Eld's builds:Thomas Rhymer, Morph Fiend, Low Blow

[Arthur Eld]

3e is very grainy when it comes to Strength. The measurements table (which includes more than just Strength, though) only goes up to 30, while the Strength table for 2E went up to 150, I believe, so some things progress perhaps a little quicker than they should.

Batman has a Strength of 4, so according to 3E, he could throw a Batarang (which probably weighs 3 pounds, or -4) a mile, cause 4 minus negative 4 equals 8. Its just part of the system's loose progression, and its where the GM has to step in. Any player who wanted Batman (or anyone with a Strength 4) to be able to throw something like a Batarang (or a shuriken, which would be -5) a mile or so should be told 'no' nearly all the time. Its just common sense, which is something that the mechanics of a game designed for characters to summon demon hipster chicks and shoot fireballs doesn't always espouse so strongly.

And obviously, that was a typo about the Lifting.

[vitruvian]

3e is very grainy when it comes to Strength. The measurements table (which includes more than just Strength, though) only goes up to 30, while the Strength table for 2E went up to 150, I believe, so some things progress perhaps a little quicker than they should.

Batman has a Strength of 4, so according to 3E, he could a Batarang (which probably weighs 3 pounds, or -4) a mile, cause 4 minus negative 4 equals 8. Its just part of the system's loose progression, and its where the GM has to step in. Any player who wanted Batman (or anyone with a Strength 4) to be able to throw something like a Batarang (or a shuriken, which would be -5) a mile or so should be told 'no' nearly all the time. Its just common sense, which is something that the mechanics of a game designed for characters to summon demon hipster chicks and shoot fireballs doesn't always espouse so strongly.

And obviously, that was a typo about the Lifting.

I think it's actually less a problem with the granularity and the rapid advancement, then that you simply shouldn't be able to throw your maximum lifting weight 30 feet, and therefore there needs to be some kind of rank penalty (-2 to -3, depending on whether you think someone can basically *drop* their maximum load about 6 feet or about 3 feet) when figuring throwing distances. But that's a rules discussion for one of the other boards more than something that's really on topic for a *Scott Pilgrim* character, of all things.

[JackGiantkiller]

This particular conversation does not make me wish to 'upgrade' from 2 to 3. I thought 2 was too grainy...

[Arthur Eld]

There's always going to be grainularity. But there's also a level of customization (epitomized by things like Power Lifting, Martial Strike) that let you overcome that when its a problem. Plus, it doesn't always have to be a problem, I'm happy with, for example, Lucas Lee's Strength of 4 letting him lift 800 pounds. Does it make sense? No. Would I buy it, after seeing him whip Scott into a castle hundreds of feet away? Yes.

[Arthur Eld]

Carrion Queen
PL 16 287

Abilities
Strength 0, Stamina 8, Agility 4, Dexterity 4, Fighting 10, Intellect 2, Awareness 2, Presence 5

Powers: Immunity 7 (starvation & thirst, aging, poison, pressure, sleep) 5
Flight Flight 5 (60mph) 10
Force Field Protection 10 (Sustained, Impervious Toughness 17) 27
Larval SensesSenses 4 (Ranged Mental Detect Life, Darkvision) 4
Larval Touch Weaken Abilities 15 (Simultaneous, Contagious) (60)
Larval Magic (Array, 58 points)
Ensnaring Spell Snare 18 (Accurate 2) 56
•Telekinesis Move Object 18 (Accurate 2) 1
•Ray of Death Blast 18 (Accurate 2) 1

Advantages: Attractive 2, Benefit 5 (Ruler of the Larval Lands), Diehard, Fearless, Ranged Attack 6, Second Chance (Will Saves against Damage)

Skills Deception 4 (+9/+14), Expertise (Magic) 6 (+8), Insight 4 (+6), Intimidation 9 (+14), Perception 4 (+6), Persuasion 7 (+12/+17)

Offense
Initiative +2
Weaken Abilities +11 Damage 15 Fortitude
Blast +14 Damage 18
Snare +14 Affliction 18

Defense
Dodge 10 (8), Parry 10
Toughness 18/2, Fortitude 15 (7), Will 7 (5)

Abilities 70+Powers 164+Advantages 16+Skills 17+Defense 20=287

Complications
Weakness Alamandra can be Dazed by characters with holy symbols who win a Presence check against her.

