Jab's Builds: 2nd Edition Stuff (Kept in Reserve)

[Jabroniville]

BULLETGIRL (Susan Kent)- 1940s
PL 8 (97)
ST 10/20 (+0/+5) DEX 10/16 (+0/+3) CON 10/20 (+0/+5) INT 12/18 (+1/+4) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 14 (+2)

Skills:
Bluff 4 (+6)
Diplomacy 4 (+6)
Disguise 4 (+6)
Escape Artist 5 (+8.)
Notice 6 (+8.)
Sense Motive 5 (+7)

Feats:
Evasion, Fast Overrun, Improved Critical (Flying Smash), Power Attack, Move-by Action

Powers:
"Chemical Enhancements"
Enhanced Strength 10 [10]
Enhanced Dexterity 6 [6]
Enhanced Constitution 10 [10]
Enhanced Intelligence 6 [6]

"Gravity Regulator Helmet" Device 3 (easy to lose) [9]
Flight 6 (12)
Shield 3 (3)

Saves:
Toughness +5 (+8 Helmet), Fortitude +7, Reflex +6, Will +5

Combat:
Attack +6, Damage +5, Defense +7, Initiative +3

Abilities: 10 / Skills: 28--7/ Feats: 5 / Powers: 41 / Saves: 8 /Combat: 26 (97)

-Bulletgirl is Bulletman's wife and sidekick, Susan Kent (later Barr), who teamed up with him. Not quite a sidekick, she's actually ended up with more of a legacy than Bulletman did thanks to the fact that every "Bullet"-based hero afterwards has been a hot chick instead of a dude with a phallic helmet.

-Take Bulletman, and make him weaker. That's pretty much it for Bulletgirl. She's slightly better without the enhancements, but since those are basically permanent powers, it doesn't matter. Since she's the amateur of the pair, she gets the lower stats.

[Taliesin]

Jakeem and the Thunderbolt are tough builds, and I definitely considered going the Device route. It's nice to see how it might have turned out.

However, I think you miscalculated the cost of Summon Minion. Thunderbolt is a 169pp minion, and Summon gives you 15pp/rank, not 5pp/rank, so Summon Minion 12 is enough to call the Thunderbolt. Add in the two Extras, and you have a 48pp power and a rank 10 Device.

Nice build, regardless.

[Jabroniville]

Holy crap, you're right, I don't think I even looked at the pp/rank costs and just assumed it was 5 pp/rank like all the other ones. And that makes both builds even CHEAPER. I shudder to think that an actually powerful superhero could have a Thunderbolt-like ally AND almost 100 pp to spend on his regular powers, and still fit a PL 10 (150) build!

[Jabroniville]

THE GUARDIAN I (Jim Harper)- 1940s
PL 9 (120)
ST 20 (+5) DEX 18 (+4) CON 20 (+5) INT 12 (+1) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 12 (+1)

Skills:
Acrobatics 5 (+8.)
Bluff 5 (+6)
Climb 4 (+9)
Diplomacy 6 (+7)
Disguise 6 (+7)
Drive 6 (+9)
Escape Artist 6 (+10)
Gather Information 7 (+8.)
Intimidate 6 (+7)
Investigate 7 (+8.)
Knowledge (Streetwise) 6 (+7)
Notice 6 (+8.)
Profession (Police Officer) 10 (+11)
Sense Motive 4 (+5)
Stealth 4 (+7)

Feats:
Accurate Attack, Acrobatic Bluff, Attack Focus (Melee), Benefit (Police Officer), Dodge Focus 2, Elusive Target, Equipment 3 (Motorcycle, Helmet, Shield), Favored Opponent (Thugs & Gangsters), Improved Block, Improved Disarm, Improved Grab, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Inspire, Sidekicks 6 (Newsboy Legion- 5 Kids with slight boosts), Power Attack, Takedown Attack

Equipment:
Helmet (Protection 1) (1)
Motorcycle (Autopilot) (10)
Guardian Shield (Shield 4) (4)

Saves:
Toughness +5 (+6 Helmet), Fortitude +8, Reflex +8, Will +6

Combat:
Attack +8 (+9 Melee), Damage +5 (+7 Thugs), Defense +5 (+7 Dodge, +11 Shield), Initiative +8

Abilities: 36 / Skills: 88--22/ Feats: 25 / Powers: 0 / Saves: 11 /Combat: 26 (120)

-Guardian I is set up pretty much like what he is; a huge Captain America wannabe. That'll happen when you're created by the Simon/Kirby team to basically write Cap stories even when they're off the book (Sandman got a similar deal when Kirby took him over, too, hence the sidekick). Though I gotta say, he's easily one of the best designs of the Golden Age, holding up very well even today, with most variations actually looking worse than the original. He's got a pretty good origin (a cop who saw Suicide Slum fall into chaos and donned the tights to fight things a cop couldn't), and the Newsboy Legion is pretty much the defining 'team of young boys' of the era (of which there were quite a few, as one of the 40s' more reader-inclusive concepts). Subsequent years have left him pointlessly revived time and time again in cloned bodies (sometimes by the adult Newsboys, now Cadmus scientists thanks to Kirby joining DC thirty years later), though as DragonBall Z fans know, repeated resurrections is the surest way to remove all drama in a series. "Crap. Guardian died again. Oh well, time to break out the new clone!" Also see Skull, Red and Ghul, Ra's Al-.

-Guardian's actually a really good super-hero for the era, though a weak PL 9 (Toughness 6, Defense 11 makes for about 8.5, and he's only PL 8 offensively, and then only against thugs). Like alot of 'shield guys' (well, him and Cap, basically), his Defense is REALLY high, and he's got a ton of Combat Feats and Skills to make up for a lack of super-powers. Altogether he's one of the best all-around Golden Age guys.

[Jabroniville]

AIR WAVE I (Larry Jordan)- 1940s
PL 6 (101)
ST 14 (+2) DEX 14 (+2) CON 14 (+2) INT 14 (+2) WIS 14 (+2) CHA 12 (+1)

Skills:
Bluff 4 (+6)
Concentration 4 (+6)
Craft (Mechanical) 5 (+7)
Craft (Electrical) 7 (+9)
Disable Device 5 (+7)
Disguise 5 (+6)
Investigate 5 (+7)
Knowledge (Civics) 5 (+7)
Knowledge (Physical Sciences) 4 (+6)
Notice 4 (+6)
Sense Motive 4 (+6)
Stealth 4 (+6)

Feats:
Attack Focus (Melee) 2, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll 2, Dodge Focus 2, Environmental Adaptation (Static Electricity), Improved Disarm, Move-By Action, Power Attack, Sidekick 7 (Static the Parrot), Sneak Attack

Powers:
"Air Wave Costume" Device (hard to lose)
Super-Movement 1 (Wall-Crawling) [2]
Speed 8 (Flaws: Limited- Only Along Power-Lines) [4]
Magnetic Control 3 [7]
AP: Attract/Repel (Move Object, Area-Burst)
Super-Senses 1 (Radio) [1]

Saves:
Toughness +2 (+4 D.Roll), Fortitude +5, Reflex +5, Will +4

Combat:
Attack +6 (+8 Melee), Damage +2, Defense +6 (+8 Dodge), Initiative +2

Abilities: 22 / Skills: 56--14/ Feats: 17 / Powers: 14 / Saves: 8 /Combat: 24 (101)

-Air Wave I was created way back in the 40s in Detective Comics, and basically was one of many heroes who just kinda stuck around for a while and didn't do much, eventually disappearing. His legacy and successor ended up coming sooner than the All-Star Squadron series though, as his son Harold became an independent teen hero in 1978 Action Comics stories. Larry himself showed up in the Squadron as well, but his son has long-outlived him as a character, so alot of his goofy nature is basically covered up by a pretty powerful son.

-Air Wave I has some neat powers, especially for the era, but still is only PL 6, since none of them work offensively. He can 'skate' along power lines at "The speed of electricity" (I gave him Speed 8 rather than 20, since I'm assuming he has to jump over the non-wire parts), listen in on police bands, repel or attract crooks' guns, and walk up walls using his magnetic boots.

[Jabroniville]

AIR-WAVE III (Harold Jordan)- Modern-Day
PL 8 (145)
ST 12 (+1) DEX 14 (+2) CON 14 (+2) INT 12 (+1) WIS 12 (+1) CHA 10

Skills:
Bluff 4 (+4)
Concentration 6 (+7)
Disable Device 5 (+6)
Disguise 4 (+4)
Knowledge (Physical Sciences) 5 (+6)

Feats:
Dodge Focus 5

Powers:
Alternate Form 3 (Electromagnetic Energy) [15]
Insubstantial 3 (15)

Flight 19 [40]
Dynamic AP: Super-Speed 7
Super-Senses 5 (Radio, Radar) [5]
Electrical Control 10 [25]
AP: Drain Electricity 10
AP: Datalink 10
AP: Transmit (Power Lines) 10
Dynamic AP: Electrical Aura 4

Saves:
Toughness +2, Fortitude +4, Reflex +6, Will +4

Combat:
Attack +6, Damage +1 (+10 Electricity), Defense +7 (+12 Dodge), Initiative +2

Abilities: 14 / Skills: 24--6/ Feats: 5 / Powers: 85 / Saves: 9 /Combat: 26 (145)

-Air Wave III (his mother was a brief Air Wave II) came about in the late 70s, an attempt at creating a new teen hero in the pages of Action Comics as a back-up feature, which ultimately failed. No idea why DC sucks SO BAD at creating totally new concepts that nearly everybody has to be a successor to an old hero, but what're ya gonna do? In the end, Harold (retconned into a cousin of Hal Jordan's thanks to the 'repeated last name' syndrome, see Sandra & Ted Knight) got his book cancelled and vanished into nowhere, then suddenly (ie. the writers either forgot about it or changed it on a whim) he could use his powers as in-born abilities rather than devices, and called himself Maser. He later changed BACK to Air-Wave once Geoff Johns got a hold of all the legacy heroes, and he's actually used Harold a couple times, usually as a background plot device (Kobra controlling satellites), a guy in the background (most major 'call in the reserves' moments), and in Infinite Crisis as the communications guy. So basically he's a third-stringer hero.

-Air-Wave III actually has a LOT of power. An alternate energy form, light-speed flight, communication abilities, etc. Though thanks to his third-stringer nature, it's hard to pin down his limits or his offensive capabilities. I mean, the only violent thing I've seen him do in JSA is blow up some satellites, and I'm not even sure HOW he did that. So I gave him a high Electrical Control rank to allow him to use all his various other abilities as APs, as without that, he was nearing 100 pp on powers alone. He has little in the way of abilities outside of his power though, so he's VERY much a one-trick pony with some nifty side-tricks. His Alternate Form is kinda weird, since most of his powers seem to work WITHOUT using it, so he ends up only using it for intangibility.

[JackGiantkiller]

Interesting. Air Wave 1 Kinda makes me think that the creators of Static Shock and his 60'/70's hero (I can't remember the name just now, but it was some kinda of blacksploitation/disco thing) were looking at this guy...they basically have all these powers. Both of them.

And Guardian reappears, once again, as Manhattan Guardian, in Morrison's Seven Soldiers.

[Thorpacolypse]

I find it funny that Air Wave's secret ID is a Jordan.

HE was the first AIR JORDAN! They should sue!

[Libra]

(retconned into a cousin of Hal Jordan's thanks to the 'repeated last name' syndrome, see Sandra & Ted Knight)

Well Superheroes have to have some kind of family. They can't all be Superman or Batman, eh?

[Jabroniville]

WONDER WOMAN I (Diana Prince)- 1940s
PL 11 (200)
ST 34 (+12) DEX 18 (+4) CON 30 (+10) INT 20 (+5) WIS 20 (+5) CHA 20 (+5)

Skills:
Acrobatics 5 (+9)
Concentration 5 (+10)
Craft (Mechanical) 3 (+7)
Disable Device 3 (+7)
Disguise 5 (+10)
Escape Artist 5 (+9)
Handle Animal 8 (+13)
Investigate 2 (+7)
Knowledge (History) 5 (+9)
Knowledge (Theology & Philosophy) 6 (+10)
Language (Several) 4
Medicine 8 (+12)
Notice 5 (+10)
Pilot 6 (+10)
Ride 7 (+11)
Sense Motive 2 (+7)
Stealth 4 (+8.)
Survival 5 (+10)

