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

[Arthur Eld]

Robin
PL 8 158

Abilities
Strength 2, Stamina 2, Agility 3, Dexterity 3, Fighting 7, Intellect 5, Awareness 4, Presence 2

Advantages: Beginner's Luck, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 5, Evasion, Improved Initiative, Languages 2, Move-by Action, Precise Attack (close, concealment), Quick Draw, Ranged Attack 5, Redirect, Set-up, Takedown, Teamwork, Tracking

Equipment Binoculars, Costume-Subtle Protection 2, Grapple Gun, Mini-tracers
Arsenal: Bolos (Snare 5), AE: Batarangs-Ranged Strength-based Damage 2, AE: Flash Bombs (Ranged Burst Area Visual Dazzle 5), AE: Smoke Bombs (Cloud Area Visual Concealment Attack 4)

Skills: Acrobatics 8 (+11), Athletics 6 (+8), Close Combat (unarmed) 5 (+12), Deception 8 (+10), Expertise (criminology) 9 (+14), Expertise (streetwise) 8 (+13), Insight 8 (+12), Intimidation 5 (+7), Investigation 12 (+17), Perception 8 (+12), Persuasion 6 (+8), Ranged Combat (thrown objects) 4 (+12), Stealth 9 (+12), Sleight of Hand 6 (+9), Technology 5 (+10), Treatment 1 (+6)

Offense
Initiative +7
Unarmed +12 Damage 2
Batarangs +12 Damage 4

Defense
Dodge 11 (8), Parry 1 1(4)
Toughness 5/4, Fortitude 6 (4), Will 10 (6)

Abilities 56+Advantages 25+Skills 55+Defenses 22=158

•Not too much to say about this re-done Robin. Tim Drake here never suffered any personal tragedy, he's a bit older than most incarnations (about 19 when he started working with Batman), but he's still the genius detective who figured out Bruce Wayne was Batman all on his own. Not really a front-line fighter, he can still hold his own against most threats, but would have a hard time against a superhuman, or even a really dangerous street-level villain (like the Joker).

•Man I love that costume. I don't know why, but masks like that, that kinda look like plague doctor masks, are a big hit with me. Part of why Rose was one of my favorite Visored.

[Dureign]

Hmm, interesting. I was expecting a less combative Robin, with no acrobatics skills, and a much higher Intellect score and Investigation skills HIGHER than Batman. The way Diaz wrote it, it sounds like Robin's Intellect should be higher than Batman's. During his Livecast drawing of the Bat family, Diaz said he envisioned Tim Drake as the most cerebral of the group, who let Batman and Batgirl beat the crap out of baddies, and then Robin would walk in cooly and backfist the last guy and say "So can I get to work yet?"

Perhaps the issue I have is that Diaz's interpretation states that his Batman is a great detective, as in the traditional process of finding clues, following up on leads, pressuring contacts, etc., while Robin is the crime scene investigation genius. So in another hypothetical game, Batman's Sleuth and Behavioral Criminology skill would be up there, but Robin's Forensics, CSI, Pathology, and Chemistry skills would be way up there; in M&M, its ALL just Investigation.

[Arthur Eld]

That might be part of it. But he also mentioned that Robin was no slouch in combat, he just wisely defers to Batman.

And, one thing I considered when doing the write-up was that Robin is like 19, and he's far less into the superhero thing than Batman-whose had years of training. Batman might be a better detective, but not by much, and when you consider those other factors, it makes plenty of sense. To me, at least, but I do see some of your points. Plus I gave Robin skill mastery (Investigation), which I did not give to Batman.

However, I think I will go and edit Robin slightly. Bump his Int up to 5, drop a few skills.

[Dureign]

That makes a lot of sense, actually; Batman is still better because he's insane, and also because he's been at it for so long (while insane). Robin has way more potential, but is still very much still a ways to go before he becomes the man he's destined to be.

I didn't catch the Skill Mastery; that seems perfect.

Did I mention Batman is insane?

[Arthur Eld]

Well of course he is. "A guy who dresses up like a bat clearly has issues."

Batgirl and Oracle coming soon!

