Builds on the Sun (Xin Yan the Breaker)

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Jabroniville
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Re: Builds on the Sun (Size-Shifter)

Post by Jabroniville »

It is funny how often true Giants falter in comics- most are nowhere close to the strongest hero on their respective superteams (Colossal Boy; Hank Pym), meaning they end up frequently going down like Jobbers to the villain's initial salvo. Villains with size are also in short supply (probably because most artists HATE drawing cityscapes, and Giant Characters involve almost nothing but). And yeah- most Comic Book Powerhouses are Flying Bricks, not Giants, making these guys look rather weak.

Curiously, comics' most powerful Giants are Cosmic Beings like Galactus.
RainOnTheSun
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Re: Builds on the Sun (Size-Shifter)

Post by RainOnTheSun »

Image

Sigh.

MINOR SIZE-SHIFTER, PL 6

Strength 2/1 to 8, Stamina 2 to 8, Dexterity 1, Agility 7, Fighting 4, Intellect 4, Awareness 4, Presence 1 * 50 points

Advantages:
Evasion 2, Fast Grab, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Startle * 7 points

Skills:
Expertise: Science 8 (+12), Intimidation 10 (+8 to +14), Stealth 0 (+1 to +13), Technology 8 (+12) * 13 points

Powers:
Biochemical Expansion - Growth 6, Dynamic, two Dynamic Alternate Effects: Strength +6, Stamina +6, Intimidation +3, Stealth -6, Dodge and Parry -3 * 17 points
Biochemical Reinforcement - Enhanced Strength 3, Enhanced Stamina 3, Dynamic
Biochemical Contraction - Shrinking 6, Dynamic: Strength -1, Dodge and Parry +3, Intimidation -3, Stealth +6

Offense:
Initiative +7
Unarmed +4, variable damage
Melee Weapon +4, variable effect
Thrown Weapon +4, variable effect

Defense:
Dodge +7/+4 to +10, Parry +7/+4 to +10, Toughness +2/+2 to +8, Fortitude +2/+2 to +8, Will +4 * 3 points

Abilities 50 + Advantages 7 + Skills 13 + Powers 17 + Defense 3 = 90 points

Size changers don't really show up in large numbers very often, although hordes of giant robots or little fantasy goblins are common. It might be an interesting change of pace, though.

Maximum size: Attack +4, Damage +8, Defense +4, Toughness +8, Intimidation +14, Stealth +1
Medium size: Attack +4, Damage +5, Defense +7, Toughness +5, Intimidation +11, Stealth +7
Minimum size: Attack +4, Damage +1, Defense +10, Toughness +2, Intimidation +8, Stealth +13
RainOnTheSun
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Re: Builds on the Sun (Size-Shifter)

Post by RainOnTheSun »

Image

Plus

Image

Plus

Image

PEACEKEEPER

STRENGTH 12, STAMINA 14, AGILITY 6, DEXTERITY 1, FIGHTING 6, INTELLECT 1, AWARENESS 6, PRESENCE 8
* 108 points

Advantages:
Close Attack 2, Power Attack * 3 points

Presence Advantages:
Attractive 2, Benefit (Cipher), Fascinate (Deception), Languages (French), Set-Up, Skill Mastery: Deception, Taunt

Skills:
Acrobatics 2 (+8), Deception 7 (+15/+20), Insight 5 (+11), Expertise: Streetwise 9 (+10), Ranged Combat: Throwing 7 (+8), Sleight of Hand 10 (+11) * 20 points

Powers:
Impervious Toughness 8 * 8 points

Leaping 8, Acrobatics check required, 1 Alternate Effect * 5 points
Speed 4

Bracing - Sustained Impervious Toughness 4, 2 Alternate Effects * 6 points
Numbing Strike - Weaken Fighting 8, Fortitude resists, Limited to vulnerable/defenseless enemies, Linked to Strength damage
Strong Legs - Leaping 4 (up to 12 total)

Offense:
Initiative +6
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 12, DC 27)
Thrown Object +8
Numbing Strike +8 (Close Damage 12 linked to Weaken 8, DC 27 and DC 18)

Defense:
Dodge +6, Parry +6, Toughness +14, Fortitude +14, Will +6 * 0 points

Total: Abilities 108 + Advantages 3 + Skills 20 + Powers 19 + Defense 0 = 150

Complications:
Secret (Anti-earthling) - Genevieve is from an alternate earth under the sway of the Tyranny Syndicate, an evil version of the Freedom League. After the accident that tossed her through worlds, she's made learning about her new home her highest priority, but her knowledge is still incomplete and off-kilter. She often sees people who she knew, or at least had heard of, on anti-earth, and has to remind herself that they're different people.
Motivation (Responsibility) - On anti-earth Genevieve's job was to make sure the trains ran on time in dystopia. In her new world she thinks of herself as having the same job without the constant moral compromises.
Bills to Pay - Genevieve doesn't actually have a lot of job skills outside of manipulating people. Her lifestyle isn't as lavish as it used to be, and she takes a lot of odd jobs to make ends meet. If she wanted to, she could make a lot more money as a super-powered mercenary or a con artist, or even just picking pockets, but she tries to resist the temptation to go back to her old way of life.
Doppelganger - The world of Freedom City didn't have a Genevieve Kazan before she came to it, as far as she can tell. This probably just means her parents never met in this world, or something like that, but she still worries that someday, someone almost exactly like her will want to know what she's doing here.

Background:
Genevieve Kazan was born, abandoned, and largely self-raised in the slums of Paris, where she learned an important lesson about the world: In life there were people who had power and people who didn't. People with power got whatever they wanted, and people without it got nothing... unless they could trick or flatter it out of somebody stronger. So Genevieve got good at tricking people and flattering them. When her genetic quirk kicked in, making her stronger and tougher and even more charming than she already was, the Syndicate put her in their Empire City academy for indoctrinating super-powered enforcers. She became the star pupil quickly, not by being powerful or good at fighting, but by playing her rivals off each other and telling her teachers exactly what they wanted to hear. Genevieve graduated from the academy with a cushy job as highly paid muscle for the Syndicate and whatever dictator or crimelord they loaned her out to.

And she hated it. Every day she tried to hold together a hopelessly corrupt society while hurting as few people as possible, without letting the Syndicate know how miserable she was. It came to a head when she decided to help one of Daedalus's pet scientists flee the country instead of turning over his new invention. The Syndicate caught them, but in the battle someone's powers reacted to the invention and threw Genevieve through a hole in space. Or... something. Physics isn't really her field.

All she knows is that she woke up in a cleaner, friendlier Empire City called Freedom City, where nobody knew who she was, the money had differfent faces on it, and the Tyranny Syndicate smiled a lot and helped cats out of trees. She spent a few months feeling things out, learning what was different and what was the same, and decided to start a new life she could be proud of. She calls herself a Peacekeeper instead of an Enforcer now. Basically the same job with a friendlier name, but... this feels like a society worth protecting.

Description: Genevieve is well over six feet tall, strongly built, and somewhat denser than an ordinary human being, but she's so good at presenting herself however she wants to be perceived that people sometimes don't even notice. She wears the nicest civilian clothes she can afford, which are respectable, but not as nice or expensive as the clothes she could afford on anti-earth. She also has a black cape and bodysuit for "official business." It used to be more revealing and have spikes on it, but on this world you can get away with having a less threatening costume.

Personality: Genevieve usually presents a cheerful, even naive face to the world, but she's much more cynical and world-weary than she lets on. Genuine compassion and selflessness amaze her, and she'll do anything to protect them. She doesn't think of herself as having a secret identity: she doesn't tell people she's a mutant, but if she sees an opportunity to help someone with her powers in her daily life, she takes it. If they ask her for an explanation afterwards, she tells them whatever story she feels like, or pretends she doesn't know what they're talking about.

Powers and Abilities: The mutation that made the Tyranny Syndicate put Genevieve in their Academy is very simple: She's strong, and she's tough. Strong enough to rip through armor plate with her bare hands, and tough enough to stand in the middle of an artillery barrage without being hurt, but still, not a complicated power. She considers it less valuable than her ability to manipulate people.

Genevieve has been tricking people since she was old enough to speak. It's her principal survival trait, and lying comes as easily to her as breathing now. The words she chooses, the tone of voice, the accent she uses, her body language... all of it goes together in ways she sometimes isn't even consciously aware of to sell the fiction she wants. She's also an expert criminal, and skilled in seeing through the deceptions of others, although the people of Freedom City are... bizarrely honest, by her standards. It makes her self-conscious about her own dishonesty.

This is a character I made for a game on the server. The GM's house rules are that Impervious works like it does in second edition and ranks in Presence grant bonus advantages, and hey, I just happened to have an archetype that uses both of those things! So I took the Sexy Brick I statted out and used it as the base for a reformed criminal from another world scraping by on minimum wage jobs she hates. When/if she hangs on long enough to get extra pp, I'll probably put two more points into her Numbing Strike to bring it up to Power Level caps, take the Interpose advantage, and build up her social/criminal skills.
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Skaramine
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Re: Builds on the Sun (Size-Shifter)

Post by Skaramine »

Once again, you take a great concept and make it better.

This really fits in with the concept of size changers like Ray Palmer and Hank Pym, smart and dangerous.

And the dynamic "flexible" array with the enhanced strength and stamina really help.

Jab really hits it on the head too about how artists seem to make the giants of the group the punching bags and the "also-rans."

Your take on this is "Yeah, I'm a big target. But I'm VERY dangerous!"

Also, Peacekeeper is fantastic. You made her attitude viable with just a few pictures. :)

Mmm. Office Space Jennifer Anniston...
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Davies
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Re: Builds on the Sun (Size-Shifter)

Post by Davies »

Skaramine wrote: Tue Aug 29, 2017 11:51 pm Jab really hits it on the head too about how artists seem to make the giants of the group the punching bags and the "also-rans."
Call it the lasting influence of the story of David and Goliath on our culture.

And yeah, Peacekeeper is great. Stealing for my World of Freedom when the time comes, though she's going to be played by Krysten Ritter.
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Ken
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Re: Builds on the Sun (Size-Shifter)

Post by Ken »

Which reminds me of one of those questions that flit through my brain from time-to-time....

During the time that Clint Barton was Goliath II, why did he stop using his bow and arrows? I mean, why not use Pym Particles on the bow and arrows too? An eighteen foot tall archer shooting arrows that are six-feet long and a cross-section width the size of a quarter would be devastating.
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Ken
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Re: Builds on the Sun (Size-Shifter)

Post by Ken »

I have one suggestion for the various Sexy Bricks: rename the "Strong Legs" power to "Great Legs".
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Jabroniville
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Re: Builds on the Sun (Size-Shifter)

Post by Jabroniville »

Ken wrote: Thu Aug 31, 2017 6:14 am Which reminds me of one of those questions that flit through my brain from time-to-time....

During the time that Clint Barton was Goliath II, why did he stop using his bow and arrows? I mean, why not use Pym Particles on the bow and arrows too? An eighteen foot tall archer shooting arrows that are six-feet long and a cross-section width the size of a quarter would be devastating.
... y'know, I never even thought of that. That would have been AMAZING. And given that Clint still had the skills, why NOT translate them over? Sure he'd have to re-learn the physics (wind resistance and arcs work different on tree-sized arrows), but still. Simply dropping his entire gimmick because he had another kind of power to use was silly.
RainOnTheSun
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Re: Builds on the Sun (Size-Shifter)

Post by RainOnTheSun »

Hmmm. Giant archer. Hmmmmmm.

And me away from my computer.

Thanks for the kind words on Peacekeeper, too. She was originally based on a character from Persona 5, and even though she doesn't have much in common with that character anymore, I think the combination of "happy perky sexy" and "actually sick of everyone's shit" is an interesting one.

(Persona 5 is a really good game)
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Skaramine
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Re: Builds on the Sun (Size-Shifter)

Post by Skaramine »

Ken wrote: Thu Aug 31, 2017 6:14 am Which reminds me of one of those questions that flit through my brain from time-to-time....

During the time that Clint Barton was Goliath II, why did he stop using his bow and arrows? I mean, why not use Pym Particles on the bow and arrows too? An eighteen foot tall archer shooting arrows that are six-feet long and a cross-section width the size of a quarter would be devastating.
He did improvise giant bows at least twice as Goliath.

And Clint has arrows packed with Pym Particles arrows that open and dump two thousand regular arrows over a target. He takes out a biker gang with one in the Hawkeye and Mockingbird mini series.

One dream scene was Hawkeye and Hercules having an archery contest, and Clint using his Goliath pills to launch telephone poles.
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RainOnTheSun
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Re: Builds on the Sun (Size-Shifter)

Post by RainOnTheSun »

Image

All I wanna do
Is see you turn into
A giant bowman, a giant bowman
All I wanna be
Is someone who gets to see
A giant bowman


GIANT BOWMAN, PL 10

Strength 2 to 10, Stamina 3 to 11, Dexterity 4, Agility 13, Fighting 10, Intellect 1, Awareness 9, Presence 1 * 86 points

Advantages: Accurate Attack, Agile Feint, Equipment 2, Improved Aim, Power Attack, Precise Attack 2 (ranged cover and concealment), Quick Draw, Ranged Attack 3, Ultimate Aim * 13 points

Equipment:
Motorcycle - Size M, Strength 1, Speed 6, Defense 10, Toughness 8 * 10 EP

Skills:
Acrobatics 2 (+15), Expertise: Streetwise 4 (+5), Intimidation 4 (+5 to +9), Sleight of Hand 2 (+6), Technology 2 (+3), Vehicles 4 (+8) * 9 points

Powers:
Biochemical Expansion - Growth 8, Dynamic, one Dynamic Alternate Effect: Strength +8, Stamina +8, Intimidation +4, Speed +1, Stealth -8, Dodge and Parry -4 * 19 points
Biochemical Reinforcement - Enhanced Strength 4, Enhanced Stamina 4, Dynamic

Good eyes - Extended Low-Light Vision * 2 points

Variable Size Bow - Easily Removable. All powers in array except for Line Arrows and Smoke Arrows have eight ranks with the Limitation "one rank available per rank of Growth" * 18 points
Impact and Piercing Arrows - Ranged Damage 13
Blast Arrows - Ranged Burst Area Damage 9 (1-point Quirk: must hit a solid object before detonation)
Flash Arrows - Ranged Damage 9 Linked to Ranged Affliction 9 (Dodge resists, Fortitude overcomes, Limited to vision, Cumulative; Impaired, Disabled, Unaware)
Flame Arrows - Ranged Damage 9, Secondary Effect 8
Line Arrows - Movement 1 (Swinging)
Glue Arrows - Ranged Affliction 13 (Dodge resists, Damage overcomes, Extra Condition, Limited Degree; Hindered and Vulnerable, Immobile and Defenseless)
Smoke Arrows - Ranged Cloud Area Concealment Attack 4 (all visual)
Poison Arrows - Ranged Damage 9 Linked to Ranged Weaken Stamina 9

Offense:
Initiative +13
Unarmed +10, variable damage
Bow +7, variable effect

Defense:
Dodge +13 to +9, Parry +13 to +9, Toughness +3 to +11, Fortitude +3 to +11, Will +9 * 3 points

Possible Complications:
Pride - Heroes with skill-based powers are about as competitive as bricks are. It's especially bad for Giant Archers because their raw accuracy isn't actually all that great by superheroic standards. They're a good shot, but they aren't superhuman.
One Arrow Left - Sometimes, when things are going too well for an archer, they run out of ammunition at an inconvenient moment.

Total: Abilities 86 + Advantages 13 + Skills 9 + Powers 39 + Defenses 3 = 150

Please pretend Ant-Man is a full size person on this cover.
Jabroniville
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Re: Builds on the Sun (Size-Shifter)

Post by Jabroniville »

heh- that's a neat combination of archetypes. Also terrifying, given the power a giant bowman can reach.
RainOnTheSun
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Re: Builds on the Sun (Size-Shifter)

Post by RainOnTheSun »

I haven't playtested it, but I'm sure that Ultimate Aim, Improved Aim, and Power Attack are disgusting together. Also, check with your GM if going from normal size to giant size counts as "taking a different action" for the purposes of making an aimed attack. If it doesn't, lining up a shot, growing, and firing is a fun mean trick to do when you fight someone for the first time.

"What has that guy got, a bow? Pfft, he's a low priority OH GOD"
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Ken
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Re: Builds on the Sun (Size-Shifter)

Post by Ken »

Now that's what I'm talking about.
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Skaramine
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Re: Builds on the Sun (Size-Shifter)

Post by Skaramine »

Glorious!
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