Jab's He-Builds: Man-at-Arms, Mantenna, Leech, Beast Man

[Ares]

I know this makes me sound really superficial but I just can't get past Modred's shoes.

Nah, it's not just you. Even I have to admit it's hard to take a guy who is suppose to be a high level mystic seriously when he's got little leather shoes with big silver buckles on them. Give him some nice leather boots and the outfit would be pretty solid tho.

[Jabroniville]

Vampire slayers? There are many of those. Vampire slayers WITH STYLE? Oh, so few. Kudos, Mister Drake.

FRANK DRAKE
Created By: Gene Colan & Gerry Conway
First Appearance: Tomb of Dracula #1 (April 1972)
Role: Vampire Detective
Group Affiliations: The Nightstalkers, The Midnight Sons
PL 9 (130), PL 10 (130) to Occult Beings
STRENGTH 2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 4 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 3

Skills:
Athletics 4 (+6)
Deception 4 (+7)
Expertise (Streetwise) 2 (+6)
Insight 3 (+6)
Intimidation 1 (+4)
Investigation 6 (+9)
Perception 3 (+6)
Persuasion 2 (+5)
Stealth 2 (+6)
Vehicles 1 (+5)

Advantages:
Equipment 2 (Pistol +5), Favoured Enemy (Vampires & Supernatural Beings), Improved Critical (Guns), Quick Draw, Ranged Attack 7, Tracking, Well-Informed

Powers:
"Linda, aka The Exorcist" (Flaws: Easily Removable) [29]
"Nano-Technological Occult Disruptor" Blast 8 (Inaccurate -1) Linked to Affliction (Fort/Toughness; Dazed/Stunned/Paralyzed) 11 (Extras: Ranged, Cumulative) (Inaccurate -1) (47 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Pistol +11 (+5 Ranged Damage, DC 20)
Linda +9 (+8 Ranged Damage & +11 Ranged Affliction, DC 23 & 21)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +3, Fortitude +4, Will +6

Complications:
Enemy (Dracula)- Frank Drake holds some responsibility for Dracula's resurrection, and is devoted to hunting him down.
Motivation (Hunting the Supernatural)- The Nightstalkers wish to slay all supernatural creatures- even Ghost Rider is a potential target of theirs.
Relationship (Rachel van Helsing)- The two grew close, but Rachel's fear of intimacy combined with Frank's insecurities made things difficult. Rachel was left an empty shell when Dracula was killed, and she was later killed after turning into a vampire by Wolverine.

Total: Abilities: 62 / Skills: 26--13 / Advantages: 14 / Powers: 29 / Defenses: 12 (130)

-Frank Drake was introduced as a foolish once-wealthy playboy, and it was his fault that Dracula was resurrected in modern times- scoping out an old ancestral castle that was his last piece of property, he stumbled upon Drac's skeleton and the monster was reborn. Guilt-ridden, Drake joined up with the group of main characters in "Tomb of Dracula" devoted to hunting down Vlad Tepes once and for all. He had a thing with Rachel van Helsing that went the way of ALL comic book relationships (ie. it soured and one of them died), and pretty much vanished after "Tomb" ended it's run, though he was seen with Blade & King a few times in Doctor Strange's book. Returning for "The Nightstalkers", he suddenly carted around a goofy Anti-Occult Cannon. Once the book was cancelled, King & Drake were thought dead fighting Dracula, but it turns out that both survived, but Drake was revealed off-panel to be a shell of his former self, being mentally and physically crippled. Which is... kind of a downer ending for the character, really.

-Frank is more of a Two-Fisted Detective type, and not that effective compared to his friends, but for "Linda", a gun designed to wipe out supernatural foes. In the one story I have of these guys, one shot of it freezes Ghost Rider so solid that he's helpless before a decapitation-ready Blade, and another hurts one of Lilith's goons named Meatmarket.

[Jabroniville]

BLADE (Eric Brooks)
Created By: Marv Wolfman & Gene Colan
First Appearance: Tomb of Dracula #10 (July 1973)
Role: Vampire Slayer
Group Affiliations: The Nightstalkers, The Midnight Sons, The Vanguard, MI: 13
PL 10 (141)
STRENGTH 6 STAMINA 6 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 12 DEXTERITY 5
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 1

Skills:
Acrobatics 5 (+10)
Athletics 5 (+11)
Deception 1 (+2)
Expertise (Supernatural) 5 (+7)
Expertise (Supernatural) 6 (+13) -- Flaws: Limited to Vampires
Insight 2 (+4)
Intimidation 6 (+7)
Investigation 4 (+6)
Perception 4 (+6)
Stealth 1 (+6)

Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Equipment 3 (Gear), Diehard, Favored Foe (Vampires & Undead), Fearless, Great Endurance, Improved Critical (Stakes) 2, Improved Critical (Blades) 2, Improved Initiative, Improved Smash, Last Stand, Precise Attack (Close/Concealment), Quick Draw, Ranged Attack 5, Startle, Takedown, Tracking

Powers:
"Vampiric Traits"
Regeneration 2 (Feats: Regrow Limbs) [3]
Speed 2 (8 mph) [2]

"Cybernetic Hand" (Flaws: Removable) [16]
"Machine-Gun" Blast 6 (Extras: Multiattack) (18)
"Grappling Hook" Movement 1 (Swinging) (2)
-- (20 points)

Immunity 2 (Aging, Disease) (Flaws: Limited to Half-Effect) [1]
Immunity 1 (Vampire's Bite) [1]
Senses 2 (Supernatural Awareness- Ranged) [2]

