Savage MCU: The One-Shot!

About a month and a half ago, a fellow named Todd reached out to me on Reddit (where I'm fairly active in the /r/savageworlds community), asking if I'd finished Falcon yet (working on it guys, he's a weird one) and some questions about the strength Luke Cage and Jessica Jones. After answering and explaining some of my reasoning, I found out that this magnificent man was planning on running a one shot set in the MCU!

He and I worked together a little bit on putting together Four-Color Hero versions of the Defenders and some of the non-powered Avengers (the results of which are mostly here, with a few more fun tidbits and alterations present in these spreadsheets), and the game was finally run yesterday! He's messaged me with a few pictures and some tales from the table, so I wanted to promote the cool work being done!

Oh, and minor spoilers for some of the films up through Civil War, and major spoilers for the Defenders (which you should totally watch if you haven't yet).

The minis, ripped from HeroClix models. That custom Redwing is so badass to me.

First, the original message:

Game went really well! The lineup was all four Defenders plus Falcon. The difference in mindset and lethality was kind of hilarious. Overall the Defenders are pretty low key and usually just beat people up. The Avengers, on the other hand, straight up murder people. Considering this difference, it's funny that the Defenders is usually a darker more grim setting.

The group had some really good roleplay. They didn't get nearly as far as I anticipated, but they saved the kids and most of the hostages, so it was all fun.

The game took place right after the events of the Defenders and just before Civil War.

The premise was that Madame Gao and Elektra survived the collapse of the Midland Financial building. They were using the remnants of the various factions of the Hand to excavate the dragon bones.

For security and transport they were forced to contract with Brock Rumlow and his group of rogue HYDRA agents. HYDRA posed as Department of Damage Control workers and cordoned off the area around Midland Circle.

To quickly make more of the Substance, the Hand was kidnapping vagrants, kids, and even office employees and had them in cages below the rubble to drain them.

The Avengers were alerted when Anna (stupid super fine writer chick) texted Falcon that there were reports of enhanced individuals at the collapse of the building that might be a possible lead to find the Winter Soldier.

All in all the heroes did a great job. We even had the obligatory hero-on-hero fight scene when Falcon had Redwing trying to surveil Danny through the tunnels and Iron Fist smashed the drone with the iron fist. A lot of mooks defeated, but the big bads managed to escape.

Thanks so much for all your help!

This whole setup is fantastic in my eyes—it's a great feat of world-building and with some minor tweaks would actually fit pretty well into the existing MCU, and we finally get a legitimate reason for the Avengers crossing over with the Defenders. His comment on the weird lethality gap between the Defenders and Avengers actually was quite funny to me, because if you actually think about it the Avengers are mostly comprised of soldiers and they totally murder the shit out of people all the time.

A point that was clarified later on: Todd ruled that hero vs hero damage was temporary (since that appears to be the case on screen, anyways), so Danny only destroyed a modular circuit board on Redwing that Falcon had a replacement for. Luckily Luke stopped the fight before any real damage was done.

The competition, composed of both Hand and Foot ninjas (but shh... don't tell the ninja turtles!). Madame Gao and Elektra are both very cool together.

The game was run with the Adventure Deck (a $15 purchase that adds a fun twist of narrative control in the players' hands), and much of the setup was really dripping with setting flavor, with the Bennies being S.H.I.E.L.D. logos, and the character cards feeling very appropriate for an MCU one-shot. The players were all familiar with the MCU (except for one poor soul who hadn't seen Defenders yet) but apparently played their characters very well, with the portrayal of Iron Fist's Clueless Hindrance being on point—which I assume was what led to the Iron Fist/Falcon debacle to begin with. It sounded very cinematic!

So much flavor!

I was also sent a good picture of the actual game itself, as well. One of the scenes happened to be the party descending into the crumbling dragon-bone caverns during the harvesting, where the villains briefly monologue-taunted before ascending a winch-operated elevator, though Daredevil, Iron Fist, and Jessica pursued through various acrobatic/jumping means while Luke and Falcon stayed below to deal with the remaining ninjas.

The team approaching HYDRA and the Hand in wait. If you look at the center, Crossbones is actually present as well! Also, an Avengers Action Card deck! More flavor!

The elevator ascended into the building across the street from the demolished skyscraper from the end of Defenders, which HYDRA and the Hand had seized to get back to the dragon chamber below. They also took the office workers hostage, like good comic book villains! As HYDRA goons attempted to load their dragon-blood victims into trucks to take them away, Daredevil and his posse engaged the Hand to free the hostages (most of which survived, though the Hand was able to execute a few before they were dispatched).

As Gao and Elektra reached the truck to escape, Luke and Falcon catch up with the group just in time to stop the climactic escape of the villain van! Luke lifted the rear of the truck and Jessica ripped off the door, and then shit started going down!

Unrelated urban combat setup sent a few weeks before the game. Honestly, I just thought it looked cool.

Elektra managed to wound Jessica and stun Luke (the Black Sky is quite the threat) as the rest of the team surrounded the van. Danny engaged in a one-on-one duel with Crossbones as the rest of the team held off other Hand and HYDRA goons, which became quite the cinematic climactic battle. Crossbones was going wild wailing on Danny but couldn't quite meet his Parry, becoming a brawler vs acrobatic kung fu battle, until the dice finally ruled that Crossbones was going to destroy Danny with 6 or 7 wounds. Just as all hoped seemed lost, though, Danny's player pulled out the Adventure Card that allowed the redirecting of one attack to the nearest character—in this case, Danny pulled Crossbones' super-punch into one of his own agents, and then followed up by targeting his gauntlets to disable them.

As Luke ripped the steering wheel out of the truck to make sure that escape wouldn't be an option, Gao pulled out a sling-ring (more world-building!) to quickly evacuate herself, Elektra, and Crossbones, along with a couple of very frightened Extras. All in all, nearly all of the hostages were rescued (two were executed by the Hand and one was accidentally flung through a glass wall by Madame Gao), and as the cops began to arrive, the Defenders vanished into the night, leaving only Falcon to take the credit. The one shot was so successful that he's already been getting sequel requests, and I do hope he's able to come up with more stuff to this effect again.

