Step 1: Background
We roll a 7 and a 5 for our Background this time, which lets us start with Unremarkable, Academic, or Criminal. Since those are all taken we go in either direction from Criminal, resulting in a choice between Exile and Retired.
I’m thinking that Retired will be more flexible long-term, so this superhero is an exile from his home. But from where? Alien? Magic? Alternate universe? You know, let’s do an alternate universe, we don’t have one of those yet.
Our hero was a superhero in another world, who answered the call of the Mist Gates to defend the multiverse from Oblivaeon. He was badly hurt in the fight, and unable to return to his home before the Gates closed. Since his knowledge is liable to be mostly wrong, I’ll give him Conviction d10 and Insight d8.
For Ideals Principles, I’m going to take the Principle of the Defender. Victor (that’s his name now) wasn’t just hurt fighting, he was hurt saving the rest of his team, and ensuring that they could make it home.
Step 2: Power Source
Exile gives a lackadaisical three d8s for Power Source (so you can’t be an Exile powered by the Multiverse!) and our roll of 2, 8, and 4 gives us access to Training, Experimentation, Nature, Relic, Radiation, or Artificial Being. Let’s take Radiation. Our hero comes from a world bathed in radiation, where people have been transformed by the terrible energies.
I have to take a new Power, and I’ve only got two choices, so I’m going to take… both! Duplication d8 and Density Control d8, combined with Size-Changing d8, creates a hilarious array of variously-sized enemies who can also vary their mass and form.
In Yellow, our one-man army uses Size-Changing to recover and Boost, Density Control to attack and hinder, and in Green he uses his Duplication to attack anyone who gets too close.
Step 3: Archetype
Rolling a d10, a d8, and a d6 gives me 6, 1, and 1, which means that I can pick Speedster, Shadow, Close Quarters Combatant, or Armored. Since most of those are gone, I can pick Speedster or Minion Maker, and if I’m just creating all the duplicates, I am clearly making Victor a Minion-Maker.
I can bump Duplication up to d10, leaving me with a two d8s and a d6. I need a Materials under my “new Powers” rule, and I like the idea that my duplicates are kind of toxic and manipulate toxic waste. So Toxic d8, Investigation d8, and let’s say Science d6. No physical traits, so I’m only good at punching if it’s supporting my deeply-held beliefs.
For Abilities, Victor obviously makes minions with Duplication, and powers them up with Density Control. In Yellow, he can reduce damage by shucking it off towards his minions, staying alive faster.
Since Victor creates minions using his raw will, he gets ten options for what they can do. I’m going to pick the following: Autonomous, Floating, Pack, Explosive, Reinforced, Harsh, Stealth, Swift, Champion, Hive-Mind.
Minion-Makers get a… they get an Expertise Ability. Everyone gets Expertise Abilities. Well, joke’s on you, that gives me the Principle of the Indestructible. Because of his density-shifting, Victor is pretty much immune to small attacks.
Step 4: Personality
For Personality, I roll a 2 and a 6, so Victor could be a Natural Leader, Distant, or Fast-Talking. Let’s make him a Natural Leader – just generally a brick who is very impressive.
For his roleplaying Quality, I’m going to lean into that and give him Group Tactics, helping him help others, or pile on alongside his minions. He’s just very used to having to work with others, and doesn’t do as well when he’s on his own (although he has DETERMINATION to fall back on.)
Step 5: Red Abilities
Okay, let’s make this silly. Swarm Combat gives Victor a Max-die attack with a bonus equal to how many minions are out, and Summon Allies creates just so, so many minions. Combining these two should let him fill the field with copies of himself and then just jump someone.
Step 6: Retcon
I could pick up another Red Ability, or grab a Physical quality, but I like the idea of just boosting Victor’s Red. When he defends, he defends.
Step 7: Health
We’re looking at [8 + Conviction 10 + Red 12 + 4) 34 Health for Victor! Another hecking tank.
Step 8: Alias
Victor is The Line, the leader of a team of heroes in a post-apocalyptic world that was ravaged by nuclear devastation. He and his team kept his home city alive and comfortable against irradiated monsters and natural disasters, and answered the call to fight Oblivaeon. Now, stranded in this strange, lush world, he’s going to keep doing what he does best – building communities and helping people.
Character Sheet
The Line
Alias: Victor
Background: Exile, Power Source: Radiation, Archetype: Minion-Maker, Personality: Natural Leader
Principles: Defender [Ideals], Indestructible [Expertise]
- Roleplaying: You will put yourself in harm’s way to save others without a second thought. You ignore damage from unpowered close-combat weapons and attacks, such as clubs and non-powered fists, or basic ranged attacks, such as slings and arrows.
- Minor Twists: How do your actions put you in more danger than before? What goes wrong with your defenses?
- Major Twists: What great sacrifice did you just make to succeed? Who gets hurt other than you because your defenses failed?
Status Dice: Green d6, Yellow d8, Red d12
Health: 34 (Green 34-26, Yellow 25-13, Red 12-1)
Qualities:
- Conviction (Mental) d10
- Insight (Social) d8
- Investigation (Mental) d8
- Group Tactics (RP) d8
- Science (Info) d6
Powers:
- Duplication (Self-Control) d10
- Size Control (Self-Control) d8
- Density Control (Self-Control) d8
Green Abilities:
- Principle of the Defender (A): Overcome in a situation that requires you to hold the line and use your Max Die, or use your Mid Die and Defend with your Min die. You and your allies gain a Hero Point.
- Principle of the Indestructible (A): Overcome in a situation where you charge headlong into danger and use your Max die. You and each of your allies gain a hero point.
- Double Stunt ®: When a new target enters the scene close to you, you may Attack it by rolling your single Duplication die.
- Duplicate (A): Create a minion using Duplication, with a die size based on the Minion Chart. Choose which basic action it can take. It acts at the start of your turn.
- Minion Options: Autonomous, Floating, Pack, Explosive, Reinforced, Harsh, Stealth, Swift, Champion, Hive-Mind.
- Empower (A): Boost another hero or one of your minions using Density Control. Either use your Max die, or use your Mid die and make that bonus persistent.
Yellow Abilities:
- Shake It Off (A): Boost using Size-Changing. Then remove a penalty on you, or Recover using your Min die.
- Heavy Hitter (A): Attack using Density Control. Hinder that target using your Max die.
- Reform ®: Reduce any damage you take by the number of minions you have. Each time you do this, reduce the size of one of your minions.
Red Abilities:
- Swarm Combat (A): Attack with Duplication. Use your Max die plus a bonus equal to the number of minions you have.
- Fill The Field (A): Use Duplication to create a number of d6 minions equal to your Mid die. Choose the action they perform. They act at the start of your turn.
Out Ability: Boost an Ally by rolling your Conviction die.
If Victor has time to build up, he is going to be unstoppable. He’s less of a tank than some of our earlier friends, lacking any inherent damage reduction or turn-length Defense, but the ability to use his copies as ablative shields is pretty useful, especially once he hits Red and just generates a half-dozen buddies, and he can Defend as part of an Overcome and ignore getting punched, which is great. He has just enough Boost and Hinder tricks to fall back on if for whatever reason making minions isn’t cutting it, and he has Qualities to help him out outside of combat (not many powers, though; he can use his Size-Changing to investigate, but socially he is a bit awkward. No Intellectual Power options in either Radiation or Minion-Maker, and while I could have given him a d6, it’s not enough of a step up.)
One thing I wish he’d gotten was a way to draw fire. There weren’t any applicable Reactions in his pools, though, so he’ll have to rely on Overcomes.