SANIDAD VEGETAL

Here are some facts characters and NPCs might know about Golem if they succeed with an appropriate Skill Roll:

N/R: Golem is a member of the Devil’s Advocates; he has the power to animate statues and other objects.

K/R: Golem’s powers actually come from a talisman he wears; they’re not spells he casts.

-2: Besides actually animating objects, Golem can also warp matter, causing it to lash out and hit someone, or ruining an object by changing its form.

-4: Golem fears physical combat and pain, and does his best to avoid both.

Champions Villains Volume Two: Villain Teams n The Devil’s Advocates 83

Val Char Cost Roll Notes

50 STR 40 19- Lift 25 tons; 10d6 HTH damage [5] 20 DEX 20 13-

10 CON 0 11-

13 INT 3 12- PER Roll 12- 0 EGO 0 — MCV: N/A 25 PRE 15 14- PRE Attack: 5d6 7 OCV 20 7 DCV 20 3 OMCV 0 3 DMCV 0 4 SPD 20 Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12 10 PD 27 Total: 10 PD (10 rPD) 10 ED 27 Total: 10 ED (10 rED) 12 REC 8 0 END -4 20 BODY 10

— STUN — Total Characteristics Cost: 206

Movement: Running: 12m

Leaping: 20m

Cost Powers END

15 Golem’s Body: Does Not Bleed 0 10 Golem’s Body: No Hit Locations 0 45 Golem’s Body: Takes No STUN 0 25 Tireless: Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) on STR 0 6 Tireless: Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) on Running 0 5 Tireless: Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½) on Leaping 0 1 Tireless: Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½)

on Swimming 0

30 Body Of Metal: Resistant (+½) for 10 PD/10 ED 0 90 Body Of Metal: Physical and Energy Damage Reduction,

Resistant, 25% 0

36 Heavy: Knockback Resistance -12m 0 40 Golem’s Body: Life Support: Total (including Longevity:

Immortality) 0

Skills

16 +2 HTH 3 Climbing 13-

2 WF: Common Melee Weapons Total Powers & Skills Cost: 324 Total Cost: 530

400 Matching Complications (75)

20 Hunted: assorted governments (Infrequently, Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)

10 Hunted: Witchfinder (Infrequently, As Pow, Kill) 5 Hunted: Abrahamic Churches (Infrequently, Less Pow,

Remove Powers)

10 Physical Complication: Weighty (weighs 750 kg) (Infre- quently, Slightly Impairing)

20 Physical Complication: Mute (Frequently, Greatly Impairing)

15 Physical Complication: No Tactile Feedback, must succeed with a DEX Roll for any fine manipulation (Frequently, Slightly Impairing)

10 Physical Complication: Lacks The Smell/Taste Sense Group (Infrequently, Slightly Impairing)

15 Psychological Complication: Fear Of Personal Combat (Common, Strong)

10 Psychological Complication: Greedy (Common, Moderate)

10 Psychological Complication: Hungers For Greater Magic Power (Common, Moderate)

15 Social Complication: Secret Identity (Upton Frogge (Frequently, Major)

Total Complications Points: 75 Experience Points: 130

Background/History: Sarah Benton knew her parents were different, though they wouldn’t admit it. Her father’s study held many leatherbound books in foreign languages. Other daddies didn’t have books like that, or a locked and sound- proofed basement room. Other mommies didn’t plant and harvest herbs by the phases of the moon, or sculpt little clay statues that vanished into the locked room and never came out again. Sarah’s mother told her not to talk about such things; she’d learn all about it when she was older.

Instead of public high school, Sarah’s parents sent her to a Catholic school that taught Latin and Greek — although the family wasn’t Catholic. As a teenager, Sarah became interested in physics, while her parent’s eccentricities became just one more reason for adolescent embarrassment. When Sarah graduated (a year early) and obtained a full scholarship to a prominent university, she told her parents they could keep their secrets; she didn’t care.