This was awesome for me to watch unfold from across the country and hearing about how well the session went afterwards was a very elating few minutes in a very hectic and busy week for me. I do want to take some of the credit since a lot of my posts on here helped inspire some of the stats of various character builds and villains, but the bulk of the creative work falls on Todd for putting together such an awesome concept and executing it in such a cool manner. The extra work of minis and maps to round out the experience makes it so much better!

To all you readers, I hope that Todd's awesome work helps inspire you to run similar scenarios: most of the work I put into this, aside from allowing people to compare their own characters (supers or otherwise) to these big-screen heroes is allowing people to access this huge library of MCU-themed resources so that they can use them and focus their game prep on more creative scenario stuff. For stuff like this, re-balancing power levels between various characters may be a good idea, but due to the flexibility and low power-curve of Savage Worlds, almost every character here can be run alongside each other and still feel like you're part of the bigger world of the MCU—more experienced gamers that can handle the much longer list of Edges that characters like Captain America possesses could absolutely run him alongside, or even against heroes like the Defenders or Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. characters (once I finally make some progress with them).

I love seeing work being inspired and successful due to this weird, obsessive hobby of mine, and I hope you guys do, too. If any of the rest of you end up doing stuff like this, I'd love to see pictures and hear stories from your tables of the time when Falcon teamed up with the Defenders, or some wacky adventure that the Guardians of the Galaxy stumbled into across the universe, or even the universe-crossing event of S.H.I.E.L.D. teaming up with Batman to defeat a full five-person team of League of Legends champions that the Avengers simply didn't have time to deal with.

Oh and yes, I am still working on my MCU overhaul. Some characters are getting powered up a bit (Cap's combat prowess and experience) with others being powered down a little (Iron Man's gadgets aren't double-dipping on the Contingent and Device modifiers anymore), but accuracy has always been my goal and I think that I'm starting to get pretty close; stick around for the fun!
—DoctorBoson

Danny Rand—Iron Fist

The final Defender arrives! I just finished Iron Fist and I wanted to pump this entry out before school picks back up for me again—won't have time to work as much when that happens.

I've also made minor adjustments to Daredevil, given that he's not nearly as talented a fighter as Iron Fist (DD's skillset is more focused around being intimidating, lawyering, and noticing everything).

Name: Daniel Rand
Race: Human
Experience: 65 (Heroic)
Power Level: Street Fighter with Super Karma (Rising Stars; 30 PP)
Agility d10; Smarts d6; Spirit d10; Strength d6; Vigor d8
Pace 6; Parry 10; Charisma –2; Toughness 6
Hindrances: Clueless, Heroic, Loyal, Outsider, Phobia (m, airplane turbulence), Vow (M—sworn enemy of the Hand)
Edges: Arcane Background (Super Powers), Filthy Rich, Combat Sense, Dodge, Level Headed, Nerves of Steel, Martial Artist, Acrobat, Counterattack, Improved Frenzy, Improved First Strike, Block.
Skills: Climbing d8, Fighting d12+1, Investigation d4, Knowledge (Kun'Lun) d4, Notice d8, Stealth d8.
Inventory: Clothes, iPod.
Powers:

• Animal Control (1): Level 1. Limitation (–1, can only be used to pacify animals). (Zen animal empathy.)
• Armor +8 (3): Heavy Armor. Requires Activation, Limitation (–2, right hand only), Limitation (–2, Benny and Spirit roll to activate; failure disables this for the day. GM may impose penalties for un-zen circumstances), Limitation (–1, Spirit roll to maintain every round). (The Iron Fist is indestructible.)
• Attack, Melee (6): Damage Str+3d6, AP 4, Heavy Weapon, One Arm. Contingent on successful armor. (The Iron Fist.)
• Healing (5): Cure. Contingent on successful armor, Limitation (–1, Cure incurs 2 points of Fatigue, failure Incapacitates). (Channeling the chi from the iron fist to repair the body.)
• Super Attribute (4): Agility +1, Spirit +1. (Exceptional training and zen demeanor.)
• Super Edge (8): Combat Sense, Dodge, Level Headed, Nerves of Steel. (Exceptional training and zen demeanor.)
• Super Skill (3): Fighting +2, Notice +1. (Exceptional training and zen demeanor.)

Danny Rand was born to the billionaire founders of Rand Enterprises. Raised in a sheltered upbringing in New York with his friends Joy and Ward Meachum, Danny was a good-hearted kid, even through Ward's bullying. Unfortunately, on a family trip to China, Danny's plane went down in the Himalayas, killing both of his parents. Danny was found by a group of mysterious monks, who took him back to the mystical city of Kun'Lun.

The monks there trained him, particularly Lei Kung, the Thunderer, in the mystical martial arts. Danny was also taught to keep his emotions in check, though he seemed to have trouble pushing emotions from his heart in times of stress, and his penchant for trouble-making with his best friend Davos resulted in many stories. However, having learned the art of zen combat, Danny was chosen to partake in the Trial of Shou-Lao the Undying, an enormous dragon beast. Danny subdued the beast and plunged his fists into its molten heart—a tattoo of Shou-Lao burned itself onto his chest, and Danny became the Iron Fist, sworn enemy of the Hand.

15 years after his plane went down, the gates of Kun'Lun opened once again, allowing Danny to escape into the world and make his way back to New York. His antics in entering the Rand Enterprises headquarters, however, complicated matters, with Ward branding him as an insane person trying to steal the Rand name and submitting Danny to an asylum. Eventually, though, things were ironed out and Danny was reinstated within the company, and immediately started driving profits down with idealistic and unwise business decisions, much to the chagrin of Ward and Joy.

In this time, Danny met Colleen Wing, a martial artist in Chinatown, and Claire Temple, one of her students, and began to work with them to uncover a heroin manufacturer by the docks. This turned out to be run by Madame Gao and the Hand, who were using it to gain an economic foothold in the city. Danny also found out that Harold Meachum, his father's best friend, was still alive, albeit through poor life decisions and a deal with the Hand. Danny did his best to apprehend the Hand and save as many as he could, but when Colleen was poisoned by a fight with the Hand (and Danny discovered the healing capabilities of the Iron Fist), they ended up in an installation with an imprisoned Gao, only to find out that Colleen was a member of a different faction of the Hand all along.

