T is for Captain Transylvania

First Appearance
Lady Blacksteel had a scrapper character named Lorena that was vampire themed. I decided to make an appropriate companion for her and being in the middle of a fascination with shield tankers Captain Transylvania was born. Afterwards, if Lorena went out on a run CapTrans was my default choice for our team-up.

There they are, right in the thick of things, as usual.

Origin
From his CoH file: Longtime patriotic defender of his homeland and onetime leader of the famed Blood Dragon knights, Drago VonCarsten was forced to leave his beloved home due to a change in government policies and some questions about his past. Making the best of it, he has come to Paragon City in search of his "friend" from long ago, the Legendary Lorena, who is rumored to fight crime somewhere in this vast metropolis.

I think that covers the gist of it.

Personality
Drago is not a nice, friendly superhero. He's a vicious, bloodthirsty combatant who has chosen to use his powers for good. This doesn't mean that he doesn't know how to behave but once a fight breaks out he has little restraint and his goal is to take down opponents by the most efficient means possible. he knows his own capabilities and has long, long experience as a fighter. Outside of a fight he has a surprising knowledge of European history and a taste for the finer things.

 Captain Transylvania for ICONS

PDF is here

Attributes

Prowess: 9 (Monstrous) - He has been fighting for centuries

Coordination: 7 (Incredible) - faster than human

Strength: 6 (Remarkable) - he is quite strong

Intellect: 3 (Typical) - he's not dumb he just doesn't care that much 

Awareness: 6 (Remarkable) - supernatural senses

Willpower: 6 (Remarkable) - old and stubborn

Stamina: 12

Determination: 1

Origin: Transformed (extra power)

Specialties: Occult Expert, Stealth Expert

Powers:
Life Drain 6 - Vampiric Touch Increase Stamina Close Range Affects Incorporeal 

Force Field Device 5 - Shield of the Red Chalice 

Flight 5 - Vampiric Flight 

Immortality - Eternal Vampire Lord 

Life Support 7 (Cold, Breathing, Eating, Heat, Pathogens, Radiation, Toxins) - Vampiric Immunities 

Qualities

Epithet : "The Last Vampire Lord" - it may or may not be true, but no one has challenged him on it yet.

Connections : Lorena, Vampire Underground - he is plugged into the old network and he has one person in particular that he is attached to.

Motivation : Protect his Queen - even if she doesn't know that she is his queen just yet.

Challenges

"Looks Like a Vampire" - with his pale skin, red eyes, and fangs Captain T does not look like a normal person. Now in a world full of costumed heroes and villains this is not as much of challenge as it might be otherwise, but it's not a mask he can take off. 

Enemy: The Council - back in WW2 some organizations delved into the supernatural with an eye towards using them for the war effort. This included vampires. One of the organizations survived to the present day and has a stable process that creates artificial vampires. Captain T has encountered these in person and fights against them as an abomination and other members of "the Council" as foolish mortals who do not deserve to live.

Notes: At 65 points Captain T is one of the most expensive characters I have created. Again we run into the situation with ICONS where lesser powers like Life Support and Flight count as much as attacks and defenses and high stats which makes broader characters like this more expensive. That said he is quite capable. His Life Drain works at a short range so he can hold out a hand and begin draining Stamina. With Flight 5 he can zip over anywhere he can see in one panel and start slapping them around.

For flavor he could use some super-speed (probably at least a 5) and some language specialties but I decided to leave these out to keep him at 65 points. You have to draw the line somewhere and that's where I drew it. He could also add a Patriotic Quality but I'm not sure that's going to come up a whole lot in play.

