Rango! - in color, a Quinn Martin production.
The Overthrow operatives had all of the doctors at gunpoint, except for one, and their officer knew it.
"Where is he? The little one with the orange hair?" the terrorist demanded.
"Please, we're trying to help these people," Sofia said. She was a nurse from Chicago, and she kept her hair cropped short from habit. Ponytails provided too good of a handle for a demented patient to yank a face into a counter hard enough to snap a neck. Such a style also helped her out, as she'd had to be grabbed by the arm, like the male prisoners, rather than dragged around as a human shield by the hair.
Henry McPhair knew that, beneath his mask, the Overthrow killer was losing patience with her. He'd have to act quickly to keep Sofia from eating a bullet. Luckily, the orange-haired little doctor, actually a biophysicist, had been able to duck out of sight, crouching in the branches overlooking the center of the relief center. Doctor McPhair had come along because his medical skills were of better use here, in the wake of disaster, rather than back with the team in Chicago.
"You speak again, woman, and you will not regret it for long," the Overthrow terrorist snarled.
"I don't think she'll regret it at all," McPhair called, his voice echoing in the shadows.
"McPhair! Come on out, and no one dies!" the Overthrow officer spat.
The rusty-haired doctor smiled. "You know, that's a good idea!"
In a lightning quick flash, he was down among them, arms snaking around the throats of two gunmen and yanking them away from their hostages. He held onto each with one hand, and yet his leverage was more than sufficient to hold onto them. He drove their heads into the ground with a powerful thud that rendered them unconscious.
One of two remaining Overthrow agents who had a hostage turned his gun towards the stocky doctor, but the stutter of the machine pistol only peppered empty air as the man moved swiftly.
"Get your hostage!" the officer shouted, rushing closer to Sofia. "He won't risk their lives!"
McPhair appeared behind the last hostage taker and clocked him from behind. The terrorist dropped limply to the ground, and McPhair bounded over the long-haired man he'd held as a human shield. In a single bounce, he reached the fool who'd given up his hostage. Knuckles flew again, and the Overthrow agent smacked the dirt a moment before his teeth did.
Sofia grunted and the officer staggered back, clutching his groin.
"Good girl," McPhair said.
"Just take him down, Rango!" Sofia snapped.
The Overthrow commander looked up in surprize. His voice was a harsh rasp. "Rango?"
The hero called Rango, named such for his resemblance to an orang-utan, jumped and took down the last of the gunmen.
"Anyone hurt?" McPhair asked.
"If anyone is, we've certainly got enough doctors," Sofia told him. "What would these idiots be doing here, in the middle of a major disaster?"
"Making things worse, just the way they like it," Rango answered her.
In the distance, a throaty growl split the air. He sighed. "Case in point."
"Get going, we can handle these guys now," Sofia returned.
With a whoop like a chimpanzee, Rango bounded away from the relief camp toward the shanty town being wrecked by the ten-foot powerhouse on the loose.
Pops and Grampa Monk would be proud.
RangoPower Level: 10; Power Points Spent: 150/150
STR: +5 (12/20),
DEX: +10 (16/30),
CON: +2 (14),
INT: +2 (14),
WIS: +1 (12),
CHA: +3 (16)
Tough: +2/+6, Fort: +6, Ref: +14, Will: +5Skills: Acrobatics 4 (
+14), Bluff 8 (
+11), Climb 8 (
+13), Diplomacy 4 (
+7), Escape Artist 4 (
+14), Gather Information 8 (
+11), Investigate 8 (
+10), Knowledge (life sciences) 8 (
+10), Medicine 8 (
+9), Notice 8 (
+9), Search 8 (
+10), Sense Motive 8 (
+9), Stealth 4 (
+14)
Feats: Acrobatic Bluff, Attack Focus (melee) 7, Defensive Roll 4, Distract (Bluff), Dodge Focus 4, Elusive Target, Evasion, Grappling Finesse, Improved Initiative, Instant Up, Power Attack, Redirect, Set-Up, Taunt, Uncanny Dodge (Visual)
Powers:Enhanced Dexterity 14 (+14 DEX)
Enhanced Strength 8 (+8 STR)
Speed 2 (Speed: 25 mph, 220 ft./rnd)
Leaping 2 (Alternate; Jumping distance: x5)
Super-Movement 1 (swinging)
Super-Strength 1 (+5 STR carry capacity, heavy load: 800 lbs; +1 STR to some checks)
Attack Bonus: +8 (Ranged: +8, Melee: +15, Grapple: +25/+26)
Attacks: Unarmed Attack, +15 (DC 20)
Defense: +14 (Flat-footed: +5), Knockback: -3
Initiative: +14Languages: Native Language
Totals: Abilities 24 + Skills 22 (88 ranks) + Feats 27 + Powers 29 + Combat 36 + Saves 12 + Drawbacks 0 = 150
Complications:
- Flirtatious with all women, but devoted to his lab assistant/nurse Sofia.