Escaping with Davos, who only recently found him in New York, they retreated for Danny to recharge his chi and destroy this rogue faction of the Hand with the assistance of Colleen, but not before Ward and Joy were put into serious danger at the hand of Bakuto, this Hand faction's leader. After dealing with this threat, Danny discovered that Harold Meachum might have engineered the plane accident to kill his parents, and worked with Ward and Joy (newly on his side in light of the revelation) to defeat Harold (with the killing blow attributed to Ward's gun).

Danny offered to bring Colleen back to Kun'Lun, but at the gates, they discovered that an attack had occured and the gates were shut. They will likely pick up here in the Defenders later this year.

Power Stunts:

• Deflection (4): –6 to hit with ranged attacks. Contingent on a successful armor. Danny uses the Iron Fist to deflect a bullet against Harold in the series' climax.
• Explode (5): Damage 4d8, Large Burst Template. Contingent on a successful armor. Danny uses the Iron Fist to slam into the ground, causing massive amounts of damage to the rooms and security officers around him.
• Parry +4 (4): During Danny's tournament against the Hand, he goes full zen and effortlessly blocks hits from his opponent.

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So, it was a quick and dirty Savaging, and boy I don't think I've ever seen anyone with a Persuasion that low (d4–4 with his Outsider modifiers). The Iron Fist, however, is quite powerful, and will only grow moreso as he gains Experience, and his status as a Rising Star allows him to gain even more uses of his chi as time goes on. Personally, I'm thorouhgly interested to see what he ends up with in the future.

Leave your questions, comments, and complaints about the show's weak writing and choreography below. Don't be too harsh, though; it was mediocre, not total garbage.
—DoctorBoson

Jessica Jones—Private Eye

In the essence of continuing to put out content on this blog, as opposed to letting it die, I'll go ahead and put out a mainstay super heroine, who should be one of the heroes present in the upcoming Defenders show on Netflix.

Name: Jessica Jones
Race: Human
Experience: 60 (Heroic)
Power Level: Street Fighter with Super Karma (35 PP)
Agility d8; Smarts d8; Spirit d8; Strength d12+4; Vigor d8
Pace 8; Parry 6; Charisma 0; Toughness 9
Hindrances: Habit (M—Alcohol), Heroic, Mean, Night Terrors, Poverty, Short Temper
Edges: Arcane Background (Super Powers), Attractive, The Best There Is (super strength), Luck, Fleet-Footed, Investigator, Elan, Counterattack, Nerves of Steel, Dodge.
Skills: Fighting d8, Intimidation d6, Investigation d8, Persuasion d6, Notice d8, Shooting d4, Stealth d6, Streetwise d10, Taunt d4, Throwing d4.
Inventory: Camera, Cell Phone, Hip Flask.
Powers:

• Attack, Melee (4): Damage Str+d6, Heavy Weapon, Lethal, Multiple Attacks.
• Leaping (4): Level 5. Leaps 32" vertically and 64" horizontally. Limitation (–1, leaping is an action above Level 1. Level 2 requires a Spirit roll, Level 3 requires a Spirit roll at –2, Level 4 requires a Spirit roll at –4, Level 5 at –6).
• Regeneration (5): Level 2, rolls to heal every hour. Recovery.
• Resistance (1): Complete immunity to Kilgrave's control.
• Super Attribute (16): Strength +7, Vigor +1.
• Super Edge (2): Fleet-Footed.
• Toughness +3 (3): Enhanced physiology.

Jessica Jones was in an accident at a young age, which killed her brother and parents. While recovering in a hospital, Jessica was joined by her friend Trish Walker and her mother, who adopted her because it would be good for the public image. While living with Trish, though, Jessica discovered that she had developed superhuman powers in her crash.

Years later, after Jessica quit a lousy day job, she started to become more and more comfortable with her powers, and was almost convinced by Trish to actually put her talents towards the super hero business. Unfortunately, tragedy befell her when she was found by Kilgrave, who mind controlled her and forced her to effectively be his "girlfriend," where he raped her and used her abilities to make her his personal muscle. Jessica was finally able to break free after Kilgrave forced her to murder an innocent woman. Kilgrave appeared to have been killed in a bus crash moments later. Jessica developed a drinking problem and started suffering from PTSD due to the abuse she suffered.

Shortly afterwards, Jessica became a private investigator under her own company: Alias Investigations. Jessica cooperated with lawyer Jeri Hogarth taking odd jobs that no one else was able to deliver on, and her exceptional talent kept the bills paid and the lights on. On another job, Jessica found and befriended (and later became more than friends with) a bartender named Luke Cage. Shortly afterward, however, she began to uncover evidence that Kilgrave had actually survived the crash, and was currently out for vengeance. 

Jessica took it upon herself to stop Kilgrave, saving cop Will Simpson, who attempted to help her capture Kilgrave. Unfortunately, their leads went south, and Jessica was forced to stay with Kilgrave at her old house for a few days. Simpson was severely wounded in an attempt to save Jessica, but Jessica was able to knock out and escape with Kilgrave, trapping him in a hermetically sealed room.

Through a variety of means, Jessica was able to lure Kilgrave's parents to her in an attempt to reason with him: they had performed horrible experiments on him, granting him his powers, and unfortunately, he killed his mother and kidnapped his father, escaping from the room but revealing that Jessica was no longer subject to his control. In attempting to track Kilgrave down again, Kilgrave killed the girl that led Jessica to him and escaped as she bled out.

Jessica was then lured into an unrelated trap by Simpson, who was amped up on some kind of enhancement drug. She, along with Trish (also on Simpson's pills) managed to beat him into submission, though Trish was hospitalized through what effectively amounts to an overdose. Soon after, Jessica bore witness to an explosion at Luke's Bar, and Luke begins helping her track Kilgrave back down. Upon finding him, however, it's revealed that Kilgrave still had control over Luke, forcing him to fight and try to kill Jessica. Jessica incapacitated him via shotgun to the head and brought him to Claire Temple for treatment while she went to finish dealing with Kilgrave, ultimately snapping his neck.

Jessica still suffers from PTSD, but her status as a powered person is now more or less public knowledge, and her business appears to be booming. Only time will tell if she's still able to do her job or if she's drowning her sorrows in booze.

JJ's leaping has its limitation on it because she only truly leaps once, when she was bringing Kilgrave away from the house he acquired. This makes it something more of a last-ditch ability than something that's incorporated into her usual transportation.