•There is an extraplanar region known as the Larval Lands, where life and death are one. In this dimension, the Carrion Queen, Alamandra has ruled for centuries. She is a cold, implacable being that seeks to spread her message of decay and rebirth to the rest of the multiverse, starting with Earth. Various figures throughout time have stopped her, banishing or imprisoning her to save the Earth, from a Sir Francis Drake, Dr. John Dee, St. Germain, Mr. Mystery, and the Luciferian. However, she has never been killed, and as an immortal, she is always capable of trying again.

•Crooks! signature mystic and extradimensional threat, the Carrion Queen is not to be taken lightly. At the same PL as Darkseid, but with less resources, with massive damage dealing powers at her disposal, Alamandra is not to be taken lightly. She's a perfect foe for powerful wizard types like Dr. Strange or Dr. Fate, or Zatanna. She can also lead an invasion of the Earth with all kinds of undead and half-dead creatures at her disposal, making her a JLA or Avengers (or Freedom League) level foe. However, and this is the thing I like most about the Carrion Queen, she doesn't need to be beaten with brute force. She can be tricked, and she can even be charmed, if one is so inclined (despite her appearance, she does have an impressive Persuasion). In a darker campaign, she'd be an anti-villain, and heroes might very well come to rely on her, perhaps even returning her affections. She's also a good candidate for a Silver Age villain too, because she's less an evil person than she is a raw force of nature, an implacable foe (Again, much like Darkseid) who's relentless pursuit of conquest makes her a fun type for heroes to pound without feeling bad. Assuming they live that long, of course.

[Arthur Eld]

Rorschach
PL 6 90

Abilities
Strength 2, Stamina 3, Agility 2, Dexterity 2, Fighting 6, Intellect 2, Awareness 1, Presence 1

Advantages: Benefit (Cipher), Chokehold, Connected, Defensive Roll, Equipment, Fast Grab, Fearless, Great Endurance, Improved Initiative, Improvised Weapons, Move-by Action, Ranged Attack 4, Startle

Equipment
Flashlight, Grapple Gun

Skills: Acrobatics 2 (+4), Athletics 6 (+8), Close Attack (Unarmed) 3 (+8), Expertise (Streetwise) 6 (+8), Insight 4 (+5), Intimidation 8 (+9), Investigation 6 (+8), Perception 4 (+5), Stealth 5 (+7)

Offense
Initiative +6
Unarmed or Improvised Weapon +8 Damage 2 (or by weapon)

Defense
Dodge 7 (5), Parry 7 (1)
Toughness 4/3, Fortitude 5 (2), Will 7(6)

Abilities 38+Advantages 16+Skills 22+Defense 14=90

•Rorschach as a playable PL 6. Looking at my other low-PL 3E builds, you gotta wonder what a Scott Pilgrim/Rorschach cross-over would look like, right? My money's on Scott, before they inevitably teamed up. The real question is, what would happen if Scott dropped the PoL and Rorschach picked it up?

I don't know, but I do know it would be awesome.

[Arthur Eld]

Oh, I'll see you later all right, but you won't see me. Cause next time, I'll be deadly serious next time.

Roxy Richter
PL 6 69

Abilities
Strength 1, Stamina 2, Agility 2, Dexterity 2, Fighting 7, Intellect 1, Awareness 0, Presence 1

Powers: Teleport 1 (Change Direction)

Advantages: Equipment 4, Defensive Roll 2, Evasion, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Move-by Action

Equipment Sword whip (Strength-based Damage 3, Reach 3, Improved Critical, 7 ep), Smoke grenades (rank 3, 9 ep), Roller skates, 1 ep, 3 p unspent

Skills: Acrobatics 6 (+8), Athletics 4 (+5), Expertise (art) 7 (+8), Intimidation 4 (+5) Perception 2 (+2), Stealth 5 (+7)

