Friday, November 20, 2015

Nick Fury—Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.

This is our first fully-fledged agent of the highly secretive organization, S.H.I.E.L.D. Odd bit of trivia: Samuel L. Jackson was cast for the role because in the Ultimates comic line, they based Nick Fury off of SLJ's image, and when Sam saw the similarities, he stated that he was totally okay with that so long as he would be cast for the role if they ever featured him in a movie.

Boy, I bet he wasn't expecting all of this to come about.


Name: Nick Fury
Race: Human
Experience: 140 (Legendary)
Agility d8; Smarts d10; Spirit d8; Strength d6; Vigor d8
Pace 6; Parry 6; Charisma –1; Toughness 8 (2)
Hindrances: Habit (m, very secretive), Loyal, One Eye, Stubborn
Edges: Alertness, Brave, Command, Hard to Kill, Marksman, Steady Hands, Dodge, Connections—S.H.I.E.L.D., Strong Willed, Quick Draw, Nerves of Steel, First Strike
Skills: Driving d8, Fighting d8, Intimidation d6, Knowledge (Battle) d6, Knowledge (Espionage) d10, Notice d6, Persuasion d8, Shooting d10, Stealth d8, Streetwise d8, Taunt d6
Inventory: Eye Patch, Long Coat, Glock 17 (2d6, AP 1, 12/24/48, Semi-Auto, 17 Shots), Kevlar Vest (Armor +2/+4 vs ballistics, negates 4 ballistic AP).

Fury is a no-nonsense and highly efficient tactician and spy. He has led S.H.I.E.L.D. for more than a decade and can disappear whenever the situation requires it. He has deep connections almost everywhere and has an incredibly commanding presence, easily netting him the legendary status of the super spy.

Nick Fury's past is shrouded in mystery. Not much is known about the mysterious director of S.H.I.E.L.D.; perhaps he worked for the military, or maybe the CIA. Either way, he join S.H.I.E.L.D. under the direction of Alexander Pierce. As one of their top agents, he was extremely secretive and efficient in carrying out his missions, even disobeying direct orders if it meant saving civilian lives.

Eventually, Fury became the director of the agency, and began to put together the Avengers Initiative: a special task-force of talented or powered individuals meant to deal with global threats to humanity. Fearing the possibility of one of the Avengers falling, Fury also created Project T.A.H.I.T.I., leaving it in the hand of Agent Coulson. He also rebooted efforts to locate Captain America.

Fury's world spun out of control, however, when he had to juggle not only Tony Stark's incident at the Expo and Banner rampaging back into U.S. territory, but also having to respond to a first contact situation in New Mexico. Nearly a year later, Captain Rogers was found and revived from the ice, and Fury oversaw his recovery and rehabilitation. After so long, however, the Avengers Initiative began to lose traction with the World Security Council and they ordered him to move to Phase 2—re-engineering weapons technology created by HYDRA during WWII using the Tesseract.

This ended up becoming a gateway for Loki to arrive on Earth and begin wreaking havoc, and without Phase 2 making any notable headway Fury fell back onto the Avengers Initiative. He gathered Stark, Banner, Rogers, and Thor together, along with Agent Romanov, and set up a mobile command base on his helicarrier. After bringing in—and subsequently losing—Loki, Fury used the death of Agent Coulson to further push the Avengers into uniting and overcoming Loki's Chitauri invaders.

Years after the Battle of New York, before the launch of Project: Insight, some of the information Fury discovered led him to be the target of an assassination attempt by the Winter Soldier, but with the help of Agent Hill, he faked his death and went into hiding. He assisted Captain Rogers and Agent Romanov to overthrow Project: Insight and HYDRA—destroying S.H.I.E.L.D. in the process. Out of a job and likely on a HYDRA kill list, Fury went underground and stayed there for more than a year, occasionally coming out of the woodwork once or twice to assist Agent Coulson and provide the Avengers with a Helicarrier during the Battle of Sokovia. Fury appears to be working with the New Avengers as an intelligence officer.
—DoctorBoson

Thursday, November 19, 2015

Thor—God of Thunder

Our second Avenger to earn an entry here, Thor was one of those few that I simply couldn't represent his powers (particularly the power of Mjolnir) without amping up things a bit. This is why I added another Power Level: Deity, giving you 90 Power Points, and a total of 100.

With that minor tweak, I think I've managed to fully capture the awesome might of this Norse deity.