Anyways, I've finally started making some waves in this little pond again; it's been too long. Leave questions, comments, and suggestions below.
—DoctorBoson

Patch Notes—Luke Cage

This is our second set of patch notes, and while it's a bit late (and it's certainly been a while since we've gotten to posting anything here). While there's not all too much being patched in here, I did Luke quite some time ago and I figured it was worth drawing attention to his changes.

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Luke Cage
Advance Changes:

• Experience increased from 35 to 55.
• Luke has clearly had much more experience during his time in Seagate then we were led to believe in Jessica Jones. Most of the following changes are made in light of the new show.
• Driving lowered from d6 to d4.
• Fighting increased from d6 to d8.
• Shooting d4 added.
• Streetwise lowered from d8 to d6.
• Swimming d8 added.
• Taunt d4 added.
• Poverty, Vengeful (minor) and Wanted (major) Hindrances added.
• Brawler, Counterattack, Level Headed, and Sweep added.
• Hard to Kill removed.
• This has instead been moved to one of Luke's Powers.

Power Changes:

• Ageless added.
• Armor reduced from +14 to +12.
• Heavy Armor added. Limitation (–1, Heavy Armor ignored by blunt damage) added.
• Limitation (–2, Armor +6 vs blunt weapons) removed from armor.
• Luke's unbreakable skin has been shown to be vulnerable to blunt damage, and even more resistant to "small-arms" fire, never even being Shaken by it. Having his Heavy Armor bypassed by blunt damage seemed to be an appropriate compromise.
• Regeneration increased from Level 1 to Level 2.
• Recovery removed.
• Limitation (–1, regeneration is negated if shrapnel is stuck inside).
• Resistance (Cold) removed.
• Luke was wearing a jacket as the winter months approached; clearly he isn't resistant to low temperatures.
• Super Strength decreased from +7 to +6. Heavy Weapon added.
• Super Edge: Hard to Kill added.
• Toughness +1 added.

Luke Cage Season 1 Advances:

• 60 Experience: Sweep.
• 65 Experience: Tracking d4.
• 70 Experience: Nerves of Steel.

This makes Luke far more durable and puts him better in line with what we see over the course of his show. I'm hoping to at least keep up with main characters right now as I work to update the other heroes to a new standard. Jessica Jones should be coming soon!

Stephen Strange—Sorcerer Supreme

With the release of the new movie—which currently has almost no ties to the rest of the cast of the MCU—I decided it was time to take a break from overhauling all of my Savaging so far and just do someone fresh and... relatively simple.

SPOILERS AHEAD; go watch the film and then come back to read up on the Savaging.

Name: Stephen Vincent Strange
Race: Human
Experience: 40 (Veteran)
Power Level: Deity with Super Karma (Rising Stars; 70 PP)
Agility d6; Smarts d12; Spirit d8; Strength d6; Vigor d6
Pace 6; Parry 6 [8 with the Cloak of Levitation]; Charisma 0; Toughness 5
Hindrances: Arrogant, Nerve Damage (Major; –2 to fine motor skills like Driving, Healing, Shooting, etc.), Obligation (m—protect the Sanctum Sanctorum), Pacifist (m)
Edges: Arcane Background (Super Powers), Rich, Doctor, Scholar (Medicine and Neuroscience), Martial Artist.
Skills: Fighting d8, Healing d12, Investigation d10, Knowledge (Arcana) d4, Knowledge (Medicine) d8, Knowledge (Neuroscience) d10, Notice d6, Persuasion d6, Spellcasting d12, Streetwise d4.
Inventory: Acolyte clothes, Cloak of Levitation, Sling Ring.
Powers:

• Attack, Melee (4): Damage Str+d6, Grapple, Reach 2. Slow to Activate. (Crimson Bands of Cytorrak.)
• Deflection (1): –2 to hit with ranged attacks. Contingent on attack, melee.
• Super Attribute (2): Spirit +1. (Kamar-Taj training.)
• Super Skill (8): Fighting +2, Knowledge (Arcana) +1, Spellcasting +4. (Intense study and practice.)
• Super Sorcery (12): Level 6. (Sorcery.)
• Teleport (10): Can teleport up to 12". Portal, Traverse (+6). Device (–1, sling ring).

Astral Dimension (separated for ease of understanding Strange's powers)

• Extra Action (4): One extra action, Fast Action. Contingent on invisibility. (Time moves slower in the astral dimension.)
• Flight (2): Pace 12, Climb 0. Contingent on successful intangibility.
• Intangibility (6): Soul Walk. Limitation (–1, cannot cast spells in the astral dimension). (Astral projection.)
• Invisibility (9): Level 3, –6 to hit. Contingent on successful intangibility, Limitation (–1, visible to others in the astral dimension).
• Super Edge (1): Combat Reflexes. Contingent on successful intangibility.
• Toughness +4 (2): Contingent on successful intangibility. (Tough soul.)

Cloak of Levitation (Switchable)

• Danger Sense (1): Device (–1, Cloak of Levitation). (The cloak is always on the lookout for threats.)
• Flight (2): Pace 12, Climb 0. Device (–1, Cloak of Levitation), Limitation (–1, tends to have a mind of its own).
• Parry +2 (1): Device (–1, Cloak of Levitation). (The cloak helps protect its wearer.)
• Super Edge (5): Improved Dodge. Device (–1, Cloak of Levitation). (Pulls the wearer away from dangers.) Switchable (primary).

with

• Sidekick (4): Limitation (–1, doesn't gain XP).

Name: Cloak of Levitation

Experience: 0 (Novice)

Power Level: Deity Sidekick with Super Karma (Rising Stars; 50 PP)

Agility d12, Smarts d6, Spirit d8, Strength d12, Vigor d8

Pace 6, Parry 7 [9], Charisma —, Toughness 15

Hindrances: Code of Honor, Doesn't Speak, Loyal, No Arms (M—the cloak must dedicate its entire form to any kind of interaction and cannot perform fine manipulation)

Edges: Arcane Background (Super Powers), Quick, Improved Dodge

Skills: Fighting d10, Knowledge (Arcana) d8, Notice d8, Taunt d4

Powers:

• Construct (8): +2 to recover from being Shaken; doesn't breathe; immune to disease and poison; ignores one level of wound penalties.
• Doesn't Eat (1): It's a cloak.
• Doesn't Sleep (2): Cloak.
• Fearless (2): C-L-O-A-K.
• Flight (4): Pace 12.
• Parry +2 (3): Protector. (Incredible reflexes.)
• Super Attribute (14): Agility +3, Spirit +1, Strength +2. Not Today (Agility).
• Super Edge (4): Improved Dodge. (Incredible reflexes.)
• Toughness +9 (12): Hardy.

