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Bee-Keeper II, The (PL6 NPC, Tier 2)


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Bee-Keeper II: Tier 1 PL 6 NPC

Power Level 6

Tradeoffs: [-2 Attack/+2 Damage, -2 Defense/+2 Toughness]

Character Name: Barry Brewster Bowles

Alternate Identity: Bee-Keeper II, Second to Bear that Proud Title!

Height: 5'8"

Weight: Average leaning to skinny

Hair: Brown

Eyes: Brown

Description: Barry Brewster Bowles is a wide-eyed African-American man in his early 30s with a narrow face and too-ready smile, given to wearing yellow and black sweaters and talking animatedly about his his two great passions: his electronics resale shop in the Fens, and the apiary he owns out in the countryside. Voluble on his favorite subjects, he is quiet and reserved, almost shy, when it comes to anything else. He carries his costume around with him in a small briefcase, the suit a soft, flexible garmet that he can snap on in just a few seconds.

Bee-Keeper II is a confident man bursting with energy and volubility, ready and willing to let everyone within earshot know who he is and why he's robbing them of their hard-earned valuables. His speech is peppered with horrible bee-related puns, often inaccurate ones, and his laugh is buzzing and maniacal. His Bee-Keeper suit is bright yellow with a black stripe around the mid-section, his glossy, transparent wings made of a high-tech plastic he ripped off from Doc Otaku after a supervillan fight in his neighborhood. His costume is insect-themed, giving him "bee claws" on his hands and feet and covering his head with the cartoonish likeness of a bee's face. He shoots streams of specially-trained bees (so they don't die after they sting) he keeps in a tank on his back out of shooters on his wrist. (How did he train bees not to die when they sting? Science!)

History:

Barry Brewster Bowles has always been a weird guy. He grew up the son of middle-class shopowners in the Southside, where his strange personality, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, and high intelligence made him a constant target of bullying and harassment both at home and on the streets. He resented his parents for their lack of intelligence and "low-class" ways, and they resented him for being such a little punk. He might have made something of himself if he hadn't been so weird all the time, ignoring the teachers whose intelligence he outclassed and bitterly resenting those peers who could match him intellectually. Despite his intelligence, his grades were always very low.

Eventually he managed a BA from Freedom City College and inherited his father's electronics shop, where his strange behavior around customers drove away enough regulars that eventually he had to move his business into the Fens. Bitterly resenting having to sell to "low-lifes and drug dealers," Barry's wide, weird interests began falling into new, less pleasant areas. A couple of years ago a tanker truck overturned on his block and poisoned a lot of people, Barry included. He was part of the class-action lawsuit that eventually won a great deal of money from the shipping company, leaving him with enough money that running the shop became a hobby rather than a necessity and furthering his generalized resentment towards the "no-class" world at the beginning of the 21st century.

While Barry was laid up, he started reading history. It was there that he first read about the Bee-Keeper, aka Brian Nisbet. Now there was a man! A black man back in the day who didn't take guff from anybody, who fought the Centurion and all sorts of annoying superheroes who never actually did any good for anyone. And really, what better symbol for a man is there than a bee? Always hard-working, always ready to stand up for their relatives, never neglecting what really mattered! And honey was so tasty!

At first he was just a voluble fan, buying up Bee-Keeper merchandise from Nisbet's online business and buying up everything he could read about the man. As the years went on, though, he began thinking more and more about how wonderful it would be (heh, be) if someone like Nisbit was still around. A rogue who showed up superheroes without hurting anyone, a cunning adventurer pitting his wits and luck against the law...and a man who made lots of money (even if he spent it all or had the state take it all!) and eventually retired safe and sound!

He bought a beehive and studied bees, learning how to incorporate them into a blueprint for powered armor he found and significant improved on the Internet, and when he was done he approached Brian Nisbet. Nisbit was pleased and concerned simultaneously; he didn't like the idea of going back to prison one bit, but he did like the idea of having a successor to carry on his legacy. When he was absolutely sure that Barry's heart was pure, that he would do his best to never actually hurt anyone and carry on the bee-loving legacy of the Bee-Keeper in style, Brian Nisbet gave the younger man permission to carry on his legacy.

Watch Out, Freedom City! The Bee-Keeper has Buzzed Back into Town! The new Bee-Keeper is a supervillan in the finest tradition of the Silver Age, a mad rogue out to rob only those who can pay for it and show up superheroes without actually hurting them. He would never deliberately hurt anyone who couldn't fight back, and never fires first. He's new to the buzzness and has few contacts yet, but hopes to make some friends in the "Rogue Community" as soon as he pulls off his first big heist.