 Captain Transylvania for Mutants and Masterminds (3E)

PDF is here

Captain Transylvania - PL 12

Strength 7, Stamina -, Agility 4, Dexterity 1, Fighting 12, Intellect 1, Awareness 2, Presence 4

Advantages

All-out Attack, Attractive, Benefit, Status: Vampire Lord, Benefit, Wealth 3 (millionare), Daze (Intimidation),

Fearless, Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Improved Initiative, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Startle

Skills

Expertise: European History 5 (+6), Expertise: Magic 5 (+6), Insight 6 (+8), Intimidation 8 (+12),

Perception 8 (+10), Persuasion 4 (+8), Stealth 10 (+14)

Powers

Shield of the Blood Chalice: Protection 10 (+10 Toughness; Impervious [8 ranks only])

Alternate Power: Shield Bash: Strength-based Damage 5 (Alternate; DC 27)

Speed: Speed 4 (Speed: 30 miles/hour, 500 feet/round)

Spider-Climb: Movement 1 (Wall-crawling 1: -1 speed rank)

Vampiric Bite: Weaken 10 (Affects: Stamina, Resisted by: Fortitude, DC 20; Grab-based, Limited: Drains 1 rank per round)

Vampiric Invulnerability

Immortality: Immortality 5 (Return after 1 day; Limited: Not When Staked or Beheaded)

Immunity: Immunity 30 (Fortitude Effects)

Regeneration: Regeneration 10 (Every 1 round; Source: Blood)

Offense

Initiative +8

Grab, +12 (DC Spec 17)

Shield Bash: Strength-based Damage 5, +12 (DC 27)

Throw, +1 (DC 22)

Unarmed, +12 (DC 22)

Vampiric Bite: Weaken 10, +12 (DC Fort 20)

Defense

Dodge 14, Parry 14, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 10, Will 12

Complications

Dependence: Captain Transylvania must feed on blood or weaken and eventually go dormant

Distinctive Looks: with his pale skin, red eyes, and fangs Captain T does not look like a normal person.

Now in a world full of costumed heroes and villains this is not as much of challenge as it might be

otherwise, but it's not a mask he can take off.

Enemy - "The Council": back in WW2 some organizations delved into the supernatural with an eye

towards using them for the war effort. This included vampires. One of the organizations survived to the

present day and has a stable process that creates artificial vampires. Captain T has encountered these in

person and fights against them as an abomination and other members of "the Council" as foolish mortals

who do not deserve to live.

Languages

Native Language

Power Points

Abilities 52 + Powers 69 + Advantages 14 + Skills 23 (46 ranks) + Defenses 22 = 180

Notes: This version is a little different - he can run fast and spider-climb but he cannot fly! he still has the shield and can bash with it for full damage, or he can punch someone for slightly less damage. His life drain here is a grab & bite attack that is a Weaken - this and a lot of the basic vampire parts of the character were taken from Dracula as written up for the Threat Report, but a lot of the other details are different. Captain T is less of a seducer/persuader and doesn't turn into mist or summon wolves. He's also not weakened by sunlight, so there are some positive tradeoffs here. 

He's favored Dodge and Parry over Toughness to represent that super-agile-speed thing we see sometimes in the movies. He's still a 10 Toughness (Impervious 8) so he's not exactly a slouch but I liked where this came out.

I have not dealt with a Weaken effect in our games so I'm not sure how combat effective it is but he has enough grab boosts so he can certainly grab on and drain. I can see him hanging on to a big target and draining as fast as possible to help a team.

Anyway, there's Captain T! Tomorrow: A character that does not use a shield!

S is for Captain Saskatchewan

First Appearance
At one point in my time on City of Heroes I developed a taste for Shield Tankers. I don't know why, it was just one of those things. Of course all of them were "Captain something-or-other", preferably some kind of geographic location. When I made a shield/ice tanker it didn't take long to decide he needed to be a representative of the Great White North and so Captain Saskatchewan was born.

Origin
After a terrible storm swept through the north, the Canadian Search and Rescue Service swung into action. The first day went well then a second freak storm swept down out of the north and the rescuers became victims as well. Many were lost that day and no meteorological theory has ever explained what happened.

Several days later one man was found wandering alone in the wilderness. His memories of the past few days were vague and he felt different than before. He was also carrying a shield made of a strange material that defied analysis and was always cold, but this did not seem to bother him. Vincent Campbell was no longer the same man he had been, but no one could explain the changes.

He was faster, tougher, stronger, and the winter weather did not bother him in the least, almost as if he didn't feel it. He had an instinctive ability to defend with his shield. The strangest ability though was to hold someone in place with a touch. At first people were joking about his "neck pinch" but the targets described it as a feeling of intense cold gripping their bodies and freezing them where they stood.

Realizing that he was now a very special individual the government assigned Vincent to a new role and gave him a new uniform. As a one-man division of the Canadian government, named for the province where he was reborn, he protects his nation and his people as CAPTAIN SASKATCHEWAN!

Personality
Vincent is a laid back guy, preferring to mind his own business rather than looking for trouble. He suspects that he was chosen for this destiny, but he is uncertain as to why as he doesn't feel especially smart, honorable, or holy. He does trust his own instincts but he also trusts his fellow Canadians to send him to where he is most needed. There has been some discussion about his joining one of the established super groups, and he is interested, but he is concerned that this would interfere with his role as Canada's protector and so nothing has happened yet.

 Captain Saskatchewan for ICONS

PDF Link is here

Attributes

Prowess: 6 (Remarkable) - this is almost all instinct as he has little training

Coordination: 6 (Remarkable) - peak human performance

Strength: 6 (Remarkable) - peak human performance

Intellect: 4 (Good) - educated but not a genius

Awareness: 5 (Excellent) - his S&R training does count here

Willpower: 6 (Remarkable) - he fights for Canada!

Stamina: 12

Determination: 3

Origin: Transformed

Specialties: Athletics, Nature, Medicine, Languages (French)

Powers:
Force Field 6 (Device) - Shield of the Great White North

Resistance 4 - "Spirit of the Great White North"

Paralysis 8 - "Grasp of the Great White North"

Qualities

Epithet : "Defender of the Great White North"

Connections : Canadian Supers & Agencies - he is a part of a network and is not afraid to call in some backup or consult a more knowledgeable source

Motivation : Protect his homeland - It's not just a name, it's a calling and the reason he dives into danger every day.

Challenges

"Low Profile" - Vincent is fairly new at the superhero business and does not really see himself on the same level as other superheroes. He tends to defer to anyone who seems to know what they're doing. He also sees his primary duty as rescue and protection, not starting or finishing a fight. The only time the steel really comes out is if innocents are directly threatened, in which case he will stand to the end. Most of the time he prefers to use his freezing touch to end a fight as quickly as possible so he can tend to any injured civilians.

Notes: Yet another 55-point hero. The shield is again listed as Force Field to reflect that he must be conscious to use it. Resistance represents his ability to ignore the cold. I used Paralysis to represent his freezing touch rather than Binding as I don't see it as a block of ice (that can be burst with strength) but rather a penetrating bone-chilling cold that slows and stops the victim from the inside.

Possible changes include adding a point of Life Support vs. cold, or in lieu of that just remove Resistance and add Immunity to cold. I wanted to leave it a little less complete (and keep that 3rd point of Determination) so I didn't do it that way but it's certainly a valid option. You could also go ahead and give him a Blast power to represent the thrown shield but I was trying to get away from that for a change. 

Let's take another look at him...

 Captain Saskatchewan for Mutants and Masterminds (3E)

PDF Link is here

Captain Saskatchewan - PL 10

Hello Martian Manhuntress!

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

Advantages

Benefit, Security Clearance: Canadian Govt, Connected, Diehard, Evasion 2, Extraordinary Effort, Favored

Environment: Extreme Cold, Great Endurance, Interpose, Languages 1, Move-by Action, Tracking,

Uncanny Dodge

Skills

Athletics 9 (+15), Expertise: Wilderness Survival 8 (+10), Insight 2 (+6), Intimidation 1 (+2), Perception 6

(+10), Stealth 2 (+8), Treatment 8 (+10), Vehicles 2 (+4)

Powers

Grasp of the Great White North: Cumulative Affliction 10 (1st degree: Fatigued, 2nd degree: Disabled,

3rd degree: Paralyzed, Resisted by: Fortitude, DC 20; Cumulative)

Alternate Effect: Frost Aura: Damage 5 (Alternate; DC 20; Reaction 3: reaction)

Shield of the Great White North: Force Field 4 (+4 Toughness; Impervious)

Spirit of the Great White North: Immunity 1 (Environmental Condition: Cold)