Doctor Stephen Strange was a renowned doctor and neurosurgeon. He performed cutting-edge research and was one of the top surgeons in New York City. Unfortunately, he's also kind of a dick. He was notorious for picking his patients to further his reputation and placing himself above everything, including the rules and their consequences. This little quirk came back to bite him in the ass when examining patient X-rays on the road (at night, in the rain, on a mountainside), which caused a serious wreck, sending him off the mountain and nearly killing him.

While he was saved by modern medicine, his hands were irreparably damaged in the crash—severe nerve damage made it difficult for him to even write, much less perform complex surgical procedures. Strange was driving himself mad, spending away his resources on experimental procedures, drugs, anything that might help his hands heal. Eventually, as his bank accounts dwindled, Strange found another man who was paralyzed from the waist down and had recovered miraculously. This led Strange to Kamar-Taj, a house of the mystical arts in Nepal.

Initially, Strange was skeptical of the idea of magic until the Ancient One—master of the arts and top dog of Kamar-Taj—projected his astral body and then sent him on a mind-twisting trip through the multiverse. Strange dedicated the next months of his life to learning these arts, becoming more fit, training in martial combat, studying spells and rituals, and even mastering high-end magic like Astral Projection, and was even able to enter the Mirror Dimension on his own. His gift for the mystic arts led him to using the Eye of Agamotto, a pendant housing the Infinity Stone of Time (which I will not Savage any time soon—time manipulation on that scale is silly, it's a MacGuffin, and it's purely a plot device and I don't want to put numbers to that kind of stuff right now).

Unfortunately, his training was cut short by a fallen student, Kaecilius, began to destroy the mystic Sanctums across the world. Strange ended up in the Sanctum Sanctorum in New York, holding Kaecilius and his zealots at bay and discovering the Cloak of Levitation (a sentient artifact). After discovering the zealots' pact with Dormammu (evil mystical dimensional god) and escaping from them, the Ancient One was killed in a battle with Kaecilius, and this pushed Strange onto the path of a hero, and he convinced one of his mentors—Carl Mordo—to help him defend the Sanctum in Hong Kong. Upon arrival, though, the Sanctum was destroyed and Dormammu was leaking into this dimension. Using the power of the Eye of Agamotto, Strange reversed the damage, and after a brief fight, fled into the Dark Dimension to strike a bargain. Using the Eye to create a time loop, Dormammu agreed to leave, taking his zealots and retreating into the Dark Dimension for now.

Strange is now the guardian of the Sanctum Sanctorum, and while he wasn't quite the Sorcerer Supreme by the end of this film, the mid credits scene certainly showcases that he has become notably more powerful. I'm excited to see him in Infinity War (and possibly Ragnarok) but if he gets too crazy he might start breaking this game. I certainly hope it doesn't get to that point.

There are two custom modifiers here: Soul Walk on intangibility effectively just means that Strange's soul leaves his body when he activates the ability, while Portal on teleport forms a portal that anyone can use. The specifics of these abilities are available in my Super Power changes document.

Leave questions, comments, etc below. Hopefully we'll get more updates and entries from the movies and Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. pretty soon.
—DoctorBoson

The Vision

After an extended absence, I've finally gotten another hero to the point that they feel appropriate to post up here.

Vision is one of the most powerful Avengers, with a very unique power set, and definitely feels like he could take just about any other Avengers in a one-on-one fight if he had to.

Name: The Vision
Race: Android
Experience: 5 (Novice)
Power Level: Deity with Super Karma (100 PP)
Agility d8; Smarts d10; Spirit d8; Strength d12+3–d12+9; Vigor d12
Pace 6; Parry 6; Charisma –2; Toughness 24 (6)–30 (6)
Hindrances: Code of Honor, Heroic, Outsider, Pacifist (m)
Edges: Arcane Background (Super Powers), Alertness, Brave, Level Headed
Skills: Fighting d8, Knowledge (Computers) d12, Notice d6, Persuasion d8, Shooting d10, Taunt d4
Powers:

• Armor +6 (7): Heavy Armor. (Vibranium-laced skin.)
• Construct (8): +2 to recover from being Shaken; doesn't breathe; immune to disease and poison; ignores one level of wound penalties.
• Doesn't Eat (1): The Vision doesn't require food to operate.
• Doesn't Sleep (2): At night, Vision effectively goes onto standby: he doesn't actually need sleep.
• Gifted (2): With his processor and access to the internet, there's not a whole lot Vision can't do (he's not great at cooking, though).
• Interface (2): Being an ex-A.I., Vision possesses many of Jarvis' skills with electronics.
• Super Attribute (24): Agility +1, Smarts +2, Strength +6, Vigor +3.
• Super Edge (2): Level Headed. Jarvis can process information extremely quickly.
• Super Skill (2): Knowledge (Computers) +2
• Toughness +10 (13): Hardy. (Vibranium body.)

Density Control (Switchable)

• Attack, Melee (5): Damage Str+2d6. Heavy Weapon
• Flight (2): Pace.
• Growth (30): Level 6 (+6 to Strength and Toughness). Density, Fast Growth. Switchable (primary).

with

• Attack, Ranged (20): Range 50/100/200, Damage 4d10, RoF 2, AP 6, Heavy Weapon, Lethal.
• Flight (12): Pace 96, Climb 0, –2 to hit while flying.
• Heightened Senses (1): Eagle Eyes.

with

• Extra Action (1): Level 1. Limitation (–2, intangibility only).
• Intangibility (12): Phase, Reflexive Control. (Density control.)
• Flight (20): Mach 10+, Climb 0, –10 to hit while flying.

During the Ultron event, the Avengers at the time stole away what was to be Ultron's final body, including the Mind Stone embedded into its head. Once it was safely stored in Avengers Tower, though, Tony Stark had the idea to bring it to life for their side using fragments of Jarvis. He and Banner almost completed before being met with resistance by Captain Rogers and the Maximoff twins, ultimately being brought to life by a supercharged power surge from Thor.