Offense
Initiative +6
Sword-whip +7 Damage 4

Defense
Dodge 7 (5), Parry 7
Toughness 4/2, Fortitude 3 (1), Will 4 (4)

Abilities 32+Powers 3+Advantages 10+Skills 14+Defense 10=69

•Another Scott Pilgrim Evil Ex, #4 is Roxy Richter, an American half-ninja who's also an accomplished fine artist. In keeping with my 'best-of' builds, she's mostly comic-inspired but has the sword-whip of the movie version, cause that was just awesome. She also displays some teleportation-esque powers in the movie, so she has that, although with her Roller-blades (from the comics) she doesn't exactly need it, except for traveling through the air and such. All in all, she's not exactly a world-shaker, but she's still a decent street-level build, especially for being only 'half' ninja. I put her at the same level as Scott because in the comics, he's pretty afraid of her, despite eventually overcoming her. I figure it'd be a close fight, but with some accumulated Hero Points, he could take her.

[Arthur Eld]

Rose Monk
PL 15 225

Abilities
Strength 5, Stamina 5, Agility 8, Dexterity 5, Fighting 11, Intellect 3, Awareness 2, Presence 3

Powers:
Paralyzing Palm Affliction 13 (Hindered/Defenseless/Paralyzed, Resisted by Fortitude, Sustained, Cumulative) 52
•Catching the Rain Deflect 10 (Touch Range, Reflection) 1
•Fist of Eight Elements Strength Based Damage 12 (Improved Critical, Split Attack) 1
•Qi Resistance-Nullify 10 (Personal Range (-2), Reaction (+3), Broad, Simultaneous (all powers), Effortless, 5 points per) 1
•Nullifying Touch Nullify 13 (Touch Range (-1) Broad, Effortless, Concentration, Simultaneous (all powers) 4 points per1
Combat Awareness Senses 4 (Accurate Hearing, Radius Sight) 4
Punishing Strikes Strength-based Damage 2 2

Advantages: Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll 5, Evasion 2, Improved Critical (unarmed), Improved Initiative, Improved Hold, Precise Attack (Close, concealment), Ranged Attack 6, Takedown, Uncanny Dodge (Hearing)

Skills: Acrobatics 15 (+23), Athletics 3 (+8), Close Combat (unarmed) 2 (+13), Expertise (Arcana) 7 (+10), Insight 7 (+9), Perception 4 (+9), Sleight of Hand 16 (+21)

Offense
Initiative +12
Reflected Attacks +11
Unarmed +13 Damage 7/17 (Fist of the Eight Elements)

Defense
Dodge 20 (12), Parry 20 (9)
Toughness 10/5, Fortitude 8 (3), Will 10 (8)

Abilities 84+Powers 62+Advantages 20+Skills 27+Defense 32=225

•Daniel Ladd was a born fighter, a young martial art talent with a promising future. Involved with the underground international fighting circuit, Zensen, he fell afoul of a dangerous frenchman Lucien Cachot and was left beaten, bloodied and unconscious. He was then shipped off to China like so much unwanted trash. Nursed back to health by the boat's crew, he learned of the mystic martial arts of China, warriors and skills of legend.

Traveling in the wilds of China, Ladd gained acceptance into the Shang Qing temple, studying their style of spirit boxing. He gained the title of Rose Monk, the first foreigner to ever receive such an honor. However, one day a fellow foreign student, who had trained with Ladd before leaving, returned with the Chinese military, intent to wipe out the monks. Ladd crushed the soldiers and had the former student at his mercy, when his master's teachings, of non-violence and non-involvement, shamed him into peace. He left, never to return, and one day happened on a lost book of Shang Qing wisdom. From this book he unlocked greater martial talents and found a new purpose, to become the world's single greatest warrior. Upon learning of his resurgence, five dangerous superhumans from the Zensen Tournament ambushed Ladd, hoping to crush the once-famed fighter and his rumored of new skills. Forced to rely on his new talents and near death, Ladd once more gave into his warrior nature, killing four of his opponents and leaving the last to spread the name of the unbeatable Rose Monk.

