Character Name:Peacemaker by Kieran Mullen Point Total: Unrated (See Below) OCV:10 PD 0 ED 0 DCV: 2 rPD 10 rED 10 Defenses: 5pt Flash Def ECV:N/A Total 10 Total 10Description: The Peacemaker is a 24' tall robot of humanoid shape. It's finish is purplish-grey, and its "hands" and "face" are flesh colored, although they metallic. In ED mode it seems more shiny, in PD mode it is more rigid. Those with acute sense of smell may detect faint traces of human blood.
The Peacemaker should come across as an implacable, and damn near indestructible foe. Their voices are monotonic and machinelike. They should be frightening to the players.
45 Str
18 Dex
10 Con
16 Bod
13 Int
10 Ego
20 Pre
10 Com
4 Spd
8 Rec
100 End
0 Stn
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Dex Roll: 13-
Int Roll: 12-
Per Roll: 14-
Ego Roll: 11-
Cost Powers:
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Takes No Stun
Growth: 4x Height, 64x Mass, -6" KB, +2" Reach (30 pts)
8d6 Energy Blast, variable special effects: Cold, heat, electricity,
corrosive poison, water, and radiation. 4 charges with each.
6d6 Entangle 1 hex AE, variable s/fx: magnetic coils or sticky nonmagnetic
bands
Flight Suppression, 20 Radius, does not affect flight based on technological
focus.
Power Transfer: Able to absorb any single paranormal power, must have
grabbed victim, four uses of power.
Linked Power: 2d6 CON drain from victim (drains blood), recover
REC/10 per hour.
Flight 15", x20 NCM
Variable Armor: Switch at beginning of phase
(a) Balanced mode: 10 PD/10 ED
(b) ED mode: 5 PD/15 ED
(c) PD mode: 15 PD/5 ED
Regen: 2 BOD/Turn
Life Support: Total.
Senses: 360 Vision
Infrared Vision
UV Vision
Detect Paranormals:
9- in general
14- if powers are being used
Telescopic Sight (+6)
+2 to all sight perception rolls
Skills/Talents/Perks:
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+4 Combat levels to OCV
Combat Flight
KS: Vulnerabilities of opponents already known to other Peacemakers.
Defensive Maneuvers
Disadvantages:
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Phys Lim: Large Size
Reputation: Formidable Opponent, Strong Rxn, NCN
Distinguishing Features: Strong Negative Rxn, NCN
Psych Lim: Gives Running Commentary
Psych Lim: Obeys Orders of Master Villain
Psych Lim: Always shifts armor to counter attacks that have hit.
Vulnerability: Weak point under left arm in upper body (2x Body)
Character Concept:
==================
The Peacemaker is a combination of state of the art technology and
alien/supervillain breakthroughs. It is composed of small, self-repairing,
subassemblies that allow it to rapidly switch attack modes and armor.
It is reasonably intelligent, and has a panapoly of s/fx attacks. It
will spread its attacks against high DEX characters.
Most often Peacemakers are used to subdue and kidnap superheroes. An important base may have a single Peacemaker. A major base might have four.
If you are familiar with the Sentinels in Marvel Comics, the Peacemakers are similar, but in some ways worse.
Explanation of Powers: ======================Variable Armor: The Peacemaker has a novel phased polymer armor which can be adjusted for maximum protection from either energy or physical attacks. Usually it stays in "balanced mode" where its PD and ED are equal. If it is damaged by one attack type (either physical or energy) it will alter its armor to block that attack. If it is hit by *both* it will stay in balanced mode. When making a transition from ED mode to PD mode (or the reverse) it will always spend a phase in the balanced mode. There is always a one phase delay between when it decides to shift and when the shift is effected. The Peacemaker can attack while shifting (it does not require concentration).
Variable EB: The Peacemaker has 4 cartridges of each attack listed. These may be changed or supplemented at the GM's whim. It will attempt to match attacks to either known vulnerabilities of opponents it has registered in its memory, or to its best guess as to what will work. Most heroes can shrug off its attacks unless it hits them with one to which they are vulnerable.
Flight Suppression: The Peacemaker sends out a psychic signal that interferes with the brain's ability to think 3-dimensionally and to access innate flying abilities. Those who use mechanical foci can still fly, but at the GM's discretion they may have to make combat flight skill rolls to succeed in their maneuvers, perhaps with a -3 penalty. The Peacemaker can still fly.
Power Transfer: If the Peacemaker can grab a person with superpowers, it will drain blood from them, temporarily reducing their CON. Using the genetic "template" for their powers inherent in their blood, the Peacemaker can temporarily use any single power of the victim. At the GM's discretion the Peacemaker may only be able to do so while holding the victim. The Peacemaker should have a limited number of uses of the stolen ability, say 4.
Campaign Use: =============In my campaign world nearly all superheroes are based on paranormal or magical abilities. There is a substantial amount of societal hostility towards paranormals. One group, with the aid of Evil Alien Technology (tm), developed the Peacemakers to capture paranormals, and would then use their abilities to support the human race.
The Peacemakers, ostensibly used to free humans from paranormals, became a gestapo-like force in which most citizens lived in fear. They were the ultimate opponent in my campaign, and players learned how to be clever, which is not often needed in a Champions campaign.
If your campaign is less grim'n'gritty then you could have them serve a Collector who acquires paranormals ("Ah, now this one is quite exquisite."), an evil villain out for vengeance, a hostile government or an alien race.