The Vision first gained consciousness surrounded by the Avengers, lashing out at Thor before calming down and seeing the beauty of life below the tower. Having good knowledge of the situation at hand, Vision opted to help the Avengers stop Ultron's genocide. He assisted the rest of the Avengers by shutting Ultron out of the internet and helping to clean up the remaining Ultron drones and save Sokovia.

Nearly a year later, Vision was a fully fledged member of the New Avengers, developing a close relationship with Wanda Maximoff. When the Lagos incident occurred Vision sided with Tony Stark on the subject of the newly-introduced Sokovia Accords, and tried to protect Wanda from the public by keeping her on lockdown inside the Avengers compound. Unfortunately, Barton's intervention brought Wanda out of hiding, and Vision was effectively buried underneath the Avengers compound. He escaped, flying directly towards Leipzig to help Tony contain Captain Rogers and his team.

During the skirmish, Colonel Rhodes was accidentally hit by a stray beam from the Vision and was paralyzed. After this point, the Vision remained out of the conflict, and was last seen at the nearly-abandoned Avengers compound.

The Vision has an extremely unique and iconic power set. To create his density control, I simply created "Density" as a +6 modifier for Growth: you still can change your weight, Strength, and Toughness, but your Size doesn't change.
—DoctorBoson

Mike Peterson—Deathlok

Only finally getting to another Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. character. The show is unfortunately underrated, and has a slew of Marvel characters that wouldn't otherwise find their own way into the MCU.

As a good example, one of the first supers of the show, and one of my personal favorites, is Deathlok.

Name: Michael Peterson
Race: Human (Cyborg)
Experience: 70 (Heroic)
Power Level: Four Color with Super Karma (Rising Stars, 50 PP)
Agility d8; Smarts d6; Spirit d6; Strength d12+3; Vigor d10
Pace 6; Parry 7; Charisma –2; Toughness 14 (4)
Hindrances: Bad Luck, Heroic, Obligation (M—The Clairvoyant), Loyal, Poverty, Ugly, Vengeful (M)
Edges: Arcane Background (Super Powers), Take the Hit, First Strike, Nerves of Steel, Dodge, Combat Reflexes, Marksman.
Skills: Climbing d6, Fighting d10, Intimidation d6, Notice d8, Persuasion d6, Shooting d8, Stealth d6, Streetwise d6.
Inventory: Arm-missiles ×2, EMP missiles ×2.
Powers:

• Armor +4 (3): Hardy, Partial Protection (–1). Device (–1, body armor).
• Gifted (2): Deathlok is able to access the internet and learn to do nearly anything on a dime.
• Heightened Senses (4): Infravision, Low Light Vision, Super Sight. Spatial Sense (X-Ray Vision). Requires Activation. (Cybernetic eye.)
• Interface (2): Cybernetic interface.
• Leaping (3): Level 3. Leaps 8" vertically and 16" horizontally. (Centipede serum and cybernetic leg.)
• Regeneration (1): Level 1, rolls to heal every day. Limitation (–1, must eat ten times as much food).
• Speed (2): Pace 12. (Centipede serum.)
• Super Attribute (12): Agility +1, Strength +3, Vigor +2. (Centipede serum.)
• Super Skill (1): Shooting +1. 
• Toughness +3 (3): Centipede serum.

Melee Combat (Switchable)

• Attack, Melee (7): Damage Str+d6. Climb, Multiple Attacks. Switchable (primary). (Centipede serum.)

with

• Attack, Melee (5): Damage Str+2d6, AP 4, Heavy Weapon, Lethal, One Arm. (Cybernetic leg).

Missiles Systems (Switchable) 

• Attack, Ranged (10): Range 12/24/48, Damage 3d6, RoF 2, MBT, AP 2, Heavy Weapon, Lethal, Requires Material (–2, arm-missiles). Switchable (primary).

with

• Malfunction (4): MBT. Limitation (–1, requires Shooting roll). (EMP missiles.)

Mike Peterson was an ordinary man down on his luck: working a heavy labor factory job, tight on cash, and raising his kid as a single father. Unfortunately, he suffered a back injury, and his job cut him loose while he was in recovery. Had it not been for the mysterious organization that approached him—Centipede—he may have lost his house, or even his kid.

Centipede, however, stepped in and provided Mike is an experimental serum that restored his health and granted him incredible powers of superhuman strength and durability.

Centipede Serum (25 PP):

• Attack, Melee (5): Damage Str+d6. Climb, Multiple Attacks. (Centipede serum.)
• Leaping (2): Level 2. Leaps 4" vertically and 8" horizontally. (Centipede serum.)
• Regeneration (1): Level 1, rolls to heal every day. Limitation (–1, must eat ten times as much food).
• Speed (2): Pace 12. (Centipede serum.)
• Super Attribute (12): Agility +1, Strength +3, Vigor +2. (Centipede serum.)
• Toughness +3 (3): Centipede serum.

Soon after, the laboratory that Mike received his powers from was bombed. Mike rushed towards it, climbing up the side of the brick building to make it to the top floor and save the scientist that granted him the serum. This allowed him to be found and tracked down by Skye, who tried to convince him that he would be hunted down by S.H.I.E.L.D. He brushed her off, but the serum began to have adverse effects. Eventually, he would detonate, and he kidnapped Skye to try and go off the grid. Luckily, after a small confrontation through to the efforts of Coulson's team, they were able to subdue him and even recruit him to S.H.I.E.L.D.

Several months later, Peterson was being trained by S.H.I.E.L.D. in methods to increase his hand-to-hand combat skills and physical strength when he was requested by Coulson to help bring down the Centipede Project, to which Peterson immediately jumped onboard. They were able to subdue a few other Centipede super soldiers, but was then blackmailed by Raina into betraying Coulson to the Centipede Project. On the bridge where the double-crossing occurred, a massive explosion occurred which appeared to have killed Mike. Unfortunately, Mike woke up with half of his face scarred and one of his legs amputated, where he began receiving orders directly into his newly-cybernetic eye from Centipede.

Slowly, Deathlok was supplied with more and more tech enhancements, and began to lead S.H.I.E.L.D. on a wild goose chase before HYDRA emerged from within. After their emergence, Deathlok worked directly with the Clairvoyant, as his son was being held hostage. He directly assisted in apprehending Skye to unlock information about the GH.325 chemical.  A few days later, however, his son was rescued by Skye, and Mike turned on the Clairvoyant, attempting to kill him.