Equipment:
"Weaponry"
"Guns" Blast 6 (12) -- (15)

AE: "Stakes" Strength-Damage +1 (Feats: Improved Critical 2 on Vampires) (Extras: Ranged 4) (6)
AE: "Double-Edged Katana" Strength-Damage +2 (Feats: Improved Critical, Penetrating 5) (8)
AE: "EMP Grenades" Affliction 7 (Tech Skill of Creator; Impaired/Disabled/Incapacitated) (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (Flaws: Limited to Technology) (7)

Offense:
Unarmed +12 (+6 Damage, DC 21)
Stakes +12 (+7 Damage, DC 22)
Sword +12 (+8 Damage, DC 23)
EMP Grenades +7 Area (+7 Affliction, DC 17)
Guns +10 (+6 Ranged Damage, DC 21)
Initiative +9

Defenses:
Dodge +12 (DC 22), Parry +13 (DC 23), Toughness +6, Fortitude +7, Will +8

Complications:
Obsession (Killing Vampires)- Blade often goes psychotically crazy around vampires, to the point where he killed two men to get at a kid who was dressed as Dracula for Halloween. He is friends with the unwilling-vampire Hannibal King, however.
Enemy (Dracula)- Drac killed Blade's mentor Afari, and Blade has hunted him for years as a result.
Disabled (One Hand)- Blade has recently lost his hand, and utilizes a Removable Cybernetic replacement.
Motivation (Hunting the Supernatural)- The Nightstalkers wish to slay all supernatural creatures- even Ghost Rider is a potential target of theirs.

Total: Abilities: 58 / Skills: 36--18 / Advantages: 25 / Powers: 25 / Defenses: 15 (141)

-Blade is a weird case in comics: a guy who is ONLY a big deal in the movies, and is generally a failed character everywhere else. He debuted in "Tomb of Dracula" as a stereotypical black character (Marv Wolfman, his creator, admits this), and was kept out of the book on purpose to avoid overshadowing the rest of the less-capable cast. He moved around some of the B-level books for a while, but ultimately vanished for over a decade until the "Midnight Sons" line came a-calling and he joined The Nightstalkers (aka his old pals Frank Drake & Hannibal King) once again. He's had about a dozen failed mini-series and attempted full-time series since then, but for some odd reason, Blade ONLY WORKS AS A FILM CHARACTER. I don't know quite what it is- maybe because vampires are such pedestrian foes for comic book heroes, they need the added "oomph" of a Hollywood movie making them appear super-fast and wire-fu-ish. Martial arts will always work better in a medium fueled by animation and visible movements (part of why the still-good "Avatar" comic books pale before the animated series in quality still- the fight scenes just don't have the same impression in the static comics medium- super hero epics still can, but not the fluid, energetic style of combat Blade or Aang would use). It also helps that "Blade" was one of the first major uses of new Matrix-esque cinematic techniques regarding fight scenes.

-Blade's origin is actually really awesome- he was a whoreson who gained supernatural powers after the vampire Deacon Frost killed his mother in childbirth. He was trained in Vamp-Killing by a radical black jazz-man, and soon became a great blade-based hunter. He ganged up with the Anti-Drac Crew for a while, then became a Nightstalker, and then went solo for a good long while after his buddies "died". But like I said, he's just been too much of a minor character to get much use, and many books just play up the "Psychotic Anti-Vampire Bigot" part of him, like when he tried to kill Spitfire (who'd been turned into a vampire in MI: 13) or Jubilee (who got the same treatment in X-Men).

-Blade actually comes by "on the cheap" since he's a very basic build- an effective Investigator who is also a really good fighter, but is mostly dependent upon equipment and a Machine Gun Device to do his stuff. He's not bad by any means, and is in fact the most effective member of the Nightstalkers by a ways, and more than enough to take on many of my other Marvel character builds (Daredevil, Iron Fist, Shang-Chi, etc.), especially since he's much stronger than most of them.

[Jabroniville]

HEART ATTACK (Tyler Meagher)
Created By: Marcus McLaurin & Dwayne Turner
First Appearance: Ghost Rider #8 (Dec. 1990)
Role: Jobber Villain
Group Affiliation: H.E.A.R.T. (Humans Engaging All Racial Terrorism), The Firm
PL 9 (123)
STRENGTH 6 STAMINA 6 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 5
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Acrobatics 2 (+7)
Athletics 6 (+12)
Expertise (Military Anti-Terrorism) 6 (+8)
Intimidation 3 (+5)
Investigation 3 (+5)
Perception 4 (+6)
Stealth 2 (+7)
Technology 3 (+5)
Vehicles 1 (+6)

Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Equipment 5 (Guns), Improved Critical (Guns), Quick Draw, Ranged Attack 6

Powers:
"Bio/Magic-Enhanced Physiology"
Speed 2 (8 mph) [2]
Leaping 2 (30 feet) [2]

"Special Suit" (Flaws: Removable) [8]
"Razor-Sharp Claws" Strength-Damage +1 (Feats: Split) (2)
Protection 2 (2)
Impervious Toughness 10 (Flaws: Limited to Bludgeoning Damage) (5)
-- (10 points)

Equipment:
"Machine Guns" Blast 7 (Extras: Multiattack) (21)

Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+6 Damage, DC 21)
Claws +10 (+7 Damage, DC 22)
Machine Guns +12 (+6 Ranged Damage, DC 21)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +6 (+8 Kevlar, +5 Impervious to Blunt Attacks), Fortitude +6, Will +3

Complications:
Motivation (The Firm's Will)- Heart Attack has been modified and controlled by The Firm, in order to kill Ghost Rider.