Her parents died in a car crash while Sarah worked on her doctoral dissertation. She inher- ited the house, the key to the locked room, and a letter asking her to carry on their work as ritual magicians with a group called the “Trismegistus Council.” Clearly, her parents had been complete lunatics.

threw them out. She read of planetary spirits and astral influences, of Hermes Trismegistus and the Kabbalah. It made an odd kind of sense... actually, some of this superstition had parallels in math and physics... if she used symbolic logic to cut through the archaic jargon and the contradictions....

A few months later, Sarah abandoned her dissertation. The occult concealed a strange and misunderstood science. If she could lay it bare, she would go down in history with Newton and Einstein! She raided the library for more mystic lore. The spinning of the astral spheres — Penrose’s twistor theory — the I Ching as a binary logic system for computation — Yes, she was close! She cut off her friends and lived on pizza deliveries and coffee. She worked until she collapsed from exhaustion, then began again when she woke up.

The veil parted at last. Sarah chanted strange words for hours as she filled legal pads with diagrams that twisted into the fourth and fifth dimensions before her blurring eyesight, and for one shining, shattering moment, she knew. She saw the wheels of Ezekiel’s vision, and knew them for the spinning of protons and galaxies. She understood the cycle of creation and destruc- tion, and the path from spirit to matter and back again. She knew God’s own equations for making universes.

And then the moment passed, and Sarah passed out. When she woke up a day later, she tried to remember that moment of perfect clarity, and couldn’t. Her notes held mere fragments of theories and procedures. Sarah wept that she had lost God’s equations. After resting further, however, she realized just how much she did remember. Spinning circles and spirals held the key. Power moved in gyres and vortices, in and out and ’round about. Sarah carefully drew a diagram, said a word, and laughed as a whirlwind of power erupted from the paper and blasted through her ceiling. Her upstairs neighbor was not so happy. He screamed at Sarah, but he didn’t matter. She held up the paper, said the word again, and he went away. By the time the police came, Sarah had gone away too, to look for more books. Sarah claimed not to know what destroyed the apartments, so the police blamed the incident on a crazed supervillain, identity unknown. The Demonologist found Sarah two weeks later and persuaded her to join the Devil’s Advocates. She decided to call herself Gyre. Reluctantly, she finished her dissertation and goes through the motions of post-doc research at Millennium City University — but she has more important work to do now.

Champions Villains Volume Two: Villain Teams n The Devil’s Advocates 85

Val Char Cost Roll Notes

10 STR 0 11- Lift 100 kg; 2d6 HTH damage [1] 18 DEX 16 13-

15 CON 5 12-

28 INT 18 15- PER Roll 15- 14 EGO 4 12-

13 PRE 3 12- PRE Attack: 2½d6 6 OCV 15 6 DCV 15 3 OMCV 0 5 DMCV 6 4 SPD 20 Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12 6 PD 4 Total: 27 PD (21 rPD) 6 ED 4 Total: 27 ED (21 rED) 5 REC 1 30 END 2 10 BODY 0

22 STUN 1 Total Characteristics Cost: 114

Movement: Running: 12m

Flight: 26m Teleportation: 30m

Cost Powers END

29 Mystic Energy: Endurance Reserve (100 END, 6 REC) 0 73 Technomancy: Variable Power Pool (Magic Pool),

60 Pool + 60 Control Cost var

OAF (-1), Takes Hours To Change (-¼)

43 Gyres Of Power: Multipower, 75-point reserve

All OIF (talismanic rings; -½), Incantations (-¼)

4f 1) Vortex Blast: Blast 10d6 7

Double Knockback (+½); OIF (-½), Incantations (-¼)

3f 2) Vortex Trap: Telekinesis (40 STR) 3

Reduced Endurance (½ END; +¼); OIF (-½), Incanta- tions (-¼), Only To Grab And Spin/Squeeze Target (-½)

3f 3) Vortex Warp: Teleportation 20m 5

Usable As Attack (defense is Teleportation or other space-warping powers; +1¼), Ranged (+½); OIF (-½), Incantations (-¼)

3f 4) Force Precession: Reflection

(60 Active Points’ worth) 6

Any Target (+½); OIF (-½), Incantations (-¼)

