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Notorious Professor Wyrd, The (PL11 NPC, Tier 2)


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Power Level: 11 (161/161PP)

Trade-Offs: -2 Attack / +2 Damage, -2 Defense / +2 Toughness

In Brief: Take one scientist, add a dash of madness, mix in one deal with the devil, stir well, and serve hot with a side of ham.

Alternate Identities: Nikolas Vyrd

Identity: Open

Birthplace: Moscow, Russia

Occupation: Genius

Affiliations: None

Family: Anastasia Vyrd (daughter, former assistant, now disappeared)

Age: 72

Apparent Age: 60

Gender: Male

Ethnicity: Caucasian

Height: 5’4â€

Weight: 110 lbs

Eyes: Green

Hair: White

Description: To call Wyrd eccentric-looking would be being generous. Frizzy white hair that would make Einstein jealous, a tousled and unkempt beard almost never trimmed (Too busy! With Science!), manic green eyes almost perpetually behind reflective goggles, a stained and burned labcoat (not every experiment turns out the way you’d like, but still progress!), with whatever clothes he was wearing two or three days before when he started whatever crazy experiment he’s working on (lots of plaid, he likes plaid). A pair of rubber gloves and rubber boots (Electricity is helpful in experiments! Electric shocks not so much!) complete the ensemble, giving him the appearance of a (rather grandfatherly) mad scientist. When he can be bothered to clean himself up, though (which is rare), he can look professional. At least until he opens his mouth.

History: The man who would become The Notorious Professor Wyrd! began his life in rather humble surroundings. His father was a loving and kind man, and his mother very much the same, always doing their best to provide and ensure he would receive only the best treatment, even when money was tight. And considering he was born on pretty much the same day World War Two started, it was pretty much a given his life would be fairly turbulent.

Vyrd’s father was what was referred to in those days as a Bolshevik, a true believer in the plight of the working class. Frequently over dinner, he would talk with his wife about Marxism, and what a good government for the people would do. He spoke volumes about how his grandfather was there when the people overcame the Tsars, and swore that if the Red Army went to march against anyone, victory would not be far behind. He even fought in the army during the War, albeit briefly, before an injury forced him to return home. The way he told it, of course, it had him fighting off a dozen German soldiers and hauling his entire squad back before nearly a hundred bullets brought him down! Wyrd, raised hearing this from his father, also believed these stories, and upon reaching his teenage years, sought to join the army. Unfortunately, being a rather short, gangly fellow with very little muscle, he was rejected. The reserves? Rejected. Air forces? Rejected. Navy? You guessed it, rejected. Rather dejected after all of his rejections. Wyrd threw himself into his studies instead, swearing that if he couldn’t help his country as a soldier, he’d find a better way! And so, after graduating with honors from university, and gaining many prestigious awards for his innovative papers and fresh ideas on various walks of scientific thought, he found himself in prime position to make his dreams of helping the people, the workers his father had often extrolled on, true! Unfortunately…it wasn’t that simple. While Wyrd was brilliant, and found many worthy projects to devote himself to (he even helped with the recovery efforts after the disaster at Chernobyl), he found himself questioning just why all of these problems he was helping to address happened anyway. Why did Chernobyl melt down when there were so many ways of preventing it? Why were there people suffering in the streets when there were so many heroes about? With every single invention that he created, more and more he kept asking if there was something more he could do, a source, a flashpoint where everything stemmed from, a way to fix everything.

He focused on this theory, studied endlessly, pored through stacks and stacks of books, diverted all of his considerable brainpower towards finding that one place where he could do the single most good. It was a freezing cold night at his laboratory when he thought he was getting close. The lights in the building were off, even the janitor had gone home, but Wyrd was still in his laboratory, tinkering with a new battery, a new power source that could keep a building running, maybe alleviate the heating problems that perpetually plagued Moscow during the winter, especially in the worst quarters. He was sitting at his desk when a knock came at the door, and, distracted, he told them to go away. A voice came from behind him said perhaps that would not be the best idea. Wyrd whirled in surprise, to see a rather nondescript fellow in a rather nicely tailored black suit, carrying a briefcase, standing in the centre of his lab, the door still closed and locked. The scientist, lacking the patience, told him rather harshly that he was in the middle of important research, and whoever he was, to go away before he called for security.

The black man merely smiled, unnerving Wyrd, before speaking. He told Wyrd that he knew what was plaguing him. There was always too many problems to solve, weren’t there? Always too much to do, and no matter how hard he worked, he couldn’t possibly solve everything. Poor Nikolai Vyrd, da? Vyrd, for his part, was surprised by this strange fellow’s insight into his psyche, and he asked (a tad more politely this time) what his visitor’s name was. The man merely smiled, and placed his briefcase on the desk. He told Wyrd his name wasn’t important, but what he had was. He understood Wyrd’s difficulties. He knew that for all Wyrd’s brilliance, there just wasn’t enough he could do. Vyrd listened, spellbound, as the man laid out a proposition. He could give Wyrd something very special. Knowledge no man had held for thousands of years, a way to solve so many more problems. For that was what he wanted to do, right? Solve problems? The only thing Wyrd would have to do is owe this man…a favour. To be collected sometime at the man in black’s convenience. Wyrd looked askance, asking how this man could have such knowledge. The man smiled again, pointing at the briefcase. If he wanted proof, all he had to do was open it. Wyrd stared at it briefly, then back at the man, then he reached over, unlatched the briefcase, and flung it open. Everything went white.

For an indeterminate amount of time, Wyrd hung there, surrounded by equations and incantations. He didn’t know why, but he recognized the incantations as spells, arcane magics that would meld with these equations and plans, magic and science combined before him. The knowledge filled his mind as he reached for it, new ideas and plans whirling through his mind. A crazed laugh erupted from him as all of this plunged into his psyche, and he awoke with a start as the sun peered through his lab’s windows. The man in black was gone, along with the briefcase, but the knowledge was still there. Wyrd smiled, a wide, toothy smile. He knew what he had to do. This knowledge, this techno-magic, was given to him for a reason. Sweeping up his coat, he scrawled out the first of these new plans that came to his mind, and presented it to his colleagues the very next day. Their reception was…less than enthusiastic. As a matter of fact, he was laughed out of the conference room. Magic? As a man of science, surely he couldn’t believe in this kind of hokum! They were men of intelligence and logic, not fairy tales, and they told Wyrd to get his act together. Wyrd, stunned and resentful that men he’d worked with his whole life would betray him thus, quit his cushy government job, closing his lab and leaving with his plans. For years, he’d worked and slaved to improve the conditions of his home…and now, when he had the opportunity to change everything, to finally make things better…they’d turned him down?!

Wyrd’s mind, already imbalanced somewhat from the new knowledge in his head, cracked. If these men who ran his country wouldn’t let him change things with them…then he’d change things for them. Yes, that was it. Not just his country, though. He’d seen in the Cold War and the after-effects, the change of government in his country too. America needed changing too. And Europe. And Africa, the conditions there were absolutely horrible. The whole world needed changing, and he had the knowledge to do it. If he ran things…yes…if he ran things…things would be different. Would be better. He’d make things better. He’d heard of costumed heroes using science before, he’d be one of them! If Professor Nikolas Vyrd couldn’t change the world…then The Notorious Professor Wyrd would! Ever since then, Wyrd has pursued his own agenda, forging ahead with his pioneering methods of combining magic and science. Moving further and further outside the established systems, he’s long abandoned any sense of morality he used to have in favour of a strong believe in “the ends justify the meansâ€. While he does mean well, he is willing to do anything to make his dream a reality, even if he has to hold the whole world hostage to make it so! They’ll thank him later!

Power Descriptions: On first blush, Wyrd’s tech usually looks fairly slap-dash, a mess of tech that has no discernible ends or buttons or…well…working parts. A close examination, however, reveals the true depth of both Wyrd’s brilliance and madness, a melding of magic and technology, frequently through inscribed runes or wards, but sometimes through laid-on enchantments and the like. The shots from his PDP tend towards the shiny and explosive, magic bolts fired through a cunningly wrought system of vaccum tubes and offensive runes. His force field appears (when struck) to be a honeycomb of hexagons in a sphere around his body, with odd runes inscribed on the bracers flaring up whenever it’s used. His teleporter is much the same, a rune flaring up on his belt buckle as he disappears with a loud crack and reappears elsewhere.

Personality & Motivation: Wyrd was, before the deal, an obsessive-compulsive, and this new knowledge and change in thinking has only exacerbated the situation. He is, at his core, still a good man, but the problem is that while his motivations are good, his methods are getting continually more questionable. He does carry some scruples however, and refuses to threaten children or pregnant women (after all, they are the ones who will be inheriting his world once he takes over!), and sees most other scientists as colleagues, but simply misguided. He’s generally more likely to try to convince the heroes of the rightness of his cause before breaking out the magitek, but he does have a few buttons that he just can’t stand to have pushed (never disparage his work, for example). He’s very short-tempered nowadays, given to flying off the handle, and can get easily distracted, especially with science-talk. He still doesn’t know who the man was who he made the deal with, but by now he’s mostly pushed it away to be dealt with later.

Powers & Tactics: Wyrd is not a conventional spellslinger, despite his newfound knowledge of magic to match his technical skills. In fact, it’s highly unlikely he can even throw a conventional magic bolt. What he is, however, is an expert in the art of thaumaturgy, complex enchantments and runic magic. To put it simply, he’s basically become a magical engineer. He builds, rather than uses. That’s not to say his magic isn’t very dangerous, if he has time to prepare beforehand (usually with lots of exploding runes, mines, turrets enchanted to fire magic bolts, wards, force fields, and the like), but he’s generally more likely to fall back on tech in heated situations, rather than try for magical solutions. His technical skills are, quite frankly, considerable, and if his tech is destroyed he can cobble together something in a very short period of time; though these slapdash devices tend to be short-lived and highly unstable. When in battle, he’ll generally leave combat to his “golems†(as he refers to his magitek robots or minions that he’s usually built), or start blazing away with his PDP. In a pinch, he might use the Discombobulation ray on an opponent, but he generally dislikes doing that (mostly because of the mess, but even he knows that being disintegrated is highly unpleasant, and should be avoided). He has enough trust in his force field and his own intelligence to stick around if things start getting ugly, but he’s also canny enough to know that with his advanced age, if things get into melee, then he’s generally reached a point where he should either teleport out or simply surrender.

Abilities: 0 + 0 + 4 + 15 + 4 + 0 = 23PP

Strength 10 (+0)

Dexterity 10 (+0)

Constitution 14 (+2)

Intelligence 25 (+7)

Wisdom 14 (+2)

Charisma 10 (+0)

Combat: 12 + 12 = 24PP

Initiative: +7

Attack: +6, +8 ranged with Goggles

Grapple: +6

Defense: +8 (+6 Base, +2 Dodge Focus), +3 Flat-Footed

Knockback: -1/-11 with Force Field

Saving Throws: 5 + 7 + 9 = 21PP

Toughness: +2/+12 (+2 Con, +10 Force Field [impervious 10, Reflective 10])

Fortitude: +7 (+2 Con, +5)

Reflex: +7 (+0 Dex, +7)

Will: +11 (+2 Wis, +9)

Skills: 84R = 21PP

Computers 13 (+20, Skill Mastery)

Craft [Electronic] 13 (+20)

Craft [Mechanical] 13 (+20, Skill Mastery)

Knowledge [Arcane Lore] 13 (+20, Skill Mastery)

Knowledge [Technology] 13 (+20, Skill Mastery)

Notice 8 (+10)

Search 3 (+10)

Sense Motive 8 (+10)

Feats: 15PP

Artificer

Beginner's Luck

Equipment 3

Dodge Focus 2

Eidetic Memory

Fearless

Improvised Tools

Inventor

Master Plan 2

Skill Mastery (Computers, Craft [Mechanical], Knowledge [Arcane Lore], Knowledge [Technology])

Speed of Thought

Equipment: 15/15ep wrote:

WyrdTech Mobile Subterranean Laboratory Headquarters! (15ep)

Size: Large, Toughness: 25, Features: Communications, Computers, Defence System (Blast 10 [WyrdTech Anti-Intrusion And Warding System! ]), Fire Prevention System, Infirmary, Library, Living Space, Workshop, Isolated, Holding Cells, Power (Burrowing 10 [WyrdTech Subterannean Anti-Dirt Mole System! ])

Powers: 15 + 24 + 8 + 8 + 2 = 57PP

Device 5 (WyrdTech Personal Defense Pistol! â„¢, Easy to Lose, 25pp of traits) [15PP] (technological)

Device 4 (WyrdTech Personal Defence Ward-Bracers! â„¢, Hard to Lose, 30pp of traits) [24PP] (technological)

Device 2 (WyrdTech Personal Teleportation Runelocked Belt Buckle! â„¢, Hard to Lose, 10pp of traits) [8PP] (technological)

Device 2 (WyrdTech Omniocular Magi-lock Lenses! â„¢, Hard to Lose, 10pp of traits) [8PP] (technological)

Quickness 4 (x25 speed, Flaws: Mental actions only) [2PP]

WyrdTech Personal Defense Pistol! â„¢: 25dp wrote:

PDP Array 12 (24dp array, Power Feats: 1 Alternate Power) [25DP]

BP: Blast 12 (Defense Ray) [24DP]

AP: Disintegrate 6 (Discombobulator/Recombobulator Ray, Power Feats: Reversible) [24DP]

WyrdTech Personal Defence Ward-Bracers! â„¢: 30dp wrote:

Force Field 10: (Extras: Impervious 10, Reflective 10) [30DP]

WyrdTech Personal Teleportation Runelocked Belt Buckle! â„¢: 10dp wrote:

Teleport 5: (500' per round, Unreliable: 50% chance for misport) [10DP]

WyrdTech Omniocular Magi-lock Lenses! â„¢: 5+5=10dp wrote:

Enhanced Feats 5 (Accurate Attack, Attack Focus (ranged) 2, Improved Aim, Power Attack)

Super-Senses 5 (direction sense, distance sense, infravision, microscopic vision 1, time sense)

DC Block:

ATTACK            RANGE      SAVE                       EFFECT

Unarmed           Touch      DC15 Toughness (Staged)    Damage

Blast 12          Ranged     DC27 Toughness (Staged)    Damage

Disintegrate 6    Ranged     DC16 Fortitude (Staged)    Drain Toughness

			                    DC21 Toughness (Staged)    Damage

Abilities (23) + Combat (24) + Saving Throws (21) + Skills (21) + Feats (15) + Powers (57) - Drawbacks (0) = 161 Power Points

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