Total: Abilities: 76 / Skills: 30--15 / Advantages: 14 / Powers: 12 / Defenses: 6 (123)

-Heart Attack was a forgettable Ghost Rider villain who for some reason earned her own Series IV Marvel Card. She was a government agent sent after Ghost Rider who then had her anti-terrorism squad killed by The Firm, who then turned her into an experimental warrior under their direction. Her history is hilariously short- she fought Ghost Rider a couple of times, and realized that The Firm had set her up. Really, she's just another kind of Gunfighter character (with REALLY big 1990s-style guns), combined with a low-level super-strong person. Overall she's not terribly interesting (her short run proves that...), but her appearance actually looks a bit dynamic. The "heart" theme really works. She ends up being PL 9 but under-cost, as she's pretty simplistic.

[Jabroniville]

SHIVA
Created By: Larry Hama & Marc Silvestri
First Appearance: Wolverine #50 (Jan. 1992)
Role: Forgotten '90s Villain, Unstoppable Robot
Group Affiliation: The Weapon X Program
PL 12 (177)
STRENGTH 10 STAMINA -- AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS -1 PRESENCE --

Skills:
Athletics 2 (+12)
Expertise (Hunter/Tracker) 4 (+6)
Perception 6 (+5)
Stealth 10 (+14)
Technology 2 (+4)

Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Chokehold, Close Attack 2, Fast Grab, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Improved Grab, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 7

Powers:
"Unstoppable Robot"
Immunity 30 (Fortitude) [30]
Protection 14 (Extras: Impervious 9) [23]
"Self-Repair Systems" Regeneration 4 (Feats: Regrowth) [5]
Speed 3 (16 mph) [3]
Flight 6 (120 mph) (Flaws: Distracting) [6]

Senses 3 (Analytical & Infravision) [3]
Energy Blast 11 (Feats: Split) (23) -- [26]

AE: "Activate Neuro-Synthetic Implants for Cataclysmic Memory Backlash" Affliction 14 (Will; Dazed/Stunned/Incapacitated) (Flaws: Limited to Weapon X Members) (Inaccurate -2) (5)
AE: "Electro-Magnetic Force Field" Force Field 4 (Flaws: Immobile -2) (1)
AE: Teleport 7 (Extras: Extended) (21)

"Activate Duplicate Robot" Immortality 10 (Flaws: Limited to At Weapon X Facility) [10]

Offense:
Unarmed +12 (+10 Damage, DC 25)
Energy Blast +11 (+11 Ranged Damage, DC 26)
Memory Backlash +8 (+14 Affliction, DC 24)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +14 (+5 Impervious), Fortitude --, Will --

Complications:
Motivation (Capture & Destruction of the Weapon X Members)

Total: Abilities: 38 / Skills: 24--12 / Advantages: 15 / Powers: 106 / Defenses: 6 (177)

-Shiva is a mindless automoton that frequently came after Wolverine and his Weapon X buddies in Larry Hama's "Wolverine" run- like Albert & Elsie-Dee, I have memories of reading these stories. ALL Shiva would say was "I am Shiva -- I am the destroyer!" and start coming after these guys. He almost had this "I can't be beaten the same way twice" thing, but rather than a Doomsday-esque Power, it was really just him learning from his past mistakes, and so you could say his PL was increased with each battle (ie. the reverse of every Spider-Man villain ever). He actually only showed up a few times (pretty much leaving when Silvestri did), so I think he was probably more related to his Image Era creator than anything else, though he was big enough to feature in the Wolverine Cards, as well as Marvel's Series III and the X-Men Series I sets like he was some kind of major entity. They cranked the HELL out of his stats to make him seem ultra-awesome (just like Bishop, Cable & Omega Red, other newbie characters in need Marvel wanted to push), getting a "6" in Strength & Fighting Ability, which is a bit ludicrous (he's not Colossus-strong, nor was he better than say, Black Widow or Iron Fist).

-Shiva is PL 12 by virtue of his nigh-unkillable nature, but is a PL 11 Fighter & Blaster otherwise, making him QUITE the challenge for PL 11s like Wolverine & Sabretooth. His high strength and varied powers make him exceptionally dangerous, even if he's a bit limited to Tracking & Killing.

[Jabroniville]

Guess which decade this panel is from?

OCCULUS
Created By: Tom DeFalco & Paul Ryan
First Appearance: Fantastic Four #363 (April 1992)
Role: Forgotten '90s Villain
Group Affiliation: The Gem Guild
PL 11 (149)
STRENGTH 6 STAMINA 6 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 3 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 4

Skills:
Close Combat (Unarmed) 1 (+11)
Deception 2 (+6)
Expertise (Inniverse Ruler) 7 (+10)
Intimidation 2 (+6)
Perception 4 (+7)
Technology 2 (+5)

Advantages:
Benefit 5 (Inniverse Ruler), Improved Critical (Blasts) 2, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 5

Powers:
"Gem-Based Powers" (All Have Flaws: Limited By Number of Gems Possessed)
Force Field 6 (Extras: Impervious 7) [10]
Force Blast 13 (Feats: Variable 2- Nearly Any Energy, Penetrating 6) [21]
"Levitation" Flight 6 (120 mph) [6]
"Perceives The Invisible" Senses 2 (Vision Counters Concealment) [1]

