MDSnowman: Tears of Taija Act 5 Updates, Mira

[Nero's Boot]

More WildStorm character write-ups! More! Let's see the Authority!

--I especially want to see WSU Captain Atom NB

[MDSnowman]

Liquid Snake

PL: 9 (135pp)

Abilities: STR: 16 (+3) DEX: 16 (+3) CON: 16 (+3) INT: 14 (+2) WIS: 14 (+2) CHA: 14 (+2)

Skills: Bluff 8 (+10/+14), Diplomacy 8 (+10/+14), Disguise 12 (+14), Drive 8 (+11), Gather Information 12 (+14), Intimidate 8 (+10), Knowledge [Tactics] 8 (+10), Notice 8 (+10), Pilot 12 (+15), Sense Motive 8 (+10), Survival 8 (+10), Stealth 8 (+11).

Feats: Accurate Attack, All-Out Attack, Attractive, Contacts, Connected, Defensive Roll (3), Dodge Focus (7), Equipment (10), Elusive Target, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Sneak Attack

Powers: None

Combat: Attack +13 [Unarmed +3, Assault Rifle +5] Defense 21 (12 flat-footed) Init +7

Saves: Toughness +7 (4 flat-footed) Fortitude +8 Reflex +8 Will +7

Equipment: Coat [+1 Toughness Save; 1ep], Comm-Link [1ep], Assault Rifle [+5 Damage; Auto-Fire; Improved Range; 16ep]
Military Helicopter [Str: 40; Speed: 7; Defense: 6; Toughness: 11; Size: Gargantuan; Powers: Machine Guns [+6 Damage; Auto-Fire], Rockets [+9 Damage; Explosion Area]; 32ep]

Abilities 30 + Skills 27 (108 Ranks) + Feats 29 + Powers 0 + Combat 34 + Saves 15 – Drawbacks 0 = 135pp

The discussion of Metal Gear Solid character on Anji-Kenshin’s thread has awoken my desire to do more MGS conversions. To that end you get a Liquid Snake conversion. Upon looking back at the game I came to realize that Liquid was only really at his most dangerous when he was behind the wheel of a vehicle, therefore I built him as a top notch vehicle jockey. Physically he’s Solid Snake’s superior in every way (after all he is made with the Dominant Genes), and in a straight fight the two of them should beat each other senseless. What sets Liquid apart is that he’s not a fan of the fair fight, instead he relies on his Helicopter, and Metal Gear REX to give him a huge advantage over his foes. Then it’s up to player creativity and a PL cap bursting application of the Stinger Missile Launcher to stop him.



Metal Gear REX [Str: 50; Speed: 5; Defense: 2; Toughness: 13 (8 Impervious); Size: Colossal; Powers: Immunity 9 (Life Support), Anti-Tank Missiles (+12 Damage; Explosion Area), Free Electron Laser (+8 Strike; Line Area), Vulcan Cannons (+6 Damage; Auto-Fire), Rail Gun (Plot Device Nuke Launcher); Drawback: Weak Spot; 75ep]

I didn’t add REX as part of Liquid’s normal gear simply because if it was, he would have been well within his rights to use it to pounce on Snake the moment he hit open ground (say the snow field where the player first fights Vulcan Raven). REX is, simply put, a monster. The user gets access to a life support system, huge anti-tank missiles, machine guns, and a laser that will slice and dice anyone who gets too close on foot. I left the rail gun delivery of nukes as a plot device as I believe that nukes are intrinsically plot-devices, and the weapon was never used in the game. I added the weak point drawback, to simulate the oddly fragile sensor radome on the REX, and it’s tendency to open the cockpit up giving a clever player a clear shot at an exposed pilot.