Abilities: (10 pp)

Str: 26/10 (+8/+0)

Dex: 10 (+0)

Con: 10 (+0)

Int: 18 (+4)

Wis: 12 (+1)

Cha: 10 (+0)

Combat: (14 pp)

Attack +3, +4 (ranged),

Grapple +14,

Defense +4 (+2 flat-footed),

Knockback -8,

Initiative +0

Saving Throws: (9 pp)

Toughness +8 (+6 Impervious)/+0,

Fortitude +3 (+0 from Con, +3),

Reflex +3 (+0 from Dex, +3),

Will +4 (+1 from Wis, +3)

Skills: (36 r=9 pp)

Craft (electronic) 6 (+11/+12) (w/masterwork tools),

Craft (mechanical) 6 (+10),

Disable Device 0 (+4/+5) (w/masterwork tools)

Knowledge (life sciences) 6 (+10)

Knowledge (technology) 6 (+10),

Perform (oratory) 6 (+6)

Notice 2 (+3)

Sense Motive 4 (+5)

Feats: (6 pp)

Attack Focus (ranged),

Benefit: Wealth x2

Equipment

Inventor,

Power Attack

Powers: (48 pp)

Device 12 (Bee-Keeper armor, hard to lose):

Drain Dexterity (Ranged) 8 [suffer the Stings of a Million Bees!]

AP: Enhanced Strength 16 [Proportional Strength of the Mighty Bumblebee!]

Flight 4 (100 MPH), [speed of the Swiftest of Bees: The Honeybee!]

Immunity 9 (life support), [You Can't Smoke Out This Bee!]

Protection 8 (Extras: Impervious 6), [As Tough as a Sturdy Soldier Bee!]

Super-Senses 6 (Blindsight [Radio, Extended], Extended normal vision), [Cunning Antennae!]

Super-Strength 3 (Heavy Load: 3.6 tons) [Proportional Strength of the Mighty Bumblebee!]

Equipment:

Epi-Pen (1 ep)

Masterwork Disable Device Tools (1 ep)

Masterwork Cell-Phone (1 ep)

Masterwork Electronics Tools (1 ep)

Masterwork Multi-Tool (1 ep)

Drawbacks: (-6 pp)

Normal Identity (free action, -3 pp)

Vulnerable (Bluff Checks designed to make him gloat; common, moderate (50%) (-3 pp)

DC Blocks

Unarmed DC 15 Bruised

Unarmed in Suit DC 23 Bruised

Dex Drain DC 18 Drained

Abilities 10 + Skills 9 + Feats 4 + Powers 48 + Combat 14 + Saves 9 + Drawbacks -6 = Total 90

Story Hooks:

Honor [silver Age values]

Obsession [bees]

Obsession [fame]

Obsession [proving himself to be smarter than everybody else]

Reputation [not in it for the money; has trouble hiring goons]

Reputation [crazy as as a honeybee in a thunderstorm]

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Caperzzz:

Bee Aggressive! B-E-E Aggressive!: Like any good Freedomian, Barry Bowles hates the Flags with a passion. When the Flags come to town and win the first game of a double-header against the beloved Freedom City Comets, the Bee-Keeper goes into action with a team of specially-trained bees that stings each and every Flag player until they're too swollen to hold a baseball bat anymore. Can the heroes overcome their distaste for the much-hated Flags while tracking down the mad bee-meister? And what happens if the Bee-Keeper takes refuge in a sports bar full of rabid Comets fans too drunk to know any better?

Civic-Minded: The heroes find that the Bee-Keeper helping rescue people from a burning building in the Fens. It turns out Barry Bowles doesn't want to see anyone get hurt, even though he'd happily have knocked the place over given the first opportunity. Can they work with the baron of bees long enough to save lives and catch the crazy man in the yellow and black powered armor? What happens if the crowd starts cheering Barry on?

No More Mizzter Nice Bee!: Tired of not getting enough respect, the Bee-Keeper decides to pull off a daring extortion scheme at the annual Arbor Day Exposition in downtown Freedom City. He announces that if certain demands are not met, he will see to it that every single thousand-dollar orchid at the show will be forcibly pollinated!!! But who can identity a specific bee in an outdoor show full of flowers? Can the heroes stop Barry Bowles from perpetuating yet another mad scheme while fighting off hay fever?

Whatever Happened to the Bee of Tomorrow?: After a little trip through a wormhole thanks to a misplaced time machine, the Bee-Keeper returns with the armor of the Bee-Keeper of 2525! Can the heroes (perhaps with a little help from the Freedom Legion) defeat the newly-empowered menace before he stings history right on the lip?

