Character for Review: American Icon

[watson]

Greetings, fellow HERO-philes!

 

It's been a long time since my last Champions game, and I'm looking forward to playing 6E for the first time with a new group.

 

For this new campaign, I came up with a Superhero concept (the background is deliberately left a bit vague, since I do not know much about the campaign setting at this time) that I really like. I was looking for a character with a little bit of "Jenny Sparks" from the Authority, a character who could be part of the Gestalt setting, a character who is truly representative of his niche and concept.

 

This is where I came up with American Icon (also, finding a really cool picture didn't hurt!). I welcome any and all comments. Thanks!

 

American Icon

Player: Ross Watson

 

Val Char Cost

70 STR 5

24 DEX 28

30 CON 20

20 BODY 10

20 INT 10

20 EGO 10

40 PRE 30

 

30 PD 3

30 ED 3

5 SPD 30

14 REC 10

50 END 6

60 STUN 20

 

18m RUN 6

4m SWIM 0

11m LEAP 4

Characteristics Cost: 245

 

Cost Power END

48 Spirit of America: Multipower, 60-point reserve, (60 Active Points); all slots Unified Power (-1/4)

4f 1) The Majesty of America: Change Environment (-1 to Normal Hearing PER Rolls, -2 Temperature Level Adjustment, -2 Wind Levels, Varying Combat Effects), Variable Special Effects (Limited Group of SFX; +1/4), Area Of Effect (16m Radius; +3/4) (56 Active Points); Unified Power (-1/4) 6

2f 2) A Rich History!: Retrocognitive Clairsentience (Sight And Hearing Groups) (50 Active Points); Conditional Power Power does not work in Extremely Common Circumstances (Only for America or things related to America; -1 1/2), Unified Power (-1/4) 5

5f 3) Witness 200 years of history!: Sight, Mental, Radio, Hearing, Smell/Taste and Touch Groups, Combat Sense and Spatial Awareness Flash 5d6 (60 Active Points); Unified Power (-1/4) 6

4f 4) Let Freedom Ring!: Hand-To-Hand Attack +8d6, Double Knockback (+1/2) (60 Active Points); Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/4), Unified Power (-1/4) 6

5f 5) Voice of the people: Hearing Group Images, +/-8 to PER Rolls, Area Of Effect Accurate (16m Radius; +1) (58 Active Points); Unified Power (-1/4) 6

4f 6) Voice of the nation: Hearing Group Images, +/-4 to PER Rolls, Area Of Effect Accurate (16m Radius; +1), MegaScale (1m = 10 km; +1 1/4) (55 Active Points); Unified Power (-1/4) 5

5f 7) Anywhere in America: (Total: 55 Active Cost, 49 Real Cost) Teleportation: Floating Fixed Location (1 Locations) (5 Active Points); Unified Power (-1/4) (Real Cost: 9) plus Teleportation 25m, No Relative Velocity, Position Shift, Safe Aquatic Teleport, x2 Increased Mass (50 Active Points); Unified Power (-1/4) (Real Cost: 40) 5

5f 8) From Sea to Shining Sea: (Total: 55 Active Cost, 49 Real Cost) Teleportation: Floating Fixed Location (1 Locations) (5 Active Points); Unified Power (-1/4) (Real Cost: 9) plus Teleportation 15m, x2 Increased Mass, MegaScale (1m = 100 km; +1 1/2) (50 Active Points); Unified Power (-1/4) (Real Cost: 40) 5

3f 9) Super-Strength Smash-Through: Tunneling 2m through 16 PD material (34 Active Points); Unified Power (-1/4) 3

5f 10) Inspiration: Aid 6 1/2d6 (standard effect: 19 points), Area Of Effect (1m Radius; +1/4), Selective (+1/4) (58 Active Points); Unified Power (-1/4) 6

5 Postal Code: Detect A Single Thing 13- (Unusual Group), Discriminatory, Analyze (13 Active Points); Conditional Power Power does not work in Extremely Common Circumstances (Only for American Citizens; -1 1/2), Unified Power (-1/4) 0

5 Sturdy Like Plymouth Rock: Knockback Resistance -6m (6 Active Points); Unified Power (-1/4) 0

7 Enduring Spirit: Life Support (Longevity: Immortal; Safe in Intense Cold; Safe in Intense Heat) (9 Active Points); Unified Power (-1/4) 0

9 One Nation, Indivisible: Regeneration (1 BODY per 6 Hours), Can Heal Limbs (11 Active Points); Unified Power (-1/4) 0

3 Instant Change: Cosmetic Transform 1d6, Improved Results Group (+1/4), Trigger (Activating the Trigger requires a Zero Phase Action, Trigger resets automatically, immediately after it activates; +3/4) (6 Active Points); Limited Target ([Limited]; -1/2), Unified Power (-1/4) 1

41 The Strength of a Nation: +55 STR (55 Active Points); Unified Power (-1/4) (Modifiers affect Base Characteristic) 5

74 The Constitution of America: (Total: 96 Active Cost, 74 Real Cost) +25 PD, Hardened (+1/4), Resistant (+1/2) (48 Active Points); Unified Power (-1/4) (Modifiers affect Base Characteristic) (Real Cost: 37) plus +25 ED, Hardened (+1/4), Resistant (+1/2) (48 Active Points); Unified Power (-1/4) (Modifiers affect Base Characteristic) (Real Cost: 37) 0

Powers Cost: 234

 

Cost Martial Arts Maneuver

4 Toughness: 1/2 Phase, +2 OCV, +2 DCV, Block, Abort

3 Martial Grab: 1/2 Phase, -1 OCV, -1 DCV, Grab Two Limbs, 80 STR for holding on

4 Fist Grab: 1/2 Phase, +0 OCV, +0 DCV, Block, Grab One Limb

4 Punch: 1/2 Phase, +2 OCV, +0 DCV, 16d6 Strike

Martial Arts Cost: 15

 

Cost Skill

3 Charm 17-

3 Teamwork 14-

3 Tactics 13-

3 Persuasion 17-

3 Oratory 17-

3 KS: Everything about America 13-

Skills Cost: 18

 

Cost Perk

20 Vehicles & Bases

1 Positive Reputation (A small to medium sized group) 11-, +1/+1d6

Perks Cost: 21

 

Cost Talent

17 Danger Sense (any area, any danger, Function as a Sense) (42 Active Points); Conditional Power Power does not work in Extremely Common Circumstances (Only vs. Threats to America and the American Way; -1 1/2) 13-

Talents Cost: 17

 

Total Character Cost: 550

 

Val Disadvantages

15 Social Complication: America's Legacy: Frequently, Major

25 Psychological Complication: Driven to Uphold the Ideals of America (Very Common; Total)

25 Hunted: Enemies of America Very Frequently (Mo Pow; Harshly Punish)

10 Social Complication: Secret Identity Infrequently, Major

 

Disadvantage Points: 75

Base Points: 550

Experience Required: 0

Total Experience Available: 0

Experience Unspent: 0

 

Background/History:

1944. The Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, and America entered World War II. An idealistic young man named Matthew Morris lied about his age and joined the US Army at 16. Private Morris shipped out with his unit to fight in Europe, and he served with distinction in a number of skirmishes as his unit moved through Germany.

 

Towards the end of the war, Morris and his unit was sent on a secret mission behind enemy lines. A Nazi Scientist (and member of the infamous and supernatural Thule Society) had been researching a method to imbue an individual soldier with the properties of an entire nation, a process he described as “harnessing the zeitgeist.”

 

Morris and his unit were captured during their raid on the scientist’s lair. The only survivor, Morris was forced to watch as the scientist began the sequence to create a super-soldier for the Third Reich. However, Morris managed to get free from his restraints and knocked out the scientist before the the transfer was complete. However, the energy from the experiment settled into Morris, imprinting his body with bizarre energies and magic spells that bound within him the powers of America.

(Much later, the scientist was able to re-create his experiment and empowered a Nazi SS officer with the power of the Third Reich, transforming him into the supervillain known as “Blitzkrieg.”)

 

Matthew Morris joined other superhumans during World War II, taking the name “American Icon.” He fought against crime and injustice both during and after WWII, until he vanished from public sight during the early 1950’s. American Icon was thought dead until his eventual re-appearance in 2002, a fifty-year gap that remained unexplained for some time. Morris eventually revealed to the public that he had been visiting other dimensions, “Other worlds where America needed me more,” in his own words.

