JDRook's Revised DCA Builds - Blaze! Blockbuster(s)! Lady Vic!

Where in all of your character write ups will go.
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JDRook's Revised DCA Builds - Blaze! Blockbuster(s)! Lady Vic!

Post by JDRook »

Many moons ago, before both DCA Heroes & Villain volumes were released, I got it into my head to put all 600+ builds into HeroLab as a handy resource for myself and others. In the process I learned a lot about the software, the 3e system and the DC universe. Now I've got a lot of time and little income, so I'm going to be posting all of my interpretations of the builds, including errata, rules clarifications and my endless pedantic comments, plus a link to the individual HL .por files for each character.

I will be posting them in the same order as the books, which is mostly alphabetically plus a few teams and related characters. My plan is to post at least one a day, if not several, but even at that rate it's going to take months, so if there's any you'd like to see sooner I will consider requests, probably alternating with the set list.

The individual HeroLab file I will be making freely available, but I will also make my entire collection available for a cost yet to be determined. Watch this space for more details.

UPDATE 2021/05/31: One year anniversary and I have not even finished the B's. This does take more work than I thought.

When I did put the H&V volumes in HeroLab about a decade ago it took me several months, but less than a year to get them all. Pretty pictures, pithy bios and picky rules details really eat up my time.

My next goal it to get up to E before Year 3.


INDEX
A
Abra Kadabra
Adam Strange
Agent Liberty
Air Wave
All-Star Squadron (team list, All-Star Special, and the Trylon & Perisphere)
AMAZO
Ambush Bug (and Cheeks the Toy Wonder)
Animal Man
Aquaman - The Warrior King Ares - God of War, NOT the EotM Board Admin
Arsenal - Roy Harper, Jr AKA Speedy I AKA Agent Harper AKA Red Arrow

The Atoms Family Atomic Skull
Atrocitus of the Red Lantern Corps
Aztek
Azrael (Michael Washington Lane)

B
Bane

BATGIRL(S) Batman (Bruce Wayne) Batwoman (Kate Kane)
Beast Boy
Big Barda PL13, RtP PL12 version
Birds of Prey (Team List, Kord Tower, and Aerie One) bIZARRO
Black Adam (Theo Adam possessed by Teth)

BLACK CANARY Black Hand / Black Lantern
Black Lightning
Black Manta
Blackfire
The Blackhawk Squadron
Blaze

BLOCKBUSTER BLUE BEETLE
BLUE BEETLE (DAN GARRETT)
BLUE BEETLE (TED KORD)
BLUE BEETLE (JAIME REYES)
BLUE DEVIL
BLUE DEVIL (ORIGINAL)
BLUE LANTERN CORPS
BOLT
BOOSTER GOLD
SKEETS
RIP HUNTER
BRAINIAC
BRAINIAC (MILTON FINE)
BRAINIAC 5
BRONZE TIGER
BROTHER BLOOD
BROTHER BLOOD VIII
BLOOD CULTIST
BROTHERHOOD OF EVIL
THE BRAIN
MONSIUER MALLAH
HOUNGAN
GEMINI
PHOBIA
PLASMUS
WARP
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Re: Abra Kadabra! Atom Strange! Agent Liberty!

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Incidentally, this is much more compelling art for AK than in the book.

Abra Kadabra - PL 11

Strength 2, Stamina 4, Agility 1, Dexterity 3, Fighting 2, Intellect 4, Awareness 4, Presence 2

Advantages
Daze (Deception), Defensive Roll 3, Fascinate (Deception), Improvised Tools, Inventor

Skills
Deception 6 (+8), Expertise: Science 15 (+19), Expertise: Stage Magic 10 (+14), Intimidation 6 (+8), Persuasion 6 (+8), Sleight of Hand 6 (+9), Stealth 6 (+7), Technology 7 (+11)

Powers
Technological Magic - 56p pool + 5 AEs = 61p
. . Disappearing Act: Teleport 11 (8 miles in a move action, carrying 100 lbs.; Accurate, Easy, Extended: 2000 miles in 2 move actions, Increased Mass)
. . Hypno-Ray: Cumulative Cone Area Affliction 11 (1st degree: Dazed, 2nd degree: Compelled, 3rd degree: Controlled, Resisted by: Will, DC 21; Cone Area: 60 feet cone, DC 21, Cumulative, Increased Range 2: perception, Reversible)
. . *Mind over Matter: Burst Area Move Object 9 (12 tons, DC 24; Burst Area: 30 feet radius sphere, DC 19, Damaging, Increased Range: perception, Precise, Selective)*
. . Nanotechnological Transformation: Progressive Affliction 11 (1st degree: Hindered, 2nd degree: Immobile, 3rd degree: Transformed, Resisted by: Will, DC 21; Increased Range 2: perception, Progressive, Reversible)
. . Nanotechnological Transmutation: Transform 8 (Affects: Broad > Broad - solids into other solids, Transforms: 200 lbs., DC 18; Increased Duration: continuous, Increased Range 2: perception)
. . Teleport Ray: Teleport Attack 11 (8 miles in a move action, carrying 100 lbs., DC 21; Attack: Dodge, Extended: 2000 miles in 2 move actions, Increased Mass, Increased Range 2: perception)

Offense
Initiative +1
Grab, +2 (DC Spec 12)
Hypno-Ray: Cumulative Cone Area Affliction 11 (DC Will 21)
Mind over Matter: Burst Area Move Object 9 (DC 24)
Nanotechnological Transformation: Progressive Affliction 11 (DC Will 21)
Nanotechnological Transmutation: Transform 8 (DC Dog 18)
Teleport Ray: Teleport Attack 11 (DC Dog 21)
Throw, +3 (DC 17)
Unarmed, +2 (DC 17)

Complications
Motivation: Recognition: Kadabra sometimes acts out of greed or revenge, but the common element in all of his schemes is his insane, ruthless craving for applause and attention. His actions are often showy, even when subtlety is needed.
Power Loss: Kadabra derives his powers from sub-dermal implants acquired in his native future era. Authorities with sufficient know-how (like Iron Heights wardens) can remove them, leaving Kadabra without powers.

Defense
Dodge 10, Parry 12, Fortitude 9, Toughness 7/4, Will 11

Power Points
Abilities 44 + Powers 61 + Advantages 7 + Skills 31 (62 ranks) + Defenses 31 = 174

HeroLab .por file

The tyranny of alphabetization has us start off with Abra Kadabra, not a particularly well-respected villain in the DC-verse, but not a bad entry for over the top comic book action with his simple motivations and flashy powerset. However, his build also has a few design issues that don't have any easy answers.

I changed up the Mind over Matter power to be more like what I believe was intended: a magical telekinesis that can lift up a whole bunch of targets at once and also manipulate individual targets in that group. As written, Kadabra's Mind over Matter power is both Perception Area and Perception Range, which would technically mean that he could place the centre of the effect anywhere he can see and anyone who perceives that centre point with a defined sense would be affected by it, and for Move Object, this is nonsensical; objects can't perceive, and if the intent was to only fling around people there would be a Flaw. I swapped out Perception Area for Burst, added Selective (Precise alone is insufficient for resistible effects), and dropped the whole thing to rank 9 to stay in the same point range. As a villain and therefore most likely played as an NPC, a GM can alway raise the rank to 11 and ignore the point totals; the difference is +2 Damage with the Damaging Extra and lifting 50 tons instead of 12.

Hypno-Ray is also a little strange with Perception Range and a Cone, again technically placing a point and the cone splaying out from that. In practice, it would probably be a cone-shaped beam shooting outward and affecting everyone, although making it Sense-Dependent would fit thematically. I was considering making it a Close Range 4x Cone with Sense-Dependent for the same cost, but since the power as written still sort of works right I'll leave it to the individual GM.

As a threat, Kadabra should be an interesting challenge for a PL10 group, particularly if he isn't working alone. His powers cause all different kinds of chaos, with both kinds of Transforms, Mind Control, and Teleport Attacks easily able to create problems for PCs that would distract from attacking him directly. This is good, since his defense is below PL across the boards, with a particularly low Ranged Defense at 8.5. Also, that gigantic array is great for power stunts, and his Inventor trait allows for other surprises with a little planning.