Name: Thor Odinson
Race: Asgardian
Experience: 200 (Legendary)
Power Level: Deity with Super Karma (100 PP)
Agility d10; Smarts d6; Spirit d8; Strength d12+8; Vigor d12+2
Pace 6; Parry 8; Charisma 4; Toughness 26 (8)
Hindrances: Arrogant, Code of Honor, Heroic, Loyal, Overconfident
Edges: Arcane Background (Super Powers), Attractive, Brawny, Noble, Sweep, Improved First Strike, Frenzy, Command, Recall Device, Combat Reflexes, Take the Hit, Trademark Weapon (Mjolnir), Improved Dodge, Counterattack, Nerves of Steel, Mighty Blow
Skills: Fighting d12, Intimidation d8, Knowledge (Battle) d4, Notice d6, Persuasion d6, Riding d4, Shooting d10, Stealth d6, Throwing d10
Inventory: Mjolnir, Commlink
Powers:
  • Armor +8 (2): Device (–1, Armor), Limitation (–1, no helmet).
  • Attack, Melee (6): Damage Str+d6, AP 2, Heavy Weapon, Multiple Attacks.
  • Energy Control (7): Electricity. Selective.
  • Leaping (2): Level 2. Leaps 4" vertically and 8" horizontally.
  • Speed (2): Pace 12.
  • Regeneration (5): Level 3, rolls to heal every 10 minutes. Limitation (–1, Level 1 against Frost Giant decay).
  • Resistance (5): Electricity. +4 to resist effects, direct attacks cause half damage.
  • Speak Language (1): Written Word. Limitation (–1, only works on creatures from the Nine Realms). (All-tongue).
  • Storm (4): Lightning Strike. Device (–2, Mjolnir).
  • Super Attribute (22): Agility +1, Strength +8, Vigor +2.
  • Toughness +7 (10): Hardy.
Mjolnir (Switchable):
  • Lightning Blast (13): Range 24/48/96 or Cone, Damage 3d10, RoF 1, MBT, AP 4, Heavy Weapon, Lethal. Device (–2, Mjolnir).
  • Flight (21): Mach 1, Climb 0, –6 to hit while flying. Device (–2, Mjolnir). Switchable (primary).
with
  • Lightning Surge (24): Range 50/100/200 or Cone, Damage 4d10, RoF 2, LBT, AP 4, Heavy Weapon, Lethal. Device (–2, Mjolnir), Slow to Activate.
with
  • Mjolnir Throw (26): Range 50/100/200, Damage Str+3d6, RoF 5, AP 4, Heavy Weapon, Thrown. Device (–2, Mjolnir), Limitation (–1, enemies must be in a line).
with
  • Charged Mjolnir (13): Damage Str+5d6, AP 6, Focus, Heavy Weapon, One Arm. Device (–2, Mjolnir), Slow to Activate.
  • Flight (13): Mach 1, Climb 0, –6 to hit while flying. Device (–2, Mjolnir).
with
  • Mjolnir (8): Damage Str+3d6, AP 4, Heavy Weapon, Multiple Attacks, One Arm. Device (–2, Mjolnir).
  • Deflection (1): –4 to hit with ranged attacks. Device (–2, Mjolnir), Limitation (–1, energy weapons only).
  • Flight (13): Mach 1, Climb 0, –6 to hit while flying. Device (–2, Mjolnir).
  • Whirlwind (2): Twister. Device (–2, Mjolnir).
Clocking in at well over a thousand years old, Thor Odinson is the prince of Asgard and protector of the Nine Realms. He and his brother Loki were raised together, though Thor was groomed by his father, Odin, while Loki was taught by their mother, Frigga. Gifted with the hammer Mjolnir, Thor became one of the greatest warriors of Asgard, as well as being the strongest by a wide margin.

This power, however, was accompanied by an almost legendary arrogance and brash violence. Thor's policy was always "hit first, ask questions later," which came to a head when the Jotun attempted to break into Odin's weapons vault. He left with Loki, Sif, and the Warriors Three to Jotunheim himself, nearly starting a war, and for this act he was stripped of his power and title, banished to Midgard until he could prove himself worthy to wield Mjolnir again.

Even as a human, Thor's strength was almost unparalleled, but his landing on Earth left him in unfamiliar territory. With the help of some friends, including Jane Foster, he found the crash site of Mjolnir, guarded by a S.H.I.E.L.D. outpost. Upon reaching it—mostly by smashing through about a dozen S.H.I.E.L.D. personnel—he was not found worthy and detained. Loki then briefly visited, telling him that their father had died and their mother forbade his return. He was humbled by his circumstances, and began to learn the human way of life when Sif and the Warriors Three arrived to tell him that Loki betrayed them.

They were shortly followed by the Destroyer, and after nearly sacrificing himself, Thor was found worthy and Mjolnir returned his power to him once again. He quickly made his way back to Asgard, fighting his brother and destroying the Bifrost bridge to save Jotunheim. After Loki dropped into the abyss, Thor spent the next year fighting and defending the Nine Realms until his brother somehow turned up again in Midgard, and Odin drew enormous reserves of Dark Energy to send Thor back.

Thor found his brother, and after a brief fight with Tony Stark and with the Hulk, helped the newly formed Avengers to fight off the Chitauri invaders and bring his brother back home to be imprisoned. One he arrived he went back to fighting across the Realms until Jane seemingly disappeared from Heimdall's view. He quickly returned to Earth once again to find that Jane was harboring the ancient Aether, bringing her back to Asgard for treatment.

Shortly after, the Dark Elves arrived, searching for the Aether and killing Frigga, and Thor broke Loki free to help him destroy the Aether and defeat the Dark Elf threat. After a short battle with Maliketh and Kurse, including Loki's sacrifice, Thor engaged Maliketh and defeated him in one-on-one combat, even with the power of the Aether, before convincing Odin to let him stay on Earth.

A year or two later, he was called back to help the other Avengers retrieve the scepter Loki used in New York and defeat the maniacal A.I. Ultron, but during this time received a vision of what appeared to be Ragnarok. After the threat was taken care of, Thor returned to Asgard to investigate, leaving Earth and the Avengers behind.

Thor also possesses a custom Edge to summon Mjolnir back to his hand:

Recall Device
Requirements: Novice, Arcane Background (Super Powers), Agility d8+, must have the Device modifier on the flight power
This characters Devices may be propelled to him from almost anywhere. As a free action, the character's Devices begin to fly towards him at the character's normal flying pace and are equipped as a free action once they reach him.
Devices that Require Activation or are Slow to Activate are not activated upon arrival and must still be activated as normal.

Power Stunts:
  • Explode (9): Damage 6d8, LBT. Device (–2, Mjolnir). In Thor, Thor channels his lightning and releases it in an enormous burst of power around him, destroying dozens of frost giants and sending the ground around him into the air.

Thor is really scary; I'd really rather not mess with him even with other supers.
—DoctorBoson

Wednesday, November 11, 2015

Steve Rogers—Captain America

This is it: the world's first super hero.

Well, the first super hero in the MCU, anyways. One of the founding members of the Avengers, Rogers is a man out of time, but that's not going to keep him from badassing his way onto the blog. I've been told that this is one of the best character conversions that I've done, and I've made some minor tweaks, but I hope you guys find this as interesting as others have.


Name: Steven Grant Rogers
Race: Human
Experience: 0 (Novice)
Agility d6; Smarts d8; Spirit d10; Strength d4; Vigor d4
Pace 6; Parry 2; Charisma 0; Toughness 4
Hindrances: Anemic, Code of Honor, Heroic, Loyal, Overconfident
Edges: Brave, Elan
Skills: Driving d4, Knowledge (Battle) d4, Notice d8, Persuasion d4, Shooting d4, Stealth d6, Swimming d6, Throwing d4

Born on July 4, 1918, Steve Rogers was about as physically frail as a man could be: asthma, anemia, small stature, poor health in general. but he had an enormous heart and always tried to stand up for the good of others, and embraced the notion of justice and free will. Of course, this garnered the attention of a lot of bullies taking out their frustrations on the goodie-two-shoes and Rogers was constantly beat up.

Steve's father died in service to the country, his mother of tuberculosis. The closest thing to a family he had left was his best friend Bucky Barnes, who not only took Steve in but helped him defend himself from the bullies and other unsavory types that came after him. Even after high school, Steve still stood up to the bigger guy and would never back down.

Steve attended the Auburndale Art School in Brooklyn before the United States were pulled into World War II. At this point, with the help of his best friend, Steve trained furiously to try and whip his body into shape to be able to join the armed forces, but despite all his work Steve was rejected from service. Bucky, however, enlisted in the Army, waiting in the reserves.