After this, Mike was upgraded with EMP missiles instead of lethal ones, and began to work with S.H.I.E.L.D. again, tracking down a HYDRA scientist named List, before being called back to the states to save Coulson and Hunter from a new rogue faction of S.H.I.E.L.D. He then assisted the team in tracking down Skye, who had been kidnapped by the Inhumans, and later HYDRA. During his capture, he was disassembled, and is still recuperating from the injuries. It is unknown if he will ever return to service.

Power Stunt:

• Stun (9): Heart Attack (+6), Strong. Once—and only once—Deathlok used a short range, experimental shock unit to stop Grant Ward's heart. The attacker must win with a raise, but if he does, the victim is immediately Incapacitated and must make a Vigor roll. On a success, he is Shaken and remains so for 1d4 rounds. On a failure, he dies in 2d6 rounds (which can be saved by a Healing roll at –4, though the victim remains Incapacitated). The user can also start hearts again, by touching the target and making a Spirit roll (this doesn't heal any wounds, only restart a stopped heart).

—DoctorBoson

T'Challa—Black Panther

Arguably one of the highlights of Civil War, Black Panther is a serious badass. I've had a couple people ask for this, so here we are!

My primary concern with this is that, since T'Challa only had a supporting role in Civil War, I'm probably going to have to recompile him when his film comes out. On the bright side, that's not for another two years, so I have plenty of time until then to finish other heroes.

Serious spoilers below. Also, if you're reading this blog and haven't seen Civil War yet, go do that. Seriously, good movie.

Name: T'Challa
Race: Human
Experience: 60 (Heroic)
Power Level: Heavy Hitter (60 PP)
Agility d12; Smarts d10; Spirit d8; Strength d12+2; Vigor d8
Pace 6; Parry 10; Charisma 2; Toughness 21 (12)
Hindrances: Loyal, Overconfident, Ruthless (m), Vengeful (M).
Edges: Arcane Background (Super Powers), Alertness, Brave, Noble, Filthy Rich, Combat Reflexes, Counterattack, Improved Dodge, Improved Martial Artist, Killer Instinct, Two-Fisted, Acrobat, Level Headed, Traceur, Frenzy.
Skills: Fighting d12+2, Intimidation d10, Notice d8, Persuasion d6, Piloting d8, Stealth d10.
Inventory: Panther Habit.
Powers:

• Armor +12 (12): Hardy, Heavy Armor. Device (–1, Vibranium Panther Habit).
• Attack, Melee (8): Damage Str+d6, AP 6, Climb, Heavy Weapon, Multiple Attacks. Device (–1, Panther Habit). (Vibranium Claws.)
• Leaping (1): Can leap 2" vertically or 4" horizontally.
• Speed (4): Pace 24, –1 to hit.
• Super Attribute (18): Agility +3, Smarts +1, Strength +4, Vigor +1.
• Super Edge (12): Combat Reflexes, Counterattack, Dodge, Killer Instinct, Martial Artist, Two-Fisted.
• Super Skill (2): Fighting +2.
• Toughness +3: Enhanced physiology. 

T'Challa was born as the crown prince of Wakanda, the isolationist and highly advanced country in Africa, and the world's source of vibranium. At some point, T'Challa had taken on the mantle of the Black Panther—protector of the Wakandan tribe.

After the events in Lagos involving the adventures. When the U.N. introduced the Sokovia Accords, his father, king T'Chaka, jumped at the chance of improving foreign relations and signed the accords. During the signing conference, T'Chaka was killed in a terrorist attack apparently perpetrated by the Winter Soldier. Consumed by vengeance, T'Challa donned his uniform and relentlessly pursued Bucky, and was it not for the interference of Captain America.

After his opposition was arrested, Bucky somehow escaped custody, and T'Challa attempted to stop him without his suit. Unfortunately, Bucky got away, apparently taken by Captain America. Later that day, T'Challa was approached by Natasha Romanoff, offering to help him track down the Winter Soldier if he assisted Tony Stark in making sure Captain America didn't escape. This encounter came to a head in a fight at the Leipzig airport. Unfortunately, near the end, Black Panther was held back by Romanoff as Cap and Bucky escaped in an Avengers quinjet.

T'Challa then tailed Stark, realizing that he may continue to pursue Cap, and consequently Bucky. Arriving at a hidden Siberian base, he followed Stark inside until they reached a large chamber, and overheard Helmut Zemo confess to framing Bucky for his crimes. Realizing that his vengeance almost led to the death of an innocent man, T'Challa prevented Zemo's suicide and captured him. Shortly after, he granted Cap and Bucky sanctuary in Wakanda, and possibly the rest of the Secret Avengers as well.
—DoctorBoson

Brock Rumlow—Crossbones

Continuing with the trend of publishing characters we probably won't be seeing again anytime soon, let's look at Crossbones. Famous in the comics for killing Captain America, his role in the MCU is slightly different...

Name: Brock Rumlow
Race: Human
Experience: 100 (Legendary)
Power Level: Pulp Hero (15 PP)
Agility d8; Smarts d6; Spirit d8; Strength d10; Vigor d8
Pace 6; Parry 8; Charisma –2; Toughness 14 (6)
Hindrances: Death Wish (m, kill Captain America), Ruthless (M), Stubborn, Ugly, Vengeful (m)
Edges: Arcane Background (Super Powers), Brawny, Quick Draw, Steady Hands, Marksman, Combat Reflexes, Dodge, Two-Fisted, Improved Nerves of Steel, Frenzy, Take the Hit, Strong Willed.
Skills: Fighting d12, Intimidation d6, Knowledge (Battle) d4, Notice d6, Shooting d10, Stealth d6, Streetwise d6, Taunt d6, Throwing d8, Tracking d4.
Inventory: Battle armor (Armor +6), SIG Sauer (2d6, AP 1, 12/24/48, Semi-Auto, 12 Shots), gas mask, comms unit, bomb vest, magnet grenade (3d6, 5/10/20, MBT, sticks to metal surfaces: roll at –6 to pull off).
Powers:

• Armor +6 (1): Partial Protection (–1). Device (–1, advanced body armor).
• Attack, Melee (5): Damage Str+2d6, Multiple Attacks. Device (–1, piston gauntlets).
• Super Edge (4): Improved Nerves of Steel, Take the Hit. (Fried nerve endings.)
• Resistance (1): Electricity. +4 to resist effects, +4 Toughness. (Fried nerve endings.)
• Toughness +1 (4): Hardy. (Fried nerve endings.)

