Evaluación del sistema de control 1. Riesgos significativos

The only Assassin more dangerous than the paid profes- sional is one with nothing left to lose. The Assassin might be a fanatic willing to die for a cause, or someone with a death wish, looking for a hero willing and able to use lethal force. If the heroes are not willing initially, then per- haps the Assassin can find a way to encourage them, such as threatening loved ones, ruining the heroes’ reputations, or putting them in a kill-or-be-killed situation, especially if lives other than their own are at stake. Of course, it’s possi- ble the slain Assassin might not rest easily and could come back as a Revenant....

Chapter 3: arChetypes

The Brute’s concept is as straightforward as the villain itself is: a physically powerful engine of destruction, capable of plowing a swath of devastation through the city and sur- rounding countryside until the heroes manage to stop it. The archetypal Brute is large and clearly physically power- ful, although still packing far more power than anything its size should. Brute origins range from alien beings and powerful robots to mystical creatures and atomic mutants, but all share similar physical traits: big, strong, tough, and not all that bright.

theMes

Most Brute themes vary some element of the arche- type’s essential theme of “big, strong, and tough” so every Brute the heroes encounter is not the same, even if their Strength and Damage ranks are. Some of these themes can even combine for a particularly unusual Brute adver- sary, such as a Fast, Mindless Brute, or a Titanic, Sympa- thetic one.

titaniC

The Brute is big, but some are truly gigantic, towering like the skyscrapers they walk amongst and threaten. The Ti- tanic Brute trades off ranks of Strength and Stamina for Growth. Titanic Brutes tend to be rampaging monsters (and may also be Mindless, see the following), but they can also be foes able to change size. If so, the Brute’s Growth should not be Permanent, allowing him to shrink to normal human size, either voluntarily or as a complication.

unstoppable

The Brute archetype is already tough, but this variation is nigh-invulnerable, having an even greater degree of Im- pervious Toughness, or perhaps even Immunity to physi- cal damage! Punches, blasts, perhaps even nukes are not enough to deal with an Unstoppable Brute; indeed, no mere physical attack can do the job. This calls for the he- roes to get creative to deal with the Unstoppable Brute. Perhaps it has some sort of weakness they can figure out, such as extreme cold, high-frequency sound, or particu- lar wavelengths of radiation. Whatever the case, the GM should provide some clues, and allow for the use of hero points for inspiration to figure things out before it’s too late.

Fast

“How could something so big be so fast?” is the phrase you most often hear about the Fast Brute. Rather than big and clumsy, this theme defies expectations by having higher active defenses and ranks of Improved Initiative, if not outright Quickness or Super-Speed. The Fast Brute might merely have quick and predatory reflexes, or a measure of tactical speed intended to outmaneuver opponents.

sMart

Although the classic brute is both big and dumb, there is nothing that says this has to be the case. A smart brute is, in many ways, far more dangerous, as he knows full well how (and where, and when) to use his physical might to his advantage. A smart brute uses tactics and knows to go after opponents who can potentially target his weak- nesses (such as mentalists or mystics).

Mindless

The Mindless Brute makes the basic archetype look like brilliant by comparison. It is a true “mindless engine of destruction,” having no thoughts (or Intellect rank) at all, only preprogrammed instructions or instincts. It might be an animal or machine. Unfortunately for the heroes, this tends to cover one of the Brute’s weak spots—namely, its mind. Mindless Brutes are immune to interaction skills and mental effects; characters may be able to trick the Brute if they understand what drives it, but they certainly cannot reason with or control it.

driVen

While a Brute may just be out to wreck downtown (or the state, or the planet...) or pound the heroes into the pave- ment, some are driven by other impulses. Knowing what drives a Brute can be a key to overcoming it, or at least luring it away from the most densely populated areas to deal with it.

A Brute may be driven to attack a particular target: going after things that enrage or annoy it, for example, or pre- programmed to focus on superhumans, mutants, mystics, or another class of opponent, particularly if the Brute was originally designed as a weapon of sorts.

syMpathetiC

Just because a Brute is a tremendous force for destruction does not mean it is evil—at least, not intentionally. Brutes might turn out to be anything from pain-maddened beasts lashing out in their agony to lost and confused creatures unaware the tiny, screaming things around them are actually people with thoughts and feelings of their own. Some Brutes are essentially animals, perhaps enslaved to a villainous master. Other Sympathetic Brutes include aliens lost or stranded on Earth, unable to com- prehend the environment or even driven mad by some as- pect of it (such as industrial pollutants, or electromagnetic “smog” from radio and cell phone transmissions). If the he- roes take the time to figure out what is going on with the Sympathetic Brute, perhaps having seen some hints as to its true nature, they might be able to remove the cause of its rampage or otherwise reason with it rather than just pounding on it until it drops.

naMe ideas

Brute, Joten, Minotaur, Ogre, Ox, Piledriver, Smasher, Tank. Many Brutes—especially mindless ones—do not name themselves but are instead named by the media, military, first victim, etc. Of course, these names are often appropriate!

ClassiC bits

Some classic elements associated with the Brute include: