Saturday 13 April 2019

Heroes Unlimited: Phenomenal Paragons: Guardian Angel (Physical Training)

Alexander Angel wanted to be Guardian City’s top police officer, as his twin had done in London. But in a city of mutants and super humans being a police constable wasn’t enough. Only through pushing himself beyond all human limitations was he able to become Guardian’s Angel.

Animated GIF

This is the second character in my Phenomenal Paragons series. The introduction to which is here. It is inspired by Jacob Pisson's World's Strongest series, here.

The Physical Training class is a relatively easy one to generate with only a few fairly simple steps. My immediate thought is to create a super cop. Looking for a gif of a “badass police officer” for inspiration brings me one Nicholas Angel; Simon Pegg in possibly his most magnificent role. Although the image of a Russian dude in uniform stopping a car by leaping feet first through its windscreen is a close second.

Alexander Angel doesn’t leap fully formed into my head, but it doesn’t take more than a little brainstorming to come up with a few options. He doesn’t really cement until I reach alignments.

Step One: The Usual.

All 11’s, with the exception of P.P. It doesn’t say it but an above average prowess is sort of important for this class. Otherwise, as one of the few classes that actually boosts P.P. you can still end up with a attribute too low to gain any bonuses. So P.P. is 20.

We are given a note not to calculate hit points and S.D.C. because later steps will change things. Yeah. We know.

Step Two: Education and Skill Modification.

We get the normal options regarding education, although with a minimum of High School, and then we deduct one scholastic program. We’re told not to select any physical skills as they come at the next step. I go for a bachelor’s in criminology; doubling down on the cop package and adding investigation to broaden things. Technically that's not by the rules. Cops are "trade school" only . That might be the case in the US but here in the UK we like our coppers with a bit more grey matter. Some of them have degrees!
So ignoring the basic package we get;
W.P. Pistol. I almost replace pistol with baton because not all British coppers have firearms training. But in the end I put baton in as a secondary skill as it doesn’t matter, system-wise.
Radio: Basic.
Criminal Science.
Law (General).
Intelligence.
W.P. Rifle.
Interrogation.
Prowl.
Detect Concealment.
From investigation we get:
Computer Ops.
Research.
Surveillance Systems. This is not just using cameras and the like but also stalking. Which is an interestingly broad skill.
Writing (Reports). Yes , reports not journalism.
Our secondary skills are:
Pick Locks.
W.P. Throwing.
Land Navigation.
Wilderness Survival.
First Aid.
Pilot Motorcycle.
Streetwise.
Swimming.
SCUBA.
W.P. Blunt.

Step Three: Determining Abilities - Physical Area of Expertise.

Here we get a lot of waffle about how the hero trains themselves to physical perfection, eschewing other routes to power, and developing their own style of fighting. Which is nice and all but the way I see it, in a world of super humans and mutants unless you’re born with it, or can buy it, you have to make your own powers. If you’re not a technological whizzkid then martial arts and pushing your body to, and beyond, its limits is probably the ‘easiest’ method out there.

Anyway we get to pick 6 physical skills (excluding Hand to Hand and Boxing) and 4 espionage skills (or Rogue if having a selfish or evil alignment; but not having decided on an alignment yet I go with espionage). This gets us:
Gymnastics. +2 roll with punch, +2 PS, +1 PP, +2 PE, +7 SDC.
Athletics. +1 parry & dodge, +1 roll with punch, +1 PS, +3 Spd, +7 SDC.
Acrobatics. +2 roll with punch, +1 PS, +1 PP, +1 PE, +3 SDC.
Running. +1 PE, +10 SDC, +3 SDC.
Climbing.
Wrestling. +1 roll with punch, +2 PS, +1PE, +14 SDC.
Escape Artist.
Sniper.
Tracking.
Detect Ambush.
Then we get to choose between focusing on Endurance and Strength or Agility and Speed. With my head full of images of an otherwise ordinary looking copper punching out a Hulk-like foe I decide to go for Endurance and Strength, giving me +7 P.E., +3 Spd, +2 P.B., +20 HP, +90 S.D.C, +20% save vs. coma, +2 save vs. disease, toxins and poisons, +1 attack per round, +1 pull punch, +1 initiative, and best of all the Superhuman Strength minor power.

There are four grades of strength in Heroes Unlimited. Ordinary strength, Extraordinary strength, Superhuman strength and Supernatural strength. Each type of strength works slightly differently, usually in how much a character can carry. Ordinary strength characters can carry 10 to 20 times their P.S. attribute in lbs, depending on how high the attribute score is. Extraordinary strength characters can carry 100 times their attribute in lbs. Superhuman strength characters can carry 200 times their attribute score. Supernatural strength characters can carry 300 times their attribute score. This is irrespective of said score.

So a hypothetical character with P.S. 20 would be able to carry 400 lbs with high ordinary strength, 2000 lbs with extraordinary strength, 4000 lbs with superhuman strength and 6000 lbs with supernatural strength. All of these characters would be doing +5 damage but while all except the supernatural strength character would be rolling 1d4+5 for a bare handed attack. The supernatural strength character would be rolling 2d6+5 damage. They would also be hurting characters who are immune to anything but supernatural damage and doing Mega Damage in a setting that uses it. This becomes relevant later.

Superhuman strength adds 25 (20+2d4) to our PS, means we can carry 200lbs times our P.S. and lift 300lbs times our PS. It also halves the rate that we fatigue.

Step Four: Special Hand To Hand Combat.