If you changed a few things, I think AK would make an interesting hero, and could easily be tuned to a standard PL10/150p. Essentially he's a Gadgeteer with all of his gadgets as subdermal implants; making his powers into Devices and making them less creepy (ie less Mind Control and Transform) could be very effective. If he wasn't driven to a life of crime and instead went into crimefighting to find glory, he'd be very similar to Booster Gold with a stage magic theme.
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Re: JDRook's Revised DCA Builds and HeroLab Portfolios

Post by Ken »

Who's the cloaked chick in green leaning on the person I presume is Garth?
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Re: Abra Kadabra! Atom Strange! Agent Liberty!

Post by JDRook »

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Adam Strange - PL 10

Strength 2, Stamina 2, Agility 6, Dexterity 5, Fighting 3, Intellect 3, Awareness 4, Presence 3

Advantages
Assessment, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll 4, Evasion, Favored Environment: Flying, Improved Aim, Improved Critical: Ray Guns, Inspire 2, Leadership, Move-by Action, Quick Draw*

Skills
Acrobatics 4 (+10), Close Combat: Unarmed 6 (+9), Expertise: Archaeology 9 (+12), Expertise: Military Tactics 7 (+10), Insight 4 (+8), Perception 7 (+11), Ranged Combat: Ray Guns: 8 (+13), Technology 6 (+9), Vehicles 5 (+10)

Powers
Jet Pack: Flight 7 (Removable, Speed: 250 miles/hour, 0.5 miles/round)
Rannian Eyes: Senses 3 (Darkvision, Infravision)
Ray Guns: Blast 7 (Easily Removable, DC 22)
Space Suit: Immunity 10 (Removable, Life Support; Quirk: doesn't protect against Starvation and Thirst*)
Zeta Beamer: Movement 3 (Easily Removable, Space Travel 3: other galaxies; Uncontrolled)

Offense
Initiative +6
Grab, +3 (DC Spec 12)
Ray Guns: Blast 7, +13 (DC 22)
Throw, +5 (DC 17)
Unarmed, +9 (DC 17)

Complications
Defender of Rann: Adam Strange is the chosen hero of the planet Rann. He serves as both planetary champion and leader of the Rannian armies in times of crisis and times of war.
Family: Adam Strange’s greatest motivation to defend the planet Rann is the protection of his wife, Alanna, and their daughter, Aleea.
Outsider: Though he is the champion of Rann, Adam Strange is an Earthling who must prove himself worthy of the honor bestowed upon him.

Defense
Dodge 12, Parry 7, Fortitude 7, Toughness 6/2, Will 10

Power Points
Abilities 56 + Powers 30 + Advantages 15 + Skills 28 (56 ranks) + Defenses 21 = 150

HeroLab .por file

Adam Strange gives you a decent template for a simple atomic-age adventurer, even built to PL10/150p . . . almost. Totals in the book actually aren't quite correct at a few places; using their own numbers, it should be 152p total, but the Zeta Beam being Easily Removable and Uncontrollable is arguably only 1p, bringing it to 151. I see 2 easy ways to remove that extra point if necessary:

1. The Quirk on Life Support so that the spacesuit doesn't cover starvation and thirst, OR
2. Dropping Quick Draw since Devices do not inherently need a Move Action to be used.

The second point can open a whole can of worms about rules if you've already established how long it takes to draw or ready a Device compared to equipment. By the book, drawing or stowing a weapon or changing ammo takes a Move Action, and Quick Draw makes that a Free Action, but Devices are just Effects with the Removable Flaw, and there's nothing under Removable (or Easily Removable) that slows down activating Effects. You could argue that it's inherent in the desciptor of a hand weapon, but not every Device that's a weapon needs to be drawn or wielded (eg brass knuckles, magic amulet that strengthens punches or shoots beams, etc). My take is that Devices shouldn't require a Move Action draw unless bought with that Flaw, and equipment weapons should have it by default, if for no other reason than the huge point difference. This also suggests a third option: keep Quick Draw, give Strange an equipment-level blaster (if appropriate for the setting) and use the extra points for other things like defenses or interaction skills.

