[Supers] GURPS Unofficial Handbook to the Marvel Universe, Reboot Edition

[Phantasm]

Originally Posted by Apollonian

Some lacunae.

Thanks for catching those. Paused mid-thought to complete a thought elsewhere, and never went back.

Fixed.

[Phantasm]

Edited Clea, bringing her more in line with the revised Marvel Realm Magic rules, as well as a few items from the recent Death of Doctor Strange and Strange v3 titles, though keeping her skill closer to her arrival on Earth back in Strange Tales v1 and Doctor Strange v2.

Notable changes:
- Explicitly noted her Energy Realm was using personal magic, from her half-Faltine nature.
- Gave her some Karate to complement the Judo, Broadsword, and Force Sword she previously had, as well as Shield (Force) for using mystic energy shields in melee.
- Revised some skills
- Revised her disads
- Shifted her status as a princess of the Dark Dimension from Status to Courtesy Status, as on Earth she really can't use it.
- Gave a few more perks relating to her half-Faltine nature
- Gave her Flight independent of her Realm magic, part of her half-Faltine nature
- Gave her an Energy Reserve and Regen (ER Only) to represent her egocentric magic reserves.
- Made sure she didn't like Earth coffee ("Dark Dimension dark roast or nothing!")
- Added her cousin Doyle to her Known Relatives

[Phantasm]

MULTIPLE MAN

Real Name: James Arthur "Jamie" Madrox.
Occupation: Private investigator.
Identity: Known to the authorities.
Legal Status: Citizen of the United States with no known criminal record.
Other Aliases: None known.
Place of Birth: Los Alamos, New Mexico.
Marital Status: Single.
Known Relatives: Daniel (father, deceased); Joan (mother).
Group Affiliation: X-Factor Investigations; Xavier Institute alumni.
Base of Operations: Mutant Town, Lower East Side, Manhattan, New York City.
History: Jamie Madrox was raised on a ranch in New Mexico until his powers manifested at age 10 when he fell off a horse he was riding, creating a duplicate upon impact with the ground. At first, he was given a suit which absorbed kinetic energy to prevent unwanted duplicates; the suit's origins are currently unknown, but believed to have been created either by his father or by Reed Richards (see Mister Fantastic). Jamie's father, Daniel Madrox, was killed in unrevealed circumstances. When he was older, Jamie enrolled in the Xavier Institute for Gifted Youngsters as one of its first students in order to learn to control his powers without needing the suit (see Xavier Institute).

Jamie was one of the veritable army of Xavier Institute students organized by Scott Summers to rescue Scott's brother Alex from the Cult of the Living Pharaoh (see Cyclops; Havok; Living Pharaoh). This is the first known instance of him using the alias "Multiple Man". During the fracas, one of Jamie's duplicates was killed by the Living Pharaoh's "evolved" form, the Living Monolith; apparently this was the first time one of his duplicates ever died.

Jamie did not graduate the Institute, but left a year before he would have in order to complete his schooling a more mundane fashion. Despite this, he is still considered one of their alumni. After graduating high school, he signed on with a private investigation firm, often sending out duplicates to cover multiple cases at once. After earning his own PI license, Jamie opened up his own investigation firm, X-Factor Investigations, operating out of the Lower East Side of Manhattan in a district with a large mutant population known as "Mutant Town" by the locals.

Multiple Man was among the various Institute students and alumni who gathered to protect the Institute from the Juggernaut's assault (see Juggernaut). Since then, he played a part in assisting the various superhuman adventurers who gathered to fight the Zodiac Cartel when they erected an energy dome over Manhattan (see Zodiac Cartel).

Jamie's later activities are currently unknown.
Age: 20.
Height: 5' 11".
Weight: 175 lbs.
Eyes: Brown.
Hair: Black.
Uniform: Blue long-sleeved shirt with gold trip, black pants, black gloves, black boots, blue cowl with gold trim, blue belt with a red and black circle-X on the buckle; occasionally wears a black trench coat over it. As a student of the Xavier Institute, he trained while wearing the black bodysuit with red and black circle-X shoulder pads, yellow boots, and yellow belt with a rectangular red buckle styled with a black X that are standard issue to students.
Strength Level: Jamie Madrox possesses the normal human strength of a man his age, height, and build who engages in moderate regular exercise.
Known Superhuman Powers: Multiple Man, as his name suggests, is able to create duplicates of himself. These duplicates are created through the kinetic energy of physical impact; Jamie only needs to tap any body part to create them, even a snap of his fingers will work, though through practice he no longer needs to wear a special suit to prevent the creation of duplicates from minor impacts. Intense impacts, like receiving a punch, will still involuntarily create additional duplicates. These duplicates are created copying Jamie's clothing and any items carried. At present, he is believed to have an upper limit of around 40 duplicates. Should the prime Jamie be rendered unconscious, all of his duplicates fade away, presumably reabsorbed.