Players should learn that the ONLY way to defeat the Peacemaker is to alternate attacks between physical and energy types, suckering it into putting its defense mostly into one mode before hitting it with the other. Alternatively, the GM may have some villain know about the Peacemaker's vulnerability, and have the players try to bargain to find out what it is. It should be damn near impossible for a single hero to defeat it. They are intelligent and should act in such a fashion. They will cooperate with each other, i.e. two will flush targets towards a third which is lying in wait.
It is fun to see how flying characters react when they can no longer fly. It can provide them with a real challenge.
Identifying Quote: =================="Paranormal identified: Activating Attack and defense modes. Estimated time to defeat opponent: 10 seconds."
Sample Encounter: =================Encounter: Doug Hammet (flying brick with telekinetic arms), Serpentyne (snake-man hyrid), and Reflex (plasma Energy projector) are hiding in the back of a semi. They hear a loud booming voice:
"Target located. Initializing encounter. Step one: Engage opponents. `Mutants inside truck, surrender immediately.'"
"Shit" says Doug. Serp throws the doors open and flips up to the top of the trailer. About 30 feet away is the towering form of a Peacemaker. Doug leaps into the air to perform a move-through and lands face down in the dirt. Reflex moves forward to see the prone Doug cursing a blue streak, with a mouthful of sand.
"Paranormal identified: Doug Hammet. Activating attack mode 1 in Hammet VulFile. Switching Defense to Mode C. Estimated time to defeat opponent: 10 seconds."
Serpentyne superleaps from the top of the truck in an attempt at a move through. He does not hit hard enough to overcome the KB resistance and takes full damage himself. The attack does 11 BODY so the Peacemaker takes a 1 BODY. Doug gets up and moves toward the towering robot. Reflex holds his action. Normally, he would fly out of reach of the robot, but for some reason his plasma based flight powers just yield sputtering flames.
The Peacemaker hits Doug with a shower of stinging gas, to which he is vulnerable. He takes 37 STUN which is doubled to 54, and is stunned. Serp whacks the Peacemaker with his quarterstaff, doing 13 BODY. However, the Peacemaker has shifted to PD mode, and it bounces. Serp notices that it seems to have grown more rigid since he bounced off it.
Reflex lets loose a plasma blast. It does 10 BODY, which slices past the 5 ED of the Peacemaker.
"SQUARK! Unidentified opponent A: Plasma projector. Unidentified opponent B: herpetoform. Switching to balanced defense."
Serp hits next with his tail snap, a double knockback attack. He just manages to knock over the Peacemaker. Reflex pegs the prone robot, but does only 7 BODY. Since the robot is hit by both energy and physical attacks, it will stay in the balanced defense.
The Peacemaker sits up and grabs the unconscious Doug. "Initializing template transfer." Doug moans. It seems to grow more shiny.
Reflex tosses off a blast that does 11 BODY, and 1 gets through. He holds his next action. Serp grabs the Peacemaker to prevent it from doing any more EB attacks.
The Peacemaker, although grabbed, extends a pair of telekinetic arms. This is a power it has acquired from Doug. It makes a grab for Reflex, and gets him. Reflex has a low PD, so he is easily stunned.
Serp tries to squeeze the Peacemaker. He does 12 BODY, and 2 get through.
"Opponent B only funtioning combatant. Switching to Physical Defense. Selecting appropriate offensive mode. Estimated time to defeat: 5 seconds."
Serp panics. He decides to run away and fight another day. He lets go and moves away. The Peacemaker fires a blast of cold at Serpentyne. (It is a reasonable assumption that reptiles are vulnerable to cold.) Serp does not have this vulnerability and continues to accelerate. The Peacemaker returns to base with two captives. Serp will summon the rest of the team.
Possible Modifications: =======================The Peacemaker should be tuned to the level of attacks and defenses in your game. It should have a PD/ED in the balanced mode that exactly equals the average body done by attacks in your campaign. It should have ED and PD modes that allow it to shrug off attacks for which it has selected the appropriate defense.
It should have an EB which is too low too hurt a player with average defenses, but should really clock anyone if they have a vulnerability.
If you need to make it even stronger (and I am not sure why) then buy he AE advantage for the strength, and allow it to shift the 40 points of the EB VPP into strength when it wants. If you have a lot of high DEX characters who dive for cover, give it a 6d6 Entangle Explosion.
Steve Owens suggested a power similar to the following:
6d6 Entangle, Brittle, Backlash (Encapsulation)
Linked: Change Environment, Variable s/fx
The basic idea would be to place a character in a capsule that exposes
him to vulnerabilities/susceptiblities, so that he/she can be captured.
I have found in the past that a Peacemaker has little difficulty knocking
characters into the "GM's discretion" realm of stun recovery. However,
it's a neat idea for the character to wake up in a tube in a weakened
state.
Campaign Experience/Rating: ===========================I wanted to design an opponent that would actually scare the players in my campaign. As a GM you can of course give the villain a 20d6 attack, 50 PD/ED, and 75% Damage Reduction, but that seems pointless. I wanted something challenging but more interesting.
The characters in my campaign are 150 base + 100 disad + 10 experience. The average attack is 10d6, SPD 5.5 and the average OCV is around 10. I aimed for a design that could almost certainly defeat any single PC opponent, probably defeat two PC's, and is best handled by a team of PC's. I have not dwelled on the details of point costs, and some of the powers are awkward to describe in terms of powers. I admit up front that my design costs a hell of a lot of points, but I wanted to give my players a nice challenge.
In play testing two peacemakers nearly defeated a unorganized party of seven supers with four turtle armor agents. Subsequently, the same group, using better tactics, defeated three peacemakers.