Strange hits his PL offensively with the Ray Gun only, PL 9 on ranged defense, and is worse on everything else. His Favored Environment (Flying) effectively makes him PL11 offensively and PL10 on ranged defense, so he can be very competent in certain situations, but is normally not likely to overshadow a standard PL10 PC team. He'd make a good contact or gateway character into more cosmic adventures.
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Re: Abra Kadabra! Atom Strange! Agent Liberty!

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Agent Liberty - PL 10

Strength 5, Stamina 4, Agility 6, Dexterity 5, Fighting 10, Intellect 1, Awareness 2, Presence 2

Advantages
Close Attack 2, Connected, Defensive Attack, Improved Aim, Instant Up, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Precise Attack (Ranged, Cover), Quick Draw, Takedown 2

Skills
Acrobatics 2 (+8), Athletics 6 (+11), Close Combat: Unarmed 1 (+11), Deception 2 (+4), Expertise: Law 7 (+8), Expertise: Law Enforcement 10 (+11), Expertise: Streetwise 5 (+6), Insight 4 (+6), Intimidation 8 (+10), Investigation 10 (+11), Perception 8 (+10), Persuasion 4 (+6), Ranged Combat: Guns 9 (+14), Stealth 6 (+12), Technology 4 (+5)

Powers

Liberty Suit (Removable)
. . Arm Blades: Strength-based Damage 3 (DC 23)
. . Bulletproof Force Field: Protection 5 (+5 Toughness; Impervious)
. . *Enhanced Strength 2* (+2 STR)

Jet Pack: Flight 6 (Removable, Speed: 120 miles/hour, 1800 feet/round)
Plasma Pistol: Damage 6 (Easily Removable, DC 21; Increased Range: ranged, Multiattack)

Offense
Initiative +6
Arm Blades: Strength-based Damage 3, +12 (DC 23)
Grab, +12 (DC Spec 15)
Plasma Pistol: Damage 6, +14 (DC 21)
Throw, +5 (DC 20)
Unarmed, +13 (DC 20)

Complications
Identity: Benjamin Lockwood keeps his identity a closely guarded secret.
Motivation: Patriotism: Agent Liberty is a patriot who strives to make his country more like the “real America” he envisions.

Defense
Dodge 11, Parry 11, Fortitude 12, Toughness 9, Will 8

Power Points
Abilities 66 + Powers 34 + Advantages 12 + Skills 43 (86 ranks) + Defenses 20 = 175

HeroLab .por file

A former CIA agent turned independent super-patriot, Agent Liberty is a handful. An overpointed PL10 with the suit and equipment, even without them he's a pretty solid PL8 both offensively and defensively, making him outclass the Elite Soldier minion archetype in the GM book even when unarmed. He's also pretty skills-heavy, with maybe a little too much spent on similar Expertises and Dexterity. Very much in the Crimefighter archetype mold, he could be trimmed down to a RtP PC version, but still is probably better used as a potential contact, possible opponent or temporary ally, depending on the adventure.

*as pointed out by Ken, there's no apparent reason or precedent for Agent Liberty's suit to augment his strength. Removing it would drop his base Arm Blade DC to 21, his Grab to DC13, and his Throwing and Unarmed Damage to DC18, with his Plasma Pistol Damage and Defenses unaffected, of course, so he's still PL10 but slightly less effective in close combat. One could increase his Attack skills to compensate, but as mentioned he's already an overpointed beast, and characters with FGT 12 or more seem to be reserved for the more martial arts inclined.
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Re: JDRook's Revised DCA Builds and HeroLab Portfolios

Post by JDRook »

Ken wrote: Tue Jun 02, 2020 7:55 pm Who's the cloaked chick in green leaning on the person I presume is Garth?
My guess would be Raven, although I did just pick this out of Google Images.

UPDATE: Just looked it up. Titan's Volume 3 issue 3, the character is Lilith Clay AKA Omen. Apparently she splintered off and started Titans West, but there's no detailed entry in the DCA books about her so I didn't know.
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https://dc.fandom.com/wiki/Lilith_Clay_(Prime_Earth)
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Re: JDRook's Revised DCA Builds and HeroLab Portfolios

Post by catsi563 »

thatd be Omen aka Lilith Clay
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Re: Abra Kadabra! Atom Strange! Agent Liberty! Air Wave!