Feats:
Accurate Attack, Animal Empathy, Attack Focus (Melee) 2, Attractive 2, Benefit (Princess of Amazons) 2, Equipment 5, Fearless, Improved Disarm, Improved Grab, Inspire, Interpose, Power Attack, Quick Change, Sidekick 5 (Etta Candy & The Holliday Girls), Takedown Attack, Teamwork, Ultimate Will Save

Powers:
Super-Strength 6 [12]

"Bulletproof Bracelets" Device 1 (hard to lose) [4]
Shield 4 (4)
"Lasso of Truth" Device 7 (easy to lose) [21]
Snare 12 (Feats: Reversible, Tether) (26)
Mind Control 12 (Flaws: Limited- Command the Truth, Snared Targets Only) (6)

Equipment:
Two-Way Radio (1)
Invisible Plane (22)
Earrings (Immunity to Suffocation) (1)

Saves:
Toughness +10, Fortitude +10, Reflex +8, Will +9

Combat:
Attack +6 (+8 Melee), Damage +12, Defense +7 (+11 Shield), Initiative +4

Flaws:
Power Loss (Hands Bound By Men) [-3]

Abilities: 82 / Skills: 88--22/ Feats: 28 / Powers: 37 / Saves: 8 /Combat: 26 /Drawbacks: -3 (200)

-The Golden-Age Wonder Woman obviously needs little introduction; she's one of the most famous super-heroes ever for a reason. Of course, defining her origins & nature nowadays requires a ridiculous amount of explanation: She existed with various powers for decades (Flying jet or actual flight? Depends on the era), when suddenly DC becomes a "two world" universe, requiring two Wonder Women. And, like Superman and Batman before her, she was hooked up and finally married with the obvious contender (Steve Trevor), in one of those 'the writers doing the obvious future thing that they just CAN'T write for the modern books' things; you very well can't marry off WW to Trevor in the mainstream continuity because that ruins so much- but hey, EARTH-TWO Diana can hump whomever she wants, because it doesn't change the status quo! This results in her having baby Fury (future Infinitor), and kicking around background stories for a long time.

-Enter the Crisis: She no longer exists. Joining the Olympic Pantheon in the final pages of the series to explain away her existence (she of course was never seen in Olympian-centric stories, but that's beside the point- we were supposed to forget she ever existed), her place in history was fulfilled (rather clumsily) by Miss America, a heroine who joined the JSA in her place despite having none of the same powers. Poor Fury got it even worse (but I'll explain that later). And then her history was retconned AGAIN by sticking Hippolyta in the Golden Age WW's role, thus turning everything back to the way it was.

-But don't worry, Earth-Two Diana popped up again in Infinite Crisis. And obviously, her legacy lives on in a way most of the other builds I've done couldn't even imagine; her successor is one of DC's Big Three.
-Is it weird that I'm surprised Diana statted up so cheaply? I guess the Golden Age, powered-down version (she couldn't even fly till the late 40s, and I didn't bother statting that aspect of her- this is the kicky retro mid-40s version) doesn't require the boatloads of Power Points the modern one would. She's notable in having pretty much EVERY STAT be upped in huge numbers by definition ("Wise as Athena! As beautiful as Aphrodite!" and all that), tons of other Skills, no slouch in combat, and with multiple powers to utilize.

-The toughest part was figuring out her PL limits, she could be anywhere from PL 10 to PL 14 and be reasonably accurate, depending on what stories or ideas you have about her. I stuck with PL 10 offensively, and PL 11 defensively. I used Shield for the bracelets because Deflect, of course, sucks as a power, and the Lasso's been statted on ATT so many times I can recite it in my sleep. Wonder Woman I from the 80s era is actually probably tougher, able to fly on her own (Flight 10 or something) and maybe able to handle Superman-class guys on her own, but this is the version I felt like doing (particularly because I'm also statting Hippolyta, who's ALSO at that level).