Offense

Initiative +6

Frost Aura: Damage 5, +10 (DC 20)

Grab, +10 (DC Spec 16)

Grasp of the Great White North: Cumulative Affliction 10, +10 (DC Fort 20)

Throw, +2 (DC 21)

Unarmed, +10 (DC 21)

Defense

Dodge 10, Parry 10, Fortitude 10, Toughness 10, Will 10

Complications

Low Profile: Vincent is fairly new at the superhero business and does not really see himself on the same

level as other superheroes. He tends to defer to anyone who seems to know what they're doing. He also

sees his primary duty as rescue and protection, not starting or finishing a fight. The only time the steel

really comes out is if innocents are directly threatened, in which case he will stand to the end. Most of

the time he prefers to use his freezing touch to end a fight as quickly as possible so he can tend to any

injured civilians.

Motivation: Patriotism: "Defender of the Great White North" - It's not just a name, it's a calling and the

reason he dives into danger every day.

Languages

English, French

Power Points

Abilities 74 + Powers 30 + Advantages 13 + Skills 19 (38 ranks) + Defenses 14 = 150

Teamed Up!

Notes: This version is pretty similar to the ICONS version with the non-throwable shield, resistance to cold, and a paralyzing touch. I gave him an alternate power where he can channel his inner cold to give himself a frost aura. Due to the point costs it's only 5 ranks, but if he's being swarmed by minions is might be handier than a single-target paralysis attack. He's a classic tanker type as his defenses are varied and numerous while his offense, other than paralysis, is pretty much punching people in the face. I left him at a 10/10 split to represent a balance of skill and power but that could be adjusted either way.

Modifications: I'm sure there's a way to make his paralyzing touch Grab-based and bring down the cost, but I didn't want to complicate him too much. Adding a ranged damage option to the shield is possible but his ranged combat skills are pretty low so it's not really worth it right now. Experience could also mean he starts adding combat Advantages like All-Out Attack, Power Attack, etc. I'd say wait and see which Maneuvers he uses most and then buy the relevant advantage pretty early on.

Motivational Monday

R is for Red Dynamo

More than halfway through the month and I haven't written up a full-on power armor guy? Sorry Radium Man, maybe next year! Clearly it's time for the RED DYNAMO!

First Appearance
Red Dynamo started out as an homage to the silver and red Iron Man suit from the late 80's, maybe my favorite of his many looks:

That's where it started, anyway. After seeing quite a few Iron Man lookalikes running around Paragon City I decided to get away from it a little more and eventually landed on the look you see here.

Besides his regular style changes he also underwent multiple name changes as I moved him around the different servers. At one point he was the Crimson Centurion, then Scarlet Centurion, then Scarlet Sentinel, then at the end of the game he was Red Dynamo, another (somewhat unintended) Iron Man allusion. His backstory changed quite a bit too until I landed on what you will find below.

"Looks like the Hellions have found a new girlfriend ..."

Origin
Robert Taylor was an upwardly mobile corporate project manager when he was put in charge of a secret technology project. The company had captured a battlesuited supervillain and intended to keep, disassemble, and analyze the suit with an eye towards producing countermeasures. Feeling like this was a worthy cause Robert threw himself into the project and helped to assemble a crack team of technology experts.

Over the many months inquiries from his superiors gave the PM some misgivings and he eventually discovered the real plan was to build a set of suits for a new corporate super team, keeping the tech a secret. This did not sit well with him but one night a terrible accident destroyed the lab, the captured suit,  the new prototype suit, and all of the project data (which of course was not being stored offsite due to security concerns). The project was written off, the team was reassigned, and everyone moved on.

Secretly, Robert had arranged the whole thing. He had also managed to keep a copy of all of the data. He began working on a secret project of his own in his spare time. Not being a one-man super science team he quietly approached former members he could trust as well as other experts he knew and revealed his secret plan to them: They would use the data to build their own super-suit and create a new super hero! Through his contacts and their connections he managed the entire process one piece at a time and after two years the thing finally came together. With a small, carefully-chosen subset of his team Robert assembled the suit, put it on, and powered up for the first time. Then he took to the skies, looking to make a difference.