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Air Wave - PL 9

Strength 3, Stamina 4, Agility 2, Dexterity 2, Fighting 2, Intellect 0, Awareness 1, Presence 1

Advantages
Attractive, Beginner's Luck, Close Attack, Defensive Roll, Evasion 2, Move-by Action

Skills
Close Combat: Energy Form 8 (+10)

Powers
EMR Reception: Senses 1 (Radio)
Energy Form (Activation: Move Action)
. . Electromagnetic Energy Form: Insubstantial 3 (Energy)
. . Energy Aura: Damage 7 (DC 22; Reaction 3: reaction)
. . Immunity 10 (Life Support)
. . Subluminal Flight: Flight 19 (Speed: 1 million miles/hour, 2000 miles/round)

Offense
Initiative +2
Energy Aura: Damage 7, +11 (DC 22)
Grab, +3 (DC Spec 13)
Throw, +2 (DC 18)
Unarmed, +3 (DC 18)

Complications
Motivation: Responsibility: Throughout his life, Hal strove to emulate the heroism of his father, the original Air Wave.
Weakness: Hal was sensitive to electromagnetic radiation emissions, like sunspot activity and broadcast communications. At sufficient levels, they rendered him impaired, disabled, powerless, or in danger of dying.

Defense
Dodge 13, Parry 13, Fortitude 7, Toughness 5/4, Will 11

Power Points
Abilities 30 + Powers 91 + Advantages 7 + Skills 4 (8 ranks) + Defenses 35 = 167

HeroLab .por file

Hal Jordan is Air Wave. Not THAT Hal Jordan, the Green Lantern (his cousin), but the son of the original Air Wave Larry Jordan. I'm not sure what brilliant piece of editorial oversight thought giving two different characters identical names was a good idea, but here we are. This Hal is not a gifted pilot, and from his skills he's hardly a gifted anything, given only Close Combat Skill in his Energy Form and Beginner's Luck to cover anything else of note. He's also idealistic and naive, which gets him into trouble. Combining all that with the fact that he can literally fly at "a million miles an hour," he feels like he was conceived by a six year old, although not necessarily in a bad way.

Air Wave is pretty simple mechanically despite some big numbers that would be huge issues on other characters. The Flight 19 is ridiculously high and would normally be a red flag for Slam Damage, but since he can only do it while Insubstantial, he can't inflict damage beyond his Energy Aura (which is also a fixed rank 7 since you can't tradeoff Reaction Damage without an Attack Check). His Insub should also allow him to pass through anything radio waves can get through, so if your phone if can get a signal there, so can he; this could be potentially unbalancing for a lot of characters, but Hal has no skill in subterfuge, information gathering, assassination or anything particularly harmful, so it's cool. His ability to tune into the entire electromagnetic spectrum to monitor radio and television broadcast costs 1p, and while I have personally made complex characters based on that ability alone, I can't think of a good argument to charge him more for it.

He hits his PL9 with both his Energy Aura Combat and all his Defenses, although I think at least a few ranks of his Dodge/Parry should be tied to his Energy Form, but again he's completely immune to Physical and EMR attacks, so *shrug*. He's wildly overpointed for a PL9, and I'm sorely tempted to build a Teleport that simulates that same near-light travel time at a lower cost, but why bother? Overall, I envision the perfect player for Air Wave as the kid brother of someone else playing Green Lantern.
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Re: JDRook's Revised DCA Builds - All-Star Squadron!!!

Post by JDRook »

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(This one was a deep dive, and can get pretty convoluted, so forgive my mistakes and feel free to correct me.)

The All-Star Squadron was formed during WWII by FDR himself, imploring the superhero community at the time (sans the JSA since they were trapped in time with Per Degaton and other enemies) to form a loose reserve of mystery men and powered people and watch over the homefront, keeping America safe from fascists and other no-goodniks. There were no frontline European missions since Hitler had the Spear of Destiny and was basically plot-shielding that part of the world.

The DCA book lists off 60+ members, as seen in the above comic scans, many of whom are not statted in any of the books, or at best are the legacy originals of other heroes. As a formal group, the Squadron only existed during the length of WWII, but they would splinter off into several smaller groups, including the pre-existing JSA, Seven Soldiers of Victory, Freedom Fighters, Crusaders, Young All-Stars, etc.

On the real-world publishing backend of this, All-Star Squadron was actually written in the 80s, exploring the period around the original JSA. It allowed the creators to bring in a lot of underused second-string characters as well as a bunch from the freshly purchased Quality comics. It also let them retcon* several characters out of that period who were somehow still young and active today, replacing some with other similar characters and generally smoothing out continuity. Incidentally, the DCA books are post-Crisis, pre-52 for those of you keeping score.

In terms of RPG functionality, the Squadron (or something analogous to it) has a lot of uses. It gives superheroing a sense of history and a source of legacy heroes that players might model their own PCs on. It allows for adventures in 1940s America either as a fixed setting or possibly as part of a time-travel campaign. Because of the huge size of the group (even the DCA book ends their list with "possibly others"), a GM or player could seamlessly add their own heroes and team and make their own history, using the rest of the Squadron as contacts and backup.

*apparently the first known use of the word "retcon" was actually in the letters column of a 1983 All-Stars comic.

The DCA book includes a very long list of names of members, but fails to mention which ones are actually built out in the books, so in the interest of adding valuable information, I will provide the list here and link to the builds as I get to them.

All-Star Squadron Role Call: Air Wave (Larry Jordan, father of Hal Jordan/Air Wave), AMAZING MAN (WILL EVERETT), The Atom (Al Pratt), BILLY GUNN, BLACK CONDOR (RICHARD GREY, JR., AKA THOMAS WRIGHT), CAPTAIN TRIUMPH, COMMANDER STEEL, THE CRIMSON AVENGER (LEE TRAVIS), DOCTOR FATE (KENT NELSON), DOCTOR MID-NITE (CHARLES MCNIDER), DOCTOR OCCULT, DOLL MAN (DARRELL DANE), DYNA-MITE, FIREBRAND (DANETTE REILLY), THE FLASH (JAY GARRICK), FLYING FOX, FURY, GREEN LANTERN (ALAN SCOTT), GUARDIAN (JIM HARPER), HAWKGIRL, HAWKMAN, HOURMAN (REX TYLER), THE HUMAN BOMB (ROY LINCOLN), IRON MUNRO, THE JESTER, JOHNNY QUICK, JOHNNY THUNDER, JUDOMASTER (HADLEY “RIP” JAGGER), LIBERTY BELLE (LIBBY LAWRENCE-CHAMBERS), MANHUNTER (PAUL KIRK), MIDNIGHT, MISS AMERICA, MISTER AMERICA (TEX THOMPSON), MISTER TERRIFIC (TERRY SLOANE), NEPTUNE PERKINS, PHANTOM LADY (SANDRA KNIGHT), PLASTIC MAN, MAX MERCURY, THE RAY (LANFORD “HAPPY” TERRILL), RED BEE (RICK RALEIGH), ROBOTMAN (ROBERT CRANE/PAUL DENNIS), SANDMAN (WESLEY DODDS), SANDY THE GOLDEN BOY, SARGON THE SORCERER, SHINING KNIGHT (JUSTIN ARTHUR), THE SPECTRE (JIM CORRIGAN), THE SPIDER, STARMAN (TED KNIGHT), STAR-SPANGLED KID (SYLVESTER PEMBERTON), STRIPESY, STUFF THE CHINATOWN KID, THE TARANTULA, TIGER, TIGRESS (PAULA BROOKS), TNT, TSUNAMI, UNCLE SAM, VIGILANTE (GREG SAUNDERS), THE WHIP (JOHNNY LASH),
WILDCAT (TED GRANT), WING, ZATARA, POSSIBLY OTHERS.

The Trylon & Perisphere
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The Trylon & Perisphere are real-world buildings that were built for the 1939 New York World's Fair. The first two pictures are from historical and promotional material for the Fair while the third is from the comic itself. Using existing buildings for your HQ can definitely be a fun way to pull your players into the world of the game. Keep in mind that this would predate the transistor by a few years, so the computer in this base would fill an entire room and run on the finest vacuum tubes available (or some other bleeding edge 40s tech, possibly made-up).