Now he travels the world, learning, growing in wisdom and power. He's already one of the world's deadliest fighters, and he gets better all the time.

•I always liked the Rose Monk, so here he is in all his glory, his world's Lady Shiva, or Shang Chi, a Badass Normal that makes other Badass Normals look just regular normal. At PL 15, he could go toe-to-toe with Superman and have a fair shot at victory. I'd like to see Lady Shiva do that. He's concentrated kick-ass in a person-sized container, with the unusual for a martial artist trade-off of accuracy for power. He can of course, bump his attack bonus up to +15. His other martial talents are no less impressive, he can paralyze foes with a touch, turn off someone's powers simply by striking the right pressure points or nerve clusters, and he can concentrate his Qi to resist parahuman powers. He's a better acrobat than Nightwing and is better at avoiding area effects than the Flash. He's the Rose Monk, and he's awesome. And he's perfectly playable for a PC, provided your campaign is Superman-level.

[Arthur Eld]

Beholder
PL 12 185

Abilities:
Strength 2 (8), Stamina 2, Agility 2 (8), Dexterity 2 (8), Fighting 11, Intellect 3, Awareness 1, Presence 12/2

Powers:
Astral Form Linked Remote Sensing 5 (Visual, Auditory, Limited, body is helpless) & Communication 2 (Auditory)) 20
Demon Blessing Protection 10 10
Altered Pain Perception Enhanced Strength 6, Enhanced Agility 6, Dexterity 6 (Fades, Limited to having taken a hit) 9
Syringes (Removable -1) 32
Muscle relaxants Affliction 12 (Impaired/Defenseless/Paralyzed Resisted by Fortitude, Cumulative, Limited must inflict Damage first, Linked to Strength-based Damage 1, Linked to Weaken Agility 12 & Dexterity 12 (Simultaneous), Limited-must inflict damage first
•Anesthesia Affliction 8 (Fatigued/Exhausted/Incapacitated (Resisted by Fortitude, Cumulative, Limited-must inflict Damage first, Linked to Strength-based Damage 1, Linked to Limited-must inflict Damage first)Weaken Strength & Stamina 8 (Simultaneous)
•Psychotropics Affliction 12 (Resisted by Fortitude, Entranced/Compelled/Controlled, Limited to controlling emotions, Cumulative)
In with the 'In' Crowd Enhanced Charisma 10 (Limited to avant garde art fans/posers) 10

Advantages Equipment 3, Fascinate (Performance), Language 1 (English, base Spanish), Ranged Attack 9, Taunt, Trance

Equipment: Heavy pistol (Blast 5), Knife (Strength-based Damage 2, Improved Critical)

Skills: Deception 6 (+8/+18), Expertise (Psychology) 8 (+11), Expertise (Performance art) 10 (+12/+22), Expertise (science) 6 (+7), Technology 7 (+10)

Offense Initiative +2
Syringes +11 Damage 3, Linked to Affliction 12 & Weaken 12, or Affliction 8 & Weaken 8
Pistol +11/+17 Damage 5

Defense
Dodge 12 (10), Parry 12 (1)
Toughness 12, Fortitude 5 (3) Will 6 (5)

Abilities 50+Powers 81+Advantages 16+Skills 19+Defense 19=185

The Beholder was once known as Humberto, a Mexican artist who constantly pushed the boundaries of the avant-garde art scene. He was famous and talented, but marked by a dark destiny. The pressures of his life-style, drove him to explode the concept of 'beauty'. Traveling to South-America, he grew enamored of pain and body-modification, studying the techniques of scarification and sensory-alteration. Encouraged to undergo a narcotics-fueled vision by one tribal shaman, Humberto encountered a group of cultured demons. These infernal art fans bestowed certain 'gifts' on Humberto, in exchange for entrance into his outresocial circle, they enhanced his sense of pain, truly broadening his horizons.