[MDSnowman]

Psycho Mantis

PL: 8 (120pp)

Abilities: STR: 10 (+0) DEX: 10 (+0) CON: 10 (+0) INT: 16 (+3) WIS: 18 (+4) CHA: 10 (+0)

Skills: Bluff 8 (+8), Gather Information 8 (+8), Intimidate 13 (+13), Knowledge [Tactics] 8 (+11), Notice 8 (+12), Sense Motive 13 (+17), Stealth 5 (+5), Languages (English; Base: Russian)

Feats: Accurate Attack, Assessment, Defensive Attack, Equipment, Fascinate [Intimidate], Startle

Powers:
Enhanced Feats 17 (Dodge Focus 12, Uncanny Dodge [Mental], Speed of Thought, Improved Initiative (3); 17pp)
Telepathy 8 (Extra: Wide Array [+1]; Dynamic; Dynamic Alternate Powers: Mind Control, Telekinesis, Flight (Flaw: Levitation), Blast (Flaw: Requires objects to throw); 33pp)

Combat: Attack +8 [Unarmed +0] Defense 24 (11 flat-footed) Init +15

Saves: Toughness +2 (2 flat-footed) Fortitude +3 Reflex +4 Will +12

Equipment: Uniform [+2 Toughness; 2ep], Gas Mask [1ep], Comm-Link [1ep]

Drawbacks: Power Loss [Enhanced Feats; Meta-Game Thinking; 1pp]

Abilities 14 + Skills 16 (64 Ranks) + Feats 6 + Powers 50 + Combat 20 + Saves 15 – Drawbacks 1 = 120pp

Here’s a fan favorite Metal Gear Solid villain, Psycho Mantis. In combat he relies entirely on his powers to get things done. It proves him an ungodly defense bonus, and makes foes unlikely to connect on an attack against him. All this exists to cover up his non-existent toughness save. The second he gets in trouble he’ll try to avert disaster by mind controlling a fellow PC or friendly NPC. His big weakness however is his inability to use his telepathy against foes who are meta-gaming, that is thinking of the game as a game, and not immersed in the game or their character. Suddenly his defense and initiative drops like a rock leaving him wide open. However, this is largely a gag weakness, and if you want a slightly less silly application simply leave out his drawback.

[MDSnowman]

MDSnowman (PL 11)

PL: 11 (165pp)

Abilities: STR: 14 (+2) DEX: 10 (+0) CON: 14 (+2) INT: 16 (+3) WIS: 12 (+1) CHA: 10 (+0)

Skills: Bluff 10 (+10/+13), Craft [Creative] 4 (+7), Computers 8 (+11), Diplomacy 8 (+8), Drive 4 (+4), Knowledge [Pop Culture] 10 (+13), Notice 4 (+5), Sense Motive 8 (+9)

Feats: Accurate Attack, Attack Specialization [Cold] (3), Benefit [Use Intelligence on Taunt Checks], Sidekick [White Howler] (30), Move-by Action, Power Attack, Taunt

Powers: Cold Control 14 (Dynamic; Extra: Wide Array [+1]; Dynamic Alternate Powers: Environmental Control [Distraction, Hamper Movement], Blast, Obscure, Corrosion, Protection (Flaw: Duration – Sustained), Strike, Flight (Flaw: Platform), Shield; 59pp), Immunity 5 (Cold Descriptor; 5pp), Super Senses 1 (Mental Link – White Howler; 1pp)

Combat: Attack +2 (+8 w/ Cold) [Unarmed +2] Defense 16 (13 flat-footed) Init +0

Saves: Toughness +2 (2 flat-footed) Fortitude +7 Reflex +2 Will +10

Abilities 16 + Skills 14 (56 Ranks) + Feats 38 + Powers 65 + Combat 16 + Saves 16 – Drawbacks 0 = 165pp

Complications: Responsibility (Family), Responsibility (White Howler), Accident (Klutzy), Reputation (Surly Character Converter)

Background:

South of the Adironack mountains in central New York State winter can be vicious. No one knows this better than Matthew Snow, a native of the region he always boasted to his friends that he could withstand the cold far better than any of them. This boast was put to the test when his 1997 Jeep Wrangler Sport’s car battery died on a routine trip from Syracuse to his home in Waterville. Stranded on the back roads outside of Syracuse his cell phone died. Alone, and without a coat he was forced to walk twenty miles during a noreaster in an attempt to reach the next town.