Offense:
Unarmed +12 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Force Blast +9 (+13 Ranged Damage, DC 28)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +4 (+12 Force Field, +4 Impervious), Fortitude +6, Will +5

Complications:
Motivation (Power)
Enemy (The Wildblood, The Fantastic Four)

Total: Abilities: 78 / Skills: 18--9 / Advantages: 13 / Powers: 38 / Defenses: 11 (149)

-Occulus is an alien from the "Inniverse" (which is possibly a parallel universe inside belly-buttons), who was found to have an inborn power to utilize the Gems that float about the Inniverse's skies. He eventually gained tons of power from them, and while chasing after someone called The Wildblood, he ended up on Marvel Earth where he got involved with the Fantastic Four after bringing Sue & Franklin Richards back with him. Occulus beat the entire F.F. handily a few times, but Reed was able to rig up a device that produced an opposite charge to "The Unforgiving One". He was more of a one-shot DeFalco villain, but reappeared later to fight the Torch & Spider-Man, and once got casually captured by the F.F. and takent to the Negative Zone Prison. So not much of a run for this guy, despite earning himself a "Current Character" Marvel Card in the Series IV set.

-Occulus is powerful enough to beat the ENTIRE Fantastic Four (in the '90s, this was basically a squad of PL 10/11s) in his first appearance, and given the nature of New Villain Stink, this sets him up at about PL 11-12 now (PL 11 until he makes a comeback where he can beat the entire team again :)). He's still fairly cheap thanks to his Limitation (disarming all his Gems effectively leaves him powerless), but at one point, he even received a boost from Franklin Richards' powers, turning him into an effective Flying Brick in addition to boosting his Blasts (likely making him PL 13-14 as well).

[Jabroniville]

THE WILD PACK
Created By: Gregory Wright & Steven Butler
First Appearance: Silver Sable & The Wild Pack #1 (June 1992)
Role: Mercenaries, Back-Up Guys, Gunfighters
Group Affiliations: The Wild Pack
PL 7 (70)
STRENGTH 2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 9 DEXTERITY 5
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Acrobatics 2 (+6)
Athletics 4 (+6)
Deception 3 (+5)
Expertise (Mercenary) 5 (+7)
Intimidation 2 (+4)
Perception 2 (+4)
Stealth 1 (+5)
Technology 2 (+4)
Vehicles 1 (+6)

Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Equipment 6 (Gear), Improved Aim, Improved Critical (Guns), Quick Draw, Ranged Attack 3, Teamwork

Equipment:
"Spy Gear" (5-10 points)
"Body Armor" Protection 1 (1)
"Guns" Blast 6 (Extras: Multiattack) (18) -- (19)

AE: "Grenades" Blast 7 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (Flaws: Limited Uses) (Diminished Range -1) (13)

Offense:
Unarmed +9 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Guns +8 (+6 Ranged Damage, DC 21)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +9 (DC 19), Parry +9 (DC 19), Toughness +3 (+4 Body Armor), Fortitude +4, Will +3

Complications:
Motivation (Money)- Mercenaries do work for pay, though some may be more (or less) willing to work pro-bono if the cause is just.

Total: Abilities: 38 / Skills: 22--11 / Advantages: 15 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 7 (70)

-The Wild Pack is a mercenary group led by Silver Sable, a side-character in the Spider-Man mythos... and wouldn't you know it, someone gave THEM a comic book in the 1990s, too! Granted, it's not a bad idea to have a big-time Mercenary Book in a universe populated by super-humans, especially when "Gun Guys" became in vogue thanks to The Punisher, but this was like scraping the stuff UNDER the bottom of the barrel. After the book was cancelled (which took a shocking 37 issues- more than even some WELL-LIKED series get today), the Wild Pack basically kind of vanished (because who's gonna remember all the generic regular guys under Sable's command when even SHE goes five years between appearances?).

-Primary Wild Pack members were Silver Sable, The Sandman, & Battlestar, all of whom had appeared in prior years- this left the group very disparate in power, since Battlestar & Sandman were super-strong (and Sandman was EXTREMELY powerful), and Sable was a pretty elite Secret Agent type, so the other players were kind of mediocre by comparison. At PL 7 and WAY under-pointed, they're not terribly great against super-human adversaries, but they make decent Mooks given that individually they're only a bit below a low-level Super-Villain.



Wild Pack Members:
Larry Arnold- PL 7 (70): A generic guy.
Doug Powell- PL 7 (70] Generic Guy #2.
[b]Karl "Crippler" Striklan- PL 7 (71): Power Attack [1]
-A psychotic masochist who enjoyed torture (both torturing others and being tortured himself). He utilized "Cobrabration", a retractable club.
Amy Chen- PL 7 (80): Intelligence 3, Awareness 3, Fighting 10, Accurate Attack, Expertise (Streetwise) 4 (+6), Stealth 2 (+7) [10]
-A Vietnamese girl who was sold into slavery and rape as a child, then killed her captors and escaped to general assassin and mercenary work. She often utilized blades as weapons, and was strongly hinted to be a lesbian in the days when comics kind of tip-toed and implied those things with jokes rather than directly stated them for GLAD credibility. Of the crew, she's possibly the only one who might deserve PL 8 status.
Raul Quentino- PL 7 (79): Intelligence 4, Expertise (Criminal) 2 (+6), Expertise (Science) 4 (+8), Technology 6 (+10) [9]
Lightbright (Obax Majid)- PL 8 (95): Flight 4 (60 mph), Heat Blast 8, AE: "Calming Glow" Affliction 8 (Will; Entranced/Compelled) (Extras: Area- Visual Perception) (Flaws: Limited Degree, Limited to Calm) [25]
-A Somalian rebel and a mutant, Obax was discovered and hired by Silver Sable, and seemed to be a big part of the attempt by "Wild Pack" to create a big new character. Oddly, she was seen years later opposing the Superhuman Registration Act in a quick one-shot appearance.

