Ivory Paladin
09-08-2008, 06:45 AM
For a few years now I've been lurking over at the 'other site' - unwillingly mind you - for some strange reason I wasn't able to join the site or community. My e-mail address was being rejected by the site, the forum admin wasn't taking e-mails, etc, etc ..., but now I'm here and after lurking in the shadows for so long I have plenty to say hehe.
I made a character a while back for my V&V campaign and was just wondering what everyone thought about him. He's my version of Marvel Comics Taskmaster - with a "little bit of this and a little bit of that" added in from others V&V characters I've seen over the years.
http://images.wikia.com/marveldatabase/images/8/88/Taskmaster_003.jpg
NEMESIS
Name: Kevin Walsh
Age: 29
Sex: Male
Side: Evil
Level: 5th
Powers
1. Absorption ( Photographic Reflexes ): Nemesis possesses a unique form of muscle memory known as "photographic reflexes", which enables him to watch another person's physical movements and duplicate them without practice, no matter how complex as long as it is physically possible for an ordinary human to accomplish. This ability is only limited by the fact that he does not have superhuman strength or other superhuman attributes.
A. Absorbing Skills / Skill Sets: Nemesis can gain an innate understanding of someone else’s level of physical expertise in a particular skill area simply by watching them perform that skill. Nemesis can not improve his level of expertise in these copied skill areas; he can only copy someone else’s physical abilities, at their level of skill and expertise. This power to duplicate the abilities of others is restricted to physical motions. For example, he could copy a virtuoso pianist's performance by watching him play, but would not gain the ability to read sheet music. As a child, he almost drowned when he perfectly duplicated another swimmer's dive, forgetting that he had not yet learned how to swim once he hit the water.
It takes at least one action to absorb a single skill or skill set ( GM discretion on time required ), PR=0. Absorbed skills and skill sets are permanently remembered.
B. Absorbing Super Skills: Nemesis can only gain the physical abilities from known and studied individuals. This means Nemesis has to observe the physical motions of someone for at least one turn to gain the benefits of this ability. This ability only allows Nemesis to copy “Super Skills” such as Heightened Agility A or any thing else that can be rolled on the SKILL table or is deemed a super skill ( as opposed to a super power ) by the GM. So if Nemesis trains with, watches or fights someone with Heightened Endurance A: +6, he can gain that skill; if he trains with, watches or fights someone with Martial Arts he can gain that skill, and so on. If he fights someone with Flame Powers however, the most he would be able to gain is a really cool tan.
It takes one action to learn / absorb a single super skill, PR=2. He must use the first available action he has, after the super skill he wishes to absorb is used, to learn it. He can not learn a super skill from someone if they don’t use it. He can use an absorbed super skill for a number of hours equal to half of his Intelligence rounded down. His personal abilities have no effect on what he copies and once the knowledge of a skill or ability fades, he will only have a vague recollection of it. The GM may allow Nemesis to spend an inventing point to permanently keep a super skill.
2. Body Armour: Nemesis’s body armour is not only damage resistant and tough to penetrate, but it is also highly flame resistant. Nemesis’s body armour provides the following benefits:
A. Invulnerability: 10 pts. ( Only against physical or impact related attacks )
B. Flame Resistant: Treat as Life Support defense vs. flame/fire related attacks or exposure
C. Bullet-Proof: Nemesis can “roll” with twice as much damage as normal vs. damage from firearms
3. Memorized Skill Sets: Using his Absorption ability, Nemesis has spent a large part of his life studying the techniques of the world's foremost leaders in every field of expertise imaginable. As a result, he has accrued an extensive array of artistic, academic and esoteric adventuring skills ( including but not limited to such skills as lock picking, safecracking, alarm neutralization, basic disguise, escape artist skills, etc). Whenever he attempts to use one of these skills, the rule of logical extension applies: if it's reasonable for Nemesis to be able to do something, then he does. In tricky or rushed situations, Nemesis must make a d20 or d100 save against the appropriate attribute ( as determined by the GM ).
4. Photographic Memory: Nemesis is able to recall anything and everything he has ever seen, heard or read with an 80% chance of success.
5. Weakness Detection ( Variant ): Same rules as in the V & V rule book but only vs. known and studied foes. This means Nemesis has to fight his opponent at least once ( win, lose or draw ) before he can get the benefit from this ability, every time after that he gets the modifier bonus when fighting that particular opponent.
Weight: 220 lbs.
Basic Hits: 5
Strength: 14
Endurance: 17
Agility: 18
Intelligence: 14
Charisma: 14
Reactions from: Good: -1 Evil: +1
Hit Points: 23
Power: 63
Healing Rate: 2
Damage Mod.: +2
Accuracy: +3
Carrying Capacity: 489 lbs.