- Is part of a well known family legacy of superheroes, and still feels he needs to prove himself to some of the older guys who knew Gramps and Pops.
- Public identity + Taunt = Target on back.
- Torn between serious scientific experimentaton and the rush of superheroic adventure.
One of my favorite and original characters, Rango was originally known as the Ape, and he was more akin to a cross between Batman and Spider-Man, right down to the mask. Obviously, he's grown over the years, because he truly fit more as the Beast, with the Lynx taking over as my world's "Batman." As such, Rango is a member of the McPhair clan, who had a long and storied career. His grandfather is baldly based on Andrew Blodgett Mayfair, aka Monk of Doc Savage's Fabulous Five. His father is based on Doctor Henry McCoy. Two such womanizers are bound to have a plethora of kids, but Rango is the most open about it. As he's a squat, rust-haired ape of a man, he can't keep a secret identity, much like "Pops" McPhair after a while.
Rango's physiology is that of an ape. He's at the bottom rung of the "Super Strength" ladder, but is capable to incredible leaps and has agility second to none. I describe him as short, but I didn't feel that he warranted the Shrinking (Permanent) power, simply because he's broad shouldered. Plus, he's already hard enugh to hit. His reflexes are amazing, as is his pure speed. If there's a handhold, he can leap and swing with the best of them, and on the ground, his velocity is equal to a horse. He's also easily as strong as a gorilla or an adult chimpanzee. In fact, I might be lowballing him with 800 lbs of lift and +5 damage.
Rango is still a good detective and a fair skill monkey, while still being a decent skill monkey, if you'll pardon the pun. Indeed, he's based quite heavily on the monkey totem, with a few points freed up to give him some science skills. He won't be able to cobble electronics like "Pops," but for a team medic, he's pretty darn good, as well as being as hard to spot as a ninja. In fact, I was tempted to give him wall-crawling, "ninja run" or the "wall run" feat. As it is, he's quick, partially because he has strong legs and arms and a flexible spine. He can either jump horizontally in long, bounding strides or run on all fours (Speed 2/ 220 ft per round), as well as being able to make standing 37 foot leaps.
Combat-wise, Rango is all about finesse and skill. Indeed, his grapple, for someone who can only haul an 800 lb Heavy load, is rather phenomenal. He's a match for a Paragon in a wrestling contest, at least for PL10. He can hit very hard for a "non-super strong" type, but he still has that Power Attack to throw out DC 25 Damage checks if necessary. On the battlefield, he is definitely a Spider-Man/Nightcrawler type. While he certainly could clock a Powerhouse and almost make him feel it, he's much more likely to get said Powerhouse to knock the enemy's Energy Controller into the next county, or get that Powerhouse fried by the Controller.
Rango, at heart, is a swashbuckler, like the "My stars and garters" Beast. If there's a fancy way across a room, he'll take it. Swinging on a chandeleir is a MUST.
I wish I had room to add the Takedown Feat, maybe you can find room for it, throw it in.
Nicknames - Monkey Man, Freckles, Poo-flinger (a popular insult for both enemies AND friends.)