[Jabroniville]

FURY I (Helena Kosmatos)- 1940s
PL 9 (100)
ST 28 (+9) DEX 14 (+2) CON 28 (+9) INT 10 WIS 10 CHA 10

Skills:
Handle Animal 4 (+4)
Intimidate 6 (+6)
Language (Greek, English) 1
Notice 5 (+5)
Ride 4 (+6)

Feats:
Attack Focus (Melee) 3, Benefit (Ally of Amazons), Endurance, Improved Grab, Power Attack, Takedown Attack

Powers:
Super-Strength 3 [6]
Speed 6 [6]
Impervious Toughness 5 [5]

Saves:
Toughness +9, Fortitude +9, Reflex +6, Will +2

Combat:
Attack +5 (+8 Melee), Damage +9, Defense +7, Initiative +2

Abilities: 40 / Skills: 20--5/ Feats: 8 / Powers: 17 / Saves: 6 /Combat: 24 (100)

-Ohhhhhh my. Where to start with Fury? I mean, her origin is more messed up than just about ANYone in comics, even compared to the rest of the All-Stars.
1) Her daughter predates her as a character. Yes, Fury I (now Fury II), Hippolyta "Lyta" Trevor (the Infinity Inc. member, wife of Hector "Dr. Fate" Hall and mother of Daniel, current Dream), was originally Wonder Woman I's daughter with Steve Trevor. With WWI's post-Crisis disappearance, another origin was needed. So Roy Thomas created a BRAND NEW character, named Fury, that was placed in the 1940s, as some Greek chick who got possessed by Tisiphone, a real Greek Fury, and gained her powers.

2) Lyta got some crazy history of being raised by Miss America and stuff to explain away parts of her origin, but since most writers basically declared her a boring/unused character, most of it only appeared in Thomas' 80s stuff and Neil Gaiman's "Sandman" series.

3) This Fury, despite being an 80s creation, actually stuck around, and was even in Phil Jiminez' Wonder Woman run, as a crazy Amazonian. So yeah, in spite of all that, she still has a bizarre legacy and kicks around as a modern-day character, ironically outlasting her own daughter in importance to DC nowadays, despite being created solely to be her mother (when have you EVER had to use that sentence?).

-Fury's a pretty simple build; she's your standard powerhouse. It's hard to tell with any bio site I can find where her stats end and Lyta's begin, so this could be off in some ways. I didn't include her "Tisiphone Form", mainly because a) that wasn't always with her, especially back then, and b) I have no idea what it's powers were. If anyone could illuminate me, that'd be great.

[Jabroniville]

MERRY, Girl of 1,000 Gimmicks (Meredith Pemberton)- 1940s
PL 6 (108)
ST 10 DEX 18 (+4) CON 14 (+2) INT 14 (+2) WIS 12 (+1) CHA 12 (+1)

Skills:
Acrobatics 5 (+9)
Bluff 5 (+6)
Craft (Mechanical) 5 (+7)
Diplomacy 4 (+5)
Disable Device 4 (+6)
Escape Artist 5 (+9)
Notice 4 (+5)
Sense Motive 3 (+4)
Sleight of Hand 5 (+9)
Stealth 4 (+8.)

Feats:
Acrobatic Bluff, Beginner's Luck, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll 2, Dodge Focus 2, Elusive Target, Grappling Finesse, Improved Defense, Improved Disarm, Improved Trip, Improvised Tools, Quick Draw, Second Chance (Falling)

Powers:
"Gimmicks"
Gadgets 5 (easy to lose) [30]

Saves:
Toughness +2 (+4 D.Roll), Fortitude +4, Reflex +6, Will +5

Combat:
Attack +6, Damage +0 (+5 Gimmicks), Defense +6 (+8 Dodge), Initiative +4

Abilities: 20 / Skills: 44--11/ Feats: 15 / Powers: 30 / Saves: 8 /Combat: 24 (108)

-Merry Pemberton was introduced as the teen sister of Sylvester, aka Star-Spangled Kid, to replace Stripsey, probably because fans at the time didn't care for the goofy older sidekick. Her whole thing is that she had various gadgets in and around her costume that could be used to do weird stuff. She got written into "Old Justice" at one point, disapproving of teen heroing, and had an issue with Stargirl taking her late brother's name, but she eventually got over it. Her other link to the modern era is being the mother of the worst-named superhero of all-time, Brainwave Jr., having married the first Brainwave or something (dunno why a cute teenage sidekick would marry a guy I recall being an old bald man, but there ya go). True story: she actually ousted SS Kid from his own book, for about three issues, until it was cancelled. Doesn't quite beat out poor Alan Scott losing his book to his sidekick DOG, but it's certainly pretty humiliating.

