Gladius
or:
maybe this, but withouth the lightning bolt
Gladius
PL11
Abilities
Strength 12,
Stamina 5,
Agility 2,
Dexterity 2,
Fighting 4,
Intellect 1,
Awareness 2,
Presence 2
Powers
Flight Array: (31 points)
Flight 13 [Dynamic]
Dyn: Speed 13 [Dynamic]
Dyn: Gravikinesis: Move Object 12 [Precise, Subtle, Dynamic]
Invulnerability: (14 points)
Protection 7, Immunity 5 [Cold, Heat, Pressure, Radiation, Vacuum], Gravitic Immunity: Immunity 2 [Gravity Effects]
Gravitic Array: (31 points)
Tactile-Telekinesis: Feature 1 [Exert Strength without moving],
Gravitic Strength: Enhanced Strength 11
Alt: Singularity: Move Object 11 [Cone Area 2, Damaging; Limited to pulling objects towards him. 1 rank for every ten foot increment. Full Round Action ]
Alt: Shield Others: Create 10 [Movable; Proportional; Subtle 1, Precise]
Alt: Shockwave: Affliction 11 [(Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed and Vulnerable, Stunned and Defenseless); Burst Area, Extra Condition; Limited - Gladius and targets must be touching the ground]
Alt: Gravitic Blast: Damage 11 [Ranged]
Alt: Gravitic Wave: Damage 11 [Cone Area]
Alt: Gravity Field: Move Object 10 [Burst Area; Limited to Pulling Towards a surface; Precise]
Gravitic Power Stunts: (0 points)
Directional Pull: Movement 3 [Alter pull of gravity enabling anyone in the range to alter the direction of "down" - Wall Crawling 3; Burst Area, Selective; Linked to Artificial Gravity (Environment 5 - negate impeded movement due to Gravity)],
Gravitic Containment: Nullify 11 [Nullify Explosions]
Equipment
Advantages
All-Out Attack,
Extraordinary Effort,
Move-by Action,
Second Chance 1 [Re-roll against Mind Control],
Well-Informed,
Inspire 1,
Improved Initiative 2,
Startle
Skills
Athletics (+12),
Close Combat: Unarmed 6 (+10),
Deception 4 (+6),
Expertise: Current Events 4 (+5),
Expertise: History 1 (+2),
Insight 4 (+6),
Intimidation 4 (+6),
Investigation 2 (+3),
Perception 5 (+7),
Persuasion 2 (+4),
Ranged Combat: Gravity Powers 9 (+11),
Stealth (+2),
Treatment 4 (+5), Vehicles 3 (+5)
Offense
Initiative +10
Unarmed +10, Damage 12
Shockwave +4, Damage 11, Burst Area
Gravitic Blast +11, Damage 11
Defense
Dodge 10, Parry 8
Toughness 12 (Def Roll 0), Fortitude 10, Will 12
Power Points
Abilities 38 + Powers 76 + Advantages 9 + Skills 19 + Defenses 27 = Total 169
Complications
Motivation: Responsibility. Gladius truly believes that his power and origin are a gift that he must use to help others.
Stepping Up: Gladius is a clone of the Centurion. He's not as powerful, but he wears the colors and works to be worthy of the mantle one day. He will step up despite the risk.
Relationship: Gladius and Bankshot have a relationship (they're married) that has not become common knowledge.
Rival - Gravity Master. The guy's not all bad so it's not an "enemy complication" but Gravity Master envies that Gladius got the girl (Bank Shot) and has powers naturally that he worked to build.
Design Notes
* This is actually not a Merge build. Reposted from Catsai's Heroes Unlimited thread.
* This was originally an excuse to play the 90s style Superboy's powerset if not the personality. As such, I tweaked the DCA build. His powers are telekinetic at their base, but developed into gravitic in nature.
* Being a legacy of Centurion and not Superman, I was quite at ease to remove heat vision and the super-sensory array.
* His Enhanced Strength is the focus of his Gravity Powers - it's a personal gravitational field allowing him to lift 100 tons. Arguably having the full fledged gravikinesis (telekinesis) is a moot point and a waste of a point. However, I see him mostly using his powers to appear to be a paragon more than telekinetic.
* There may be too much in the array. Personally, I see it mostly as descriptors on variant damage applications, but leave to your examination.
* Power Stunt section is to have some stunts on standby. Some things that he can do, but that require extra effort.
Background
Gaius Aurelius, Ryan Connors, Orion, Gladius... All the same person, and yet none of them should exist in our world. Just ask Dr. Mayhem.
Desperate to restore his timeline and his identity, the villain known as Dr Mayhem hatched a plot to find the Gladius of his world. His latest device sought out parallel worlds that most resembled the one that he remembered, the one where he belonged. In the process, about a dozen young heroes appeared with uniforms strikingly similar to that of the long deceased hero Centurion. Each was puzzled by the world that they had arrived on, but none more so than Gaius Aurelius. Of all the duplicates, he was the only to not use the familiar gold white and blue of his alleged father.
Freedom City rolled its eyes at all these newcomers – after all the presence of the Alpha Centurion had dashed their hopes of ever seeing their beloved hero again and made them suspicious of all who might wear his colors.
So it was that when the crisis of duplicates was resolved, Gaius faded into the background and managed to remain on Earth Prime. Taking the name Ryan Connors he enrolled at Claremont Academy, having a referral from Lady Liberty certainly helped his case.
Quiet and reserved, he remained in his black and gold uniform, his slightly different powerset drawing absolutely no attention to his potential origin. A few of the girls noted that he looked like a young Centurion, but he dismissed it. He even went so far as to dye his hair black.
He dedicated his free time to playing the guitar – something that he truly excelled at, perhaps due to his powers – and to reading and watching all things about Centurion.
The truth is, he wishes that Centurion was his father. Although this is closer to truth than outright falsehood, the fact of the matter is that the Centurion of Gaius’ world was anything but the benevolent hero of Earth Prime. Still, he was no villain, perhaps more akin to the Superman of the JLA animated episodes “A Better World.” He was Marcus Aurelius, and he called himself the Alpha Centurion*. And this was another reason why Ryan cringed at revealing his origins. Gaius was supposed to be next in line to take his father’s place as leader of the Myrmidons (his world’s equivalent to the Freedom League). He had been "grown" as one of the receptacles that could take on the mind and mantle of the Alpha Centurion in case of his death. A guarantee of immortality. A crown prince who would never assume the throne.
On this Earth, Gaius liked the new name - Ryan Connors - that Lady Liberty had given him, and Gaius Aurelius and all that he was began to fade into a distant memory and he treated it as a nightmare best forgotten. He even assumed the codename of Orion to distance himself a little more from his legacy.
Dr. Mayhem discovered the youth, and determined to prove exactly what Ryan wanted so desperately to believe – that he was no scion of Centurion and that was not worthy of the name. They clashed repeatedly, leaving Ryan shaken to the core on several occasions and losing his sense of self. It was one such encounter that actually finally determined once and for all who the young man was, is, and will be.
Ryan had developed friends outside of Claremont, and Mayhem discovered them. In a ruthless plan he attempted to destroy them one at a time in order to weed out the “False Gladius.” Orion appealed to the Alterni-Teens for help and his friends were rescued. In the ensuing confrontation with Mayhem, Orion’s uniform was shredded and the hero was very near total defeat at the hands of the madman. As Dauntless moved to help, Lady Liberty appeared and gently held him back. She told the team that this was Orion’s fight and there was far more than a loss at the hands of Mayhem at stake for the young man.
Mayhem’s final trap proved the end of Orion. But not in the way that he had intended. Thrown into a burning building, his friends could no longer stand by and watch. Despite Liberty’s plea, they subdued Mayhem, Dauntless and Magni Thorson attempted to destroy his Battlesuit. The others turned to help Orion, but in that second a rebirth happened. Mayhem held his own against the team, apparently having been toying with Orion until this point. Behind the battle, the building collapsed just as Orion exploded from the roof, holding the hands of the two people that the Alterni-Teens had had not been able to find. His protective powers extended over them he touched down next to Relentless, his costume barely hanging on to his battered body.
His face, strangely bereft of emotion, he turned to face Mayhem. As if sensing him behind them, the Teens moved aside. Orion’s hand clamped down on the armour, and the battlesuit flew apart in pieces. In shock, Mayhem was defeated while Orion returned to the Academy to recover from the battle. He was quiet for days, the only sounds coming from his room the riffs he would play on the guitar. He refused to talk to anyone, he refused to acknowledge or respond when addressed by name. He also refused to accept a replacement uniform.
Lady Liberty paid a visit to the Academy about a week later, a box under her arm. She nodded and smiled to all that greeted her, but proceeded to Ryan’s door. She opened it, not bothering to knock and the teen didn’t bother to look up. Putting the box down, she asked a simple question. “Who are you?” Startled, he acknowledged her by looking up. Answering her own question before he could say anything, she told him what she thought. “You are Ryan Connors. Who you were or what you think you were before arriving in Freedom City is irrelevant. A week ago, you showed us courage, strength, wisdom and compassion. You showed us that we can count on our friends and to ask for help when it is needed. You showed us what it means to be a hero. You may have been created to be something or someone in another reality. On this world, you are very much more than that. When you’re ready, open the box.”
Liberty left, not waiting for a reply, pausing to talk to the Alterni-Teens. As she prepared to return to Freedom Hall, the assembled students stopped talking one at a time and their gazes fell on the figure of Orion. The uniform he now wore was gold and blue with white highlights. The resemblance to Centurion’s costume was there, but it was not a copy. Liberty smiled and asked, “And, what is your answer?”
“I am Ryan Connors. I am Gladius.”