When he reached town and was able to call for help he was discovered to be in surprisingly good physical condition. However he quickly fell unconscious upon finding civilization and remained in a coma for three days before awaking. When he did everyone around him remarked at how much colder it seemed to be in the same room as him than elsewhere in the same house. Matt did not notice these temperature changes, what he did notice is that when his computer began to malfunction three weeks later the gentle swat he gave the CPU froze the piece of plastic solid, and it crumbled under the weight of the book he’d placed on it earlier.

A true geek at heart Matt was thrilled. He had super powers, some training taught him that he could lower the temperature of a wide area, icing it over, or filling it with snow and wind. He could focus that power and flash freeze anything that he touched. This proved to be devastating as he could easily destroy even reinforced metals with the lightest touch.

Donning a custom blue mask and a collection of his favorite blue clothing he embarked on a career as a hero. Over the course of a few weeks the city of Syracuse had several murders averted by The Snowman. He would freeze foes in place or cause them to slide into tight places where they could not escape.

Syracuse was alight of news of their newest Superhero… until they actually saw him in action. The first video footage of the Snowman fighting evil had Matt wearing a pair of jeans, a baggy blue shirt, and a Boston Red Sox T-shirt. The murmurs began soon afterward, the Yankee fans of the city immediately denounced him, while super hero fundamentalists decried his lack of a “proper” costume. The local papers began to run more and more scathing critiques of his super heroic works.

The final straw came on April 1st of 2003 when the teen villain Black Diamond attacked the Carrier Dome while Syracuse University was playing for the NCAA Basketball Championship in Louisiana and thousands of students were watching the game via jumbo-tron at the Carrier Dome. As an S.U. student The Snowman appeared quickly and began to battle against Black Diamond on the basketball court while those students looked on. Unfortunately Black Diamond’s suit protected him from The Snowman’s cold-based powers. With little left to fall back on The Snowman took an epic beating trying to protect the screaming crowd. In the end Black Diamond managed to destroy the carrier dome’s roof while The Snowman held onto the villain’s flying Snowboard for dear life, but was dropped in the middle of the campus. The fall knocked him unconscious and his powers operated on their own, blanketing Syracuse in snow on April Fool’s day.

The media was vicious, they blamed him for the damage to the Carrier Dome, and for the tens of thousands of dollars in money it cost the city to plow all that snow. Some even speculated that Snowman was working in league with Black Diamond. Afraid of being handed another bill he couldn’t afford Snowman reluctantly hung up his mask. He instead focused on his education.

Two and a half years later the man that was Snowman was largely broken, trudging through a graduate school he was less than thrilled about and scrapping together just enough money to survive. He’d taken to using his free time to write about other super heroes using the Mutants and Mastermind’s system. He was so single minded at this that he achieved, what he called “The Lowest Rung of Internet Celebrity”.

This tiny bit of internet celebrity would eventually change his life. Little did he know that another person with meta human powers followed his work. She was White Howler, the telekinetically powered paragon from Georgia enjoyed Snowman’s internet work and extended her friendship. Her timing turned out to be good as a weary Snowman told her about the various woes in his life. She just smiled and assured him that things would be all right. The funny thing was, he believed her.

The two quickly became fast friends and allies, White Howler even declared herself Snowman’s sidekick. Snowman would later joke that his lack of action made for it being a boring job, little did he know that his sidekick had plans of her own. She took to fighting crime on her own, Snowman, feeling responsible for her followed her into action. This became a pattern between the two of them and eventually White Howler had nudged her favorite hero back into the business. He changed his code name to MDSnowman, and now he fights all manner of evil by his sidekick’s side, and this time around he’s enjoying the experience of doing the right thing with his powers.

[White Howler]

Yay! MDSnowman 2.0!

[MDSnowman]

Yay! MDSnowman 2.0!

Glad you like it , I never saw myself as PL 19 honestly.