 

Since 2002, American Icon has shown up in a number of superhuman-related incidents, but few superhumans that are currently active remember him.

 

Personality/Motivation:

Matthew Morris is a deeply idealistic individual. He has gained a strong moral center from his experiences in World War II, and he feels a responsibility to live up to the American ideals of justice and freedom. Having been absent from our Earth for fifty years, Matthew has seen a wide variety of "Americas" and has gained a great deal of perspective on just what his unique role means. As American Icon, he does not feel particularly indebted to the American government (he no longer considers himself a soldier, and refuses all attempts to turn him into a spy, agent, or other such official role), although he does occasionally help American interests when he judges the situation warrants his intervention.

 

Quote:

"As long as I'm around, America never comes in second place."

 

Powers/Tactics:

American Icon gained his powers from a bizarre experiment conducted by a Nazi scientist combining technology and occult techniques. American Icon is somehow mystically linked to the nation of America (although his experiences in other dimensions suggests that his powers are linked to the IDEA of America, rather than the physical boundaries of the nation itself). American Icon has great physical power, superhumanly strong and incredibly durable. He can instantly transport himself nearly anywhere in the nation of America (including Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands), and he has advanced abilities to teleport over short distances as well. American Icon can sense dangers to America through his mystic link, and he can also "read" the history of an item or place, as long as it relates to American history. American Icon can also force another person to experience some of his own exploits over decades of being a superhero, and can somehow mystically sense a given citizen's address. When he concentrates, American Icon can cause his words to be heard over a large area, up to an entire city, and he can also cause local changes in the area around him to mimic the environment of American states such as Alaska or Nevada. He can also alter his clothing in an instant from any kind of clothing (such as a business suit or a trenchcoat) to his costume and back (over the decades, his costume has changed a number of times).

 

Appearance:

As Matthew Morris, he is a tall caucasian male with brown hair and blue eyes. His physique is understated, given his superhuman strength and stamina, and he is far more wiry than muscular. As American Icon, his current costume is a black bodysuit with a hood and cloak that is patterned after the American flag.

 

Note: I did not draw this image, I did slightly modify it in photoshop to eliminate a gun from the character's hand.

 

[Pizza Man]

Re: Character for Review: American Icon

 

Wow. Powerful character. I can't find a thing wrong with this one.

[watson]

Re: Character for Review: American Icon

 

Thanks, Pizza Man! I did end up making a couple of minor tweaks. First, I am definitely overcoming a bias towards towards raw stats from 4e/5e, so I turned his Strength and PD/ED into powers and added a reputation Perk to more closely match his history.

[OddHat]

Re: Character for Review: American Icon

 

A great take on a classic archetype mix, and I like the origin. Should be a blast to play.

[Ice9]

Re: Character for Review: American Icon

 

I like the concept. Just a couple minor things:

 

1) You're missing CVs. While you could probably leave MCV at the baseline, you definitely need some OCV.

2) I think if you stick the floating fixed location inside the MP slot, it would be lost when you switched slots. You may want to move it outside the MP.

3) Accurate doesn't apply to Images - they can already be smaller than the maximum area.

4) Inspiration: Not sure how much sense Selective makes with a 1m Radius - how often are you getting multiple allies plus an enemy within that area? Accurate may be more suited, or a bigger area.

5) What does Postal Code detect? Literally their postal code? If so, I don't think you need Analyze, and maybe not even Discriminatory.

 

Not necessarily a bug, but with Unified Power on everything, a Drain/Suppress will hit you extremely hard.

 

 

...

... can't resist saying it.

 

In America!

[Checkmate]

Re: Character for Review: American Icon

 

I would also say that if the campaign takes place in the US a -1 1/4 is way too much of a limitation for your Detect (and MP slot), I'd make it more like a -1/4. You also have a skill that is extremely broad at a pretty low level (Everything about America 13-). That's not going to net you more than maybe a name. I'd seriously consider bumping that up to at least 18- if not higher.

 

You're also throwing around huge amounts of damage. Two slightly above average rolls of 16d6 will take your character out (two average rolls would be 54 STUN).