[FuzzyBoots]

^_^ Ah, heroes of the 90s. I know you're amused by the antics of the era, Jab, so I thought I'd pass that on.

[Jabroniville]

Woulja believe this is the same artist who later got really good on the modern "Fantastic Four"?

PROCTOR (Dane Whitman)
Created By: Bob Harras & Steve Epting
First Appearance: The Avengers #344 (Feb. 1992)
Role: Forgotten '90s Villain
Group Affiliation: The Gatherers
PL 10 (164)
STRENGTH 9 STAMINA 9 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 11 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 3 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 4

Skills:
Deception 4 (+8)
Expertise (Science) 2 (+5)
Insight 1 (+4)
Intimidation 2 (+6)
Perception 2 (+5)
Technology 5 (+8)

Advantages:
Equipment 10 (Super-Base), Improved Critical (Blast), Power Attack, Ranged Attack 6

Powers:
Mind Control 10 (40) -- [45]

AE: Teleport 10 (20)
AE: "Telekinesis" Move Object 10 (20)
AE: "Eye Beams" Blast 10 (20)
AE: Healing 8 (16)
AE: "Manipulate the Human Brain" Affliction 10 (Fort; Dazed/Stunned/Incapacitated) (Extras: Perception Range +2) (30)

"Gann Josin Mind-Link" Senses 2 (Mental Link- Sersi, Cassandra) [2]

Offense:
Unarmed +11 (+9 Damage, DC 24)
Eye Beams +10 (+10 Ranged Damage, DC 25)
Manipulating Brains/Mind Control -- (+10 Perception-Ranged Affliction, DC 20)
Initiative +4

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

Complications:
Motivation (Killing Sersi, Gaining Magdalene's Love)- Proctor wants to kill all the Sersis in all the Universes, because one was his ex-wife and she blew up his world. Instead, he now wants to hump someone ELSE from his home dimension, an Avenger named Magdalene. They were together in his "Gatherers" team, but she rejected him for Swordsman.

Total: Abilities: 80 / Skills: 16--8 / Advantages: 18 / Powers: 46 / Defenses: 9 (164)

-ohhhhhhhhhh those Bomber Jacket Avengers, written by the much-hated Bob Harras (a man whose firing resulted in inker Al Milgrom getting in hot water over wrote an anti-Harras diatribe of "good riddance to bad rubbish" into the book-titles in a background page). Pretty much considered the lowest phase in their history, it was generally full of every team member wearing bomber jackets, Hercules wearing football pads (and CLEAN-SHAVEN like some COMMON NON-MANLIEST MAN EVER), and Dane "Black Knight" Whitman as a major character. Some of those were worse than others (Dane isn't really as bad as many OTHER Avengers, he's just a minor character), but did he really need a Parallel Universe-villain in Proctor, who flew into the main dimension to hunt Sersi because his own Universe's version of Sersi rejected his love. His apparent goal was "Killing Every Sersi in Every Universe" because she also helped blow up his homeworld (though that was still his fault- he drove her mad through their love-link because he gave in to the Ebony Blade's curse- the same one that OUR Dane has always been fighting).

-He was stabbed by Black Knight, but escaped, and was last seen in a last-ditch effort to kill Sersi, at which point she killed him with the Ebony Blade herself. Like most of this crew, I only know this loser because I had his card and went "Who the F is Proctor?" Astonishingly, he lasted something like TWO YEARS as a major recurring super-villain, which is a LOT for a guy who ultimately never mattered and wasn't used by anyone other than his creator.

-Proctor is in many ways a generic villain (Strong, Blaster, Telekinesis), but uses high-tech for a lot of varied effects, like the permanent mental domination of his "Gatherers", and observation of off-world events. H's PL 10 because while he was quite powerful and varied in power, he never really fought off entire Avengers squads at once.

[Jabroniville]

THE GATHERERS:
These guys are Proctor's own personal Goon Squad who fought The Avengers whenever Proc was around- most of them aren't terribly effective, and went down in droves, though a couple are very strong, and could be seen as more powerful had they been around longer to prove they had staying power. They also utilized Alternate versions of The Vision, Jocasta and Swordsman (who later became a new Swordsman on Marvel Earth).

SLOTH
Created By: Bob Harras & Steve Epting
First Appearance: The Avengers #355 (Oct. 1992)
Role: Powerhouse Mook
Group Affiliation: The Gatherers, The Avengers (Alternate Universe)
PL 10 (97)
STRENGTH 12 STAMINA 13 AGILITY 0
FIGHTING 7 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Intimidation 10 (+10)

Advantages:
Fast Grab, Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 4, Startle

Powers:
Speed 1 (4 mph) [1]
Leaping 4 (120 feet) [4]
Impervious Toughness 7 [7]

Offense:
Unarmed +7 (+12 Damage, DC 27)
Initiative +0

Defenses:
Dodge +6 (DC 16), Parry +7 (DC 17), Toughness +13 (+4 Impervious), Fortitude +13, Will +2

Total: Abilities: 64 / Skills: 10--5 / Advantages: 8 / Powers: 12 / Defenses: 8 (97)

-Sloth is an Ape/Lion-like Powerhouse on his team, and was usually seen paired off with Hercules in fights, thus earning him a higher PL than usual for a Mook.

---

CASSANDRA
Created By: Bob Harras & Steve Epting
First Appearance: The Avengers #355 (Oct. 1992)
Role: Mook
Group Affiliation: The Gatherers, The Avengers (Alternate Universe)
PL 10 (132)
STRENGTH 1 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 3
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 3 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Deception 4 (+6)
Insight 3 (+6)
Perception 3 (+6)

Advantages:
Defensive Roll, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 6

Powers:
"Telekinetic Burst" Damage 10 (Extras: Area- 120ft. Cone +2) (30) -- [32]

AE: Communication (Mental) 4 (Feats: Dimensional) (17)
AE: "Psychic Pain" Affliction 10 (Will; Dazed/Stunned/Incapacitated) (Extras: Perception Range +3) (30)

"The Gathering" Features 1: Replaces an Individual with their Alternate Universe Self After a Long Ritual [1]

Offense:
Unarmed +8 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
TK Burst +10 Area (+10 Damage, DC 25)
Psychic Pain -- (+10 Perception-Ranged Affliction, DC 20)
Initiative +3

Defenses:
Dodge +12 (DC 22), Parry +12 (DC 22), Toughness +3 (+D.Roll), Fortitude +4, Will +4

Total: Abilities: 70 / Skills: 10--5 / Advantages: 9 / Powers: 33 / Defenses: 15 (132)

-Cassandra (possibly a parallel-universe Madame Web) was Proctor's Field Leader, and once KO'd the ENTIRE team (including Hercules & Thunderstrike) with a single surprise blast, earning her PL 10 status, though she could be even higher (She ain't because it was her debut, and she didn't do anything else on that level afterwards, so it's a one-off). Personally, that is CRAZY-silly New Villain Stunting, because really, a whole squad of Avengers was hit by the exact same blast, implying that they all took the same level of damage. Hercules could withstand a full-on Thunderbolt from Zeus himself. Crystal, by contrast, could be knocked out by a child riding a bicycle. How in the frig did BOTH OF THEM get hit BY THE SAME BLAST, and suffer the same KO'd condition? What could KO Herc should ATOMIZE Crystal.

-Cassandra is the one who performs The Gathering that allows the Gatherers to live comfortably in our world- they need to replace their counterparts in each new reality. This could be a be Affliction/Weaken Transform thingie, but it's fairly ritualistic so I figure a one-point thing'll do, since the victims generally have to be helpless anyways.

---

KORG (Benjamin J. Grimm)
Created By: Bob Harras & Steve Epting
First Appearance: The Avengers #355 (Oct. 1992)
Role: Thing Expy
Group Affiliation: The Gatherers, The Avengers (Alternate Universe)
PL 9 (135)
STRENGTH 12 STAMINA 10 AGILITY 0
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Ranged Combat (Blasts) 4 (+10)

Advantages:
Ranged Attack 4

Powers:
"Rocky Hide" Protection 2 (Extras: Impervious 7) [11]
Energy Blast 10 [30]
Immunity 7 (Cold, Heat, Pressure, Radiation, Vacuum, Poison, Disease) [7]

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+12 Damage, DC 27)
Blast +10 (+10 Ranged Damage, DC 25)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +6 (DC 16), Parry +6 (DC 16), Toughness +12 (+4 Impervious), Fortitude +10, Will +3

Total: Abilities: 62 / Skills: 12--6 / Advantages: 10 / Powers: 48 / Defenses: 9 (135)

-Korg (possibly related to Ben Grimm- the Warbound guy hadn't been named as such by this point) was a dark, rocky guy who shot Energy Blasts, and got beaten up by Black Knight & Sersi pretty quickly.

---



TARKAS
Created By: Bob Harras & Steve Epting
First Appearance: The Avengers #355 (Oct. 1992)
Role: Powerhouse
Group Affiliation: The Gatherers, The Avengers (Alternate Universe)
PL 9 (135)
STRENGTH 12 STAMINA 11 AGILITY 0
FIGHTING 6 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 0 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Intimidation 8 (+8)

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

Powers:
Leaping 2 (30 feet) [2]
Speed 2 (8 mph) [2]
Protection 1 (Extras: Impervious 5) [6]
"Tail" Extra Limb 1 [1]

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+12 Damage, DC 27)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +6 (DC 16), Parry +6 (DC 16), Toughness +12 (+3 Impervious), Fortitude +10, Will +3

Total: Abilities: 58 / Skills: 8--4 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 11 / Defenses: 9 (135)

-Tarkas, essentially a faster version of Korg with a Tail, or a more animalistic character, and is REALLY generic on a team with Korg AND Sloth on it.

---



RIK
Created By: Bob Harras & Steve Epting
First Appearance: The Avengers #355 (Oct. 1992)
Role: Blaster
Group Affiliation: The Gatherers, The Avengers (Alternate Universe)
PL 8 (136)
STRENGTH 6 STAMINA 7 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 9 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 2 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 0

Skills:
Expertise (Science) 4 (+6)
Perception 2 (+3)
Technology 4 (+6)

Advantages:
Equipment 3 (Gun), Ranged Attack 5

Equipment:
"Gun" Blast 7 (14)

Offense:
Unarmed +6 (+12 Damage, DC 27)
Gun +9 (+7 Ranged Damage, DC 22)
Initiative +4

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

Total: Abilities: 66 / Skills: 10--5 / Advantages: 10 / Powers: 48 / Defenses: 7 (136)

-Rik is a generic Cyborg character with a Big Comic Book Gun.