[MDSnowman]

Vulcan Raven

PL: 7 (120pp)

Abilities: STR: 24 (+7) DEX: 14 (+2) CON: 24 (+7) INT: 10 (+0) WIS: 16 (+3) CHA: 12 (+1)

Skills: Climb 12 (+19), Drive 12 (+14), Intimidate 12 (+19), Knowledge [Arcane Lore] 8 (+8), Notice 9 (+12), Sense Motive 8 (+11), Stealth 6 (+8), Survival 12 (+15), Languages (English; Base: Inuit)

Feats: Accurate Attack, All-Out Attack, Benefit [Strength Bonus applies to Intimidate Check], Endurance (2), Dedication, Diehard, Power Attack, Startle, Tough (2)

Powers: Device 5 [Heavy Chain Gun - Blast 7; Extra: Auto-Fire; Improved Range [2], Improved Critical [2]; Restricted - Those with 24+ Strength; 16pp]
Immunity 1 (Cold Conditions; 1pp), Growth 3 (+6 Strength, +3 Constitution; Extra: Continuous [+1]; Flaw: Permanent [-1]; Power Feat: Innate; 10pp)

Combat: Attack +7 [Unarmed +7, Heavy Chain Gun +7; 18-20 Crit] Defense 15 (13 flat-footed) Init +2

Saves: Toughness +9 (9 flat-footed) Fortitude +10 Reflex +3 Will +6

Abilities 31 + Skills 20 (80 Ranks) + Feats 11 + Powers 27 + Combat 24 + Saves 7 – Drawbacks 0 = 120pp

Alright, one more MGS build for the day. Vulcan Raven is a nasty piece of work. His chain gun gives him the ability to unleash massive amounts of damage from long range, and his own giant physique allows him to withstand a lot of punishment as well. In a fight Raven will use the ultra long range of his gun to take down foes while he is outside the range of his foes. If a fight should get into close quarters his massive strength and accurate attack feat make him more than equal to the task of seriously hurting a hero. His only real weakness is his defense bonus.

[Taliesin]

Wow, someone was inspired. Cool MGS builds.

[MDSnowman]

Wow, someone was inspired. Cool MGS builds.

What can I say, I love Metal Gear Solid. And am infuriated that I need to buy a PSP to play Portable Ops.

[MDSnowman]

Decoy Octopus

PL: 7 (105pp)

Abilities: STR: 10 (+0) DEX: 10 (+0) CON: 10 (+0) INT: 16 (+3) WIS: 14 (+2) CHA: 20 (+5)

Skills: Bluff 12 (+17)*, Diplomacy 12 (+17)*, Gather Information 12 (+17)*, Knowledge [Civics] 8 (+11), Knowledge [Tactics] 6 (+9), Notice 10 (+12), Sense Motive 8 (+10)*, Languages (Russian, Japanese, French, Chinese; Base: English)

Feats: Assessment, Challenge [Durable Lie], Contacts, Connected, Defensive Roll, Equipment (2), Fascinate [Bluff], Sneak Attack (3), Skill Mastery [Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Sense Motive], Ultimate Effort [Ultimate Bluff Check]

Powers: Morph 8 (Any Human; Flaw: Must possess their blood [-1] 4pp)

Combat: Attack +10 [Unarmed +0, Pistol +3] Defense 19 (15 flat-footed) Init +0

Saves: Toughness +3 (2 flat-footed) Fortitude +2 Reflex +2 Will +10

Equipment: Pistol [+3 Damage; 6ep], Comm-Link [1ep], Undercover Vest [+2 Toughness Save; Subtle; 3ep]

Abilities 20 + Skills 18 (72 Ranks) + Feats 13 + Powers 4 + Combat 38 + Saves 12 – Drawbacks 0 = 105pp

Alright, so I lied, one more MGS build. Doing Decoy Octopus was fun simply because he was the only member of FOXHOUND that Snake didn’t have to fight in MGS. Therefor it gave me a good chance to really explore what his powers would be like. The result is a guy who relies entirely on the sneak attack he gets from his morphing to do damage on a hero. What he really excels at, however, is interaction. He can make anyone believe anything that he wants and he barely needs to exert himself to do it. Frankly I’d use him like the game used him, misinformation.