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I think I want to have your babies now.

Description: Barry Brewster Bowles is a wide-eyed African-American man in his early 30s with a narrow face and too-ready smile, given to wearing yellow and black sweaters and talking animatedly about his his two great passions: his electronics resale shop in the Fens, and the apiary he owns out in the countryside. Voluble on his favorite subjects, he is quiet and reserved, almost shy, when it comes to anything else. He carries his costume around with him in a small briefcase, the suit a soft, flexible garmet that he can snap on in just a few seconds.

Bee-Keeper II is a confident man bursting with energy and volubility, ready and willing to let everyone within earshot know who he is and why he's robbing them of their hard-earned valuables. His speech is peppered with horrible bee-related puns, often inaccurate ones, and his laugh is buzzing and maniacal. His Bee-Keeper suit is bright yellow with a black stripe around the mid-section, his glossy, transparent wings made of a high-tech plastic he ripped off from Doc Otaku after a supervillan fight in his neighborhood. His costume is insect-themed, giving him "bee claws" on his hands and feet and covering his head with the cartoonish likeness of a bee's face. He shoots streams of specially-trained bees he keeps in a tank on his back out of shooters on his wrist.

... did we expect anything else. :P

History:

I like it. He's got tragedy, and he's also a homage to Silver Age goofiness.

Abilities: (10 pp)

Str: 26/10 (+8/+0)

Dex: 10 (+0)

Con: 10 (+0)

Int: 18 (+4)

Wis: 12 (+1)

Cha: 10 (+0)

Adds up.

Combat: (14 pp)

Attack +3, +4 (ranged),

Grapple +14,

Defense +4,

Knockback -8,

Initiative +0

Adds up, but you omitted the flat-footed listing.

Saving Throws: (9 pp)

Toughness +8 (+6 Impervious)/+0,

Fortitude +3 (+0 from Con, +3),

Reflex +3 (+0 from Dex, +3),

Will +4 (+1 from Wis, +3)

Adds up. I'd normally question the saves, but most battlesuit wearers are statted with lower saves than most.

Skills: (9 pp)

Craft (electronic) 6 (+10),

Craft (mechanical) 6 (+10),

Knowledge (life sciences) 6 (+10)

Knowledge (technology) 6 (+10),

Perform (bluster) 6 (+6)

Notice 2 (+3)

Search 4 (+8)

Perform (bluster) would probably be Perform (Oratory) with the bluster descriptor. The Perform skills are meant to be fairly broad-ish.

Total ranks is also missing. Adds up anyway.

Feats: (6 pp)

Attack Focus (ranged),

Benefit: Wealth x2

Equipment

Inventor,

Power Attack

Adds up.

Powers: (48 pp)

Device 12 (Bee-Keeper armor, hard to lose):

Drain Dexterity (Ranged) 8 [suffer the Stings of a Million Bees!]

AP: Enhanced Strength 16 [Proportional Strength of the Mighty Bumblebee!]

Flight 4 (100 MPH), [speed of the Swiftest of Bees: The Honeybee!]

Immunity 9 (life support), [You Can't Smoke Out This Bee!]

Protection 8 (Extras: Impervious 6), [As Tough as a Sturdy Soldier Bee!]

Super-Senses 6 (Blindsight [Radio, Extended], Extended normal vision), [Cunning Antennae!]

Super-Strength 3 (Heavy Load: 3.6 tons) [Proportional Strength of the Mighty Bumblebee!]

Adds up. However, no Communication? Is it deliberate that he can receive but not send radio transmission?

Equipment:

Epi-Pen (1 ep)

Masterwork Disable Device Tools (1 ep)

Masterwork Cell-Phone (1 ep)

Masterwork Electronics Tools (1 ep)

Multi-Tool (1 ep)

Could you add the bonuses into the skill block in the format (+x/+y)? It'd make things easier for us. Also, is the epi-pen to stop him accidentally stinging someone with an allergy to death?

Drawbacks: (-6 pp)

Normal Identity (free action, -3 pp)

Vulnerable (Bluff Checks designed to make him gloat; common, moderate (50%) (-3 pp)

Adds up. However, with only +1 to Sense Motive, that vulnerability could be exploited by pretty much everyone. Would gloating pretty much mean stop fighting to gloat, or gloat while fighting?

Story Hooks:

Honor [silver Age values]

Obsession [bees]

Obsession [fame]

Obsession [proving himself to be smarter than everybody else]

Reputation [not in it for the money; has trouble hiring goons]

Reputation [crazy as as a honeybee in a thunderstorm]

They're called Complications :P

Good Complications, appropriate to his background.

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