is the writer/artist don't have the patience to introduce them individually. They just throw them all on a splash page and a few panels later, they're beaten and forgotten. Many of the classic Spiderman villains were little more than sketchpad characters when they started but they were introduced one at a time. Like Rhino, Shocker, etc. But they each got an issue of a little bit of characterization and they didn't throw them all together into a team until much later. You can't build memorable characters 6 at a time.
That was definitely a huge problem with all of them, yeah. I hadn’t thought of there particular issue with debuting EVERYONE at once, but that's a good point- there vast majority of these teams were all debuted simultaneously, often only a few issues after another team had just been revealed.

I think only Weapon PRIME averted that, as they were revealed one by one, save for Tigerstryke... so of course they were the easiest team to defeat.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Darkling/Asylum II

Post by Jabroniville »

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ASYLUM II (Henrique Manuel Gallante, aka Darkling)
Created By:
Fabian Nicieza & Mark Bagley
First Appearance: The New Warriors #32 (Feb. 1993)
Role: The Dark, Mysterious One
Group Affiliations: Psionex
PL 9 (151)
STRENGTH
2 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 2
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Deception 6 (+6)
Expertise (Arcane Lore) 5 (+5)
Intimidation 10 (+10)
Perception 2 (+2)
Ranged Combat (Darkforce) 5 (+10)

Advantages:
Power Attack, Ranged Attack 5

Powers:
"Mutant Powers: Darkforce Energies"
Teleport 7 (Feats: Increased Mass 5) (Extras: Extended, Portal +2) Linked to Affliction 10 (Will; Entranced/Compelled/Controlled) (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (Flaws: Limited to Fear & Terror, Limited to Those Teleported) (45) -- [46]
  • AE: Movement 1 (Darkforce Dimensional Travel) (Feats: Increased Mass 5) (Extras: Portal +2) (9)
"Darkforce Body Surround" Protection 6 [6]
"Darkforce Tendrils" Snare 10 (Feats: Reversible) (31) -- [34]
  • AE: Darkforce Blast 10 (20)
  • AE: Create Darkforce Objects 10 (20)
  • AE: Summon Minion 10 (20)
Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Darkforce Blast +10 (+10 Ranged Damage, DC 25)
Darkforce Tendrils +10 (+10 Ranged Affliction, DC 20)
Fear & Terror/Teleport +7-10 Area (+7 Teleport & +10 Affliction, DC 17 & 20)
Initiative +2

Defenses:
Dodge +9 (DC 19), Parry +9 (DC 19), Toughness +4 (+10 Darkforce Body), Fortitude +7, Will +4

Complications:
Motivation (Doing Good)- After being responsible for the death of an innocent kid, Asylum went straight. He rejoined Psionex as part of The Initiative.
Responsibility (Crazy)- Like most Darkforce users, Gallante is being driven insane by his powers.

Total: Abilities: 28 / Skills: 28--14 / Advantages: 6 / Powers: 86 / Defenses: 17 (151)

-This guy replaced the first Asylum. A drug addict who was also a mutant, his link to the Darkforce Dimension of course drove him insane, and he became a conduit through which is nearly destroyed all of Manhattan, and he had to be stopped by a mass charge of superhumans (including Doctor Strange, The Thing, Spider-Man, and the shittier Turbo). With much less power, he joined Psionex and aided them, but turned "good" after being responsible for the death of an innocent youth (he was playing with fake guns and Asylum attacked, thinking him a gang-banger- he had a heart condition, and Manny's fear powers killed the boy). A decade later, he shows up in The Initiative. The end.

-A standard Darkforce/Teleport guy, being PL 10 and the most powerful member of Psionex by a ways. Not a fan of Teleporting characters in general, as it's kind of a dull power to play around with, and a bit of a game-breaker in gameplay as well. He's arguably the most effective member of his team, but his offensive powers are all PL 9.5, and he lacks the first Asylum's Phasing ability.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Thu Jul 21, 2022 10:12 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Jabroniville
Posts: 24695
Joined: Fri Nov 04, 2016 8:05 pm

Turbo (Mickey Musashi)

Post by Jabroniville »

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That last pic is how they debuted the character. They knew what they were doing.

TURBO (Michiko "Mickey" Musashi)
Created By:
Evan Skolnick, Dwight Coye & James Brock
First Appearance: The New Warriors #28 (Oct. 1992)
Role: Powersuit Hero, Everyday Normal Teen Hero
Group Affiliations: The New Warriors, Avengers Academy
PL 9 (135)
STRENGTH
0/9 STAMINA 1 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Aerobatics 5 (+8)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 2 (+8)
Deception 3 (+5)
Expertise (Journalist) 6 (+8)
Insight 5 (+7)
Perception 4 (+6)
Stealth 2 (+5)
Vehicles 2 (+2)
Ranged Combat (Turbo Punch) 3 (+8)

Advantages:
Agile Feint, Evasion 2, Improved Initiative, Ranged Attack 5, Takedown, Uncanny Dodge

Powers:
"Turbo Suit" (Flaws: Removable) (Feats: Powers Restricted Based on Unique Physiologies) [65]
Flight 11 (4,000 mph) (22)
Features 1: May Reconfigure Itself Costmetically (1)
Immunity 6 (Friction, Radiation Damage) (Flaws: Limited to Half-Effect) (3)
Senses 2 (Counters Illusion) (Flaws: Limited to Dire Wraiths) (1)
Protection 6 (6)
Enhanced Strength 9 (18)
Power-Lifting 1 (25 tons) (1)
Enhanced Feats: Improved Initiative (1)
Enhanced Dodge 3 (3)
Enhanced Parry 2 (2)