4f 5) Twist Through Space: Teleportation 30m, x2

Increased Mass 7

Variable Advantage (+½ Advantages; +1); OIF (-½), Incantations (-¼)

3f 6) Twist Through Dimensions: Extra-Dimensional Movement (any physical location in any dimension), x4 Increased Mass 5

OIF (-½), Incantations (-¼)

29 Vortex Shield: Resistant Protection (17 PD/17 ED) 0

OIF (-½), Incantations (-¼)

11 Force Precession: Deflection 2

OIF (-½), Incantations (-¼)

31 Levitory Vortex: Flight 26m, x8 Noncombat 0

Reduced Endurance (0 END; +½); OIF (-½), Incanta- tions (-¼)

34 Redirect Enemy’s Power: Absorption 30 BODY (energy, to Endurance Reserve’s END) 0

Delayed Return Rate (points fade at the rate of 5 per Minute; +1); OIF (-½), Incantations (-¼)

8 Mirrored Overcoat: Resistant Protection (4 PD/4 ED) 0

OIF (-½)

7 Brow Amulet: Mental Defense (15 points) 0

OAF (-1)

5 Heart Amulet: Power Defense (10 points) 0

OAF (-1)

6 Strange Magic: Change Environment, -3 to others’ attempts to use Analyze Magic on her magic

No Range (-½)

Talents

3 Absolute Range Sense 3 Bump Of Direction

Skills

10 +2 with Gyres Of Power Multipower 6 +3 OCV with Deflection

3 Electronics 15- 3 Mechanics 15-

2 Navigation (Dimensional) 15- 3 Power: Thaumaturgy 15- 3 Spell Research (Inventor) 15- 3 Teamwork 13- 3 Scholar 2 1) KS: Dimensional Magic 15- 2 2) KS: General Occultism 15- 1 3) KS: Other Dimensions 11- 1 4) KS: Sacred Geometry 11- 1 5) KS: Technomancy 11- 3 Scientist 1 1) SS: Dimensional Physics 11- 2 2) SS: Physics 15- 2 3) SS: Mathematics 15- Total Powers & Skills Cost: 353 Total Cost: 467

400 Matching Complications (75)

20 Hunted: assorted governments (Infrequently, Mo Pow, NCI, Capture)

10 Hunted: Witchfinder (Infrequently, As Pow, Capture) 5 Hunted: Abrahamic Churches (Infrequently, Less Pow,

Remove Powers)

20 Psychological Complication: Complete Disregard For Humanity (Common, Total)

15 Psychological Complication: Obsessed With Magical Research (Common, Strong)

15 Psychological Complication: Fear Of Close Combat (Very Common)

5 Rivalry: Professional (with other dimensional researchers, both scientific and mystical)

15 Social Complication: Secret Identity (Sarah Benton) (Frequently, Major)

Total Complications Points: 75 Experience Points: 67

knowledge. She doesn’t care what damage her quest may cause — mere human laws and lives mean nothing to her compared to the eternal and infinite truth she seeks. The Devil’s Advocates help Gyre gather data, both from what the other members know and her own experiments.

The Dark Renaissance doesn’t matter much to Gyre. She loves science and technology, but she and the Demonologist agreed on a compromise: science and technology could survive the resur- gence of magic, but as esoteric arts held by elites, just like sorcery. The masses can remain ignorant — Gyre says the scientific illiteracy of most people shows that’s what they want anyway.

Quote: “I wonder what would happen if....”

Powers/Tactics: Gyre has invented several spells based on vortices of space distortion and mystical power. She casts these spells using incantatory equations and rings braided from wire and set with gems bearing mystic symbols. These spells can redirect energy to protect Gyre from harm, redirect attacks toward other targets, or move her or other people through space. Her standard attacks are a Vortex Blast of mystical energy and a Vortex Trap that spins targets at high speed, eventually knocking them out through dizziness. Gyre also reflects attacks from one foe to strike another, and teleports enemies into danger (such as teleporting a character who can’t fly straight up in the air, or moving one foe into the path of another enemy’s attack). She wears amulets on her forehead and chest that protect her from mental and mystical attacks, while her overcoat of thin ballistic cloth serves as a last-ditch defense against gunfire.