When he awoke from this trance, Humberto discovered he had slaughtered the entire village with his bare hands, and arranged the gore into complex decorative patterns. Invigorated by his latest creation, he set about redefining the artistic process through violence.

Humberto kept the South American incident secret, but his burgeoning obsession with mutilation soon began to find its way into his work. He disfigured his own face with a box-cutter, brick, and tattoo needle, symbolically severing his ties to humanity.

Thereafter, he set about systematically dismantling his stardom. Each experimental piece became increasingly offensive and inaccessible. His projects, though depraved, had a hauntingly beautiful aesthetic. The populace was horrified, sociologists were disturbed, and art critics were delighted. In many alternative circles, his popularity only grew.

Ever evolving, Humberto crossed a line at a 1998 fashion premiere in Milan. He slashed the faces of some of his models, and stapled and stitched high-fashion garments directly to their bodies. Luckily, superheroes foiled his show and saved many lives, but Humberto escaped. He proclaimed himself the Beholder, ultimate arbiter of the new beauty, and continued to commit terrorist acts in the name of art.

Since that horrific event, the Beholder has traveled the world, opening disgusting private exhibits that cater to humanity’s most jaded tastes. He considers himself an artist first and foremost, and reacts bitterly to any suggestion that he is a supervillain, seeing his crimes as statements of high artistic purpose meant to spur the world into reconsidering how it defines beauty.

•The Beholder is a nasty piece of work. He's the world's "first fully functioning homicidal artist," with all that entails. He'll cut people up, burn em, whatever, all in the name of art and beauty. Thanks to his demon blessing, he gets stronger the more he's hurt, and is able to venture into the astral realm. He also has a variety of dangerous chemical syringes to sedate his opponents so they're more cooperative 'models'. A classic Iron Age villain, he'd be a good character to drop into Freedom City during the Moore years, and would be equally at home in some darker modern campaigns. I could see Daredevil or Batman busting up one of his 'art shows', although with his touch of the supernatural, he's probably a better fit for John Constantine.

[JackGiantkiller]

I'm enjoying your conversions of the old villains, Eld. Where the heck did I put my copy of Crooks?

[Tattooedman]

I'm liking your takes on the people of Crooks! AE, now personally I'm not entirely wild about some of them but your builds have gotten my mind going over a couple different ways they could be used in an FC setting.

[Arthur Eld]

Thanks for the kind words, guys.

@T-Man: Yeah, one thing I like about Crooks! is that the characters are very modular, by dint of the Meta-4 setting never having been fully fleshed out. So you have all these great characters with abundant backstory, just waiting to be dropped into a campaign with only minor tweaking. And some of them make really good villains for FC characters.

[FuzzyBoots]

It also helps that you're raising their low saves/defenses in the process. Some of them were criminally low...

As regards the Beholder, anyone else notice how the 2E version had some subtle changes to the history, including no longer having his mask made out of the Shroud of Turin?

[Tattooedman]

Thanks for the kind words, guys.

@T-Man: Yeah, one thing I like about Crooks! is that the characters are very modular, by dint of the Meta-4 setting never having been fully fleshed out. So you have all these great characters with abundant backstory, just waiting to be dropped into a campaign with only minor tweaking. And some of them make really good villains for FC characters.

That sums up a lot of why I like the Crooks! characters in a nutshell. As it is, some of the ones I've already done builds of in my thread should be making an appearance at some point in my FORCE Ops PbP game.

[Arthur Eld]

Murderman
PL 13 234

Abilities
Strength 3, Stamina 3, Agility 2, Dexterity 2, Fighting 10, Intellect 3, Awareness 3, Presence 20 (7)

Powers
Boss of All Bosses Enhanced Presence 13 26
Fear Aura Affliction 13 (Impaired, Compelled [flee], Controlled [drop and flee or cower], Subtle 2, Burst Area, Increased Area (60 feet), Cumulative, Compelling and Controlling Limited, Resisted by Will) 41

Advantages: Benefit 6 (Cipher, Wealth 4, Status-Crime Lord), Connected, Contacts, Equipment 9, Inspire 2, Leadership, Luck, Ranged Attack 8, Sidekick 25 (Butcher Boy)

Skills: Deception 3 (+23/+10), Expertise (business) 10 (+13), Expertise (streetwise) 10 (+13), Insight 10 (+13), Intimidation 3 (+23/+10), Investigation 17 (+20), Perception 4 (+7), Persuasion 3 (+23), Technology 2 (+5)

Equipment: Cell phone 1 ep
Heavy Pistol (+5) 10ep
Murdermobile (As Car, Speed 6, Hidden Compartments) 12ep
The Muder cave (As Statey Manor) 19ep

Offense
Initiative +2
Pistol +10 Damage 5
Unarmed +10 Damage 3

Defense
Dodge 10 (8), Parry 10
Toughness 3, Fortitude 5 (2), Will 9 (6)

Abilities 66+Powers 67+Advantages 54+Skills 31+Defense 16=234

Butcher Boy
PL 10

Abilities
Strength 3, Stamina 3, Agility 3, Dexterity 3, Fighting 8, Intellect 0, Awareness 0, Presence 1

Advantages: Accurate Attack, Ambidexterity, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll 4, Equipment 3, Evasion 2, Improved Critical 2 (cleavers), Improved Defense, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Improved Smash, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 5, Takedown, Uncanny Dodge

Equipment: Cleavers (Strength based Damage 5, Penetrating 5, Split Attack) 11ep

Skills: Close Combat (cleavers) 4 (+12), Expertise (Streetwise) 8 (+8), Insight 6 (+6), Intimidation 15 (+16), Investigation 11 (+11), Perception 8 (+8), Sleight of Hand 8 (+11), Stealth 4 (+7)

Offense
Initiative +7
Cleavers +12 Damage 8, critical 18-20

Defense
Dodge 13 (10), Parry 13 (5)
Toughness 7/3, Fortitude 6 (3), Will 6 (6)

Abilities 42+Advantages 26+Skills 32+Defense 24=124

By day, Reginald Carter is a wealthy playboy, entrepreneur, and eccentric, on the boards of several multinational companies. By night, he is Murder Man, a vicious crimelord who wiped out most of his competitors in the early 80s and now controls nearly all the crime in the city. He's preternaturally charismatic, and can strike fear in the hearts of any.

After an attempt on his life by a superhero, Carter realized he needed an heir. So he adopted Ricky Faust, an eleven-year-old orphan who was charismatic, ingenious, and mean. Over 5 years, Carter slowly revealed his criminal lifestyle to Faust, but the boy had already discovered much of this truth on the own, and leapt at the chance to become part of Murder Man's inner circle. Faust become Carter's go-to muscle, carrying a pair of meat cleavers and adopting the name Butcher Boy. While Carter runs his criminal organizations like a business, Faust is a little too gung-ho about being a costume villain.

With Butcher Boy at his side, Murder Man has all but solidified his stranglehold over Arcadia’s criminal underground, bringing together all manner of lawbreakers. Those who challenge the control Murder Man exercises over the city find themselves quietly disappeared, or worse, subjected to a visit from the psychotic Butcher Boy.

•Murder Man and Butcher, two villains your players will love to hate. There's obviously a very Dynamic Duo vibe to the pair, and that alone makes them cool villains. Butcher Boy channels modern Jason Todd in a Robin-era Jason Todd way. Murder Man is a classic Kingpin type who's less active about getting his hands dirty these days, more of a Batman Beyond Bruce, with the not inconsiderable twist of parahuman fear powers. Butcher Boy is the more visible of the two, cutting off limbs with glee while Murder Man should remain both visible and untouchable to the heroes-they know Murder Man exists, and they know Reginald Carter is up to something, but they have know idea that the two are one and the same, and couldn't find enough evidence to lock Carter away if they could. Murder Man's Cipher benefit is also useful for protecting him in grim and gritty campaigns, when heroes are less likely to lock him up as opposed to burying him. Knowing he's involved is one thing, but tracking Murder Man down should never be easy, especially when Butcher Boy is trying to hack your arms off.