---



SLIVER
Created By: Bob Harras & Steve Epting
First Appearance: The Avengers #355 (Oct. 1992)
Role: Martial Artist
Group Affiliation: The Gatherers, The Avengers (Alternate Universe)
PL 8 (84)
STRENGTH 4 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 12 DEXTERITY 3
INTELLIGENCE 0 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Athletics 5 (+10)
Perception 2 (+4)
Stealth 1 (+6)

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Defensive Attack, Fast Crab, Improved Critical (Unarmed), Power Attack, Ranged Attack 2

Offense:
Unarmed +12 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Initiative +5

Defenses:
Dodge +12 (DC 22), Parry +12 (DC 22), Toughness +4, Fortitude +5, Will +3

Total: Abilities: 64 / Skills: 8--4 / Advantages: 7 / Powers: 0 / Defenses: 9 (84)

-Sliver is a martial artist with some skill, but no apparent super-powers. She's weak enough that after a few shots on The Black Knight (who isn't super-durable), he basically just recovered and Neural-Shocked her out.

[SpeedofZound]

I hope I'm not the only person disappointed that there wasn't a single M:TG joke what with all the mentions of a Gathering and Gatherers......


.......so what color of mana in Cassandra's 'Gathering' spell?

[Jabroniville]

MAGDALENE (Melissa Darrow)
Created By: Bob Harras & Steve Epting
First Appearance: The Avengers #343 (Jan. 1992)
Role: Big Barda Expy
Group Affiliation: The Gatherers, The Avengers (Alternate Universe)
PL 10 (133)
STRENGTH 11 STAMINA 9 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 1 AWARENESS 2 PRESENCE 2

Skills:
Acrobatics 4 (+7)
Athletics 2 (+13)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 1 (+9)
Perception 2 (+4)
Technology 3 (+4)

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Improved Critical (Staff), Ranged Attack 8

Powers:
"Power Lance" (Flaws: Easily Removable) [20]
Deflect 10 (Extras: Reflection +2) (30) -- (33 points)

AE: Energy Blast 10 (20)
AE: Teleport 8 (Extras: Extended) (24)
AE: "Lance Smash" Strength-Damage +1 (1)

"Form-Fitting Armour" (Flaws: Removable) [9]
Protection 2 (Extras: Impervious 9) (11 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +9 (+11 Damage, DC 26)
Lance Smash +8 (+12 Damage, DC 27)
Blast +10 (+10 Ranged Damage, DC 25)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +9 (DC 19), Parry +9 (DC 19), Toughness +9 (+11 Armour), Fortitude +8, Will +5

Total: Abilities: 78 / Skills: 12--6 / Advantages: 10 / Powers: 29 / Defenses: 10 (133)

-Magdalene was a Big Barda-like woman with a Power Lance who kind of did the "Reluctant Villain" bit, falling in love with her teammate The Swordsman (and dumping Proctor in the process, humiliating the villain). Her & Swordsman frequently had doubts about their missions. She actually showed up well after the fact, teaming with The Avengers several times and making a name for herself, but since this was the Dark Age of Comic Books, she went relatively forgotten (she appears in some background bits in numerous Kurt Busiek-written books- from "Avengers" to "Avengers vs. JLA"- as if not wanting to COMPLETELY wash out Harras' run with his own stuff). She ended up travelling around with her parallel-Swordsman and leaving the A-Books once and for all.

[danelsan]

so, I was re-reading part of this thread and stumbled upon Superia's build, which include this comment

There's a "Superia" kicking around as the new leader of H.A.M.M.E.R., but I'm not sure if it's the same lady.

I believe this panel is from around that time, so, yeah, same person (only drawn in a hotter outfit now)


Also, really Cage? Excitedly Commenting on the villain's hotness when your wife is right by your side?

[Jabroniville]

Yeah, I think it's since been revealed that she's the same lady. A REALLY good redesign too, making her look a bit distinct and losing the goofy "full head mask except for the face" thing. Now she's got STYLE to go along with Amazonian "Fineness", as the soon-to-be-couch-exiled Luke Cage said.

[Jabroniville]

DAIMON HELLSTROM (aka Son of Satan, Hellstorm)
Created By: Gary Friedrich & Tom Sutton
First Appearance: Ghost Rider #1 (Sept. 1973)
Role: Magic Guy, Forgotten '70s Hero
Group Affiliations: The Defenders, The Shadow Hunters, The God Squad, S.H.I.E.L.D. Paranormal Containment Unit
PL 10 (199), PL 14 (199) Within Hell
STRENGTH 4 STAMINA 4 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 10 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 3 AWARENESS 3 PRESENCE 4

Skills:
Athletics 3 (+6)
Deception 4 (+8)
Expertise (Anthropology) 2 (+5)
Insight 1 (+4)
Intimidation 2 (+6)
Investigation 4 (+7)
Perception 2 (+5)
Persuasion 2 (+6)
Ranged Combat (Magic) 2 (+10)

Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Diehard, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 4, Ritualist

