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Heavy Metal (PL12 NPC, Tier 2)


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Character Name: Heavy Metal

Power Level: 12 (221PP)

Trade-Offs: Uranium Form: -5 Attack / +5 Damage, -4 Defense / +4 Toughness, Energy Form: +4 Attack / -4 Damage

In Brief: Professor Quentin Quills academic nemesis, turned into a Mr. Hyde supervillain!

Alternate Identity: Professor Lief Liebniz

Identity: Secret

Birthplace: Berlin

Occupation: Lecturer (in applied physics) at Freedom City University

Affiliations: None

Family: Wife, two children (Karl, 35 who has a young child, and Rebecca, 30, single).

Age: 60

Apparent Age: 65

Gender: Male

Ethnicity: German

Height: 5'7"

Weight: 65 Kgs

Eyes: Blue

Hair: White

Description: An archetypal professor with balding white hair in a pony tail and an aged, respectable air. Speaks with a slight German accent.When "transformed" his flesh either turns to a dense super heavy metal (such as uranium), or to pure green-glowing energy.

Power Descriptions: Radiation.

History: Professor Lief Liebniz was born in Berlin after the war and soon established himself as a genius. It was not long before he moved to the USA, at the age of 30, and continued his academic career. Aside from his obvious intellect and academic prowess, his career has also been built on a famed knack for sycophantic flattery and unscrupulous methods for gaining research grants.

Liebniz has always wanted to unlock the power of the atom for humankind, and ended up experimenting on himself. This has permenantly irradiated him, causing him to be a hazard to all he touches (including his beloved wife). He has to visibly concentrate to supress his radioactivity. He hates his new condition, and has become all the more bitter, keeping it a secret and blaming the quantum hero "Supercape" for screwing up his experiment.

What he is yet to realise is that when exposed to high levels of radiation, he becomes the supervillain "Heavy Metal", a Dr. Hyde personality who is full of venom and bile, with no human empathy left. Heavy Metal of course loves his new condition and never wants to return back to puny Liebniz. In this stage, he needs to feed off radiation to keep himself from reverting to normal, and will use any means to do so. It takes several hours for him to "drain" and return to Liebniz. When Heavy Metal is activated, he will try and make sure he regularly doses up on radiation, and plots to create his own power base: preferably one where he can "refuel" as needed. If and when Heavy Metal reverts back to Liebniz, he only has dim "flashes" of recollection of his time as Heavy Metal, usually as nightmares.

Personality & Motivation: Liebniz is an arrogant academic but not evil. He will think nothing of backstabbing and manipulation to further his career, but he is not violent or psychopathic. He will of course enjoy crushing his peers with academic superiority, and is terribly vain about his own intellect. Nothing terrifies him more than been ridiculed himself. Since he is now radioactive, he comes across as aloof - he won't shake hands or make physical contact (unless he really dislikes somebody, or is has too). He can, with great effort, nullify his radioactivity briefly, but in essence this effect has severely curtailed his life and enhanced his loneliness and bitterness. He keeps it very secret: partly because he wouldn't want his reputation to suffer (from the truth of self-experimentation), partly because he fears being "poked and prodded", and partly because he has a tiny nagging doubt, or even excitement, that he is Heavy Metal. Because of this, he is somewhat conflicted about whether to find a cure or not - although in general he tries to find some way of countering the debilitating effects. Of course, ideally he would like to keep his complete immunity to electromagnetic effects!

As Heavy Metal, these characteristics are magnified. He becomes more arrogant, interested in self preservation and desiring to stay in this form as long as possible (forever if possible). He loses almost all human empathy. Two lingering traits of Liebniz remain: scientific curiosity, and love for his family.

Powers & Tactics: Heavy Metal, whilst nasty and callous, retains his full genius. He will use whatever means necessary to remain as Heavy Metal and flit between the two forms, generally using his pure energy form to escape or travel and his uranium form for smashing and fighting.


Abilities: (-2) + (-2) + 0 + 10 + 2 + 0 = 8PP

Strength: 8 (-1), 44 (+17) in Uranium Form

Dexterity: 8 (-1)

Constitution: 10 (+0)

Intelligence: 20 (+5)

Wisdom: 12 (+1)

Charisma: 10 (+0)

Combat: 4 + 4 = 8PP

Initiative: -1

Attack: +2, +4 in Uranium Form, +7 Melee in Uranium Form, +6 in Energy Form, +16 Energy Aura Strike

Grapple: +2, +30 in Uranium Form, +5 in Energy Form

Defense: +2 (+1 Flat-Footed), +8 in Uranium Form (+4 Flat-Footed), +12 in Energy Form (+6 Flat-Footed)

Knockback: -0, -18 in Uranium Form, -6 vs Energy in Energy Form

Saving Throws: 0 + 2 + 9 = 11PP

Toughness: +0 (+0 Con), +16 in Uranium Form (+0 Con, +16 Protection [impervious 9]), +12 vs Energy in Energy Form

Fortitude: +0 (+0 Con, +0), +10 in Energy or Uranium Form

Reflex: +1 (-1 Dex, +2)

Will: +10 (+1 Wis, +9)

Skills: 64R = 16PP

Bluff 8 (+8)

Computers 6 (+11)

Craft (Electronic) 6 (+11)

Craft (Mechanical) 2 (+7)

Diplomacy 4 (+4)

Intimidate 8 (+8)

Knowledge (Earth Sciences) +4 (+9)

Knowledge (Physical Sciences) +10 (+15)

Knowledge (Technology) +8 (+13)

Languages 2 (English, French, German [Native])

Perform (Oratory) +2 (+2)

Sense Motive +4 (+5)

Feats: 5PP

Benefit 2 (Status [Academic Prestige], Wealth)

Distract (Bluff)

Improvised Tools

Inventor

Powers: 145 + 14 + 20 = 179PP

Alternate Forms 72 (144PP Array, Feats: Alternate Power) [145PP] (Heavy Metal, Radiation)

  • Base Power: Uranium Form 19 (93/95PP Container, Extras: Duration [Continuous]) [114PP]

Density 18 (x100 Mass, Immovable 6, Protection 9 [Impervious 9], Super-Strength 6 [Heavy Load: 358 tons 800 lbs.], Strength 36, Extras: Duration [Continuous], Flaws: Permanent, Feats: Innate) [55PP]

Enhanced Attack 2 [4PP]

Enhanced Defense 6 [12PP]

Enhanced Feats 3 (Attack Focus [Melee] 3) [3PP]

Enhanced Fortitude 10 [10PP]

Immunity 2 (Critical Hits) [2PP]

Protection 7 [7PP]

Alternate Power: Energy Form 24 (118/120PP Container, Extras: Duration [Continuous]) [144PP]

Enhanced Attack 4 [8PP]

Enhanced Defense 10 [20PP]

Enhanced Fortitude 5 [5PP]

Flight 4 (100mph / 1,000ft per Move Action, Extras: Duration [Continuous], Feats: Subtle) [13PP]

Immunity 2 (Critical Hits) [2PP]

Insubstantial 3 (Energy, Extras: Duration [Continuous], Flaws: Permanent, Feats: Innate) [16PP]

Protection 12 (Flaws: Limited [Energy Attacks]) [6PP]

Strike 8 (Extras: Aura, Duration 3 [Continuous Aura], Feats: Accurate 5, Affects Insubstantial 2, Incurable) [48PP] (Energy Aura)

Drain Constitution 2 (Extras: Aura, Duration 2 [sustained Aura], Special [Aura is on by default, requires active effort to suppress], Feats: Insidious, Slow Fade 6 [1 day], Subtle, Drawbacks: Action [Concentration duration to suppress Aura]) [14PP] (Irradiate!)

Immunity 20 (Electromagnetic Effects) [20PP]

Drawbacks: (-3) + (-3) = -6PP

Involuntary Transformation (Frequency: Very Common, Intensity: Minor) [-3PP]

Normal Identity (Frequency: Uncommon [Free Action], Intensity: Major) [-3PP]

DC Block:

ATTACK            RANGE    SAVE                       EFFECT

Unarmed           Touch    DC14 Toughness (Staged)    Damage (Physical)

  Uranium Form    Touch    DC32 Toughness (Staged)    Damage (Physical)

Energy Aura       Touch    DC23 Toughness (Staged)    Damage (Energy)

Radiation Aura    Touch    DC12 Fortitude (Staged)    Drain Constitution

Abilities (8) + Combat (8) + Saving Throws (11) + Skills (16) + Feats (5) + Powers (179) - Drawbacks (6) = 221/221 Power Points

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Notes:

Liebniz/Heavy Metal is my attempt at an arch - nemesis for Supercape. He is quite significantly lower PL, and down a few PP, and not exactly optimised build, but he is going to be a complete pain with Immunity to all electromagnetic effects.

Otherwise, he is intended to be a Jeckyl / Hyde expy, as should be fairly obvious from above. As in the initial story, Hyde loves being Hyde. Jeckyl is conflicted, loving the power but hating the corruption. In this case, Liebniz is almost completely amnesiac about being Heavy Metal too. There are shades of "the Hulk" here too (in itself a Jeckyl/Hyde expy) although Heavy Metal is fully intelligent.

Although tier 2 NPC and Supercapes intended arch nemesis (both in costume and out!) I am quite happy for Heavy Metal to be used by others as long as a handle on his personality is grasped.

On the subject of his personality: he is a Futurama Wernstom expy!

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Looks good overall, though there is one thing sticking out at me:

Drain Constitution 2 (Extras: Aura, Duration 2 [Permanent Aura], Feats: Benefit [Concentration Duration to suppress Aura], Insidious, Slow Fade 6 [1 day], Subtle) [16PP] (Irradiate!)

We've ruled that it's a 0-cost change to flip the duration of Sustained powers so that they're on by default and it's a Free Action to turn them off. You could do the same with this, without needing that Benefit. Something like

Drain Constitution 2 (irradiate!; Extras: Aura, Duration 2 [sustained*]; PFs: Insidious, Slow Fade 6 [1 day], Subtle) [15PP]

    * Note: Duration is reversed (a +0 Extra). It is an active sustained effect for him to not irradiate/Drain Con from others, and if unable to sustain the power, he emits Con-Draining radiation.

[b]Drain Constitution 2 ([/b]irradiate!; [i]Extras:[/i] Aura, Duration 2 [Sustained*]; [i]PFs:[/i] Insidious, Slow Fade 6 [1 day], Subtle[b])[/b] [15PP]
[list]* Note: Duration is reversed (a +0 Extra). It is an active sustained effect for him to not irradiate/Drain Con from others, and if unable to sustain the power, he emits Con-Draining radiation.[/list]

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Thanks Doc, the reason I built it as above was to do with his back story. The PP cost is a bit moot for an NPC, but Ill elaborate on the backstory...

Liebniz is now permenantly irradiated - only lightly, but in means that anyone he touches will get a mild dose of radiation poisoning (insidious and subtle feats meaning nobody notices).

I take the point of flipping (As done in some of core books I think...), but I wanted it to be a greater effort for him not to emit radiation.. not just sustained. He has to really work at it to stop poisoning people, he can barely do anything else. Hence, Ideally I would like it to be a concentration effect.

This might seem small, but reflects the fluff. IN addition, it possibly "neutralises him"... for instance, Heavy Metal still has a lotta love for his family - if they were in danger, he would be "forced" to put all his effort into supressing his radioactivity, not attacking or doing anything else whilst he carried them out of danger etc. So its partly there as role play purposes (even if it never comes up).

Built as above, it might work out as a drawback rather than a feat, I guess.

I hope that makes some kind of sense.

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Good thinking, any suggestions on how to code that? :0

Coded. :ugeek: (As a +0 extra.)

EDIT: I also took the liberty of increasing his Energy Strike by 2 ranks, so now he hits PL12 offensive caps while in Energy Form as well as while in Uranium Form. If this was not your intent, feel free to bust it back down (it's your NPC).

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EDIT: I also took the liberty of increasing his Energy Strike by 2 ranks, so now he hits PL12 offensive caps while in Energy Form as well as while in Uranium Form. If this was not your intent, feel free to bust it back down (it's your NPC).

I'll go with that. It was something I was debating. I was thinking that the Energy Form was more for escape / travel / subtle stuff, he reverts to Uranium when fighting - and thus Wondered about making the PL slightly under caps. But it was one of those shall I / shan't I things. Consider myself tipped!

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