Brock Rumlow was a S.H.I.E.L.D. agent and leader of a STRIKE team, working with Captain America and Black Widow fairly often, including recovering a weapon known as Zodiac and the recapture of the Lemurian Star.

Winter Soldier Inventory: Steyr AUG A3 (2d8, AP 2, 24/48/96, RoF 3, Auto, 30 Shots), Suppressor, SIG Sauer (2d6, AP 1, 12/24/48, Semi-Auto, 12 Shots), comms unit, kevlar vest with inserts (Armor +3, Armor +6 vs ballistics, –4 AP vs ballistics), stun wand (Vigor or incapacitated), combat knife (Str+d4, 3/6/12).

Rumlow is a master martial artist, marksman, and tactician, instrumental in a variety of S.H.I.E.L.D. operations. Unfortunately, he is also an undercover HYDRA agent. After the assassination of Nick Fury, Rumlow was tasked with bringing in Captain Rogers, though he was unable to do so several times, even with the help of the Winter Soldier. During HYDRA's uprising, Rumlow helped secure the launch codes and keep S.H.I.E.L.D. off HYDRA's back as they did what they could, even engaging in hand-to-hand with Sam Wilson. Unfortunately, he was taken down by a collapsing building after Project: INSIGHT helicarriers crashed into it.

This didn't kill him, however. Rumlow went off the grid and disavowed HYDRA, instead working for himself and his small team of mercenaries, just itching at a chance to kill Steve Rogers. That chance came in Lagos, Nigeria almost two years later, where Rumlow led an attack on an Institute for Infectious Diseases. After isolating Captain America, Rumlow went all-out in his new battle suit to try and wear the Captain down, before attempting to distract him and detonate the explosives strapped to his chest and take Steve with him. While the suicide bombing didn't take out Captain Rogers, it did kill over a dozen innocent civilians, and sparked the creation of the Sokovia Accords.
—DoctorBoson

Peter Parker—Spider-Man

Oh my god. I've been waiting for more than a year to finally see this movie and start putting numbers onto the dozen heroes that Civil War fleshes out, including Vision, Black Panther, Scarlet Witch, and Falcon, but the one I've been really excited for... Spider-Man. Finally, a good, MCU-integrated Spider-Man.

Go watch this movie, my next few posts are probably gonna have spoilers, and it's one of the best movies I've seen in a long time, and hands down the best comic book movie ever, so just... just do it.

Now, I was debating rather hard on whether to give Pete the Young Hindrance or not, but decided against it. Between his skill distribution and age—15 as of Civil War—while he is young, the Young Hindrance places characters around 8 to 12 and just seemed like overkill.

Name: Peter Parker
Race: Human
Experience: 30 (Seasoned)
Power Level: 75 (Cosmic)
Agility d12+1; Smarts d10; Spirit d6; Strength d12+6; Vigor d10
Pace 6; Parry 7; Charisma 0; Toughness 15
Hindrances: Heroic, Obligation (m—high school), Overconfident, Loyal, Poverty
Edges: Arcane Background (Super Powers), Brave, Ambidextrous, Quick, Acrobat, Two-Fisted, Level Headed, Marksman.
Skills: Fighting d8, Knowledge (Science) d8, Notice d6, Persuasion d4, Repair d6, Shooting d8, Stealth d6, Taunt d6, Throwing d4.
Inventory: Costume, web shooters ×2, commlink, holographic projector.
Powers:

• Awareness (5): Ignores obscurement penalties and Gang Up bonus. (Spidey-sense.)
• Danger Sense (1): Limitation (–1, must be active for awareness, super edge, super skill, & uncanny reflexes to work). (Spidey-sense.)
• Leaping (2): Can leap 4" vertically or 8" horizontally.
• Super Attribute (28): Agility +4, Strength +8, Vigor +2.
• Super Edge (4): Ambidextrous, Quick.
• Super Skill (2): Fighting +1, Shooting +1.
• Toughness +8 (8): Hyper-dense musculature.
• Uncanny Reflexes (10): –4 to hit. Blinding Reflexes. (Spidey-sense.)
• Wall Walker (1): It's Spider-Man, that's his thing.

Web Shooters: 

• Swinging (14): Pace 24, may swing to any point within 12". Strong Line ×10 (10500 lbs). Device (–1, web shooters).

with

• Ensnare (8): Very Strong ×2, Ranged Touch Attack 12". Device (–1, web shooters).
• Speed (4): Pace 12, Catch and Throw. (Strong legs.)

Peter Parker is a young man from Queens whose parents died in an accident years ago, and has been living with his aunt May and uncle Ben ever since. When he was just starting high school at around 15, he was bitten by a radioactive spider—giving him incredible super powers of strength, speed, and an uncanny sixth sense that makes him nearly impossible to hit. However, his misuse of his powers ended in the death of his uncle. Peter blamed himself, believing that it his uncle died because he neglected to help.

Since that day, Peter Parker became Spider-Man, inventing a kind of super-strong webbing compound and web-shooters to go with them. These augment his mobility and give him the ability to non-lethally deal with criminals. He mostly stayed in Queens, dealing with petty crime and helping prevent accidents, doing whatever he can to keep his corner of New York safe while trying to keep his identity a secret.

It wasn't long before footage of this new hero began making its way onto YouTube, and Peter was tracked down by Tony Stark almost six months later, recruiting him to help force Captain Steve Rogers to comply with the Sokovia Accords. Peter, while initially skeptical of this idea, was coerced by Stark threatening to tell his aunt May that he had these kinds of powers.

While being a huge help in the Leipzig airport battle, both by evening the numbers out and providing a way to easily restrain the opposition, Peter was eventually knocked back by a stray hit from Ant Man, falling what is likely a few stories and possibly breaking a few ribs. Stark told Peter to stay down, and brought him back to Queens shortly thereafter.

Once he was home, Peter found a Stark-style holographic projector concealed underneath his web shooters, displaying an image of Spider-Man's face with what appears to be communication options.
—DoctorBoson