Steve continued to apply for duty, altering his admissions information every time in hopes of being taken in, but was finally approached by Dr. Abraham Erskine during one of his attempts. After a short test of character, Steve was admitted and added for qualifications for Project Rebirth. During his training, though he was physically frail, he showed remarkable spirit and courage, making him the clear choice to receive a powerful "super-soldier" serum (enhanced with Vita Rays), which enhanced his speed, strength, health, reflexes, and physiology to the peak of human condition. Unfortunately, during this procedure, Dr. Erskine was shot and killed by an agent of HYDRA attempting to retrieve this serum for their own purposes, though Rogers thwarted this plan.


Name: Steven Grant Rogers
Race: Human
Experience: 180 (Legendary)
Power Level: Heavy Hitter with Super Karma (70 PP)
Agility d12; Smarts d8; Spirit d10; Strength d12+2; Vigor d12+2
Pace 6; Parry 12 (2); Charisma 2; Toughness 14 (4)
Hindrances: Code of Honor, Heroic, Loyal, Overconfident
Edges: Arcane Background (Super Powers), Brave, Elan, Brawny, Dodge, Improved First Strike, Improved Frenzy, Nerves of Steel, Charismatic, Command, Level Headed, Acrobat, Trademark Weapon (Vibranium Shield), Quick Draw, Tactician, Block, Counterattack, Combat Sense, Improved Martial Artist, Steady Hands, Dynamic Duo (Thor)
Skills: Climbing d6, Driving d8, Fighting d12+1, Knowledge (Battle) d8, Notice d8, Persuasion d6, Piloting d4, Shooting d8, Stealth d8, Swimming d12, Throwing d12
Inventory: Avengers II Uniform (Armor +4, +6 vs ballistics, negate 4 ballistic AP), Blue Steel Pot (Armor +4, 50% chance vs head shot), Commlink, Vibranium Shield (Str+d6, AP 4), Magnetic Gauntlets (free action to return the Vibranium Shield within 12"; Strength d12+2), Boots, Ammo Pouch ×4
Powers:
  • Heightened Senses (1): Perception.
  • Leaping (1): Level 1. Leaps 2" vertically, 4" horizontally. (Strong legs.)
  • Regeneration (5): Level 2, rolls to heal every hour. Recovery. (Enhanced metabolism.)
  • Speed (5): Pace 24, –1 to hit. (Enhanced strength and reflexes.)
  • Super Attribute (24): Agility +3, Strength +5, Vigor +4.
  • Super Edge (10): Brawny, Dodge, First Strike, Frenzy, Nerves of Steel.
  • Super Skill (10): Climbing +2, Fighting +3, Swimming +3, Throwing +2.
Vibranium Shield (Switchable):
  • Attack, Ranged (13): Range 6/12/24, Damage Str+d6, RoF 3, AP 6, Heavy Weapon, Thrown. Device (–2, Vibranium shield), Limitation (–1, the shield bounces between targets. This may hit enemies outside of line of sight (at normal penalties) but every bounce consumes a RoF. Enemies that are bounced between must be within the maximum range (24") of each other but all penalties apply from the position being thrown. The shield is caught or otherwise remains at its last destination with a 1 on the skill die, regardless of the Wild Die.). Switchable (primary).
with
  • Attack, Melee (6): Damage Str+d6, AP 6, Heavy Weapon, Multiple Attacks, One Arm, Device (–2, Vibranium shield).
  • Deflection (1): –3 to hit with ranged attacks. Device (–2, Vibranium shield).
  • Parry +2 (4): Deflect. Device (–2, Vibranium shield).
Thrown is a custom zero-cost modifier that modifies the damage of a ranged attack to be Str+d6 (and +d6 per level), but the range is decreased to 3/6/12. It returns to the user by default. This entry includes Cap's inventory as of Age of Ultron.


AWOL Inventory: Blue Steel Pot (Armor +2, 50% chance vs head shot), Medium Shield (Parry +1, Armor +2 vs ranged), Boots, Pistol Holster, Uniform.

Still inexperienced, and with any other samples of the successful serum destroyed, Rogers was brought to the forefront of American propaganda about the war effort. After months of performing USO shows and being championed as the face of the military, a tour to the actual front went south. Catching wind of a large number of soldiers going missing and held prisoner by HYDRA, Rogers went (with the help of Howard Stark and Peggy Carter) to the PoW camp himself, saving more than 400 men—along with Bucky, who had also been captured—with little combat experience and a bit of stealth. He also recovered some kind of specialized ammunition, running on Tesseract technology.