We get to ‘choose’ between Aggressive and Deadly or Defensive and Fast styles. It’s a false choice as if you went with endurance and strength before and you go with defensive and fast now you get penalised. And vice-versa. The penalties are listed in the prior section in way of a warning. So if you went for endurance and strength you’re best taking aggressive and deadly. Which is what I do.
Aggressive and deadly style at first level gives +2 attacks per round, paired weapons (all), entangle, body flip/throw, body block/tackle, a 2d4 damage karate punch, a 2d6 damage karate kick, and the three special abilities that the Physical Training class has access to.
Power Punch, which allows the character to hurt foes who are usually only vulnerable to supernatural strength, doing double damage, but at the cost of two actions per power punch.
Power Kick, which is the same as a power punch in every way, but a kick.
Force of Will, essentially allows the character to survive up to -60 hit points, for up to 24 hours. They will require professional medical attention to recover, but they can do it. They can’t do much else though.

Step Five: Everything Else.

Alignment: I rolled up the alignment using the 10 options I have and get a 9, Conformist. Conformist is one of the alignments I came up with. I should do a post about that. But in essence a conformist doesn't seek out adventure but often finds it thrust upon them. A conformist also doesn't challenge society's expectations of them. So in many ways spending a life as an exact double of one's twin is the ultimate in conformity.
Base S.D.C. and P.P.E.: 30 SDC and 6d6, so 20, PPE.
Resources: $1,700 in cash, a 3 year old car, and $10,000 in savings.
Everything else is fairly standard.

So putting it all together:



Name: Alexander “Alex” Angel
Super Identity: Guardian Angel
Height: 5’10”, Weight: 150 lbs.
Alignment: Conformist.
Disposition: By-the-book police sergeant. Everything in order and order in everything. Brooks no nonsense on the job.
Team: The P.R.A.T.  Squad
IQ 11, ME 11, MA 11, PS 42, PP 22, PE 23, PB 13, Spd 27
Hit Points 46, S.D.C. 154, P.P.E. 20 

Superpowers:
Endurance and Strength:
Superhuman Strength:  Fatigue at half rate 
Power Punch:
Power Kick:
Force of Will:

Skills:
Scholastic Skills:
Basic Maths, Computer Ops, Criminal Science, Detect Concealment, Intelligence, Interrogation, Law (General), Pilot Automobile, Prowl, Radio: Basic, Read/Write English, Research, Speak English, W.P. Pistol, W.P. Rifle, Writing (Reports).
Physical Training:
Acrobatics, Aggressive & Deadly HTH, Athletics, Climbing, Detect Ambush, Escape Artist, Gymnastics, Paired Weapons (All), Running, Sniping, Tracking, Wrestling.
Secondary Skills:
First Aid, Land Navigation, Pick Locks, Pilot Motorcycle, S.C.U.B.A,, Streetwise, Swimming, Wilderness Survival, W.P Blunt, W.P. Throwing.

Saves
Coma/Death: +36%
Harmful Drugs/Toxins (15+): +6
Horror Factor: +0
Magic (Spells 12+, Circles/Wards 13+, Ritual 16+): +4
Poison (Lethal 14+, Non-Lethal 16+): +6
Psionics (15+): +0
Possession: +0

Combat:
Initiative: +1
Attacks per Round: 2+3
Strike: +6; +7 Blunt, +7 thrown.
Damage: +27
1d4+27 Punch
1d6+27 Body Flip/Throw
1d4+27 Body Block/Tackle
Entangle
2d4+27 Karate Punch
2d6+27 Karate Kick
Pin 18+
x2 Power Punch (x2 atk)
x2 Power Kick (x2 atk)
Parry: +5; +6 Blunt,
Dodge: +5; 
Roll with Punch: +6
Pull Punch: +1
Disarm: +#

Benchmarks:
Carry Capacity: 8,400lbs; Lifting: 12,600lbs
Stamina: Carry Max 184 minutes, 92 minutes while running or fighting. Lifting for 46 rounds (690 seconds; 11.5 minutes)
Ground Speed: 18.9 mph for 46 minutes
Swimming Speed: 84yrds (252ft.) per round for 23 minutes.
Leaping Distance: 42 ft. high; 84 ft. broad from a running start. 25.2 ft. high; 50.4 ft. broad from a standing start.

Background
Alex Angel was born 7 minutes after his brother, Nicholas and has been running to catch up ever since. Where Nick led Alex followed. So when Nick decided to be a police officer Alex did too.
It was a girl who inspired Alex to find his own path. Stung by the insinuation that he was just a poor copy of Nicholas, when they both graduated Alex didn’t follow him into the Met, but instead chose a more difficult route. Guardian City, on the island of Ennor. Ennor, a land populated since ancient times by “mutants and monsters”; super freaks and trouble magnets.

Things didn't go well for Alex, now Alexander. 72 hours after arriving he and his new partner, Jade Justice had been flattened by a rampaging monstrosity. Most people would have given up there. But not Alexander. While Nicholas swanned around London getting his 400% collar rate, Alexander was recuperating. Pushing his recovery harder than anyone else. He was walking within a month. He took up martial arts, turning the self defence he learned at the academy into something more powerful. Somehow he compressed a lifetime's worth of training into a single year. When Nicholas was getting transferred into a cushy sergeant’s position out in the country Alex found himself and the recently recuperated officer Justice facing down the same mutant on the same street. Only this time it was the law that won. 

The press dubbed him “Guardian’s Angel” and Jade “Swift Justice” the nicknames stuck. A promotion to sergeant swiftly followed.

Chief Constable Justice, Jade’s mother, then approached them to lead a new unit she was putting together; they’re calling it the Paranormal Resources And Tactics Squad. It’s like S.W.A.T. only for dealing with super humans. They just needed to work on improving the name.


Next time I’ll be creating a ...38...

Super Invention!

So meet me down at the lab where we’ll get our mad science on! Don’t forget your lab coats, safety goggles, and your gloves.

No comments:

Post a Comment