Batgirl III's Character Thread (V, Cardboard Tube Samurai)

[Batgirl III]

Baby Wildebeest
Mainstream DC Universe
Power Level 5 (75pp)

STR: 14[30] (+2/+10) DEX: 10 (0) CON: 22[30] (+6/+10) INT: 6 (-2) WIS: 8 (-1) CHA: 10 (+0)

Toughness (+6/+10; +6 Impervious), Fortitude 0 (+6/+10), Reflex 2 (+2), Willpower 3 (+2)

Skills: Bluff 2 (+2), Diplomacy 2 (+2), Sense Motive 4 (+3)

Feats: All Out Attack, Diehard, Power Attack

Powers:
Shrinking 4 (Extra: Duration – Continuous [+1]) (8pp)
Linked: Enhanced Feats 2 (Attractive [2]; Flaw: Limited [Cuteness; -1]) (1pp)

Growth 8 (24pp)
Growth Effects: +16 Str, +8 Constitution, Intimidate +4, Stealth -4, -4 Att/Def[/i]
Linked: Enhanced Feats 6 (Attack Specialization [Unarmed; 2], Dodge Focus [4]) (6pp)
Impervious Toughness 6 (6pp)
Super-Strength 4 (Power Feats: Groundstrike, Bracing) (10pp)

Combat: Base Attack +0 (+0 w/ Size), Base Defense +0 (+0 w/ Size)

Abilities 10 + Skills 2 (8 ranks) + Feats 3 + Powers 55 + Combat 0 + Saves 5 – Drawbacks 0 =
Tradeoffs: +5DC/-5Atk, +5Tou/-5Def

By request, I give you Baby Wildebeest. Sort of a joke character itnroduced during one of the sadder chapters of Titans history, Baby Wildebeest (yes, that's his real name) began his life an experiment conducted by possessed Jericho to create a suitable body for the Lost Souls from Azurath. If that made sense to you, you've read too many comics.... like me.

Anyhow, Baby Wildebeest is essentially a super-strong toddler with the features of a miniature Wildebeest, who if provoked become a twelve-foot powerhouse, as seen below. Baby Wildebeest is [i]very[i/] limited as a character as you might expect. He hits things until they fall down or he does. However, when toddler sized he's cute in a weird sort of way and able to charm his way into a heart as hardened as Panthra's.

[Batgirl III]

Shelob, Queen of Spiders
An Original Character
Power Level 10 (175pp)

STR: 18 (+4) DEX: 22 (+6) CON: 20 (+5) INT: 14 (+2) WIS: 12 (+1) CHA: 16 (+3)

Toughness (+5; +10 Defensive Roll), Fortitude 0 (+5), Reflex 2 (+8), Will 7 (+8)

Skills: Bluff 6 (+9), Concentration 9 (+10), Handle Animal 7 (+10), Intimidate 6 (+9), Notice 6 (+7), Stealth 6 (+12)

Feats: Attack Specialization [Unarmed] (4), Attractive (2), Defensive Roll (5), Dodge Focus (6), Master Plan

Powers:
Comprehend 2 (Animals; Flaw: Only Insects/Aracnids [-1]) (2pp)
Summon Minion 10 (Extra: Duration [Continuous; +1], Fanatical [+1], Heroic [+1], Horde [+1], Type [Spiders; +1] Flaw: Action [Full Round; -1]; Power Feats: Progression [5]) (65pp)
Super-Senses 4 (Danger Sense [mental], Uncanny Dodge [mental]) (4pp)
Super-Movement 2 (Wall-Crawling [2]) (4pp)
Super-Strength 1 (2pp)
Strike 2 (Power Feat: Mighty) (3pp)

Combat: Base Attack 4 (+12 Unarmed); Base Defense 4 (+10 Dodge Focus)

Abilities 42 + Skills 10 (40 ranks) + Feats 17 + Powers 80 + Combat 16 + Saves 9 – Drawbacks 0 = 175pp

Because evil spider-women just make such great badguys. Also, if a vampiric pterodactyl can co-opt the name of Tolkien's greatest villain, why can't my bad guy borrow another one?

Shelob is your basic manipulative witch-queen type, but built to tangle with teams of heroes. She's not too bad at combat, but her real strength lies in being able to drop several dozen monsterous spiders on top of them - each round. Hope none of them decided to list arachnophobia as a complication...

Check ProdigyDuck's thread for all your giant spider minion needs.

[Libra]

I can't decide if I should be terrified or . . . something else.

In any case, keep up the good work Batgirl. Your original builds are very often the most fascinating of your posts.

[Dirigible]

One of my favourite Dragon (or was it Dungeon?) covers.

"American Beauty... CRAWLING ALL OVER ME AAAAGH GET EM OFF"

[MisterO]

Shelob, Queen of Spiders
An Original Character
Power Level 10 (175pp)

Huh kinda look like an army of red TICKS*, as opposed to spiders, to me. Which somehow makes the creepy-crawly feelings worse!

*Which makes sense since they're in the arachnid family.

[prodigyduck]

One of my favourite Dragon (or was it Dungeon?) covers.

"American Beauty... CRAWLING ALL OVER ME AAAAGH GET EM OFF"

This cover was from Dungeon Magazine, featuring an adventure with innocent Aranea who had been attacked by pirates. It was a good adventure.

Plus, I love that cover. I use it for the Aranea art in my homemade Pathfinder Monster Manual.

BTW, Batgirl III, I am so totally using your recent Clayface build for the eventual DC/Marvel game that I am planning to run (which is, of course completely ripped-off... ah, I mean, inspired by your Earth-3 universe).

[Batgirl III]

Minor nitpick, but its "Earth III," both to tie it to my nom de forum and to sperate it from the official DC Comics "Earth 3," "Earth-3," and "Earth Three." (And yes, those are all seperate worlds in the DCU.)

[prodigyduck]

Minor nitpick, but its "Earth III," both to tie it to my nom de forum and to sperate it from the official DC Comics "Earth 3," "Earth-3," and "Earth Three." (And yes, those are all seperate worlds in the DCU.)

Fair enough. My aplogies.

[Batgirl III]

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Zero
An Original Character
Power Level 10 (150pp)

STR: 12 (+1) DEX: 18 (+4) CON: 14 (+2) INT: 12 (+1) WIS: 10 (+0) CHA: 14 (+2)

Toughness (+6 Suit, +10 Roll; +4 Impervious), Fortitude 3 (+5), Reflex 1 (+5), Willpower 5 (+5)

Skills: Acrobatics 8 (+12)*, Bluff 6 (+8), Computers 4 (+6), Concentration 3 (+3), Drive 2 (+6), Knowledge [Life Science] 4 (+5), Knowledge [Physical Science] 4 (+5), Knowledge [Technology] 8 (+9), Notice 10 (+10)*, Pilot 2 (+6), Stealth 8 (+12)*, Sense Motive 12 (+12)* Languages 4 (N: English; Arabic, Hebrew, Russian, Yiddish)

Feats: Accurate Attack, Attack Specialization [Firearms] (1), Attack Specialization [Unarmed] (3), Benefit [Security Clearance], Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll (4), Defensive Atack, Dodge Focus (4), Elusive Target, Equipment (2), Skill Mastery [Acrobatics, Notice, Sense Motive, Stealth]

Powers:
Cold Control 4 (Extreme Cold, 50' radius; Extras: Continuous [+1]; Flaws: Permanent [-1], Touch [-1]) (4pp)
Immunity 7 (Enviromental heat [1], Disease [1], Cold damage [5]) (7pp)
Transform 10 (Living creatures into ice; Extras: Aura [+1], Continuous [+1]; Flaws: Permanent [-1], Touch [-1]) (40pp)

Containment Suit Device 4 (Hard to Lose) (16pp)
Buys off Permanent Flaw on Cold Control (4pp)
Buys off Permanent Flaw on Transform (4pp)
Protection 4 (Extras: Impervious [+1];Power Feat: Subtle) (8pp)
Speed 2 (25 MPH; Flaw: Limited [only when Swinging; -1]) (1pp)
Super-Senses 1 (Infravision) (1pp)
Super-Movement 2 (Swinging) (2pp)

Equipment (5ep):
Heavy Pistol (8ep), Commlink (1ep), Multitool (1ep)

Combat: Base Attack 4 (+6 Firearms, +10 Unarmed); Base Defense 6 (+10 Dodge Focus)

Drawbacks: Vulnerable (Heat/Fire effects; Common, Moderate; -4pp)

Abilities 20 + Skills 18 (72 ranks) + Feats 20 + Powers 67 + Combat 20 + Saves 9 – Drawbacks -4 = 150pp
Tradeoffs: +0DC/-0Atk, +0Tou/-0Def

Background:
Noa Eizenstein (born January 31, 1984 in Oak Park, Michigan) is a superhero and espionage agent operative for the American government. Due to the side-effects her powers, Noa cannot operate undercover and is limited in covert missions, however she is extremly loyal and potentially one of the most power metahuman agents available to the agency. Zero was recently assigned "on loan" to insert campaign's superteam here to serve as a member of the squad and to act as a liason between team and the agency.

Powers and Abilities:
Zero's natural body temperature is incredibly low, typically -128.20°F (-89.00°C) this is equal to the lowest recorded surface temperature on Earth (Vostok, Antarctica; July, 1983). As a result, she is immune to sub-zero temperatures, most known diseases and viruses, highly resistant to hot enviroments, and finally, she appears to 'radiate' cold. Technically, as cold is the absence of heat, Zero does not actually generate cold, rather, she decreases thermal energy in the immeidate vicinity.

Zero's touch can also instantly affect organic matter, with the slightest physical contact. This is not simple freezing, the matter is affected at a molecular or sub-molecular level and actually converted into solid ice.

Aside from her superhuman powers, Zero is also a well trainned hand-to-hand combatant, having received extensive martial arts training, as well as basic military combat training. Although Zero rarely uses conventional weapons, she should be considered proficeint with all NATO and US military smallarms. Zero wears an armored costume which contains her powers allowing her to interact with others normally, in addition to providing her with armor, infrared vision, and a concealed grappling hook launcher on her wrist.

Everyone seems to love my original characters, so why not share a few more...

Something a bit different from most ice-themed characters, Zero doesn't have the typical arrary of snares, blasts, and object creation; what she has instead is a potential "one-hit one-kill" power.

Noa's aura of Cold Control aura provokes a Fort save once per minute, against everyone within 50'. Although most heroes and villains can shrug that off, it is especially nasty on lower PL noncombatants, plantlife, and small animals. Not much use as a direct weapon, but in a large fight without too many bystanders close-by Zero will open the containment on her suit and cut loose. Targets affected by the Cold Control have their Fortitude saves lowered, making them that much more likly to succumb to her Transformation touch.

In combat, Noa is either signifigantly underpowered or signifigantly overpowered, it all depends on whether or not her Transform is effective against her opponents. Many characters in M&M.

Based on artwork for a character created by 1coyote, this build has nothing in common with his character beyond the artwork and the ice theme.

[Dirigible]

Personally, I find straight 'turn you to stone, save or die' effects in M&M a bit overpowered. When someone suggested a turns-people-to-ice character a while back in Rules, I recommended that you give them Paralysis, a more combat-balanced power, and give the Transform effect the flaw Only Against Paralysed Targets. She can still do her schtick, but less easily and less one-hit-killy against PCs.

[Batgirl III]

Personally, I find straight 'turn you to stone, save or die' effects in M&M a bit overpowered. When someone suggested a turns-people-to-ice character a while back in Rules, I recommended that you give them Paralysis, a more combat-balanced power, and give the Transform effect the flaw Only Against Paralysed Targets. She can still do her schtick, but less easily and less one-hit-killy against PCs.

I agree, save-or-die effects are game wreckers; Thankfully, M&M2E takes this into account in the way the Transform power is written, I don't have the exact language in front of me but, iirc, it explictly states that living creatures transformed into inorganic forms are not dead, simply unconscious. The wording of the power in the stat block is a bit deceptive, the transformation effect on the target is Continuous (Lasting), which means that targets do (eventually) return to normal. The Permanent modifier refers simple to Zero's inability to turn off the power. The model here, as I think everyone can tell, is Rogue of the X-Men. Rogue's power absorbtion touch is permanent in that she cannot turn it off, but anyone she drains does eventually recover.

A DC20 Fortitude Save is tough, especially if the penalty for failure is to sit out the rest of the fight. But I think there are enough checks and balances to make it playable: it requires a touch from a character who isn't especialy durable in melee, only affects living creatures (and inorganic opponents are fairly common in my game), and can be avoided by anyone with a 5-pt immunity to cold effects (also not terribly uncommon). Of course, the easiest thing to do is simply avoid touching her, which most enemies will learn to do fairly quickly.

Heck, +10 Fort saves are easily obtainable at PL8-12, and it isn't unheard of for characters to have +15 to +20 Fort saves at these power levels. Zero's transform isn't going to do diddly in that fight...

It is a potentially nasty power, I don't deny it, but Power Level 10 is suppossed to be potent. With the default 'no kill' rules, an organic to inorganic transform only becomes a save-or-die effect with some serious effort on the part of the player and the GMs should put the kibosh on that right quick.

[Batgirl III]

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Sam Gibraltar, P.I.
An Original Character
Power Level 10 (150pp)

STR: 10[30] (+0/+10), DEX: 14 (+2), CON: 16[20] (+3/+5), INT: 16 (+3), WIS: 12 (+1), CHA: 12 (+1)

Toughness (+3/+10; +8 Impervious), Fortitude 3 (+8), Reflex 2 (+4), Will 4 (+5)

Skills: Bluff 8 (+9), Diplomacy 8 (+9), Gather Information 12 (+13), Intimidate 12 (+13/+15), Investigate 12 (+15), Knowledge [History] 6 (+9), Knowledge [Civics] 6 (+9), Search 8 (+11), Sense Motive 12 (+13), Stealth 8 (+10/+6)

Feats: Attack Specialization [Unarmed] (3), Chokehold, Contacts, Dodge Focus (1), Improved Grapple, Improved Grab, Improved Initiative, Well-Informed

Powers:
"Living Statue" Alternate Form 10 (Extra: Continuous [+1]; 60pp)
Enhanced Feats 2 (Attractive [1], Improved Initiative [1]; Flaw: Not useable in Alt. Form [-1]) (1pp)

"Living Statue" Traits:
Density 6 (Extra: Continuous [+1]; Flaw: Permanent [-1]) (18pp)
Growth 4 (Extra: Continuous [+1]; Flaw: Permanent [-1]) (12pp)
Immunity 5 (Environmental Cold [1], Environmental Heat [1], Fatigue [1], Suffocation [no need to breathe; 2]) (5pp)
Protection 5 (Extra: Impervious [+1]) (10pp)
Super-Strength 1 (Power Feat: Bracing) (3pp)

Density Effects: Str +12; Impervious Toughness +3; Immovable 2, Super-Strength 2
Growth Effects Large, Str +8, Con +4; -1 Att/Def; Stealth -4, Intimidate +2

Combat: Attack 5 (+11 Unarmed, +10 w/ size); Defense 10 (+11 Dodge Focus, +10 w/ size)

Abilities 20 + Skills 23 (92 ranks) + Feats 10 + Powers 61 + Combat 30 + Saves 9 – Drawbacks 0 = 150pp

Who is the Colossus-inspired private dick, that's a grapple machine to all the mooks? Sam! They say that Sam is one nigh-invulernable mother- Shut yo' mouth! Ahem. Like most Colossus/Thing type characters, Gibraltar is a wrestler and streetfighter, unlike most bricks Gibraltar is also a very good face and investigator. A wiry but handsome devil in his human form, when things get rough he transforms into a 12' tall living slab of rock. Pretty simple, but pretty dang effective.

Based on artwork for a character created by 1coyote, this build shares the rockhewn exterior and investigator theme, but I don't know much else about his character.

[Elric]

The wording of the power in the stat block is a bit deceptive, the transformation effect on the target is Continuous (Lasting), which means that targets do (eventually) return to normal.

Continuous Transforms last (essentially) forever. See Steve's answer here.

Heck, +10 Fort saves are easily obtainable at PL8-12, and it isn't unheard of for characters to have +15 to +20 Fort saves at these power levels. Zero's transform isn't going to do diddly in that fight...

Characters won't have higher than a +17 Fort save at PL 8-12, since it's limited to PL+5. Average Fort save among the archetypes in the core book is +8, which includes the very high saves of the Paragon and Powerhouse. To the extent high Fort save characters are identifiable (Bricks), smart targeting means using this power on the lower Fort save characters.

The thing that keeps a Transform power like this somewhat in check is that you can use the Willpower Extra Effort function to get additional saves against it.

[Batgirl III]

Of course, as Steve further points out in his reply, Continuous Transform effects are supposed to be powerful. Zero is a legal build, but not one I would recommend using in a game with inexperienced players or game masters.

there are, imho, a half-dozen powers that bear special attention from GMs, and a good deal of trust between all the people at the table. Transform is one of them. Dirigible's idea for substituting in a power, like Paralysis, Snare, or Stun, would work quite well if you wanted to use Zero is a game were Continuous Transform wouldn't be appropriate.

Oh, and to clarify, player characters won't have higher than a +17 Fort save at PL 8-12, but their opponents at those PL's might easily range from PL10-15, with higher caps as a result. Plus, every GM or player knows the classic schtick of pitting fire vs. water, light vs. dark, chocolate vs. peanut butter.

Thus, Zero ought to expect to face robots, cold-immune, long range blasters and/or intangible opponents on a somewhat regular basis. None of those are especially uncommon in a supers game, and all completely nerf Zero's transform. (Which is why she also carries a heavy pistol.)

[MDSnowman]

Oh, and to clarify, player characters won't have higher than a +17 Fort save at PL 8-12, but their opponents at those PL's might easily range from PL10-15, with higher caps as a result. Plus, every GM or player knows the classic schtick of pitting fire vs. water, light vs. dark, chocolate vs. peanut butter.

I'll have you know that Chocolate and Peanut Butter are the best of friends.