Cold in there much, Mister Hughes?DIAMONDBACK (Rachel Leighton)
Created By: Mark Gruenwald & Paul Neary
First Appearance: Captain America #310, Oct, 1985
Role: Jobber Villain, Femme Fatale, Bad Girl Turned Good, Gimmick User
PL 10 (150)
STRENGTH 1
STAMINA 3
AGILITY 5
FIGHTING 8
DEXTERITY 5
INTELLIGENCE 1
AWARENESS 3
PRESENCE 3
Skills: Acrobatics 4 (+9)
Athletics 2 (+3)
Close Combat (Unarmed) 5 (+13)
Deception 5 (+8, +10 Attractive)
Expertise (Mercenary) 7 (+8)
Insight 5 (+8)
Investigation 4 (+7)
Perception 5 (+8)
Persuasion 2 (+5, +7 Attractive)
Ranged Combat (Throwing) 6 (+14)
Sleight of Hand 5 (+10)
Stealth 3 (+8)
Technology 2 (+3)
Vehicles 2 (+7)
Advantages: Attractive, Connected, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment (Costume +1), Evasion, Grappling Finesse, Improved Aim, Improved Critical (Throwing Diamonds) 2, Improved Defense, Improved Smash, Power Attack, Precise Attack (Ranged/Cover), Quick Draw, Ranged Attack 3, Set-Up, Teamwork
Powers:"Throwing Diamonds" (Flaws: Easily Removable) [21]
"Acid Diamonds" Blast 6 (Diminished Range -1) Linked to Weaken Toughness 6 (Extras: Affects Objects, Ranged) (D.Range -1) (28) -- (34)
AE: "Tear Gas Diamonds" Affliction 6 (Fort; Dazed & Impaired Vision/Stunned & Vision Disabled/Incapacitated) (Extras: Ranged, Extra Condition, Area- 15ft. Cloud) (24)
AE: "Sharp Diamonds" Strength-Damage +1 (Extras: Ranged 5, Multiattack 5) (11)
AE: "Explosive Diamonds" Blast 7 (Extras: Area- 30ft. Burst) (Diminished Range -1) (20)
AE: "Smoke Diamonds" Concealment (Visuals) 2 (Extras: Attack, Area- 30ft. Cloud +2) (10)
AE: "Narcotic Diamonds" Affliction 6 (Fort; Fatigued/Exhausted/Incapacitated) (Extras: Cumulative, Ranged) (18)
AE: "Poison Diamonds" Weaken Stamina 6 (Extras: Ranged, Progressive +2) (24)
-- (42 points)
Offense:Unarmed +13 (+1 Damage, DC 16)
Tear Gas +4 Area (+4 Ranged Affliction, DC 14)
Sharp Diamonds +14 (+2 Ranged Damage, DC 17)
Acid Diamonds +14 (+6 Ranged Damage & Weaken, DC 21 & 16)
Explosive Diamonds +5 Area (+6 Ranged Damage, DC 21)
Smoke Diamonds +4 Area (+4 Concealment, DC 14)
Narcotic Diamonds +14 (+6 Ranged Affliction, DC 16)
Poison Diamonds +14 (+6 Ranged Weaken, DC 16)
Initiative +5
Defenses:Dodge +13 (DC 23), Parry +13 (DC 23), Toughness +3 (+4 D.Roll, +5 Costume), Fortitude +6, Will +7
Complications: Motivation (Greed)
Relationship (Captain America)- Rachel loved, or loves, Cap, and has risked her life and career to save him several times.
Reputation (Villain & Mercenary)- Diamondback is on the wrong side of the law much of the time, and is a general mercenary the rest, so despite her SHIELD alliances, few overly trust her.
Enemy/Guilt (Snapdragon)- Snapdragon was a female mercenary who felt wronged by Rachel during their training under The Taskmaster, and hunted her down and drowned her. Though she recovered, Rachel was traumatized, and feared for her life for several months, until she went insane while under the Super-Soldier Serum's influence, and killed Snapdragon in combat. This led her towards incredible guilt, though she eventually recovered.
Total: Abilities: 58 / Skills: 58--29 / Advantages: 19 / Powers: 21 / Defenses: 22 (150)
-Everyone loves Diamondback. She was a highlight of Mark Gruenwald's eons-long run on Captain America, where this generic background villainess (who once threw the keys to a Serpent Saucer down the front of her shirt so Cap would have to feel her up to get them- Cold Fish Cap naturally guessed she wouldn't actually commit suicide, proving that his Will Save is ASTRONOMICAL in power) suddenly gets a crush on the hero, making a segueway into a full-on love affair, where Cap helps her to reform, and she desperately tries to be "good enough" for him. They had their twists and turns (getting her hair from Magenta to natural brown, her brother Cutthroat's death, Crossbones being revealed as her childhood abuser, etc.), and went the way all superhero romances with new characters go- they broke up. She's been seen off-and-on over the years like Asp & Black Mamba, sticking around the Merc-oriented titles, but had a supporting role in "The Initiative", where she hooked up with fellow villain-turned-good, The Constrictor, who promptly underwent the same "I'm not good enough for you" characterization Rachel had before. Quite interesting stuff, but sadly, the modern Cap writer Ed Brubaker hasn't brought Rachel back, favouring Cap's Old School Lady, Sharon Carter.
-Elite Diamondback is sorta like the old one, an accurate Gimmick User, though her upgrades make her suck less otherwise (Rae was never beyond PL 6 in melee). All of her Saves are boosted, though she's still highly-vulnerable, as her Skills cost quite a lost. People like Rachel really showcase the game's hampering of Skillmonkeys.
Old Diamondback: Diamondback is an effective fighter, but as a human-level person, only operates at the PL 8 boundary, being slightly over-cost. She's very skilled (48 ranks), quick, light on her feet, hard to hit (+11 is not too shabby for a PL 8), and has multiple varied weapons. Her Throwing Diamonds are all in her costume, hidden in dozens of compartments, so it's as hard to disarm as a suit of armour would be. She's got seven different types of attacks, ranging from Explosions to Blasts (Multiattack 5 in case she Power Attacks) to various Afflictions & Concealment, so she can hit areas AND individual targets quite well. The effect a lot of these Serpents have with their PL 8 status is that they're nowhere NEAR good enough to beat Cap in a fair fight (he's PL 12 by anyone's standards), so they have to gang up on him with five or six guys to even have a shot- which seems about right. But it leads to poor Rachel having to follow him on adventures when she's four PLs below him!
Based on: Highly venomous rattlesnake responsible for more U.S. fatalities than any other