"Turbo Punch" Blast 10 (20) -- (22)
  • AE: "High-Speed Air" Affliction 9 (Dodge; Hindered & Vulnerable/Prone & Defenseless) (Extras: Area- 60ft. Cone, Extra Condition) (Flaws: Instant Recovery, Limited Degree) (9)
  • AE: "High-Speed Air" Affliction 10 (Dodge; Hindered & Vulnerable/Prone & Defenseless) (Extras: Ranged, Extra Condition) (Flaws: Instant Recovery, Limited Degree) (10)
-- (80 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+0 Damage, DC 15)
Turbo Strength +8 (+9 Damage, DC 24)
Turbo Punch +8 (+10 Ranged Damage, DC 25)
High-Speed Air +8 (+10 Ranged Affliction, DC 20)
High-Speed Air Wave +9 Area (+9 Affliction, DC 19)
Initiative +7 (+11 Turbo Suit)

Defenses:
Dodge +8 (+11 Suit, DC 21), Parry +9 (+11 Suit, DC 21), Toughness +1 (+8 Turbo Suit), Fortitude +4, Will +6

Complications:
Motivation (Doing Good)- Though she doesn't care for the heroic life, Mickey feels obligated to save innocent lives when she is able.
Relationship (Mike Jeffries)- The other Turbo, Mike was Mickey's best friend, and his death hit her hard. She continues to fight on as he would have.

Total: Abilities: 28 / Skills: 32--16 / Advantages: 11 / Powers: 65 / Defenses: 15 (135)

Turbo- Reluctant Hero:
-Turbo's a character I really only knew at first because of the Marvel Cards: Series IV (the ones with the Nine-Piece Combined Pictures from whole sets of cards)- I know a LOT of characters almost solely through those, in fact (Cardinal? Terror, Inc.? The Darkhold Redeemers? Scarecrow?). She's a normal teenager (tm), bestowed with incredible powers thanks to borrowing a suit from a friend who was relatives with a Rom (Spaceknight) supporting character named Torpedo. Torpedo had been killed by Rom's Dire Wraith foes, and the suit had gone to Mike Jeffries, who gave it to his friend Michiko "Mickey" Musashi for a Halloween party.

-Soon discovering its powers, Mickey used it to fight off some attackers who were tracking the gear's unique wavelengths, and the two decided to share the suit between them- Mike was a nerd who wanted to become a superhero, while Mickey wanted to travel the world. The irony being that Mike was a poor superhero, and Mickey was much more natural at it- she ended up being railroaded into helping the New Warriors during a smuggling operation, then helped save Nova's life in a fight against Cardinal & Air Force, using some clever tricks to fend off the villains using the gear at a football field. Mickey was thus offered membership with the Warriors, but still had to share the suit with Mike. Eventually, however, the Dire Wraiths came calling for the suit, resulting in Mike's death- when the day was saved (Night Thrasher killed the Dire Wraith Queen who was mimicking Mike in an attempt to depower Earth's superhuman population), Mickey resolved to fight on, being the kind of hero Mike wanted to be. Mickey's next story arc involved falling for a guy who turned out to be Firestrike, one of the team "Heavy Mettle". The Warriors ended up fighting the team, with Firestrike turning on them and getting put into Federal Witness Protection over it, resulting in the two of them being forced to separate.

Turbo & The Loners:
-And unfortunately, that was about it for the character in any significance. She actually rejoined the team when Speedball revamped it for their first reboot (wearing a more bad-ass black costume with a different headdress), but it didn't last. Mickey quietly retired as the New Warriors books were cancelled, going into journalism. Eventually, she founded the group "Excelsior"- a support group for retired teenage superheroes, which ended up hating on the whole thing. This was shown in the Loners comic series, which also featured her going on a date with Chris "Darkhawk" Powell, then dealing with Phil "Green Goblin" Urich's crush on her while the team fought to avoid superheroics, while most of the members were secretly falling off the wagon about it. Finally, the Loners were inducted into "Avengers Academy" by Hawkeye as that book faded away.

Turbo As A Whole:
-Truth be told, I like the idea behind Turbo, though the costume was always RIDICULOUSLY plain, to me- the "Full Bodysuit" look just never works if it's only one color. The idea of kinda being thrust into the heroic life, but turning out to be a natural at it despite it not really being your desire... it's kind of interesting. Like, she didn't SEEK OUT trouble, but she didn't like the idea of others getting hurt on her watch, either, so she still did it. The "Shared Armor" thing was kind of interesting, though a bit silly for a side-character- I guess it makes sense, though- a "try-hard" like Mike really wanting to have the cool armor to play hero in, thus complicating Mickey's life. Having read only a couple of comics featuring her, she pulls off the "normal girl" thing well, and it's clear the artists are intending her to be a bit of Fanservice, as her debut featurse her walking around in her undies before putting on the suit. This was pretty normal for the '90s, of course. Ultimately, the run she got is rather impressive considering she's a "Latter Years" New Warriors character, and most of those guys have ended up repeatedly dead, maimed, or forgotten.

Turbo's Powers:
-The Turbo gear is actually really good as super-suits go, inexplicably altering the strength of the wearer vastly despite being skin-tight and having no reason to improve such things (it's a mix of human & Dire Wraith technology). As such, she turns into a kind of Flying Brick/Blaster, eventually hitting PL 9 like the other younger-aged Warriors, but not surpassing it.
Last edited by Jabroniville on Thu Jul 21, 2022 10:12 pm, edited 3 times in total.
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