Basic HTH Damage: 1d8
Movement Rates: 49" ground
Det. Hidden: 10%
Det. Danger: 14%
Inventing Points: 1*
Inventing (%): 42%
Origin and Background: The man who would become Nemesis first demonstrated unusual abilities during childhood. After watching a cowboy show on television, he found himself able to duplicate the sophisticated rope tricks he had just watched the cowboy perform. Psychiatrists, called in at the mother's request, termed the boy's rare ability "Photographic Reflexes". He realized the limitations of his abilities the hard way by learning you must first learn how to swim before you learn how to dive, a lesson he learned when he nearly drowned. He employed his talent several times during his youth for professional gain; most notably when he became a star quarterback of his high school football team after watching one pro football game. Upon graduation, he briefly considered a career as a crime fighter, but opted for becoming a criminal, which he perceived to be more lucrative.
Equipment:
Custom Pistols: Nemesis carries two custom made .44 Auto Mags: +3 to hit, 1d10 damage, 40" range, capable of firing four round bursts. The magazine for this weapon can hold eight rounds of ammunition. The barrels of both of these pistols are designed to accommodate a silencer / flash suppressor. These custom firearms are always loaded with armor-piercing ammunition. Nemesis carries twelve magazines on him at all times.
A. Hidden Safety: If the hidden safety switch on either of the pistols isn’t disengaged before firing them, they will backfire on the wielder. This will do 1d10 points of armor piercing damage for each pistol that backfired.
B. Armor Piercing Ammunition: Does normal damage except against targets with bulletproof vests, Invulnerability or an Armor Defense Rating. AP ammo negates the ability of a bulletproof vest to allow the wearer to roll with double the normal amount; the vest is ignored. Against Invulnerability and ADR, double the amount of the damage roll, apply the defense, and then halve any damage that penetrates the defense.
* Permanent Super Skills: Using a few of his Inventing Points, I added a hand full of permanently memorized special HTH attacks and firearm abilities to the Nemesis in my campaign. I find adding in a few of the ones the PC's possess makes for a some what more enjoyable gaming experience for the players in my group. but feel free to use which ever ones you like. Just a word of caution though - the right combination of powers / abilities could make this guy very powerful - very quickly - especially if the ability he is copying is a "dual strength" ability such as Heightened Expertise x2: +8 to hit with swords, which would only cost Nemesis 1 Inventing Point to memorize, not 2.
ANY thoughts, opinions or helpful suggestions are always welcome :thumbup:
I made a character a while back for my V&V campaign and was just wondering what everyone thought about him. He's my version of Marvel Comics Taskmaster - with a "little bit of this and a little bit of that" added in from others V&V characters I've seen over the years.
http://images.wikia.com/marveldatabase/images/8/88/Taskmaster_003.jpg
NEMESIS
Name: Kevin Walsh
Age: 29
Sex: Male
Side: Evil
Level: 5th
Powers
1. Absorption ( Photographic Reflexes ): Nemesis possesses a unique form of muscle memory known as "photographic reflexes", which enables him to watch another person's physical movements and duplicate them without practice, no matter how complex as long as it is physically possible for an ordinary human to accomplish. This ability is only limited by the fact that he does not have superhuman strength or other superhuman attributes.
A. Absorbing Skills / Skill Sets: Nemesis can gain an innate understanding of someone else’s level of physical expertise in a particular skill area simply by watching them perform that skill. Nemesis can not improve his level of expertise in these copied skill areas; he can only copy someone else’s physical abilities, at their level of skill and expertise. This power to duplicate the abilities of others is restricted to physical motions. For example, he could copy a virtuoso pianist's performance by watching him play, but would not gain the ability to read sheet music. As a child, he almost drowned when he perfectly duplicated another swimmer's dive, forgetting that he had not yet learned how to swim once he hit the water.
It takes at least one action to absorb a single skill or skill set ( GM discretion on time required ), PR=0. Absorbed skills and skill sets are permanently remembered.
B. Absorbing Super Skills: Nemesis can only gain the physical abilities from known and studied individuals. This means Nemesis has to observe the physical motions of someone for at least one turn to gain the benefits of this ability. This ability only allows Nemesis to copy “Super Skills” such as Heightened Agility A or any thing else that can be rolled on the SKILL table or is deemed a super skill ( as opposed to a super power ) by the GM. So if Nemesis trains with, watches or fights someone with Heightened Endurance A: +6, he can gain that skill; if he trains with, watches or fights someone with Martial Arts he can gain that skill, and so on. If he fights someone with Flame Powers however, the most he would be able to gain is a really cool tan.