The Red Dynamo has been in action for about a year now and the team has learned a lot. Bugs have been ironed out, data is constantly analyzed, and support functions have become almost routine. It's a dangerous life though, and you never know what might happen tomorrow.

"Nice, that even stung a little bit"

Personality
Robert is the man in the suit but he knows he could not do it alone. Much like a big-time racing team it takes a lot of talented people, special facilities, time, and money to keep the suit up and running to give him the chance to make a difference and he is very grateful to everyone on his team.

He does have concerns though and at times they weigh heavily on him. What if the company (where he still works) finds out? What if the villain whose designs he copied finds out? What if there's some kind of back door that he doesn't know about? What if his true identity is discovered? All of these things keep him awake sometimes, but he keeps on with it, knowing he is doing the right thing.

"My turn"

 Red Dynamo for ICONS

PDF is here

Attributes

Prowess: 5 (Excellent) - Battle Predictors

Coordination: 5 (Excellent) - Targeting systems

Strength: 7 (Incredible) - Super-servos

Intellect: 5 (Excellent) - Educated techie guy but not supra-genius

Awareness: 5 (Excellent) - Sensors!

Willpower: 5 (Excellent) - Driven but not obsessed

Stamina: 12

Determination: 1

Origin: Gimmick 

Specialties: Electronics, Mechanics, Power (Blast)

Powers:
Invulnerability Device 7 - Centurion Suit 

Flight Device 7 - Centurion Suit 

Blast Device 5 (Blasting) - Electro-blasters in gauntlets (Electricity)

Absorption Device 5 (Ability Boost – Strength) - Centurion Suit - Electrical Absorption 

Supersenses Device 6 (Infravision, Radar, Enhanced Vision, Enhanced Hearing, Extended Vision, Extended Hearing ) - Sensor Suite 

Life Support Device 7 (Cold, Breathing, Heat, Pathogens, Radiation, Toxins, Vacuum) - Red Dynamo Suit 

Trapped in a cage of plasma, Dynamo struggles to free himself!

Qualities

Motivation: To use his luck and skill to do good - he found himself in a rare position to make a difference and he decided to do so. This drives him to continue being the guy in the suit.

Connections: "Team Dynamo" - his buddy with the metal-shop, his superhero girlfiend, his friends on the police force, his cousin in the University Science Department, his IT guys - he has a large and diverse team working on this "project" and they are both a source of aid and information and potentially at risk if the whole thing unravels. 

Epithet: "The Scarlet Sentinel" - hey as many names as this guy went through I had to include this. Feel free to ignore it if you'd rather not give him a name. 

Gettin' down with the Dynamo

Challenges

Secret Identity -Robert Taylor, corporate project manager, secret leader of Team Dynamo

"Borrowed Tech" - This can be used as a variant case of "Bad Luck" as the suit is not entirely of his own design. Much of the internal hardware design from circuits to servos was borrowed from a villain's suit and modified first by his corporate team and then again by his private team. The software has the same lineage. It has all of the bugs one might expect of this mixed heritage. There are concerns about someone figuring out where the tech came from and unraveling the secret of the Red Dynamo. The team is worried about back doors or command codes allowing someone else (like the original villain) to disable or take over the suit somehow as well. This is their nightmare scenario.

"It's just a temporary glitch ... give me a second to fix it"

Notes: This guy illustrates one of the weaknesses of ICONS in that all powers are valued similarly other than "x2" powers. This means that "Super-Senses - 6" (or Flight or Burrowing or Life Support) costs as many points as "Invulnerability -6" and that's a tough call. It does keep the system simple, but for a character like this it means all of those "lesser" powers add up and bump his cost up to 72 points, one of the most expensive I have done.  Once you hit 1 starting Determination there's really no reason not to keep adding powers as there's no downside. I could see some kind of tiered approach to powers in an ICONS 2E to help alleviate this but it may not be worth the increased complication for most people.

In combat he's pretty versatile - he can fly, he's tough, he can shoot, he can punch, he has radar, etc. I set his Absorption to boost his Strength but it could be changed to anything and still fit. If you set it to boost his Blast, rather than just being a separate attack as described in the book, then that could be a lot of fun too - Blast 10 coming at ya! He can switch it with a point of Determination so it's not set in stone anyway and should be fun to play with during a big fight.

POW!

 Red Dynamo for Mutants and Masterminds (3E)

Link to PDF is here

"Hmm ... giant pumpkin creature attacking the city - ASSEMBLE!"

Red Dynamo - PL 11

Strength 10, Stamina 0, Agility 1, Dexterity 2, Fighting 8/4, Intellect 3, Awareness 2, Presence 2

Advantages

Accurate Attack, All-out Attack, Benefit, Wealth (well-off), Connected, Contacts, Defensive Attack, Improved Initiative 2, Interpose, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Precise Attack (Ranged, Concealment), Precise Attack (Ranged, Cover), Ranged Attack 2, Ranged Attack 6

Skills

Close Combat: Energy Fist 2 (+10), Expertise: Business 5 (+8), Insight 3 (+5), Perception 3 (+5), Persuasion 6 (+8), Technology 3 (+6)

"Let him have it!"

Powers

Battlesuit (Removable)

Armor: Protection 12 (+12 Toughness; Impervious)

Boot Jets: Flight 9 (Speed: 1000 miles/hour, 2 miles/round)

Capacitor Array: Energy Absorption 5 (Absorbs: Electrical Energy, Boost: Blast)

Comm System: Radio Communication 2

Life Support System: Immunity 10 (Life Support)

Sensors: Senses 11 (Accurate: Radar, Darkvision, Direction Sense, Extended: Radar 3: x1k,

Infravision, Time Sense, Ultra-hearing)

Servo Motors: Enhanced Strength 10 (+10 STR)

Electro Blasters: Blast 10 (Alternate; DC 25)

Tactical Computer: Enhanced Trait 17 (Traits: Dodge +7 (+10), Fighting +4 (+8), Advantages: Ranged Attack 2)

"Both barrels!"

Offense

Initiative +9

Electro Blasters: Blast 10, +10 (DC 25)

Grab, +8 (DC Spec 20)

Throw, +10 (DC 25)

Unarmed, +10 (DC 25)

Complications

Accident - Bugs in the System: 

Motivation: Doing Good

Relationship: "Team Dynamo" 

Secret: Secret Identity

Languages

Native Language

"Harder!"

Defense

Dodge 10/3, Parry 10, Fortitude 5, Toughness 12, Will 9

Power Points

Abilities 28 + Powers 91 + Advantages 19 + Skills 11 (22 ranks) + Defenses 16 = 165

"I think he's had it!"

Notes: the MM3 version is very close to his ICONS version but likely stronger and faster when it comes to real-world numbers. I started with the Battlesuit archetype and modified it quite a bit to reflect his particular capabilities. I also raised him to PL 11 to reflect his year of experience.

• Protection is up to 12
• Sensors, Comm, and Life Support all remain the same
• Flight is boosted one level to take him over Mach 1(as with the ICONS version)
• Blasters are revised to a +10/+10 instead of a +8/+12. This makes them a little more accurate but still leaves them below his new PL limits - see below
• I have added Electrical Absorption as a new power wired to the blasters. This will boost their damage but since it's still limited by PL it's a bit underwhelming - if he can manage to absorb some electricity then his blasts go to a +10/+12 for a few rounds. It's sort of overkill on the absorption side and underperforming as an offensive boost.
• His Advantages and Skills are completely redone to reflect that he's not a tech genius inventor guy. He has more social skills and abilities and more direct combat abilities as well. The Precise Attacks let him pull off the hostage scene in Iron Man while move-by attack lets him do a Mach-1 flyby punch that's pretty cinematic too.

Given my dislike of how the absorption worked out here;s an alternate version of Red Dynamo with that power replaced by increases to his base Strength and Blast powers, making them a +10/+12 all the time. There's even a point left over so I gave him  Ultimate Effort: Technology so that when the suit shorts out and he absolutely positively has to get it up again he can burn a Hero Point and get it back online. Here is a link to Version 2.0.

"The city is safe once again"