[Arthur Eld]

Batgirl
PL 8 141

Abilities
Strength 2, Stamina 2, Agility 4, Dexterity 4, Fighting 9, Intellect 2, Awareness 3, Presence 2

Advantages: Agile Feint, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 10, Grabbing Finesse, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Move-by Action, Ranged Attack 6, Quick Draw, Set-Up, Skill Mastery (Stealth)

Equipment
Armored Costume Protection 2, Subtle
Extending Staff Strength-based Damage 2, Reach
Utility Belt
Bat-Tasers Ranged Affliction 6 (Dazed/Stunned/Incapacitated, resisted by Fort, Diminished Range 2)
•Batarangs Ranged Strength-based Damage 2, Enhanced Feat-Improved Disarm
Batgun
Tranquilizer darts Cumulative Affliction 6 (Resisted by Fort, Dazed&Hindered/Stunned&Disabled/Asleep), Subtle
•Rubber Bullets Blast 4, Subtle
•Tear gas grenades Ranged cloud Affliction 4 (resisted by Fort, Dazed&vision impaired/stunned&vision disabled/incapacitated)
•Smoke grenades Ranged Cloud Area Visual Concealment 4
•Zip line and grapple Movement 1 (swinging)
Goggles Enhanced Feats-Improved Aim, Precise Attack (Ranged, cover), Senses 1 Extended vision,
night vision

Skills: Acrobatics 8 (+12), Athletics 6 (+8), Close Attack (staff) 2 (+11), Deception 6 (+8), Expertise (criminology) 5 (+7), Insight 6 (+9), Investigation 6 (+8), Perception 9 (+12), Ranged Combat (batarangs) 2 (+12), Sleight of Hand 7 (+11), Stealth 10 (+14), Technology 5 (+7)

Offense
Initiative +8
Batgun+10 Affliction 6/Blast 4
Batarangs +12 Damage 4
Staff +11 Damage 4

Defense
Dodge 11 (7), Parry 11 (2)
Toughness 5/4, Fortitude 6 (4), Will 8 (7)

Abilities 54+Advantages 27+Skills 40+Defenses 20=141

•Batgirl is Stephanie Brown, the daughter of Ed Brown, AKA Edward Nygma, AKA The Riddler. She became the Spoiler to foil his plans, and lead to Batman's first capture of the genius criminal. Seeing he had unknowingly made the young girl an orphan, and knowing how hard an experience that is, Bruce Wayne made her his ward.

•Steph Brown Batgirl is Batman's assistant, more a part of the Dynamic Duo than Robin is. Bad guy running up behind Batman with a knife? Boom, Steph drops him with a rubber bullet to the temple from a rooftop two hundred feet away. As Diaz himself said, Batgirl's greatest strength is that few bad guys even know she exists. I absolutely love those goggles.

[Dureign]

Awesome Batgirl! I love the goggles too. But no Teamwork?

[Arthur Eld]

Teamwork is mostly for assisting other people in making skill checks. I don't see this Batgirl doing that a whole lot-she helps Batman from the shadows. Robin got it because there are things he would directly assist Batman with, skill-wise: Investigation checks, Perception checks, Expertise and Technology. I don't see Steph doing that sort of thing enough for her to get the extra bonus provided by the Advantage. She can still help Batman out with checks, though, and probably does-mostly for Perception, I'd wager.

Plus, in Diaz's notes he's stated she's still new at this, so she wouldn't have that much experience working with Batman, at least not enough to help him in that way.

[Dureign]

Makes sense. Batgirl will have to be satisfied with no Teamwork bonus when she Aids Batman, then.

[Arthur Eld]

Oracle
PL 9 104

Abilities
Strength 0, Stamina 0, Agility 0, Dexterity 1, Fighting 6, Intellect 4, Awareness 3, Presence 1

Powers
Hacker genius Quickness 3 (limited to Technology tasks) 1
Exoskeleton Feature 1 (buys off Disability complication), Comprehend 2 (Computers), Removable 4

Advantages: Assessment, Contacts, Eidetic Memory, Equipment 5, Inspire 3, Inventor, Jack of All Trades, Skill Mastery (Technology), Well-Informed

Skills: Deception 6 (+7), Expertise (business) 4 (+8), Expertise (criminology) 6 (+10), Expertise (medicine) 2 (+6), Expertise (science) 12 (+16), Expertise (streetwise) 4 (+8), Insight 6 (+9), Investigation 9 (+13), Perception 6 (+9), Persuasion 2 (+3), Sleight Of Hand 2 (+3), Stealth 2 (+2), Technology 15 (+19), Treatment 2 (+6), Vehicles 2 (+3)

Offense
Initiative +0

Defense
Dodge 4 (4), Parry 6
Toughness , Fortitude 4 (4), Will 9 (6)

Abilities 30+Powers 5+Advantages 15+Skills 40+Defenses 14=104

Complications
Disability Due to injuries the Joker and her man inflicted on her years ago, Barbara is unable to walk without her custom exoskeleton. She's also near-sighted.
Hermit Despite once being a bright, personable college student, Barbara is now a virtual shut-in, spending more and more time with machines.

•Barbara Gordon here followes the basic Orcale story-line, except she was Batman's ally before Tim was. However, Batman wasn't really used to working with others, and he sent her off on her own at one point. This led to the Joker and his men beating her into paralysis. After that, her vigilante days were over, but she refused to give up. She helped work on Wayne Industries prothesis-tech, to create an exoskeleton for herself. In addition to helping her walk, she can also directly uplink to certain computer systesms.

•Diaz Oracle is pretty much the same as the usual Oracle, but with much less interaction with other people. Her exoskeleton is a nifty choice, and says 'superhero world' much more than a wheelchair. She's clearly a support character, but has the potential to be very helpful. Her inventions can help the Bat-Family, and with her Inspire, she can whisper helpful advice into the commlinks of the team. I didn't stat out her Equipment, but comm links to the others, among other stuff (including an HQ), should be in there.

[Dureign]

Awesome Oracle! The Bat family has their gadgeteer, inventor, and logistics person now.

I like Diaz's take on Oracle, in that she starts off as introverted and stuck in her own world - the same way Batman, and to a lesser extent, Batgirl are. Batman's world is obvious (his mission), and Batgirl's is the sheer excitement and newness of being a superhero. Oracle's is the obsession to prove her worth and usefulness, since she privately blames herself for her injuries and letting Batman down. And Robin is the only grounded one who sees the bigger picture - he has the fun job of keeping the Batfamily focused.

I imagine eventually Oracle will get over her insularity and become the Oracle we all know: information broker to the superhero world. Hell, maybe she'll end up designing a battlesuit of some sort to allow her back into active duty again... a precursor to the Batman Beyond suit?

[Arthur Eld]

That's actually a really good idea. Given Oracle's greater strength in general technology and not just computers, if the Bat Family needs a certain gadget for a specific opponent, odds are she'll be the one to whip it up.

Gorilla Grodd coming next!

[Arthur Eld]

Cornelis 'Gorilla' Grodd
PL 12 174

Abilities
Strength 5, Stamina 4, Agility 3, Dexterity 2, Fighting 3, Intellect 11, Awareness 5, Presence 2

Powers
Animal Senses Senses 2 (low-light vision, acute scent) 2
Hypnosis Mind Control 12, Subtle, Vision-dependent 37
Super Genius Mental Quickness 4 2

Advantages: Defensive Roll, Diehard, Eidetic Memory, Equipment 8, Improvised Tools, Inspire 3, Inventor, Skill Mastery (technology), Ultimate Expertise-Science

Skills: Athletics 3 (+8), Close Combat (unarmed) 3 (+5) Deception 5 (+7), Expertise (current events) 2 (+13), Expertise (science) 11 (+22), Expertise ( tactics) 5 (+16), Insight 6 (+11), Intimidation 2 (+4), Investigation 2 (+13), Perception 6 (+11), Technology 11 (+22)

Offense
Initiative +2
Unarmed +6 Damage 5

Defense
Dodge 7 (4), Parry 7 (4)
Toughness 5/4, Fortitude 7 (3), Will 12 (7)

Abilities 70+Powers 40+Advantages 18+Skills 28+Defenses 18=174

Complications
Freakish Appearance Grodd hates his new form, and is working with Luthor to find a cure.
Ambition Grodd was never one to settle for what he had, and with his new intelligence

•Grodd here was a human scientist who worked at LexCorp, a geneticist tasked with replicating Superman's invulnerability. He sabotaged STAR Labs scientist Ananth Patil's work (which led to him becoming the Flash), and stole some of his samples. He tampered with them, and after modification, thought he coudl gain invulnerability and doubled intelligence. Grodd took the serum and recieved the heightened intelligence he expected-but instead of becoming nigh-impervious to harm, he instead turned into an ape-like, hominid-esque creature. Luthor offered him funding to help turn himself back to normal, in return for a favor-Grodd would create a team of supervillains to keep Superman and his allies busy. Grodd agreed, all the while scheming against his benefactor.