It takes one action to learn / absorb a single super skill, PR=2. He must use the first available action he has, after the super skill he wishes to absorb is used, to learn it. He can not learn a super skill from someone if they don’t use it. He can use an absorbed super skill for a number of hours equal to half of his Intelligence rounded down. His personal abilities have no effect on what he copies and once the knowledge of a skill or ability fades, he will only have a vague recollection of it. The GM may allow Nemesis to spend an inventing point to permanently keep a super skill.
2. Body Armour: Nemesis’s body armour is not only damage resistant and tough to penetrate, but it is also highly flame resistant. Nemesis’s body armour provides the following benefits:
A. Invulnerability: 10 pts. ( Only against physical or impact related attacks )
B. Flame Resistant: Treat as Life Support defense vs. flame/fire related attacks or exposure
C. Bullet-Proof: Nemesis can “roll” with twice as much damage as normal vs. damage from firearms
3. Memorized Skill Sets: Using his Absorption ability, Nemesis has spent a large part of his life studying the techniques of the world's foremost leaders in every field of expertise imaginable. As a result, he has accrued an extensive array of artistic, academic and esoteric adventuring skills ( including but not limited to such skills as lock picking, safecracking, alarm neutralization, basic disguise, escape artist skills, etc). Whenever he attempts to use one of these skills, the rule of logical extension applies: if it's reasonable for Nemesis to be able to do something, then he does. In tricky or rushed situations, Nemesis must make a d20 or d100 save against the appropriate attribute ( as determined by the GM ).
4. Photographic Memory: Nemesis is able to recall anything and everything he has ever seen, heard or read with an 80% chance of success.
5. Weakness Detection ( Variant ): Same rules as in the V & V rule book but only vs. known and studied foes. This means Nemesis has to fight his opponent at least once ( win, lose or draw ) before he can get the benefit from this ability, every time after that he gets the modifier bonus when fighting that particular opponent.
Weight: 220 lbs.
Basic Hits: 5
Strength: 14
Endurance: 17
Agility: 18
Intelligence: 14
Charisma: 14
Reactions from: Good: -1 Evil: +1
Hit Points: 23
Power: 63
Healing Rate: 2
Damage Mod.: +2
Accuracy: +3
Carrying Capacity: 489 lbs.
Basic HTH Damage: 1d8
Movement Rates: 49" ground
Det. Hidden: 10%
Det. Danger: 14%
Inventing Points: 1*
Inventing (%): 42%
Origin and Background: The man who would become Nemesis first demonstrated unusual abilities during childhood. After watching a cowboy show on television, he found himself able to duplicate the sophisticated rope tricks he had just watched the cowboy perform. Psychiatrists, called in at the mother's request, termed the boy's rare ability "Photographic Reflexes". He realized the limitations of his abilities the hard way by learning you must first learn how to swim before you learn how to dive, a lesson he learned when he nearly drowned. He employed his talent several times during his youth for professional gain; most notably when he became a star quarterback of his high school football team after watching one pro football game. Upon graduation, he briefly considered a career as a crime fighter, but opted for becoming a criminal, which he perceived to be more lucrative.
Equipment:
Custom Pistols: Nemesis carries two custom made .44 Auto Mags: +3 to hit, 1d10 damage, 40" range, capable of firing four round bursts. The magazine for this weapon can hold eight rounds of ammunition. The barrels of both of these pistols are designed to accommodate a silencer / flash suppressor. These custom firearms are always loaded with armor-piercing ammunition. Nemesis carries twelve magazines on him at all times.
A. Hidden Safety: If the hidden safety switch on either of the pistols isn’t disengaged before firing them, they will backfire on the wielder. This will do 1d10 points of armor piercing damage for each pistol that backfired.
B. Armor Piercing Ammunition: Does normal damage except against targets with bulletproof vests, Invulnerability or an Armor Defense Rating. AP ammo negates the ability of a bulletproof vest to allow the wearer to roll with double the normal amount; the vest is ignored. Against Invulnerability and ADR, double the amount of the damage roll, apply the defense, and then halve any damage that penetrates the defense.
* Permanent Super Skills: Using a few of his Inventing Points, I added a hand full of permanently memorized special HTH attacks and firearm abilities to the Nemesis in my campaign. I find adding in a few of the ones the PC's possess makes for a some what more enjoyable gaming experience for the players in my group. but feel free to use which ever ones you like. Just a word of caution though - the right combination of powers / abilities could make this guy very powerful - very quickly - especially if the ability he is copying is a "dual strength" ability such as Heightened Expertise x2: +8 to hit with swords, which would only cost Nemesis 1 Inventing Point to memorize, not 2.
ANY thoughts, opinions or helpful suggestions are always welcome :thumbup: