STILETTO (Tom Stuart)
Created By: Tony Isabella & Billy Graham
First Appearance: Hero For Hire #16 (Dec. 1973)
Role: Jobber Villain
Group Affiliations: None
PL 7 (112)
STRENGTH 2 STAMINA 3 AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 8 DEXTERITY 4
INTELLIGENCE 3 AWARENESS 1 PRESENCE 1
Skills:
Acrobatics 3 (+7)
Athletics 4 (+6)
Close Combat (Knives) 3 (+11)
Deception 3 (+4)
Expertise (Criminal) 1 (+4)
Insight 2 (+3)
Intimidation 4 (+5)
Perception 2 (+3)
Ranged Combat (Throwing Knives) 3 (+10)
Stealth 1 (+5)
Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Evasion, Improved Aim, Improved Critical (Knives), Improved Disarm, Improved Smash, Ranged Attack 3
Powers:
"Knife-Tossing Costume" (Flaws: Removable) [12]
"Knife-Chucker" Blast 4 (Feats: Improved Critical) (Extras: Multiattack) (13)
Protection 1 (1)
-- (14 points)
"Knife Array" (Flaws: Easily Removable) [14]
"Noxious Gas Knives" Affliction 5 (Fort; Dazed & Impaired/Disabled & Stunned/Incapacitated) (Extras: Ranged, Extra Condition, Area- 15ft. Cloud +1/2) (Diminished Range -1) (17) -- (22 points)
- AE: "Tear Gas Knives" Affliction 5 (Fort; Impaired Vision & Dazed/Disabled Vision & Stunned/Incapacitated) (Extras: Ranged, Extra Condition, Area- 15ft. Cloud +1/2) (Diminished Range -1) (17)
- AE: "Standard Knife" Strength-Damage +1 (Feats: Improved Critical) (2)
- AE: "Thrown Knife" Strength-Damage +1 (Extras: Ranged 3) (Diminished Range -1) (3)
- AE: "Cryo-Knife" Snare 4 (Diminished Range -1) (11)
- AE: "Explosive Knife" Blast 6 (Extras: 15ft. Burst +1/2 for 4 Ranks) (Diminished Range -1, Inaccurate) (12)
Unarmed +8 (+2 Damage, DC 17)
Knives +11 (+3 Damage, DC 18)
Throwing Knife +10 (+3 Ranged Damage, DC 18)
Noxious Gas +5 Area (+5 Afflictoin, DC 15)
Cryo-Knife +10 (+4 Ranged Affliction, DC 14)
Explosive Knife +8/+4 Area (+6 Ranged Damage, DC 21)
Initiative +4
Defenses:
Dodge +10 (DC 20), Parry +10 (DC 20), Toughness +3 (+4 Costume), Fortitude +5, Will +3
Complications:
Motivation (Greed)
Total: Abilities: 52 / Skills: 26--13 / Advantages: 9 / Powers: 26 / Defenses: 12 (112)
-Stiletto (with a name like that, you'd expect a Femme Fatale villainess, not a dude in red tights) is yet an other in a long line of silly-ass Luke Cage villains. He was a smart kid who fell off the tracks at some point (he was fired from Seagate Prison when Luke Cage made his escape), and became a generic hired criminal, recruiting his little brother as "Discus"- another Gimmick-User. He did well enough against '70s Cage, but by the '80s he was a joke- being completely ineffectual against guys like Iron Man, and failing to kill Spidey and the New Warriors despite the help of a half-dozen other villains like Rhino & Hydro-Man.
-Stiletto is, of course, named for a distinctive, thin type of knifeblade, which is used exclusively for stabbing (as opposed to slashing). The shape of the blades would eventually give rise to the same name being given to a type of heel in women's shoes- nowadays, of course, "Stilettos" are infinitely more recognizable as heels than they ever were as blades, and I'd imagine most didn't realize the origins of the term.
-Stiletto's a PL 7 because he's so one-note and bad, but he's got your typical Gimmick Guy versatility, and he makes his caps almost everywhere (PL 4 defenses though, like most Jobber Villains). He's accurate in melee with the knife, and +10 at range, and can get more accurate if necessary. Still, he's just a background dude in fights these days.