The Trylon & Perisphere - PL 5

Toughness 10, Size Huge

Features:
Communications, Computer, Gym, Hangar, Laboratory, Living Space, Minion (Gernsback) 3, Security System 2, Workshop

Power Points
Abilities 3 + Powers 0 + Advantages 0 + Features 12 + Skills 0 (0 ranks) + Defenses 2 + Equipment 0 (0 ep) + Weapons & Armor 0 (0 ep) = 17


The All-Star Special
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Vehicles seem to get short shrift in a lot of these entries. For instance "Speed" should technically be Flight for this customized prop plane, and there is an almost consistent 2ep variance with most of the vehicles in the book, likely due to two charts with different values in the Vehicle section of the DCA Handbook.

The All-Star Special - PL 4

Strength 8, Defense -2, Toughness 9, Size Huge

Powers
Flight 8 (Speed: 500 miles/hour, 1 mile/round)

Power Points
Abilities 2 + Powers 16 + Advantages 0 + Features 0 + Skills 0 (0 ranks) + Defenses 2 + Equipment 0 (0 ep) + Weapons & Armor 0 (0 ep) = 20


Gernsback
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This single frame demonstrates pretty succinctly how an Absent Intellect Construct should behave. Follows orders and/or pre-programmed responses and can't be interacted with like a person (although Perception could be fooled).

Gernsback - PL 8

Strength 9, Stamina -, Agility 0, Dexterity 0, Fighting 6, Intellect -, Awareness 2, Presence -

Powers
Robot Body
. . Immunity 30 (Fortitude Effects, Mental Effects*)
. . Protection 10 (+10 Toughness)
Senses 1 (Ultravision)

Offense
Initiative +0
Grab, +6 (DC Spec 19)
Throw, +0 (DC 24)
Unarmed, +6 (DC 24)

Languages
Native Language

Defense
Dodge 0, Parry 6, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 10, Will None

Power Points
Abilities 4 + Powers 41 + Advantages 0 + Skills 0 (0 ranks) + Defenses 0 = 45
Last edited by JDRook on Fri Jun 26, 2020 3:00 pm, edited 4 times in total.
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Re: JDRook's Revised DCA Builds - All-Star Squadron!!!

Post by RUSCHE »

I am enjoying your write ups, love the Squadron.
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Re: Abra Kadabra! Atom Strange! Agent Liberty!

Post by Ken »

JDRook wrote: Tue Jun 02, 2020 11:09 pm Agent Liberty - PL 10

Strength 5, Stamina 4, Agility 6, Dexterity 5, Fighting 10, Intellect 1, Awareness 2, Presence 2

Powers
Jet Pack: Flight 6 (Removable, Speed: 120 miles/hour, 1800 feet/round)
Liberty Suit (Removable)
. . Arm Blades: Strength-based Damage 3 (DC 23)
. . Bulletproof Force Field: Protection 5 (+5 Toughness; Impervious)
. . Enhanced Strength 2 (+2 STR)
Plasma Pistol: Damage 6 (Easily Removable, DC 21; Increased Range: ranged, Multiattack)

A former CIA agent turned independent super-patriot, Agent Liberty is a handful. An overpointed PL10 with the suit and equipment, even without them he's a pretty solid PL8 both offensively and defensively, making him outclass the Elite Soldier minion archetype in the GM book even when unarmed. He's also pretty skills-heavy, with maybe a little too much spent on similar Expertises and Dexterity. Very much in the Crimefighter archetype mold, he could be trimmed down to a RtP PC version, but still is probably better used as a potential contact, possible opponent or temporary ally, depending on the adventure.
This was the book, not you, but I have zero recollection of their being a cybernetic strength booster in Agent Liberty's gear.
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JDRook
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Re: JDRook's Revised DCA Builds - All-Star Squadron!!!

Post by JDRook »

RUSCHE wrote: Sat Jun 06, 2020 1:40 am I am enjoying your write ups, love the Squadron.
Thanks! I'm glad someone's enjoying them. The Squadron seems like a lot of fun. I'm looking forward to filling out the ranks as I go.
Ken wrote: Sat Jun 06, 2020 1:58 am
JDRook wrote: Tue Jun 02, 2020 11:09 pm Agent Liberty - PL 10

Strength 5, Stamina 4, Agility 6, Dexterity 5, Fighting 10, Intellect 1, Awareness 2, Presence 2

Powers
Jet Pack: Flight 6 (Removable, Speed: 120 miles/hour, 1800 feet/round)
Liberty Suit (Removable)
. . Arm Blades: Strength-based Damage 3 (DC 23)
. . Bulletproof Force Field: Protection 5 (+5 Toughness; Impervious)
. . Enhanced Strength 2 (+2 STR)
Plasma Pistol: Damage 6 (Easily Removable, DC 21; Increased Range: ranged, Multiattack)
This was the book, not you, but I have zero recollection of their being a cybernetic strength booster in Agent Liberty's gear.
I'm not seeing any indication of it on any of the fan sites, either. They may have added it so he could have STR 5 and be able to take full advantage of the Power Attack Advantage in hand to hand, but the Arm Blades are more than sufficient to fight anything that needs to be hit that hard. Maybe to help his Grabs . . . ? My guess it was most likely something added before the designer understood the system completely and never removed, or possibly the suit was a template that wasn't edited carefully enough.

I'll make a note on the post and in the portfolio file about it. Thanks for pointing it out.
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JDRook
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Re: JDRook's Revised DCA Builds - All-Star Squadron!!!

Post by JDRook »

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I don't want to disappoint the legions of Amazo fans out there, but I think I'm going to put a pin in this one for now. Amazo's build is basically all the best powers and traits of the Justice League, plus a Variable 20 to cover anyone else who shows up. It's just so PLX it hardly seems worth it. I don't want to put it off completely, but I'd rather wait until I've finished the rest of the JLA and tuned where necessary before giving all their powers to this one build.

For completeness, I know Amazo has to exist; he's specifically designed to be a challenge for the JLA so they can showcase their problem-solving without always falling back on their powers. And that's fine, for a pre-written comic. But if you wanted an Amazo-level challenge for your particular PC team, you could do the same thing and slap all of their powers and abilities and a big honking Variable on to one page. Oh, and Immunity to Fortitude and Mental Effects, because robot. Feels so lazy.

I will comment that I definitely prefer the smooth android look of the DCAU Amazo over the pointy-eared mesomorph in the comics. I remember as a kid, checking out a friend's comic collection and being confused by this look when I saw Amazo. Not savvy to differing publishing companies yet, I thought he was somehow related to Namor or the Skrull with that design, and couldn't figure out why they made an android look like that. Why pointed ears? Why ears at all? Apparently I'm not the only one who thought this since the DCAU Amazo doesn't bother even having anything ear-like on it.
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Re: JDRook's Revised DCA Builds - All-Star Squadron!!!

Post by Jabroniville »

haha, Amazo may be the worst single design in the history of comics, and on so relatively important a threat. It's hilarious.

Nice stuff! Going alphabetical is good for completeness, though lordy you'll probably get stuck on several of the more common letters (Marvel has an unusual amount of dudes in the "M" and "S" sections, as I've noted in the past on my thread). Statting EVERYONE, even forgotten characters like Air-Wave and Agent Liberty, is God's work, and I appreciate it :).
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JDRook
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Re: JDRook's Revised DCA Builds - All-Star Squadron!!!

Post by JDRook »

Jabroniville wrote: Sat Jun 06, 2020 10:32 pmNice stuff! Going alphabetical is good for completeness, though lordy you'll probably get stuck on several of the more common letters (Marvel has an unusual amount of dudes in the "M" and "S" sections, as I've noted in the past on my thread). Statting EVERYONE, even forgotten characters like Air-Wave and Agent Liberty, is God's work, and I appreciate it :).
Glancing at the indices, there seem to be a profusion of S's and B's. Can't imagine why. :roll:

I'm glad you're enjoying it! I've certainly enjoyed your builds and commentary. And to be fair, "everyone" is still limited by the characters Green Ronin got to publish. I am checking other sources for pictures and other details, but if GR didn't stat it, neither am I. That still leaves 600+ (or 800+ if I get to the DC Universe book) characters, though, so I don't feel like I'm cutting corners, but I don't think it's quite to the scale of your own projects.

Up next: Ambush Bug!
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