These duplicates are identical to Jamie in every way, possessing his skills and memories as well as the ability to create other duplicates of their own. He is psychically linked to all of his duplicates, his duplicates' duplicates, his duplicates' duplicates' duplicates, and so on, being able to locate any of them at any time regardless of the distance involved. He can reabsorb a duplicate at will with a touch, absorbing their memories and learned skills in the process. If the absorbed duplicate was injured, Jamie suffers a partial injury of a similar manner. In the event a duplicate is killed, Jamie suffers intense psychic pain; Jamie cannot reabsorb the body nor the memories of a slain duplicate.

If a duplicate remains separated from Jamie for an extended period of time, there is a slight chance the duplicate will gain increased independence, eventually becoming his own person. Whether an independent duplicate will be reabsorbed or remain separate from Jamie if he is rendered unconscious is presently unknown.
Other Abilities: Jamie is a skilled investigator and photographer. He is also a skilled horseman and rancher, though he rarely has need to utilize these skills. He is a skilled hand to hand combatant and decent shot with a pistol and shotgun, though he prefers not to use these skills. He is fluent in Spanish, Navajo, and Hawaiian. He may at times display a previously unknown skill based on something a duplicate of his learned.
Paraphernalia: Jamie used to wear a special suit under his clothing which absorbed and rechanneled kinetic energy to prevent him from creating duplicates when he did not want to. Thanks to training, he no longer needs to wear the suit.

2,823 points
Attributes: ST 11 [10]; DX 12 [40]; IQ 12 [40]; HT 12 [20].
Secondary Characteristics: Dmg 1d-1/1d+1; BL 24 lbs.; HP 11 [0]; Will 12 [0]; Per 12 [0]; FP 12 [0]; Basic Speed 6.00 [0]; Basic Move 6 [0]; Dodge 10.
Languages: English (Native) (Native Language) [0]; Hawaiian (Native) [6]; Navajo (Native) [6]; Spanish (Native) [6].
Cultural Familiarities: American Southwest Amerindian [1]; Latin American [1]; Western [0].
Advantages: Absolute Direction [5]; Combat Reflexes [15]; Duplication 40 (Duplicated Gear, +100%; Trigger: Physical Impact, -10%; Mutant, -10%) [2,520]; Eidetic Memory [5]; Mindlink (Duplicates) (Mutant Psionic, -10%) [18]; Natural Copper 4 [40]; Racial Memory (Active) (Past Duplicates Instead of Ancestors, +0%; Mutant, -10%) [36].
Perks: Teamwork (Duplicates) [1].
Disadvantages: Code of Honor (Hero's) [-10]; Flashbacks (Mild) [-5]; Overconfidence (12) [-5]; Pacifism (Cannot Harm Innocents) [-10]; Sense of Duty (Mutantkind) [-10].
Quirks: Attentive [-1]; Broad-Minded [-1]; Dual Identity [-1]; Interviews Badly [-1]; Practical Joker [-1].
Skills: Acting (A) IQ+1 [4] – 13; Body Language (Human) (A) Per+3 [1] – 15*; Carousing (E) HT+0 [1] – 12; Climbing (A) DX+0 [2] – 12; Computer Operation/TL8 (E) IQ+0 [1] – 12; Criminology/TL8 (A) IQ+3 [1] – 15*; Detect Lies (H) Per+3 [2] – 15*; Fast-Talk (A) IQ+0 [2] – 12; Filch (A) DX+1 [4] – 13; First Aid/TL8 (Human) (E) IQ+0 [1] – 12; Forced Entry (E) DX+0 [1] – 12; Guns/TL8 (Pistol) (E) DX+0 [1] – 12; Guns/TL8 (Shotgun) (E) DX+0 [1] – 12; Holdout (A) IQ+0 [2] – 12; Intelligence Analysis/TL8 (H) IQ+3 [2] – 15*; Interrogation (A) IQ+4 [2] – 16*; Judo (H) DX+0 [4] – 12; Karate (H) DX+0 [4] – 12; Observation (A) Per+3 [1] – 15*; Photography/TL8 (A) IQ+1 [4] – 13; Pickpocket (H) DX+0 [4] – 12; Research/TL8 (A) IQ+1 [4] – 13; Riding (Equines) (A) DX+0 [2] – 12; Running (A) HT+0 [2] – 12; Savoir-Faire (Dojo) (E) IQ+0 [1] – 12; Savoir-Faire (Police) (E) IQ+4 [1] – 16*; Scrounging (E) Per+0 [1] – 12; Search (A) Per+3 [1] – 15*; Shadowing (A) IQ+3 [1] – 15*; Skiing (H) HT+0 [4] – 12; Smuggling (A) IQ+2 [8] – 14; Speed-Reading (A) IQ+1 [4] – 13; Sports (Baseball) (A) DX+0 [2] – 12; Stealth (A) DX+2 [8] – 14; Streetwise (A) IQ+3 [1] – 15*; Swimming (E) HT+0 [1] – 12; Throwing (A) DX+0 [2] – 12; Tracking (A) Per+2 [8] – 14; Wrestling (A) DX+0 [2] – 12.
Starting Spending Money: $4,000 (20% of Starting Wealth).

* Includes +4 from Natural Copper.

Role-Playing Notes:
Jamie tends toward both serious and jocular. When on the job, he is serious; when relaxing around his friends, he is often a practical joker. Above all, he is loyal to his friends and the mutant community.

Design Notes:
1. Reboot!Jamie is of mixed African-American and Native American descent.
2. Yes, that is X-Factor Investigations he heads. Plans are to have Havok and Polaris shift over there after graduating in Year Two; I'm not sure who else will transfer over, given plans are for Wolfsbane and Monet – and most of the other original classes of New Mutants, X-Terminators/X-Factor Trainees, and Generation X – to be younger students at Xavier's for the time being, with Siryn renamed to Bainsidhe as SHIELD's Interpol liaison.



Sorry for not continuing the Doctor Strange folks. I'm trying to get the creative juices going again, and for some reason, Multiple Man jumped out at me. Probably from catching "Particle Man" on the radio, reminding me of when Weird Al wrote lyrics for a parody for Peter David in PD's run on X-Factor in an issue featuring Multiple Man vs Multiple Man.

Multiple Man, Multiple Man
Does anything a multiple can...

[Phantasm]

DAKIMH THE ENCHANTER

Real Name: Dakimh.
Occupation: Sorcerer, swamp dweller.
Identity: Dakihm's existence is unknown to the general public; his identity of Dave Kraft is known to the people of Citrusville, Florida, although they are unaware of his existence as a sorcerer.
Legal Status: Citizen of the United States with no known criminal record; former citizen of antediluvian Atlantis.
Other Aliases: Dave Kraft.
Place of Birth: An unrevealed location in pre-Cataclysm Europe, believed but not confirmed to be in the Pyrenees Mountains.
Marital Status: Unrevealed, possibly a widower several if not hundreds of times over.
Known Relatives: None.
Group Affiliation: Mentor to Jennifer Kale; former disciple of Zhered-Na; adjunct member of the Cult of Zhered-Na.
Base of Operations: A pocket dimension connected to the Nexus of All Realities in the Florida Everglades, outside Citrusville, Florida.
History: Over twenty thousand years ago, the island continent of Atlantis was ruled by King Kamuu and Queen Zartra, with the sorceress Zhered-Na as the nation's court wizard and high priestess of the gods (see Atlantis). However, Zhered-Na prophesied Atlantis's destruction by sinking beneath the waves, and refused to recant the prophecy when ordered to by the King; because of her station, Kamuu exiled Zhered-Na from Atlantis rather than having her killed as he wished.

Zhered-Na spent much of her time on the sea in meditation, during which time she was gifted with visions of events of things to come, from the fall of Atlantean civilization to the rise of the superhuman age. Upon landing on the shore – in a region now believed to be the Pyrenees Mountains between France and Spain – she settled in a cave and drew several disciples to her from a nearby settlement; Dakihm was one of these disciples. Several of these disciples, presumably including Dakihm, transcribed Zhered-Na's knowledge and prophecies to scrolls; in later millennia the surviving scrolls would be gathered as the Tome of Zhered-Na.

When the Great Cataclysm hit, sinking Atlantis, Dakihm's home settlement was hit with earthquakes. The people there, reportedly influenced by the demon D'spayre, irrationally believed Zhered-Na to be responsible and attacked her cave (see Demons; D'spayre). Sacrificing her life, Zhered-Na told her followers to scatter with the scrolls. One of her last spells extended Dakihm's lifespan.

Dakihm's activities during the intervening millennia are unknown. It is known he faced the demon D'spayre on numerous occasions, but the details are lost to history and prehistory. He is alleged to have tutored several sorcerers who have held the position of Sorcerer Supreme of Earth, although which ones remain unrevealed. It is also unknown whether he ever held the position himself, which is possible; he has not yet commented on if he ever has or not.

Dakihm helped found the most recent incarnation of the Cult of Zhered-Na in and around the Florida Everglades town of Citrusville, in part to protect the Nexus of All Realities, located only a few miles outside the town (see Nexus of All Realities). To facilitate keeping an eye on the Nexus, Dakihm moved to a castle in a pocket dimension anchored to a cabin in the swamp near the Nexus. Although he has not participated in their rituals in decades, he has kept a close eye on the Cult, occasionally sneaking into their meetings; the only one aware of Dakihm's nature is their leader, Joshua Kale, whose granddaughter, Jennifer, has since become Dakihm's apprentice (see Kale, Jennifer).

When the demon Thog the Netherspawn attempted to pass his demonic army through the Nexus in an attempt to conquer the Earth, Dakihm, fearing he and Jennifer would not be sufficient to hold back the demons, sent out a mystic call for help (see Thog). This call was answered by Earth's Sorcerer Supreme Doctor Strange, Strange's ally Wong, Strange's own apprentice Clea, and Daimon Hellstrom (see individual entries). The battle left Dakihm near death, although he later recovered under Strange's medical care.

When the Zodiac Cartel erected an energy dome around and over the island of Manhattan, Dakihm was unable to assist when Strange gathered a number of mystics to combat them; he instead sent Jennifer in his place (see Zodiac Cartel).

Dakihm continues to tutor Jennifer in the Atlantean mystic arts.
Age: over 20,000, appears 80-ish.
Height: 5' 8".
Weight: 145 lbs.
Eyes: Hazel.
Hair: White, formerly light brown.
Uniform: None; prefers to wear loose dark purple-gray robes, a pointed dark purple-gray hat with a dark red brim, a dark red rope belt, and leather moccasins.
Strength Level: Dakihm possesses the normal human strength of a man of his apparent age, height, and build who engages in light exercise.
Known Superhuman Powers: Dakihm the Enchanter is one of the world's foremost wielders of arcane magics. Strictly speaking, Dakihm and other human sorcerers do not have superhuman powers; only the ability to manipulate mystical energy lies within an Earth-born sorcerer, not the energy itself. Theoretically, any Earth human being can tap into an infinite amount of mystical energy. However, each person is limited by his own amount of training, discipline, knowledge, and enlightenment as to the mystical arts. As the oldest living sorcerer on Earth, Dakihm possesses a greater knowledge of the arts than almost anyone else on Earth.

Dakihm's magic, like that of other magicians, is derived from three major sources: personal powers of the soul/mind/body, derived through developing one's own psychic resources (mesmerism, astral projection, thought-casting, etc); powers gained by tapping the universe's ambient magical energy and employing it for specific effects (teleportation, illusion-casting, energy projection); and finally powers gained through invoking entities or objects of power existing in mystical dimensions tangential to his own. The latter means of power is usually gained through the recitation of spells; either ritualized ones found in various mystical texts or by original spells invoking extra-dimensional assistance. Dakihm is a master of the magic practiced in ancient Atlantis; how this differs from that of other sorcerers such as Doctor Strange is unknown.

To begin with his personal powers, Dakihm has mastered the art of astral projection, the mental ability to separate the astral self – the sheath of the soul, or the life essence – from his physical self, and in this form traverse through space unbounded by the physical laws but fully retaining human consciousness. This form is invisible, intangible, and incapable of being harmed except through the most rigorous of mystical means. The astral form only possesses those magical powers residing in the sorcerer's mind: thought-casting, psychokinesis, etc. Dakihm is of such mastery that in his prime he could remain in his astral form for up to 48 hours before there is corporeal deterioration of his physical body; his current limit is closer to 18 to 24 hours. The physical form is quite vulnerable to attack when the astral form is absent. If harm were to befall his physical form while he was in his astral form, he would be stranded in the wraith-like state. While the astral form is absent, the physical form remains in an inert, death-like trance.

Dakihm can cast his thoughts over short or vast distances in a manner virtually identical to telepathy. The entire Earth is within the reach of his mind, provided he knows where to contact the specific mind he is seeking. He can simultaneously communicate with up to a half dozen minds at a time.

Dakihm is also able to tap this universe's store of ambient magical energy and manipulate it for a variety of effects. He is able to form and hurl magical energy bolts, and erect energy shields or screens with a high degree of resistance to both physical and magical damage. He is able to use local magical energy for the conjuration of small physical objects like money or rabbits, or for unusual luminescent effects. He is also able to transform one object into another, although the transformation only lasts for as long as he wills it.

Due to his millennia of activity, Dakihm has knowledge of a host of sorcerous spells and incantations invoking various extra-dimensional objects and beings of power. He is able to call upon these extra-dimensional power sources for very specific effects without taxing his own personal abilities. Presumably Dakihm, Jen Kale, and the Cult of Zhered-Na invoke different entities than those invoked by Strange's mystical order.

Through unknown spells, Zhered-Na extended Dakihm's lifespan, enabling him to age very slowly over the intervening millennia.
Other Abilities: Dakihm is fluent in a multitude of languages, many of which are otherwise considered dead languages or not even known to or guessed at by modern-day linguists. He is also a skilled alchemist, specializing in the alchemy of ancient Atlantis. It's often said that he's forgotten more magic than most other sorcerers will ever know.
Paraphernalia: Dakihm owns a castle in a pocket dimension connected to a cabin near the Nexus of All Realities. This castle possesses a large mystic library that Dakihm has collected over the millennia, as well as a number of mystic artifacts.
Limitations: Dakihm is physically an old man with all the physical aches and pains that entails. His extreme old age has taken its toll on his once prodigious mind, making him forget to take various precautions or overlook various solutions that may be obvious to others.

Where did you dig up that old fossil?
– Han Solo, Star Wars


(stats next post)

[Phantasm]

Dakihm the Enchanter

1,083 points
Attributes: ST 9 [-10]; DX 10 [0]; IQ 14 [80]; HT 12 [20].
Secondary Characteristics: Dmg 1d-2/1d-1; BL 16 lbs.; HP 11 [4]; Will 18 [20]; Per 14 [0]; FP 10 [-6]; Basic Speed 5.50 [0]; Basic Move 4 [-5]; Dodge 8.
Languages: Ancient Atlantean (Native) (Native Language) [0]; English (Native) [6].
Cultural Familiarities: Netherworlds [2]; Western (Native) [0].
Advantages: Academic 4 [20]; Eidetic Memory [5]; Energy/3 [60]; Energy Reserve (Magical) 20 [60]; Increased Threshold (Partial) 13 (Threshold 45) [13]; Indomitable [15]; Magery 3 (Solitary Ceremonial, +10%) [38]; Matter/3 [60]; Mind/3 [60]; Occultist 6 [60]; Omnilingual [40]; Social Regard (Venerated) 2 [10]; Space/3 [60]; Spirit/3 [60]; Time/3 [60]; Unfazeable [15]; Wealth (Filthy Rich) [50].
Perks: Magical School Familiarity (Cult of Zhered-Na) [1].
Disadvantages: Absent-Mindedness [-15]; Bad Back (Mild) [-15]; Chronic Pain (Mild; Interval: 1 hour) (12) [-5]; Pacifism (Cannot Harm Innocents) [-10]; Status 0 [-5*].
Quirks: Congenial [-1]; Fashion Disaster [-1]; Hoarder [-1]; Limited Hearing Loss (Low-Frequency) [-1]; Tactless [-1].
Skills: Alchemy/TL6 (VH) IQ+6 [8] – 20†; Area Knowledge (Extradimensional Realm of Therea) (E) IQ+0 [1] – 14; Dreaming (H) Will+0 [4] – 18; Exorcism (H) Will+4 [1] – 22†; Fast-Talk (A) IQ+0 [2] – 14; First Aid/TL7 (Human) (E) IQ+0 [1] – 14; Gardening (E) IQ+0 [1] – 14; Hidden Lore (Demon Lore) (A) IQ+5 [1] – 19†; Hiking (A) HT+0 [2] – 12; Innate Attack (Beam) (E) DX+2 [4] – 12; Innate Attack (Projectile) (E) DX+2 [3] – 12‡; Literature (H) IQ+4 [1] – 18†; Mind Block (A) Will+0 [2] – 18; Naturalist (Earth) (H) IQ-2 [1] – 12; Observation (A) Per+2 [8] – 16; Occultism (A) IQ+11 [20] – 25†; Panhandling (E) IQ+0 [1] – 14; Public Speaking (Storytelling) (E) IQ+4 [1] – 18§; Research/TL7 (A) IQ+10 [2] – 24†§; Riding (Equines) (A) DX+0 [2] – 10; Savoir-Faire (High Society) (E) [1] – 14; Scrounging (E) Per+2 [4] – 16; Survival (Mountain) (A) IQ-1 [1] – 13; Survival (Swampland) (A) IQ-1 [1] – 13; Swimming (E) HT+0 [1] – 12; Symbol Drawing (Atlantean Sorcery) (H) IQ+0 [4] – 14; Teaching (A) IQ+3 [1] – 17§; Thaumatology (VH) IQ+11 [16] – 25†#; Weather Sense (A) IQ+0 [2] – 14; Writing (A) IQ+4 [2] – 18§.
Magical Realm Skills: Energy (VH) IQ+11 [40] – 25#; Matter (VH) IQ+11 [40] – 25#; Mind (VH) IQ+11 [40] – 25#; Space (VH) IQ+11 [40] – 25#; Spirit (VH) IQ+11 [40] – 25#; Time (VH) IQ+11 [40] – 25#.
Starting Spending Money: $400,000.

* Includes +1 from Wealth.
† Includes +6 from Occultist.
‡ Defaulted from Innate Attack (Beam).
§ Includes +4 from Academic.
# Includes +3 from Magery.

Role-Playing Notes:
Dakihm is perhaps the oldest living person on the planet, having lived over 20,000 years (only the senile Aged Genghis may rival him in age). This has granted him near-infinite patience and a unique perspective on the world around him. Extreme age has also dulled his wits, as he will often occasionally fail to take various precautions until something or someone reminds him.

Dakihm is not normally suited for use as a PC; he's basically Gandalf to Jen Kale's Bilbo, Frodo, or Pippin (he even looks the part!). As such, he makes a good Patron or Ally for a PC group.

Design Notes:
1. The Great Cataclysm happened ca. 18,000 BC. Read it. Learn it. Live it. Love it.
2. The Magery price combines the price of an unmodified Magery 0 [5] with the modified Magery 3 (Solitary Ceremonial, +10%) [33]. It just looked wrong when placing the two on the sheet together.
3. Dakihm's Status reflects how his Dave Kraft identity is viewed by the citizens of Citrusville, Florida, who believe he lives alone in a cabin in the swamp.
4. The points in and levels of his magical skills reflects his twenty thousand years of experience, while his Magery 3 reflects his reduced power owing to old age.



Whew, took me forever to write Dakihm's history. For some reason, I just kept putting it off.

[Phantasm]

Running into problems with ambition to continue Dr. Strange's cast and crew. My brain is all but rebelling against continuing with them, even with several of them being shunted to Year Two or later.

However, there's only so long I can procrastinate on the project without feeling like I need to do something to keep it moving. So I started looking through the "to-do" list for ideas. A few started to jump out at me; one in particular who I used as an NPC in my Shadowguard game.

So, here's Spider-Woman's father!

[Phantasm]

ARANEUS

Real Name: Jonathan Drew.
Occupation: Genetics scientist, retired superhero.
Identity: Secret.
Legal Status: Naturalized citizen of the United States with no known criminal record.
Other Aliases: "Spider-Dude"
Place of Birth: London, England.
Place of Death: San Francisco, California.
Marital Status: Married.
Known Relatives: Jessica (alias Spider-Woman, daughter); Miriam (wife, deceased); Anabelle (sister; deceased).
Group Affiliation: Former member of the Shadowguard.
Base of Operations: San Francisco, California; formerly Los Angeles, California; formerly Mount Wundagore, Romania; formerly mobile.
History: As youths Jonathan Drew and his sister Anabelle were friends of aspiring geneticist Herbert Wyndham; together, the three of them pooled their resources to purchase Wundagore Mountain in what was then on the border between Yugoslavia and Romania (currently between the small republic of Transia and Romania). Discovering a vein of uranium on the mountain, the three funneled the profits from a mine into opening up a scientific research citadel.

Not much later, however, Jonathan and Anabelle both came down with radiation sickness. To save their lives, Jonathan and Herbert combined their expertise to develop a serum based on various spider venoms which Jonathan injected into both himself and his sister, then the two entered one of Wyndham's custom-built genetic accelerator pods which slowed their aging while the serum took effect.

Thirty years later, the two had only aged ten years at most. However, events during that time had caused Wyndham to forcibly evolve himself along with several animals, becoming known as the High Evolutionary and the Knights of Wundagore (see High Evolutionary). Not long after, while returning from visiting a nearby village at the foot of the mountain, Anabelle was mauled to death by what appeared to be a wild animal. Although the High Evolutionary promised to investigate, Jonathan felt his old friend had lost his humanity and left the citadel.

Jonathan relocated to Los Angeles, California, where he soon discovered he'd gained several powers similar to that of a spider. Calling himself Araneus, he began a crimefighting career which spanned a decade. During this time, he briefly joined the outlaw team known as the Shadowguard. At one point, in the late 1980s, he was briefly reunited with the High Evolutionary when the Evolutionary had finally tracked down the creature who had killed Anabelle: a werewolf named Baron Gregor Russoff – allegedly the father or grandfather of present-day werewolves Jack and Lissa Russell – who lived in a nearby castle (see Russell, Lissa; Werewolf). Most of Araneus's activities during this time period are unrecorded.

Eventually, Jonathan married a woman named Miriam, with whom he shared his secret identity; not long after the birth of their daughter Jessica, he retired from his crimefighting career. Every so often, he would come out of retirement to assist later superhuman crimefighters and adventurers, though these instances were few and far between. Also at some unrevealed point in time, he and his family relocated to San Francisco, where he worked as a genetic scientist. As Jessica grew older, she learned she had inherited Jonathan's powers, and he trained her in their use (see Spider-Woman).

Recently, Jonathan's wife and daughter were kidnapped by an old enemy of his, the Spider-Wasp, who forced him to become Araneus one last time (see Spider-Wasp). During their fight, although Jessica was able to free herself and her mother using her own powers, Miriam was killed in the crossfire by one of Spider-Wasp's stray poisoned darts. In the end, both Araneus and Spider-Wasp were apparently killed when the building they were in exploded.

To distance herself from her parents' deaths, Jessica moved to Los Angeles, wearing a variation on Araneus's old uniform in her career as Spider-Woman.

It should be noted that the ghost of the ancient Arthurian-era sorcerer Magnus claimed to know Araneus, but the circumstances of their meeting are not yet depicted (see Magnus).
Age: 87 (appeared 47).
Height: 5' 11".
Weight: 180 lbs.
Eyes: Brown.
Hair: Gray, formerly black.
Uniform: Red bodysuit with a white spider-pattern on the chest, red gloves with white triangles on the backs of the hands, red boots, red full-face cowl with white eye-coverings. (Think the Symbiote-Suit Spider-Man, only red instead of black.)
Strength Level: Araneus possessed superhuman strength enabling him to lift (press) roughly ten tons.
Known Superhuman Powers: In addition to his enhanced strength, Araneus possessed superhuman durability, enabling him to withstand superhuman blows. His agility is many times that of a normal person's, bordering on the superhuman. His fingers and toes secrete a near-invisible adhesive substance which enable him to cling to most surfaces, and his leg muscles have been altered to enable him to leap tremendous distances. This enhanced musculature also gives him a perfect sense of balance. His physiology and metabolism is such that he has a near immunity to radiation and toxins. In addition, his senses of hearing and smell are extraordinarily acute.

Araneus's body also produced an inordinate amount of bio-electricity, which he could discharge from his hands in what he called his "venom blast". He is able to modulate his bioelectricity in order to merely stun a person or cause them pain, or push enough power in order to electrocute his target.
Other Abilities: Jonathan Drew was a skilled genetics scientist and biologist, having studied with and under the High Evolutionary.
Limitations: Due to wear and tear on his body from repeated injuries sustained earlier in his career, near the end Jonathan suffered from chronic aches and pains. He could only exert himself for a short amount of time before his body decided to "shut down".

(stats next post.. ran too long again!)

[Phantasm]

Araneus
1,165 points
Attributes: ST 22/112 [20*]; DX 18 [80†]; IQ 14 [80]; HT 14 [40].
Secondary Characteristics: Dmg 2d/4d (12d/14d); BL 97 lbs. (2,508 lbs/1.25 tons); HP 22 [0]; Will 14 [0]; Per 14 [0]; FP 14 [0]; Basic Speed 8.00 [0]; Basic Move 8 [0]; Dodge 15.
Languages: English (Native) (Native Language) [0]; Latin (Accented) [4]; Romanian (Broken) [2].
Cultural Familiarities: Eastern European [1]; Western (Native) [0].
Advantages: Affliction (Venom Blast) 6 (HT-5; Accurate +3, +15%; Damage Modifier: Surge, +20%; Increased 1/2D Range ×5, +10%; Irritant: Moderate Pain, +20%; Rapid Fire: RoF 2, +40%; Reduced Range ×1/5, -10%; Selectivity (Irritant), +10%; Variable, +5%; Elemental: Electricity, -10%; Super, -10%) [114]; Burning Attack (Venom Blast) 6d (Accurate +3, +15%; Damage Modifier: Surge, +20%; Increased 1/2D Range ×5, +10%; Rapid Fire: RoF 2, +40%; Reduced Range ×1/5, -10%; Variable, +5%; Elemental: Electricity, -10%; Super, -10%; Alternative Attack, ×1/5) [10]; Clinging (Super, -10%); Combat Reflexes [15]; Danger Sense (Super, -10%) [14]; Enhanced Dodge +3 (Super, -10%); Enhanced Time Sense (Upgraded from Combat Reflexes, -15; Super, -10%) [27]; Extra Attack 1 [25]; Extra DX +4 (Super, -10%) [72]; Fit [5]; High Pain Threshold [10]; Injury Tolerance (Damage Reduction /10) (Limited: Crushing Attacks Only, -40%; Super, -10%) [75]; Legal Enforcement Powers 2 (Informal, -50%) [5]; Perfect Balance (Super, -10%) [14]; Super Jump 2 (Super, -10%); Super Jump +2 (Costs 2 FP, -10%; Super, -10%) [16]; Super ST +10/+100 (Super, -10%) [390]; Wealth (Comfortable) [10].
Perks: Skintight Costume [1].
Disadvantages: Code of Honor (Hero's) [-10]; Compulsive Self-Sacrificing Behavior (9) [-22]; Dependents (Wife and Daughter; Loved Ones; No more than 100%) (12) [4]; Guilt Complex [-5]; Pacifism (Cannot Harm Innocents) [-10]; Secret Identity (Serious Embarrassment) [-5].
Quirks: Aches and Pains [-1]; Broad-Minded [-1]; Confident [-1]; Imaginative [-1]; Restless Sleeper [-1].
Skills: Acrobatics (H) DX+2 [8] – 20‡; Bioengineering/TL8 (Genetic Engineering) (H) IQ+0 [4] – 14; Biology/TL8 (Earth) (VH) IQ-1 [4] – 13; Body Language (A) Per+0 [2] – 14; Brawling (E) DX+4 [12] – 22; Chemistry/TL8 (H) IQ-1 [2] – 13; Computer Operation/TL8 (E) IQ+0 [1] – 14; Current Affairs/TL8 (Science & Technology) (E) IQ+0 [1] – 14; Detect Lies (H) Per+0 [4] – 14; First Aid/TL8 (E) IQ+0 [1] – 14; Innate Attack (Beam) (E) DX+4 [12] – 22; Intimidation (A) Will+0 [2] – 14; Mathematics/TL8 (Applied) (H) IQ+0 [4] – 14; Mind Block (A) Will+0 [2] – 14; Move! (WC) DX+2 [24] – 18; Observation (A) Per+1 [4] – 15; Occultism (A) IQ+0 [2] – 14; Research/TL8 (A) IQ+0 [2] – 14; Shadowing (A) IQ+1 [4] – 15; Stealth (A) DX+1 [4] – 19; Weather Sense (A) IQ+0 [4] – 14; Wrestling (A) DX+4 [16] – 22.
Techniques: Acrobatic Stand (Acrobatics) (A) def+2 [2] – 16.
Starting Spending Money: $8,000 (20% of Starting Wealth).

* Includes +10/+100 from Super ST.
† Includes +6 from Extra DX.
‡ Includes +1 from Perfect Balance.

Role-Playing Notes:
Araneus was a confident man who tended to put others ahead of himself. He was always trying to do the right thing, accepting that the right thing may not always be the legal thing; despite that, he always tried to work with the authorities whenever possible. In many ways, he was quite similar to Peter Parker/Spider-Man, though he didn't quip in combat quite so snappily.

Design Notes:
1. Jonathan as Araneus takes most of the details of Spider-Woman's classic origin (as described in Spider-Woman v1 ca. 1978-83, and The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition, ca. 1985-6) as his own origin.
2. Are Araneus and Spider-Wasp actually dead? Hard to say, considering they died in an explosion. What Marvel character ever actually died in an explosion, anyway, without eventually coming back? No plans as yet, but the option for one or both to resurface is there.

[beautyandnotthebeast]

This is great.
I love that you included Black Queen Selene, as she does not get enough love.

I was wondering if you have rules for the other two Black Queens (Jean Grey and the Madelyne Pryor), and for Pyslocke and Kitty Pride?

[Phantasm]

Originally Posted by beautyandnotthebeast

This is great.
I love that you included Black Queen Selene, as she does not get enough love.

I was wondering if you have rules for the other two Black Queens (Jean Grey and the Madelyne Pryor), and for Pyslocke and Kitty Pride?

Jean is in there as Marvel Girl. (Honestly, I've been considering renaming her, but this is for her pre-Phoenix days, so I need a name to fit her green-with-yellow-X original X-Factor uniform.) She was Phoenix during her brief mind-controlled time as the Black Queen. Maddy is a tragic character, but she's not a Year One character by any stretch of the imagination; she's not likely to show up. If I was not statting an entirely new timeline, she'd be on my list.

Psylocke may eventually show up, but she'll likely be a secret agent for STRIKE, the UK version of SHIELD. Kitty at this time will be a student at the Xavier Institute; I have her (and Lockheed!) slated for covering the Institute's student body when I get around to doing the anthology "title".