V is for Captain Vesuvius!

First Appearance
Continuing my "Shield Guys" mania of the time I decided I wanted a magical fire-themed shield tanker and a few hours work in the character creator resulted in this guy.

Origin
While vacationing in Italy gymnastics trainer Marcus Mollari wandered into a cave near Pompeii. Inside he found an ancient shrine to a long forgotten god of fire and earth. In a place of honor rested an ornate helm. Drawn irresistibly closer, he picked it up and placed it on his head. Instantly he was possessed by an ancient Roman spirit out for vengeance, the spirit of a Roman special agent, an investigator of secret cults and societies. Having followed clues to Pompeii, he had been close to a final triumph over his greatest enemies when the ill-timed volcanic disaster ended his work prematurely. The cult endures even in the present day, but so does he - and now they're going to pay!

On the Move!

Personality
Marcus soon returned home, externally unchanged. However, when he dons the Helm of Vesuvius he gains new powers, seems to become taller, and his voice changes. Occasionally he speaks in Latin without even realizing it. During these times he's sharing his body with an ancient Roman crimefighter and is a very different person from his normal self.

 Captain Vesuvius for ICONS

PDF link is here

Attributes

Prowess: 4 (Good) - Not an expert but learning

Coordination: 5 (Excellent) - Gymnastics!

Strength: 4 (Good) - Athletic but not a bodybuilder

Intellect: 4 (Good) - Not bad

Awareness: 4 (Good) - Another area developing rapidly

Willpower: 6 (Remarkable) - Helm + Spirit = Better

Stamina: 10

Determination: 2

Origin: Gimmick - Helm of Vesuvius

Specialties: Acrobatics, Computers, Occult

Powers:
Aura 5 (Device) - Flames of Vesuvius! 

Resist Magic 5 (Device) - Helm of Vesuvius

Elemental Control 7 Lava (Device) - Helm of Vesuvius - known powers:

• Offense: Fiery Sword of Vengeance (Strike)
• Defense: Fiery Shield of Justice (Force Field)
• Create: Fiery Doom of Judgement (Bonus Power)

Step away!

Qualities

Secret Identity as Marcus Mollari, Gymnastics Trainer

"Spirit of Roman Vengeance" - When using the helm Marcus is sharing/hearing/possessed by a Roman spirit that is somewhere between Soloman Kane and Batman. This gives him all kinds of gritty determination but can be tricky when it's time to not be an obsessed vigilante.

Challenges

Weakness: Time and Dimensional powers - the Helm is a magical conduit to the ancient earth spirit inside Vesuvius. Powers that interfere with time and open dimensional rifts can interfere with this connection, causing a loss of power. The ancient spirit does not go away - it lives in the helm - but the fiery lava power weakens and fades if the connection is not available.

Enemy: Cult of the Twin Serpents - this is a powerful magical secret society that dates back to at least Roman times. The Spirit is now back in action and ready to root them out once and for all.

You were warned!

At 47 points Captain V is just over the book's number for point buy characters and yet he's pretty capable. If he needs to be 45 exactly I would drop 2 points of magic resistance. He has some use out of combat and is pretty nasty in combat with his sword and shield and flaming aura. Two starting Determination should let him pull of an elemental stunt pretty easily. Technically his EC is "fire" but I think it fits better as "lava" - just treat it like fire. One downside is that all of his powers come from the Helm, so if it is taken away he doesn't have much left. Upgrades could include a movement power of some kind - maybe he can "surf" lava? Also a bonus power to shape some Fiery Barriers could be a lot of fun in a fight.

 Captain Vesuvius for Mutants and Masterminds (3E)

PDF is here

Captain Vesuvius - PL 10

Strength 1, Stamina 1, Agility 5, Dexterity 3, Fighting 5, Intellect 0, Awareness 2, Presence 2

Advantages

Accurate Attack, All-out Attack, Languages 1, Power Attack, Takedown

Skills

Acrobatics 7 (+12), Close Combat: Fiery Sword 5 (+10), Insight 4 (+6), Investigation 5 (+5), Perception 3

(+5), Persuasion 3 (+5), Ranged Combat: Energy Control 5 (+8)

Powers

Fiery Shield of Justice: Force Field 8 (+8 Toughness; Impervious)

Fire Immunity: Immunity 5 (Damage Effect: Fire)

Flames of Vesuvius: Energy Aura 4 (DC 19)

Helm of Vesuvius: Fire Control: Energy Control 12 (DC 27)

Blast Wave: Burst Area Blast 6 (Alternate; DC 21; Burst Area 3: 120 feet radius sphere; Reduced

Range: close)

Create Fire: Create 8 (Alternate; Volume: 250 cft., DC 18; Movable)

Fiery Sword of Vengeance: Damage 10 (Alternate; DC 25)

Quick Change: Feature 1 (Notes: Transform into costume as a free action)

Offense

Initiative +5

Blast Wave: Burst Area Blast 6 (DC 21)

FIery Sword of Vengeance: Damage 10, +10 (DC 25)

Flames of Vesuvius: Energy Aura 4, +5 (DC 19)

Grab, +5 (DC Spec 11)

Helm of Vesuvius: Fire Control: Energy Control 12, +8 (DC 27)

Throw, +3 (DC 16)

Unarmed, +5 (DC 16)

Defense

Dodge 11, Parry 10, Fortitude 6, Toughness 9, Will 12

Complications

Enemy - Cult of the Twin Serpents: this is a powerful magical secret society that dates back to at least Roman times. The Spirit is now back in action and ready to root them out once and for all.

Motivation: Justice: When using the helm Marcus is sharing/hearing/possessed by a Roman spirit that is somewhere between Soloman Kane and Batman. This gives him all kinds of gritty determination but can be tricky when it's time to not be an obsessed vigilante.

Power Loss - Time and Dimensional Effects: the Helm is a magical conduit to the ancient earth spirit inside Vesuvius. Powers that interfere with time and open dimensional rifts can interfere with this connection, causing a loss of power. The ancient spirit does not go away - it lives in the helm - but the fiery lava power weakens and fades if the connection is not available.

Languages

Latin, Native Language

Power Points

Abilities 38 + Powers 65 + Advantages 5 + Skills 16 (32 ranks) + Defenses 26 = 150 

Checking for Clues

Notes: Keeping him at PL10 does restrict what he can do but he is still pretty close to the ICONS version. He does gan an area blast as an alternate power, always a handy trick to have. He also trades magic resistance for immunity to fire to keep with the fire theme.

Offensively he has the Sword at 10/10, a ranged attack at 8/12, the area blast at +6, and the aura at +4 so he has a variety of ways to hurt badguys and the aura will help keep the minions off at least.

Defensively he's about par for PL10 but his Parry is down 1 pt and his Fort is low - his Will is quite strong though!

For upgrades he could still use a movement power and maybe Create Objects as an lat power for his Energy Control. A penetrating attack or one with an increased Critical range would be nice for tough targets.