-Merry's designed around spunky 'get outta the way'-style agile hero stats, with Gadgets added on. I personally have never read a Merry-based story, so I have no idea what her gadgets even were or what they were capable of, but I can't imagine them giving any bonuses greater than +5, or be worth more than 25 points combined when all brought to bear.

[Jabroniville]

HAWKGIRL I (Shiera Sanders)- 1940s
PL 8 (108)
ST 10/16 (+0/+3) DEX 12/18 (+1/+4) CON 12/20 (+1/+5) INT 14 (+2) WIS 18 (+4) CHA 14 (+2)

Skills:
Acrobatics 5 (+9)
Bluff 6 (+8.)
Diplomacy 3 (+5)
Disguise 6 (+8.)
Escape Artist 3 (+7)
Notice 5 (+9)
Sense Motive 4 (+8.)

Feats:
Accurate Attack, Attack Focus (Melee) 2, Blind-Fight, Defensive Roll 2, Dodge Focus 2, Elusive Target, Equipment 3 (Medieval Weapons), Evasion, Improved Defense, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Improved Overrun, Inspire, Move-By Action, Ranged Pin, Set-Up, Teamwork 2, Uncanny Dodge (Sight)

Powers:
"Ninth Metal Belt & Wings" Device 6 (hard to lose) [24]
Flight 4 (Drawbacks: Power Loss 1- Bound Wings) (7)
Regeneration 5 (Recovery Bonus 3, Bruised 2) (5)
Enhanced Strength 6 (6)
Enhanced Dexterity 4 (4)
Enhanced Constitution 8 (8.)
Super-Senses 1 (Extended Sight) (1)
Super-Strength 2 (4)

Saves:
Toughness +5 (+7 D.Roll), Fortitude +7, Reflex +7, Will +6

Combat:
Attack +6 (+8 Melee), Damage +3 (+6 Weapons), Defense +6 (+8 Dodge), Initiative +4

Abilities: 21 / Skills: 32--8/ Feats: 24 / Powers: 24 / Saves: 7 /Combat: 24 (108)

-Hawkgirl, like many/most Golden Agers, got way more credit retroactively than she did while she was actually a regularly published character. Essentially a glorified sidekick to Hawkman, his reincarnated wife (yes, that was the idea, even back then) never actually joined the JSA, but future stories have since had her as a member. Even the writers of today basically admitted they figured she was on the team, and have since said "It happened, we just never saw it published", much like how retroactively, the entire roster of the team was present at all times, rather than just the guys without their own titles kicking around. She actually didn't see print at all between 1950 (the death of most GA heroes) and 1976 (All-Star Squadron), when Roy Thomas brought her back to match the Hawkwoman showing up on Earth-1. Problematically, the Crisis FUBAR'd the whole Hawk-grouping, since they now had to fit "Egyptian reincarnation" with "alien policemen" who were suddenly now CONTEMPORARIES of each other, despite being reincarnated versions of the other. Such messiness caused Shiera to be killed off, with her only legacies being the continued existence of Hawkgirl in the current DCU, and her son Hector, one of the recent Dr. Fates.

-She's a pretty clean PL 8 defensively, closer to PL 7 in attack. Quite a few feats, not so much devastating hitting power. The Nth-Metal belts (then called "Ninth Metal" because of some antiquated theories surrounding metals at the time) are actually responsible for a handful of different powers, including extra lifting power, enhanced physical capabilities, super-sight, and regeneration. Not much, but it's there.

[JackGiantkiller]

And the Golden Age goodness cvontinues, unabated. Including cogent explanations of wierd continuity hiccups...

[Libra]

Indeed.