Attack, Redirect, Ritualist, Second Chance, Seize Initiative, Set-Up, Sidekick, Skill Mastery, Startle, Takedown, Taunt, Teamwork, Throwing Mastery, Tough, Tracking, Trance, Ultimate Effort, Uncanny Dodge, Weapon Bind, Weapon Break, Well-Informed, Withstand Damage
Powers:
"The Son of Satan"
Senses 2 (Supernatural Awareness- Ranged) [2]
"Son of Satan Form" Enhanced Advantages: Quick Change [1]

"Lord of Hell" Variable 13 (Flaws: Limited to Within Hell) (78) -- [83]

AE: "Soulfire" Blast 9 (Extras: Will Save) (28)
AE: "Concussive Hellfire" Blast 9 (18)
AE: Movement 2 (Dimensional Travel 2) (Extras: Portal +2) (8)
AE: Morph 2 (10)
AE: "Summon Flying Horses" Summon 5 (Extras: 3 Minions +3) Linked to Equipment 1 (Chariot) (26)

"Trident" (Flaws: Easily Removable) [5]
Enhanced Advantages 2: Improved Critical (Soulfire/Hellfire) 2 (2)
"Boosted Soulfire" Blast +1 (Extras: Will Save) (3) -- (6)

AE: Blast +1 (Feats: Penetrating 8) (9)
AE: Flight 6 (120 mph) (12)
AE: "Trident Stab" Strength-Damage +3 (3)

-- (8 points)

Offense:
Unarmed +10 (+4 Damage, DC 19)
Trident +10 (+7 Damage, DC 22)
Hellfire +10 (+9-10 Ranged Damage, DC 24-25)
Soulfire +10 (+9-10 Ranged Will Damage, DC 24-25)
Initiative +4

Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +3, Fortitude +6, Will +7

Complications:
Motivation (Stopping the Hell-Lords)- Daimon has held onto his humanity for the most part, and rejects his father's influence.
Enemy (Satan)- Satan (or Marduk, or Satannish...) wants his son to be a chip off the old block. Or just kill him. But mostly he wants to corrupt him.
Relationship (Patsy Walker)- Hellcat was once happily married to Daimon, though his family lineage came back to haunt them, killed her, then drove her away from him fully.

Total: Abilities: 72 / Skills: 22--11 / Advantages: 13 / Powers: 91 / Defenses: 12 (199)

-Like I said, the 1970s produced an awful lot of supernatural and horror-themed characters. Son of Satan is... well, the son of Satan and a moral woman (though Marvel has bounced around on whether or not it was the BIBLICAL Satan, especially after playing coy with Mephisto's link to the title). Daimon here clung to his humanity all Raven vs. Trigon-style and ended up being a hero. He debuted in a Ghost Rider book, but ended up being a long-term member of The Defenders in their post-Surfer/Strange/Hulk/Namor era. He even married former 1950s Archie-style teenage character Patsy Walker, who had become a superhero named Hellcat in the meantime!

-By the 1990s, he'd majorly fallen into disrepair as a character, going into Marvel Limbo with Patsy. A weird storyline ended up giving Daimon his "Darksoul" again, resulting in Patsy going insane and committing suicide (I detect the influence of the 1990s right here) with help from Deathurge. Daimon eventually killed his father after learning his real name (Marduk- of possible relation to the ancient Mesopotamian God), then had his wife resurrected. Then he discovered that Marduk was actually Satannish (sigh...), but then it was revealed that Hellstrom was lying because he wanted Patsy to be happy without him (in reality, the Satannish thing was all contradictory stuff, so they had it written out desperately), though he hit on her in that AWFUL "Sex And The City" rip-off "Marvel Divas".

-Hellstrom is part generic Magic Blaster-Guy, and part Variable Power Super-God (but only within Hell), and gets more powerful as he uses his Trident. His powers also make him pretty strong, though a huge chunk of his cost is just from that Elder God-esque Variable stuck in there. I've read all of one comic featuring him, so he could be way off base (and like most Magic guys, he could be PL 9-14 and still be accurate).

FLYING HORSE (Equus caballas hadeii)
Role: Standard Mount For Heroes, Plow Animal
PL 6 (63)- Minion Rank 5, Sidekick Rank 10
STRENGTH 5 STAMINA 5 AGILITY 1
FIGHTING 4 DEXTERITY 0
INTELLIGENCE -4 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE -2

Skills:
Athletics 2 (+8)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 1 (+5)
Expertise (Survival) 2 (+3)
Insight 3 (+4)
Intimidation 6 (+5 Size)
Perception 4 (+5)

Advantages:
All-Out Attack, Attractive (To Women), Great Endurance, Improved Critical (Hooves), Power Attack

Powers:
"Animal Senses" Senses 3 (Acute Scent, Low-Light Vision, Radius Sight) [3]
"Animal Physiology" Speed 3 [3]

"Natural Size" Growth 3 (Str & Sta +3, +3 Mass, +1 Intimidation, -1 Dodge/Parry, -3 Stealth) -- (10 feet) (Feats: Innate) (Extras: Permanent +0) [7]
Strength-Damage +1 (Feats: Reach) [2]
Protection 2 [2]
Flight 7 (250 mph) [14]

Offense:
Unarmed +5 (+6 Damage, DC 21)
Initiative +1

Defenses:
Dodge +2 (DC 12), Parry +4 (DC 14), Toughness +7, Fortitude +9, Will +4

Complications:
Disabled (Animal)- Horses cannot speak to humans, nor use their hooves to easily manipulate objects.

Total: Abilities: 8 / Skills: 18--9 / Advantages: 5 / Powers: 31 / Defenses: 9 (63)