My second super-villian: Corsair

[PK]

This is not a writeup of Corsair from Super Scum, but it is influenced by him, so I figured I'd just acknowledge that by using the same name. I designed him around Warp, but also liked the "stun blaster in the hilt of the sword" gimmick that Corsair used. I plan to play him as the Marquis de Carrabas from "Neverwhere", very likeable but not at all trustable. Remember that I use house rules for Per, Will, and Costs Fatigue (see the .sig) if you plan on checking my math.

This is the second bad guy for my supers game. He's much more of a "likeable rogue" and is intended as someone the PCs will definitely be opposed to, but may be willing to work with if they really need his abilities for a mission.

"Corsair"
Phineas Gaylord
Metahuman Criminal
1,500 points

BACKGROUND:
. Phineas Gaylord was a child of the seven seas. Born in a shoreside shantytown
somewhere in Europe, his family moved from place to place on whatever boats
they could beg, borrow, or stow their way onto. After a horrible storm one
fateful night, Phineas found himself half-dead on a desert island, the crew
and his family all buried beneath the waves, save for the ship's elderly
navigator, Old Horace. Old Horace wasn't long for this world, but Phineas did
everything he could to keep him alive and well; before he passed, he charged
Phineas with a sacred duty, to stand up for the little fish against the
sharks -- those who revel in their wealth and property, not realizing that one
day, it will all return to the sea. Phineas agreed, and as Old Horace passed,
he was amazed to see the ocean waves come forth as if a pair of hands, to draw
the man's body beneath the surface... but not before taking a moment to caress
Phineas' cheek and whisper to him the secrets of how the sea connects all
things. Understanding, he stepped into the waters and stepped out back onto
the mainland as "Corsair", realizing that he had a calling to attend to.

. Or so he'll tell you.

. In truth, the man known as Corsair was born Alonzo Bennett in Barcelona,
Spain. The son of wealthy agriculturalists, he spent his family money bumming
around Europe and Eurasia, often buying a boat only to sail to a new country
and then sell it to the first person who would make him an offer. He fancied
himself a bit of a swashbuckler and trained himself equally in the arts of the
sword and the theater. He stayed for some time in Hannover, during which time
a young inventor named Olsen Dietrich approached him for patronage. Interested
in his fantastic yet sensible theories, Alonzo agreed to fund his project.
Within a year, it bore fruit, with a kinetic stun ray. Alonzo incorporated the
ray into the hilt of his favorite cutlass and practiced with it; shortly
after, Olsen had perfected his contragravity belt. Justifying it as "field
testing", Alonzo immediately robbed a bank, getting away despite almost being
shot due to the slow air speed of the belt.

. It was then that he heard of his parent's deaths, their home collapsing when
the embankment it was on suffered a mudslide. Saddened, he quietly liquidated
the family fortune, left a huge chunk of it for Olsen's research, and set out
on another walkabout. Years later, in India, he was intrigued by rumors of a
circle of powerful fakirs who could move with the speed of thought; it took
him a while, but he tracked down the true men behind it and offered them a
deal: His remaining fortune for their magicks. Days later, he used his freshly
purchased teleportation enchantment to return to Hannover. Robbing another
bank effortlessly, he acquired some minor plastic surgery and began going by
"Phineas Gaylord", a silly name that would help others to underestimate him.
After stealing his first yacht, he finally felt like he had found his calling,
and set up contacts with harbor chop-shops around Europe.

. Corsair has worked very diligently to establish a reputation as a fair,
honorable pirate, with the ability to blast everyone into unconsciousness but
the courtesy not to do so unless absolutely necessary. He targets yachts that
are insured, knowing he'll get less resistance that way. In fact, his style
and charm have led to people almost enjoying his robberies, bragging to their
friends and the papers about it. His usual M.O. is to teleport onto the bow of
the ship, unseen, and open a warp gate right in the boat's path; by the time
anyone's realized what's happened, they're literally a thousand miles off
course. He then appears on the main deck, introduces himself, and politely
informs everyone that the boat is now his. He will give everyone a chance to
get their possessions together before opening a small gate to wherever the
group asks, safely transporting them back to dry land, but only after giving
them each a token of his appreciation -- a small plastic sword with "Corsair"
engraved on it.

