The lead villain here is one potential source for the kind of supertech that so many relatively petty villains somehow get ahold of, as well as being a monetarily-oriented baddie in his own right. Carronade is frequently accompanied by other super-criminals equipped with his power armor and weaponry, although you might also use the Brute Suit Boys as separate threat in their own right. All of these characters are fairly fragile as supers go, although as a coordinated team they can be pretty effective. The various members of the Brute Suits Boys are pretty easy to replace and Carronade himself can make more of the suits, so getting them off the streets really requires capturing the criminal inventor as well. The gang also employs various street thugs as distractions and loot-haulers, paying them off with impressive future-tech weaponry - all of which has been carefully fitted with safety sensors to prevent them firing at Carronade and his Brute Suits.
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Carronade
Anto Amtik insisted he came from the 3000 years in the future, despite police records clearly showing that his name is Ronald Baker, born in 1998 and convicted of armed robbery in 2018. His absurd story of "time-personas overwriting the consciousness of temporal natives" was disregarded as an attempt at getting his jail sentence reduced on psych grounds. That lasted right up until he somehow assembled a variety of ultra-tech gadgets, staged a very successful jailbreak, and disappeared into the criminal underworld along with more than a dozen other inmates.
The authorities were still trying to explain to the press what had happened when Anto reappeared a few weeks later and held up a bank with a "cosmic carronade" and a gang of fellow escapees. Since then the super-criminal the media dubbed "Carronade" has struck several times, and has outfitted some of his "friends" with similar far-future technology. What his goals are remains unclear, but to date his robberies have all been for financial gain. Surely no one would travel more than 3000 years backward in time just for money, would they?
Description: A short, thick-set figure in a sleek, full-coverage battle suit with an opaque faceplate covered in lens clusters and targeting mechanisms. The suit is a deep blue with silver detailing, and has a blocky ultra-tech gadget on its back. He carries his signature "cosmic carronade" weapon in both hands, with articulated bracing arms and tubing connecting it the gadget on his back. The weapon itself is a silvery tube like a shortened bazooka and emits a stream of Kirby crackle when fired.
Gender: Male Age: 24 Height: 5'7" Eyes: Brown
Hair: Brown Skin: Brown Build: Squat
Approach: Adaptive Archetype: Inventor
Health: 25 + (5 x H)
Powers: Cosmic Carronade d10, Inventions d8, Power Suit d8, Teleport d6
Qualities: Technology d10, Citizen of the Future d8, Ranged Combat d8, Science d6
Status: (# of Inventions/Mods) 4+ - d12 / 2-3 - d10 / 1 - d8 / 0 - d6
Abilities:
Skirmish Fighting (A) Boost using Inventions. Use your Max die. Attack using your Mid die. Defend using your Min die.
Energy Conversion Screens (R) When Attacked, Defend yourself by rolling your single Inventions die. Also Boost yourself with the result of that die.
Full Power Cosmic Carronade Burst (A) Attack using Cosmic Carronade and at least one bonus. Use Max + Mid + Min dice and add all your bonuses to it, destroying them afterward.
Marking Targets (I) On your turn, whenever you Attack a target you haven't dealt damage to yet in this scene, also Boost yourself with your Max die.
Optimized Capacitors (I) Whenever you create a bonus, increase that bonus by 1.
Upgrades & Masteries (optional):
Villainous Vehicle +15 Health. Add a Preserver Module d10 Lieutenant with the following abilities to the scene: Escape Plan (R) When Carronade is Attacked, roll this vehicle's die. If it rolls higher than Carronade's current Health, both the villain and this vehicle escape the scene. Recovery (A) Roll the vehicle's die. The villain Recovers that much health. Sturdy (I) When this vehicle makes a damage save, add +2 to that roll's result.
Master of Annihilation (I) If you can cause massive collateral damage without regard for casualties, automatically succeed at an Overcome in a situation where a show of overwhelming force would help.
Tactics
Carronade is an Inventor archetype, but he's more about guns than tinkering. Gameplay loop is pretty simple - stack up bonuses from all your Boost abilities, then use Full Power Cosmic Carronade Burst to maul whatever the priority threat is. The damage potential from that thing is absurd and can easily drop a hero to Out from the Yellow zone, or even from Green with luck or enough bonuses. This will burn all Carronade's bonuses and drop his status die to d6, but he recharges from things pretty quickly.
Doing a full rundown on all the Boosting shenanigans, every bonus he creates is one higher than normal due to Optimized Capacitors. Every time you attack a target that you haven't damaged already in the scene you get to Boost with your Max due to Marking Targets, so spread fire around till you run out of new things to shoot. Your go-to combat action Skirmish Fighting also includes a Max die Boost, so you can double up on his Max when you use it on a fresh target. And when you're attacked, the Energy Conversion Screens reaction Boosts (and Defends) with a d8. Going from 0 to 4+ bonuses in play is about two turns work, and those bonuses will be larger than his die sizes would suggest.
Carronade becomes much tougher to capture with his Villainous Vehicle upgrade. If the heroes seem to be focusing on wrecking the Preserver Module, remember that it can take actions to Defend itself if it really wants to become a tough target.
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The Brute Suit Boys
Carronade is usually accompanied by a team of fellow criminals who escaped from jail along with him, all equipped with by him with futuristic technology. Their power suits resemble his but are bulkier, less sophisticated and easier to use with minimal training. All are hardened criminals from the same prison gang and work pretty well in conjunction with one another, at least as long as things are going their way. They probably have backstories and individual motivations beyond that, but it's not likely to come up while they're being subdued and thrown back in prison. Each suit has its own signature supertech weapon.
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Cellblock (Current Operator: Charlie White)
Description: A massive slab of a man, concealed by a chunky dark blue power suit with silver detailing. The helmet is featureless except for a trio of optic sensors. Both fists are covered in enormous armored gauntlets shaped like triangular shields that crackle with energy when they redirect hits. Unless he has his upgrade his suit lacks the usual backpack gadgetry the rest of the crew have, although it's still quite bulky-looking thanks to its large arm-guards.
Gender: Male Age: 34 Height: 6'2" Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black Skin: Ebony Build: Like A Truck
Approach: Skilled Archetype: Squad
Health: 20 + (5 x H)
Powers: Shield-Fists d10, Absorption d8, Power Suit d8
Qualities: Alertness d10, Close Combat d10, Career Criminal d8, Fitness d8, Imposing d8, Self-Discipline d8
Status: (# of other Villains) 3+ - d10 / 1-2 - d8 / 0 - d6
Abilities:
Center Stage Strike (A) Attack using Close Combat. Use your Max die. Defend all nearby allies with your Mid + Min dice until the start of your next turn.
Omni-Compensators (I) When you gain a penalty, reduce the size of that penalty by one.
Shield-Fist Deflection (R) When Attacked, Defend yourself by rolling your single Alertness die. Deal that much damage to another target.
Strength In Numbers (I) Increase damage you deal by the number of nearby non-minion allies.
Upgrades & Masteries (optional):
Defense Shield (I) You cannot be damaged by anything except yourself until the defense shield is destroyed. The shield has 40 Health, or can be deactivated with three Overcome successes. If a hero takes a minor twist working on the shield, you can use a Reaction to Attack that hero by rolling your single Shield-Fist die. Gain Reestablish Shield (A) Overcome using Absorption. Use your Max die. On a success remove one success from the deactivation challenge. Alternatively, instead of an Overcome, use your Max die to Recover that much of the shield's Health. This ability cannot be used if the shield has been completely removed.
Master Mercenary (I) If you have a contract for a specific task, automatically succeed at an Overcome where your payment is at stake.
Tactics
Cellblock is a solid team defender, spamming Center Stage Strike to protect his allies while dealing damage enhanced by Strength In Numbers. His Omni-Compensators make him hard to hamper, and he has a very strong reaction in Shield-Fist Deflection for self-defense and extra damage. The suit's upgrade adds a hefty force field generator pack, making him a very tough customer indeed.
Prior to be being recruited to the Brute Suit Boys Charlie was a talented chop-shop mechanic with a sideline in credit card fraud and hacking bank accounts. He's much more technically adept than the rest of the crew and practically counts as a white-collar criminal by their standards, which is why he got the relatively complex Cellblock suit after the last breakout.
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Pulverizer (Current Operator: Tom Durant)
Description: A wide-shouldered man in a chunky dark blue power suit with silver detailing. The helmet is featureless except for a trio of optic sensors. Its signature weapon is a comically oversized right hand gauntlet connected to a backpack generator mechanism by armored silver cables. Both gauntlet and generator glow with a sullen orange light when powered up to full.
Gender: Male Age: 31 Height: 5'11" Eyes: Gray
Hair: Black Skin: Tanned Build: Muscular
Approach: Bully Archetype: Squad
Health: 30 + (5 x H)
Powers: Mega-Fist d10, Absorption d8, Power Suit d8
Qualities: Career Criminal d8, Close Combat d8, Imposing d8
Status: (# of other Villains) 3+ - d10 / 1-2 - d8 / 0 - d6
Abilities:
Energy Conversion (R) When another villain is Attacked, Defend against that Attack by rolling your single status die. Boost yourself using the amount of damage reduced.
Strength In Numbers (I) Increase damage you deal by the number of nearby non-minion allies.
Strong Right Hand (A) Attack using Mega-Fist. Use your Max die. Defend against all Attacks from the target until the start of your next turn with your Mid die.
Tank (I) Reduce all damage dealt to you by 2.
Upgrades & Masteries (optional):
Group Fighter (I) +20 Health. When you take an action that lets you make an Attack, also make an Attack using your Mid die.
Master Mercenary (I) If you have a contract for a specific task, automatically succeed at an Overcome where your payment is at stake.
Tactics
Pulverizer is a pretty basic team fighter. He relies on Tank to reduce damage on himself and Energy Conversion to protect his allies when needed, while drawing power from Strength In Numbers to make his Strong Right Hand strikes more damaging. The closest he gets to clever is using his bonuses from his Reaction to either augment the next Reaction or pump up his own damage as needed.
Outside of a fight, he's mostly useful for heavy lifting and looming menacingly. He used to be a simple leg-breaker for a loan shark when he was younger.
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Slammer (Current Operator: Jack Waggs)
Description: Tall, thin man in a chunky dark blue power suit with silver detailing. The helmet is featureless except for a trio of optic sensors. He carries a massive short-handled jet-assisted hammer studded with energy projection nodes that emits a web of snaking electrical discharges when swung or thrown. A weird-looking gizmo is integrated into the back of the suit, which heroes might recognize as an inertial manipulator.
Gender: Male Age: 34 Height: 6'1" Eyes: Blue
Hair: Red Skin: Pale, Heavily Tattooed Build: Lanky
Approach: Focused Archetype: Squad
Health: 20 + (5 x H)
Powers: Ram-Hammer d12, Power Suit d8
Qualities: Close Combat d10, Career Criminal d8, Ranged Combat d8
Status: (# of other Villains) 3+ - d10 / 1-2 - d8 / 0 - d6
Abilities:
Inertial Buffers (R) Defend against an Attack against only you by rolling your single Power Suit die. Boost yourself with the amount of damage reduced.
Stop & Go Strike (A) Hinder one target using Power Suit. Use your Max die. Attack that target with your Mid die.
Slam-O-Rama (A) Attack one target using Ram-Hammer. Use your Max die. That target cannot Defend or use reactions against this Attack. Attack multiple nearby targets with your Mid die.
Strength In Numbers (I) Increase damage you deal by the number of nearby non-minion allies.
You Do It! (A) One ally makes a basic action now, using their Max die and rerolling any ones they roll as part of this action.
Upgrades & Masteries (optional):
Group Fighter (I) +20 Health. When you take an action that lets you make an Attack, also make an Attack using your Mid die.
Master Mercenary (I) If you have a contract for a specific task, automatically succeed at an Overcome where your payment is at stake.
Tactics
Slammer's a bit more of a leader type thanks to You Do It! but he phrases it more politely when using the ability on Carronade (who thinks he's the real boss, and arguably is). He uses Inertial Buffers to protect and enhance himself, and like all the Brute Suit Boys augments his damage with Strength In Numbers. Slam-O-Rama is his go-to offensive maneuver (especially against groups or a target with a strong Reaction) but he may switch to Stop & Go Strike if a single target seems to need a big penalty badly.
Unlike the other Boys, Slammer's got some personal initiative and might even be kind of clever. He isn't shy about doing Overcomes (or better yet, ordering others to do them) to get things done when they need doing. On the down side, he's also not as willing to take orders himself, and is a bit less trustworthy than average - and the average isn't all that good to start with.
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Brain-Buster (Current Operator: Jim Jackson)
Description: A scarecrow of a man with rat-like features, concealed by a chunky dark blue power suit with silver detailing. The helmet is featureless except for a trio of optic sensors. He carries a long techno-totemic staff capped with a glowing eye whose pupil is a hypnotic spiral. Unless he has his upgrade, his suit lacks the usual backpack gadgetry the rest of the crew have, which makes it seem much less bulky and more nimble than the others.
Gender: Male Age: 36 Height: 5'10" Eyes: Hazel
Hair: Light Brown Skin: Pasty Build: Rail Thin
Approach: Dampening Archetype: Squad
Health: 30 + (5 x H)
Powers: Hypno-Matrix d10, Power Suit d8, Presence d8
Qualities: Persuasion d10, Career Criminal d8, Finesse d8, Ranged Combat d8
Status: (# of other Villains) 3+ - d10 / 1-2 - d8 / 0 - d6
Abilities:
Augmentation Rays (A) Boost using Persuasion. Boost another target using your Max die. Defend yourself against all Attacks until the start of your next turn using your Min die.
Compulsion Beam (A) One ally makes a basic action now, using their Max die and rerolling any ones they roll as part of this action.
Confusion Field (A) Hinder multiple targets using Hypno-Matrix. While a hero has this penalty, reduce all their power dice by one size.
Mind Bind (R) When attacked by a hero with a penalty, ignore their damage and remove a penalty from that hero.
Upgrades & Masteries (optional):
Stultifying Aura (I) +10 Health. The heroes act as being in the Green zone for status dice, ability access, and all abilities. Heroes may remove this ability with three Overcome successes. If a hero takes a minor twist during one of these Overcomes, you may use a Reaction to Hinder them by rolling your single Hypno-Matrix die.
Master Mercenary (I) If you have a contract for a specific task, automatically succeed at an Overcome where your payment is at stake.
Tactics
Brain-Buster is a decent team support, spamming Augmentation Rays to Boost allies as needed while protecting himself. If presented with a group of targets he'll shift to Confusion Field to apply mass debuffs and put out some penalties to use with his Mind Bind reaction. If he needs to deal actual damage he'll either have to resort to Compulsion Beam to get an ally to help or use basic Attack actions.
If the Brute Suit Boys have a "face guy" it's Brain-Buster. His Presence and Persuasion make him pretty decent at compelling people to do what he wants, sometimes without even realizing it. The effects aren't real subtle though ("Gaze upon my hypno-matrix!") and onlookers will likely notice when he does so. He was known for being a real hustler before getting his power suit, which plays to that style of crime.
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Jailbreaker (Current Operator: Rod Shane)
Description: Plain-looking young man in a chunky dark blue power suit with silver detailing. The helmet is featureless except for a trio of optic sensors. He carries a big Kirby-tech two-handed mace with an energy cannon built into the haft of the weapon. Cables run from a molecular distortion generator on his back to his suit gauntlets.
Gender: Male Age: 24 Height: 5'11" Eyes: Green
Hair: Brown Skin: Freckled Build: Average
Approach: Tactician Archetype: Squad
Health: 25 + (5 x H)
Powers: Mace-Cannon d8, Power Suit d8, Metal d6, Stone d6
Qualities: Close Combat d10, Career Criminal d8, Ranged Combat d8, Technology d6
Status: (# of other Villains) 3+ - d10 / 1-2 - d8 / 0 - d6
Abilities:
Exploit Opening (R) When a nearby ally makes an Attack, you may also Attack the same target by rolling your single Career Criminal die.
Gang Tactics (I) As long as you have at least one nearby ally, you may reroll any of your dice that roll a one.
Up In Your Grill (A) Attack using Close Combat. Use your Max die. If you choose the target to go next, they must Attack you if at all possible.
Strength In Numbers (I) Increase damage you deal by the number of nearby non-minion allies.
Upgrades & Masteries (optional):
Group Fighter (I) +20 Health. When you take an action that lets you make an Attack, also make an Attack using your Mid die.
Master Mercenary (I) If you have a contract for a specific task, automatically succeed at an Overcome where your payment is at stake.
Tactics
Jailbreaker used to be a run with a street gang and hasn't changed his style much now that he's wearing power armor and fighting superheroes. He takes cheap shots with Exploit Opening whenever he can and crowds in on vulnerable-looking foes with Up In Your Grill. Gang Tactics and Strength In Numbers make him more dangerous than you'd expect as long as he's running in a gang, but he gets pretty shaky on his own when he doesn't need to impress his peers.
This suit's got an interesting trick up its sleeves (or in its gauntlets) that he doesn't generally use in combat. Given some time and concentration, Jailbreaker can reshape metal and stone alike, something he mostly uses to breach bank vaults, quietly open holes in walls, or even tunnel through concrete or bedrock. Beyond that he doesn't have anything much in the way of talents beyond being a vicious thug.
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Dumb Thugs with Super-Guns d6 minions
Description: These clowns are nothing but petty street criminals, but they've been armed with chunky sci-fi guns built using technology from 5000AD. They're terrible shots and still not good for much beyond carrying loot and briefly delaying heroes.
Intimidating But Inaccurate Firepower: Gain a +2 bonus to Attack and Hinder actions. If you roll an unmodified one when taking an Attack or Hinder action, remove one friendly minion of your choice from the scene instead of dealing damage or creating a penalty.
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