World War II Inventory: Carbon Polymer Armor (Armor +2, +4 vs ballistics), Blue Steel Pot (Armor +2, 50% chance vs head shot), Vibranium Shield (Str+d6, AP 4), Colt M1911A1 (2d6+1, AP 1, 12/24/48, Semi-Auto, 7 Shots), Ammo Pouch ×4, Boots, Suspenders, Pistol Holster, Web Belt.

He was then officially promoted to captain and given an indestructible vibranium shield and his own special unit: the Howling Commandos. Over the next year, Rogers and his unit cooperatively dismantled HYDRA operations and kept them contained in Europe. Near the end of the war, on their final mission, they lost Bucky in a tragic accident. This was immediately followed by a raid on HYDRA's main base that ended with Rogers boarding HYDRA's Valkyrie craft to prevent their bombings of several major cities across the globe, including New York.

This resulted with a showdown with Johann Schmidt, who was transported away by the Tesseract, though the craft was heavily damaged and Steve was forced to put it down in the ice, sacrificing himself.


Battle of New York Inventory: Avengers Uniform (Armor +2, +4 vs ballistics, negate 4 ballistic AP), Blue Steel Pot (Armor +4, 50% chance vs head shot), Commlink, Vibranium Shield (Str+d6, AP 4), Boots, Ammo Pouch ×4

Seventy years later, Rogers was recovered from the ice by S.H.I.E.L.D., much to his surprise. He spent the next few weeks in shock, catching up on lost time and opting not to call Peggy, fearing her reaction to seeing him. Soon, however, he was recruited for the Avengers Initiative, and brought Loki in custody to the S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier.

After discovering that S.H.I.E.L.D. was using the Tesseract to develop weapons, akin to HYDRA weapons back in World War II, and discovering that Loki's intended strategy was to hit New York, he commandeered a quinjet with Romanoff and the recently recovered agent Barton to join in on the action, fighting off the Chitauri invasion and commanding the battlefield with the other Avengers in the Battle of New York. After the portal was closed by Stark, Rogers parted ways with the rest of the Avengers to take up a place as a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent.


S.H.I.E.L.D. Agent Inventory: STRIKE Stealth Uniform (Armor +4, +4 vs ballistics, negate 4 ballistic AP), Blue Steel Pot (Armor +4, 50% chance vs head shot), Commlink, Vibranium Shield (Str+d6, AP 4), Boots, Ammo Pouch ×4

Receiving intense training and experience with S.H.I.E.L.D. special ops, including several with Romanoff, Steve was shaping up to be one of the world's greatest melee combatants and the ultimate soldier. He was fast, stealthy, highly aware of his surroundings, and lethal. After a mission sent to recover a pirated ship—the Lemurian Star—and finding Romanoff recovering intelligence instead of dealing with pirates, Steve confronted Fury about this compartmentalization. His concerns were justified when it was revealed that HYDRA had infiltrated S.H.I.E.L.D. and was planning on using souped-up Helicarriers to commit mass murder and secure control over the world. After an encounter with the Winter Soldier, and the help of Romanoff and Sam Wilson, he toppled the Helicarriers and thwarted HYDRA's plans. He then helped to lead the Avengers' campaign against HYDRA, culminating in their assault on Baron Von Strucker's base in Sovokia and receiving the Chitauri scepter.

Steve was present during the Ultron incursion, dealing with several drones and even standing up to Ultron himself for a little while, and was one of the Avenger's assisting with the evacuation of Sokovia before the city was sent hurtling back into the earth.

Steve is currently training and leading the New Avengers team, comprised of Black Widow, War Machine, Falcon, Vision, and Scarlet Witch.

Power Stunts:
  • Aquatic (1): Limitation (–1, no breathing underwater). In The First Avenger, Steve used his powerful body to catch up to a fleeing HYDRA personal submarine to retrieve the agent and the super soldier serum.
  • Resistance (3): Fall Damage, +4 to resist effects, direct attacks cause half damage. Device (–2). In Winter Soldier, Steve braced his vibranium shield to absorb the impact of falling more than 20 stories, leaving with minor discomfort.
—DoctorBoson