POWERS:
Teleportation (Magical, -10%)

ATTRIBUTES: [361]
ST 13 [30]; DX 18 [160]; IQ 16 [120]; HT 13 [30].
HP 13 [0]; Per 15 [25]; Will 15 [25]; FP 13 [0].
Basic Speed 7.00 [-15]; Move 7 [0]; Air Move 7 [-14]; Water Move 7 [0].
Dodge 13; Parry (Sword) 14; Reflective Parry 13.

ADVANTAGES: [1181]
* Absolute Direction [5]
* Ally (Olsen Dietrich, 375-point gadgeteer; Always) [4]
* Ambidextrous [5]
* Amphibious [10]
* Attractive [4]
* Breath Holding 3 [6]
* Charisma +2 [10]
* Combat Reflexes [15]
* Contact (Fence/fixer in Valencia; Streetwise-18; Completely Reliable; 9 or
less) [9]
* Cultural Familiarity (Western, Eurasian) [1]
* Danger Sense [15]
* Very Wealthy [30]
* Language Talent [10]
* Languages: Spanish (Native); English (Native); French (Accented); German
(Accented); Russian (Accented); Hindi (Accented); Berber (Accented); Arabic
(Accented) [16]
* Recovery [10]
* Reputation +2 (A fair and honorable sort of rogue; Everyone; Always) [10]
* Ridiculous Luck [60]
* Teleportation Talent 4 [20]
* Voice [10]

* Warp (Area Effect, 16 yards, Tunnel, +200%; Blind, +50%; Costs Fatigue, 2
FP per level of Area Effect used, -40%; No Strain, +25%; Reliable +10, +50%;
Selective Effect, Tunnel, +20%; Selectivity, +10%; Teleportation, -10%;
Tunnel, +100%) [505]
* Snatcher (Recall, -25%; Reduced Fatigue Cost 2, +40%; Reduced Time 5, +100%;
Teleportation, -10%; Unpredictable, -25%) [144]
* Enhanced Dodge +2 (Teleportation, -10%) [27]
* Protected Power (Teleportation, -10%) [5]

* "Force Cutlass": Very fine broadsword (2d+2 cut, 2d imp). Hilt contains stun
blaster with -70% in limitations (Breakable, 1 lb machine, DR 15, HP 4, SM -6,
-25%; Can Be Stolen with ST, -30%; Inaccurate -3, -15%) on the following:
* (A) Affliction 1 (HT; Alternative Attack, x1/5; Hilt, -70%; Unconsciousness,
+200%) [23/5=5]
* (B) Affliction 10 (HT-9; Alternative Attack, x1/5; Hilt, -70%) [30/5=6]
* (C) Affliction 1 (HT; Alternative Attack, x1; Armor-Piercing "Ignores DR",
+300%; Hilt, -70%) [33]
* (D) Crushing Attack 6dx5 (Alternative Attack, x1/5; Armor Divisor 0.1, -70%;
Cone, 5-yard width, +100%; Dissipation, -50%; Double Knockback, +20%; Hilt,
-70%; Increased 1/2D x5, +10%; No Blunt Trauma, -20%) [30/5=6]
* DR 40 (Active Defense, -40%; Directional, Front, -20%; Force Field, +20%;
Hilt (No Inaccurate), -55%; Limited, Ranged, -20%; Reflection, +100%; Requires
DX Roll, -10%) [150]

* "Contragravity Belt": Flight (Breakable, 3 lb machine, DR 15, HP 6, SM -4,
-30%; Can Be Stolen with Force, -10%; Lighter Than Air, -10%) [20]

* "Psi Shield Necklace Medallion": Psi Static (Breakable, 1/8 lb machine, DR
2, HP 2, SM -8, -30%; Can Be Stolen By Stealth, -20%; Resistible, -50%;
Switchable, +100%) [30]

DISADVANTAGES: [-162]
* Code of Honor (Keep your word, no matter what) [-5]
* Compulsive Grand, Showy Thefts (6) [-30]
* Curious (15) [-2]
* Enemies (Many intercoastal patrols and governments; 9 or less) [-60]
* Greed (12) [-15]
* Impulsiveness (9) [-15]
* Overconfidence (12) [-5]
* Pacifism (Cannot Harm Innocents) [-10]
* Social Stigma (Criminal) [-5]
* Trademark (Has little plastic swords with "Corsair" on them that he gives to
his victims or leaves at the scene. Buys different toy swords from different
companies and has Olsen engrave them.) [-10]
* Anti-nationalistic; believes everyone is a "citizen of the world" [-1]
* Never stops smiling or admits to pessimism [-1]
* Really prefers stealing luxury boats [-1]
* Plays up the "swashbuckling rogue" demeanor to an extreme [-1]
* Treats everything as though it's a game; upset if actual violence erupts [-1]

SKILLS: [120]
* Acrobatics-16 [1]
* Acting-18 [4] (from Performance)
* Aerobatics-16 [1]
* Area Knowledge (Earth)-16 [1]
* Boat!-18^ [48]
* Body Language-15 [2]
* Body Sense-20 [2] (includes Absolute Direction)
* Broadsword-20 [8]
* Carousing-15 [4]
* Connoisseur (Vehicles; Specialty: Boats)-18 [4]
* Current Affairs (High Culture)-16 [1]
* Current Affairs (Travel)-16 [1]
* Dancing-17 [1]
* Detect Lies-14 [2]
* Diplomacy-16 [1] (includes Voice)
* Disguise-15 [1]
* Fast-Draw (Sword)-19 [1]
* Fast-Talk-18 [2] (includes Voice)
* Filch-18 [2]
* Innate Attack (Beam)-20 [4]
* Intimidation-16 [2] (from Acting)
* Law (Maritime)-14 [1]
* Leadership-17 [1] (includes Charisma)
* Merchant-16 [2]
* Performance-20 [8] (includes Voice)
* Public Speaking-20 [0] (from Performance; includes Charisma/Voice)
* Savoir-Faire-16 [1]
* Scuba-15 [1]
* Search-15 [1]
* Sex Appeal-16 [2] (includes Appearance/Voice)
* Streetwise-15 [1]
* Throwing-20 [8]
* Traps-15 [1]

^ Replaces Area Knowledge (The Seas), Boating, Climbing, Knot-Tying, Fishing,
Freight Handling, Mechanic (Ships), Meteorology, Navigation (Sea), Seamanship,
Shiphandling, Submarine, Submariner, Swimming, any Electronics Operation rolls
to work on-board gear, etc. Is based on IQ; add +2 for DX-based skills.

[PK]

ABILITIES:
. * Can teleport with a base roll of 30. On a 16+ he can travel 2 miles
instantly or 1,000 miles after one second of concentration.
. * Can create a warp gate up to almost 100' across for a FP cost. The gate
will remain open for 3d seconds or until he chooses to close it (Selective
Effect) and is large enough to sail an average yacht through.
. * As a free action, he can summon anything he owns that weighs 5 lbs or less
to his hand. He has an extensive number of grenades available -- mainly gas,
flash-bang, and psychotronic. Also known to summon small plastic swords with
his alias on them, money, cell phones, an advanced-TL grapnel gun, and bugs
(the electronic kind).
. * He has one back-up he can summon for each piece of super-gear in case one
is destroyed, though he'll try not to call on it unless he has to, as it would
be crippling if he lost, say, both of his swords. (It takes Olsen a week or so
to make a new one.)
. * Cutlass can project stun rays or kinetic rays (the latter can be used to
"parry" up to 40 points of incoming ranged attacks back at the attacker) with
four settings. (A) is used on most humans; (B) is used on the tough ones,
lightly armored ones, or when it's important that they stay conscious; (C) is
reserved for heavily defended supers, as it has the weakest effect but isn't
reduced by armor; (D) is usually used before a quick getaway when being
confronted by a group, or to knock over heavy objects for a distraction.
. * Can swim as fast as he can walk and can hold his breath for almost seven
minutes. These are not considered super powers, just cinematic advantages to
represent being an amazing swimmer.

[Not another shrubbery]

Originally Posted by Rev_Pee_Kitty

This is not a writeup of Corsair from Super Scum, but it is influenced by him...

Hmm.. I should dig out my old Supers and supplements, and have a go at converting some of the characters I liked. TAL for the reminder! :)

[naloth]

Originally Posted by Rev_Pee_Kitty

Dodge 13; Parry (Sword) 14; Reflective Parry 13.

I've noticed that for Super defenses you add Talent but for "Active Defense -40%" you don't seem to add talent. I'm guessing that's intention rather than an oversight.

* Ally (Olsen Dietrich, 375-point gadgeteer; Always) [4]

I consider someone who supplies super-tech a patron rather than an ally. After all his PV doesn't really matter since it's what he provides that's worth points.

* Warp (Area Effect, 16 yards, Tunnel, +200%; Blind, +50%; Costs Fatigue, 2
FP per level of Area Effect used, -40%; No Strain, +25%; Reliable +10, +50%;
Selective Effect, Tunnel, +20%; Selectivity, +10%; Teleportation, -10%;
Tunnel, +100%) [505]

House rule PV on fatigue cost? I seem to recall mentioning that you use different rules for fatigue. Otherwise, I'm pretty sure the value is off.

* DR 40 (Active Defense, -40%; Directional, Front, -20%; Force Field, +20%;
Hilt (No Inaccurate), -55%; Limited, Ranged, -20%; Reflection, +100%; Requires DX Roll, -10%) [150]

Isn't requres DX roll incompatible w/Active Defense (which is already DX/2 +3 +1 CR)?

I'm not sure what kind of opponents you're putting him up against, but he's very frail. Multiple PCs can easily overwhelm his defenses - dodge 13 can be dealt with by a RoF attack and his DR is only twice per turn at most (first at 13 then at a 9 w/backed by luck).

DISADVANTAGES: [-162]

Seems like he needs and obession (collecting nice boats).

Seems like he's a little light on the HTH / fencing skills. I'ld expect anyone this well trained in other areas (swmming, breath control, etc.) to be a weapon master w/his sword. Of course, perhaps it's just that I like watching Highlander...

[Captain-Captain]

Originally Posted by Rev_Pee_Kitty

ABILITIES:
. * Can teleport with a base roll of 30. On a 16+ he can travel 2 miles
instantly or 1,000 miles after one second of concentration.

I'm missing something somewhere Rev. IQ 16 plus 4 levels of talent for Teleportaion is 20, not 30.

You've underpriced his code of honor. B.317's write up gives Iotha the same disadvantage, as a vow (if anything "Always keeps her word, once given" has more wriggle room than "Keep your word, no matter what", and it's worth -10 pts.

[DryaUnda]

Originally Posted by Rev_Pee_Kitty

[Horace] charged
Phineas with a sacred duty, to stand up for the little fish against the
sharks -- those who revel in their wealth and property, not realizing that one day, it will all return to the sea. Phineas agreed[...]so he'll tell you.

In truth, the man known as Corsair was born Alonzo Bennett in Barcelona,
Spain. The son of wealthy agriculturalists, he spent his family money bumming around Europe and Eurasia, often buying a boat only to sail to a new country and then sell it to the first person who would make him an offer.

Hmm...shouldn't he have a Secret (albeit a minor one)?

[GnomesofZurich]

I'm missing something somewhere Rev. IQ 16 plus 4 levels of talent for Teleportaion is 20, not 30.

IQ 16 + 4 levels of talent + 10 levels reliability = 30
If I'm not mistaken. This means teleporting without preparation would give a base roll of 20.

[Fabricati]

Well, as to the Ally, I think he's also a Dependent... And a Patron can't be a Dependent due to the fact that they're deliberately offsetting dis/advantages.

[naloth]

Originally Posted by Fabricati

Well, as to the Ally, I think he's also a Dependent... And a Patron can't be a Dependent due to the fact that they're deliberately offsetting dis/advantages.

Why couldn't a Patron be a dependent? You're specifically allowed to take the same person as an Ally & Dependent. I see no reason why a wealthy backer couldn't also be someone you have to look out for.

[Fabricati]

Originally Posted by naloth

Why couldn't a Patron be a dependent? You're specifically allowed to take the same person as an Ally & Dependent. I see no reason why a wealthy backer couldn't also be someone you have to look out for.

Because being a Patron already implies that he's the one taking care of you, and that he really could drop you at any time. You might take a Duty to a Patron, but I don't think any Patron could classify as a Dependent.

Whereas in this case, Corsair is financing said Gadgeteer. Thus, the Gadgeteer is depending on funds from Corsair.