[MDSnowman]

Sniper Wolf

PL: 7 (105pp)

Abilities: STR: 12 (+1) DEX: 22 (+6) CON: 12 (+1) INT: 12 (+1) WIS: 14 (+2) CHA: 18 (+4)

Skills: Bluff 4 (+8/+16)*, Handle Animal 8 (+12)*, Knowledge [Tactics] 8 (+9), Notice 12 (+14), Sense Motive 8 (+10), Stealth 12 (+18/+23)*, Survival 8 (+10)*

Feats: Accurate Attack, All-Out Attack, Animal Empathy, Attack Focus [Ranged] (4), Attractive (2), Equipment (2), Fearless, Improved Critical [Sniper Rifle] (2), Sidekick [Wolf] (4), Power Attack, Precise Shot (2), Skill Mastery [Bluff, Handle Animal, Stealth, Survival], Ultimate Effort [Ultimate Aim]

Powers: None

Combat: Attack +5 (+9 Ranged)[Unarmed +1, Sniper Rifle +5; 17-20 Crit] Defense 20 (15 flat-footed) Init +6

Saves: Toughness +4 (4 flat-footed) Fortitude +3 Reflex +10 Will +3

Equipment: Uniform [+3 Toughness; 3ep], Comm-Link [1ep], Sniper Rifle w/ Scope [+5 Damage; Improved Range [2], Improved Critical; Improved Aim; 14ep], Camo [Urban, Arctic; 2ep]

Abilities 30 + Skills 15 (60 Ranks) + Feats 24 + Powers 0 + Combat 30 + Saves 7 – Drawbacks 0 = 105pp

I’m slowly winding down on villains from MGS 1. Sniper Wolf his here to do one thing, to make that DC 30 stealth check to immediately hide after firing a shot from her sniper rifle. And she can do that without even rolling if she’s wearing the proper camo. Frankly a hero’s best chance to get her is after she decided to run for it and find a new place to snipe from. She also has her namesake Wolf as a sidekick to harass anyone attempting to counter snipe her. In all she’s the best Sniper you’ll run across in a Metal Gear game until they went and put The End into MGS 3.

[MDSnowman]

Gray Fox / Cyborg Ninja

PL: 9 (135pp)

Abilities: STR: 16 (+3) DEX: 18 [26] (+8) CON: 16 (+3) INT: 12 (+1) WIS: 10 (+0) CHA: 10 (+0)

Skills: Acrobatics 8 (+16), Climb 4 (+7), Intimidate 12 (+12), Knowledge [Tactics] 12 (+13), Notice 8 (+8), Sense Motive 6 (+6), Stealth 10 (+18)

Feats: Accurate Attack, Acrobatic Bluff, Defensive Attack, Dodge Focus (6), Evasion, Improved Block, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative (2), Power Attack, Takedown Attack, Uncanny Dodge [Sight]

Powers:
Device 4 [High-Density Blade – Strike 3 (Extra: Penetrating [+1]; Power Feats: Mighty, Improved Critical [2]; 9pp), Deflect 11 (Slow Projectiles; 11pp); Power Feat: Restricted – Those with Proper Cybernetic Ports; 13pp].
Concealment 4 (Normal Vision; 8pp), Enhanced Dexterity 8 (8pp), Immunity 9 (Life Support; 9pp), Protection 4 (4pp), Leaping 6 (6pp), Super Senses 3 (Dark Vision, Communication Link; 3pp)

Combat: Attack +12 [Unarmed +3, High-Density Blade +6; 18-20 Crit] Defense 21 (13 flat-footed) Init +16

Saves: Toughness +7 (7 flat-footed) Fortitude +3 Reflex +11 Will +3

Drawbacks: Blinded by Chaff [3pp], Vulnerable [Electricity Descriptor; Common Occurrence, Major Intensity; 4pp], Vulnerable [Magnetic Descriptor; Uncommon Occurrence; Major Intensity; 3pp]

Abilities 22 + Skills 15 (60 Ranks) + Feats 17 + Powers 51 + Combat 34 + Saves 6 – Drawbacks 10 = 135pp

Almost done! Here’s an all time fan favorite, Gray Fox, the so-called “Cyborg Ninja”. In a Metal Gear Solid world Frank here is a monster, his Concealment keeps him from being seen easily. Meanwhile his sword makes him an unstoppable beast to fight in melee. Naturally he can also use his sword to deflect incoming bullets as well. However in exchange for all this power Gray fox’s mind ends up scrambled (losing decades upon decades of combat experience and skills, and driving him mad). He also needs to deal with a collection of new weaknesses that make it possible for an intelligent foe to outwit this monster. Also for those of you who want Gray Fox at the end of the game with his blaster arm as opposed to his sword replace his device with this.

Device 4 [Blaster Attachment – Blast 6 (Extra: Penetrating [+1]; Power Feat: Improved Critical [2]); Power Feat: Redistricted – Those with Proper Cybernetic Ports; 17pp]

He gets more expensive like this but then again he only busts this out when going toe to toe with Metal Gear REX.

[Unknown Soldier]

Haha! These are awesome! Keep up the good word!

[MDSnowman]

Haha! These are awesome! Keep up the good word!

hehe I'm doing one more tonight, so keep your eyes open for Revolver Ocelot.

[MDSnowman]

Revolver Ocelot

PL: 8 (135pp)

Abilities: STR: 12 (+1) DEX: 20 (+5) CON: 12 (+1) INT: 16 (+3) WIS: 16 (+3) CHA: 16 (+3)

Skills: Bluff 13 (+16), Computers 8 (+11), Diplomacy 13 (+16), Drive 8 (+13), Gather Information 13 (+16), Knowledge [Tactics] 8 (+11), Knowledge [Politics] 12 (+15), Notice 8 (+11), Pilot 8 (+13), Sense Motive 13 (+16), Stealth 12 (+17), Survival 8 (+11)

Feats: All-Out Attack, Accurate Attack, Attack Focus [Ranged] (2), Benefit [Security Clearance], Contacts, Connected, Defensive Roll (2), Dodge Focus (4), Equipment (3), Improved Aim, Improved Critical [Revolvers] (3), Improved Initiative (2), Luck, Power Attack, Precise Shot (2), Ricochet [Revolvers] (2), Quick Draw

Powers: None

Combat: Attack +10 (+12 Ranged) [Unarmed +1, Revolvers +4; 17-20 Crit] Defense 22 (14 flat-footed) Init +13

Saves: Toughness +4 (2 flat-footed) Fortitude +4 Reflex +8 Will +8

Equipment: Colt Single Action Army Revolvers [+4 Damage; Auto-Fire; Split Attack; 13ep], Heavy Coat [+1 Toughness; 1ep], Comm-Link [1ep]

Drawbacks: Involuntary Transformation [Liquid Snake’s Personality when Solid Snake is Nearby; Uncommon Occurrence; Major Intensity; 3pp]

Abilities 32 + Skills 31 (124 Ranks) + Feats 28 + Powers 0 + Combat 36 + Saves 11 – Drawbacks 3 = 135pp

The Last of my Metal Gear Solid 1 builds for a while. I decided to place Ocelot as he stands at the beginning of Metal Gear Solid 2 however. Ocelot is a double threat, he’s a dangerous fighter with his revolvers, but at the same time his social skills allow him to play the part of the spy, which he does perfectly. He’s built to talk circles around his foes until the point comes when he needs to shoot someone, then suddenly he has the skill to put a foe down hard, and fast. The fact that his father is The Sorrow, and he had his hand cut off by Gray Fox saddled him with an interesting Drawback. Since he has Liquid Snake’s right hand anytime he gets close to Solid snake he needs to make a Will Save or Liquid Snake’s personality takes over his body.