Her unique fusion of occultism and advanced physics makes Gyre one of the rare few practi- tioners of technomancy. She combines electrical and mechanical devices with talismanic gems and mystic sigils, for short-lived but diverse magical effects. She also uses the ready-made energies and mystic geometry of city streets, buildings, and utilities in bizarre rituals. As with her basic magic, Gyre’s technomancy specializes in effects that manipulate space and dimension or redirect energy. Her magic is all so strange that attempts to analyze or detect it all suffer a -3 penalty.

Gyre protects her teammates by (a) Deflecting ranged attacks and (b) teleporting unconscious teammates away so they have a chance to Recover away from the fight. The Devil’s Advocates typi- cally use Gyre’s technomantic gadgets as surprises at the start of combat. Of course, Gyre’s space- warping powers and gadgets are also useful at bypassing guards and defenses so the Advocates can achieve their goals without a fight.

knowledge endangers the world as much as any other villain’s lust for power. She might open gates to deadly dimensions, release long-imprisoned horrors, or activate dangerously powerful artifacts, just to see what happens. When using Gyre in an adventure, the GM should try to play up her complete unconcern for consequences.

To make Gyre more powerful, increase some of her various powers (especially her Vortex Shield), or double her Multipower reserve so she can use two slots at once. To reduce Gyre’s power, reduce or eliminate her Technomancy Power Pool, or add a Limitation such as Gestures to her magic so opponents can more easily prevent her from casting spells.

Associates, Allies, And Adversaries: Professor Paradigm is extremely interested in Gyre and her science (he thinks of magic as just a form of science most people don’t understand yet, after all). He’d really like to have her in the Paradigm Pirates, but hasn’t yet reached the point where he’s willing to do more than try to tempt her with offers of money, resources, and assistance. So far she regards him as too much of a rival to seriously consider his overtures, but the time may come when he sweetens the pot just enough to entice her to switch teams.

The Trismegistus Council also takes special interest in Gyre. As the daughter of two of its members, she still has books, diaries, and exten- sive notes that it would want under any circum- stances, but that it particularly wants because (a) they reveal so much about the Council, and (b) it regards them as its property (more or less). For now the Council believes (correctly) that Gyre hasn’t shown her “library” to anyone and has kept it safe; if they ever come to think otherwise they will appeal to friendly superheroes for assistance.

Appearance: Sarah Benton is a slender white woman of average height, with wavy, brown hair. She’d be pretty if she paid more attention to her appearance and tried to be nice to other people, but she does neither. She wears blue jeans, blouses, and cheap athletic shoes. As Gyre, she adds a silver mask that covers the upper half of her face, and a long, flowing overcoat that she magically gave a silver-mirror finish. The coat has several pockets, inside and out, where she keeps Foci and tools. She also wears eight talismanic rings over thin white gloves. Her Gyres Of Power look like whirls and spirals of multicolored light.

Here are some facts characters and NPCs might know about Gyre if they succeed with an appropriate Skill Roll: N/R: Gyre is a super- villainess who’s a member of the Devil’s Advocates; her magic seems to involve vortices and circles of power that let her teleport, move people and objects, misdirect attacks, and so forth.

K/R: More broadly speaking, Gyre is a mistress of techno-

mancy, magic that

combines traditional spellpower with modern-day devices and concepts.

-2: Superheroes who attack Gyre at range should beware; she can use one type of vortex of power to “catch” such attacks and redirect them at anyone else on the battlefield.

-6: Professor Para- digm seems particu- larly interested in Gyre and her magic.

-8: The Trismegistus Council seems particularly inter- ested in Gyre and her magic. -10: Her Secret Identity is Sarah Benton; she’s a post-graduate student in advanced mathematics and physics at Millen- nium City University.

Champions Villains Volume Two: Villain Teams n The Devil’s Advocates 87

EXAMPLE POWERS FOR