•In addition to his new form giving him strength greater than most humans, and his super intelligence putting on equal, if not greater, footing with Luthor, Grodd also has the ability to hypnotize those who look into his eye. While he's not exactly a great front-line fighter, Mind Control is still a dangerous ability, and he has Inspire, not becuase he's a great leader, but to represent his mind for tactics. With the secret backing of Luthor and the genius and cunning of Grodd, the Legion of Doom has a lot going for it in a behind the scenes kind of way.

[Arthur Eld]

Lex Luthor
PL 13 191

Abilities
Strength 1, Stamina 2, Agility 1, Dexterity 2, Fighting 3, Intellect 11, Awareness 3, Presence 5

Powers
LexCorp Tech Variable 10, Move Action, Easily Removable 48

Advantages: Benefit 6 (Fame, Wealth 5), Connected, Contacts, Defensive Roll 2, Eidetic Memory, Inspire 2, Improvised tools, Inventor, Languages 2, Leadership, Ranged Attack 6, Seize Initiative, Set-Up, Skill Mastery (technology), Well-Informed

Skills: Close combat (unarmed) 2 (+5), Deception 10 (+15), Expertise (business) 6 (+17), Expertise (current events) 4 (+15), Expertise (science) 12 (+23), Insight 8 (+11), Intimidation 4 (+9), Perception 6 (+9), Persuasion 10 (+15), Technology 12 (+23)

Offense
Initiative +1
Unarmed +5 Damage 1

Defense
Dodge 7 (6), Parry 7 (4)
Toughness 4/2, Fortitude 5 (3), Will 12 (9)

Abilities 56+Powers 48+Advantages 28+Skills 37+Defenses 22=191

Complications
Fame Being famous is a double-edged sword, even if Luthor is a master of spin and PR.
Secret Very few people suspect Luthor is anything but the bright, shinign star of technology and commerce that he portrays himself as. Even those who do (the government, mostly), dont' suspect just how far he'll go into illegality and evil.
Enemy Superman
Motivation Luthor is a self-made man, possessed of an 'indefatigeable superiority complex.' If he wants to acoomplish a goal, it'll get done. And his goals are big.

•Diaz Luthor is basically the best of white-collar Luthor and mad scientist Luthor rolled into one. The result is basically a very personable and publicly adored Steve Jobs who whips up death rays and killer robots in addition to PDAs and commercial technological innovations. He's behind the secret group of villains that opposes the Justice League, and is arch enemies with Superman-someone who has an image as good as his own, but is actually morally upright, and worse yet, not tied to a real public identity. He's behind a lot of bad stuff, and also worked with the CIA to create Power Girl.

•This Luthor is basically the official write-up, one PL lower (since he's not quite the god of technology in this setting-he's still a genius among geniuses, but he's involved with so much other stuff that he's not quite as focused), and slightly better at being interpersonal. This is a guy who appears on the Today show and charms people with his wit and smile while amazing them with his creations, then at night he deals with the government to make better killing machines. And then he has Grodd organize thefts to get him rare manufacturing materials. In other words, he's Lex Luthor. His PR would never let him walk around in a clunky battlesuit, so instead he gets gadgets, lots and lots of gadgets.

[Dureign]

I love the new villains. Grodd, especially his shout-out to Planet of the Apes, is awesome; I like that he has Mental Quickness as a result of his mutated state, which would give him the edge over Luthor in the intellectual arena.

I LOVE this Steve Jobs/media demagogue Lex Luthor. Especially with the state of Apple's supply chain humanitarian issues... I'm not saying Steve Jobs orchestrated it (I was an early Mac booster and loved Jobs until Apple seemed to turn into the thing it had been rebelling against), but it feels Luthor-esque. Question: I feel like this demagogue Lex Luthor should have higher Deception and Persuasion, since he's more a manipulator now then the obvious tech-lord, or maybe Skill Masteries in those areas?