This hero writeup is an example of how you can use different combinations of power sources and archetypes to produce different takes on the same basic character. The Radioactive/Elemental Manipulator version here is much more offensively focused and somewhat self-destructive, while the Mystical/Blaster combination is quite a bit more versatile when it comes to environmental threats and team support. They're still the same person with the same powers and similar qualities, but reflect the kind of change-over-time character progression you might execute when you finish a collection (and meta-textually, get a new creative team assigned to you).
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Name: Doctor Atomico
Origin: John-Jack Kincaid was a talented physics researcher with a specialty in nuclear medicine, but not especially well known outside of scientific circles. That changed when he was one of the few survivors of an encounter with Atomic Infernovox, and he became downright famous when he manifested super powers and a megalomaniacal personality disorder while recovering in the local hospital. Dubbing himself Doctor Atomico, he spent several years as an up-and-coming "mad science" villain with a penchant for grand schemes to irradiate the world so everyone could experience the joys of atomic energy. He also committed quite a few robberies to fund his plans and acquire rare isotopes or equipment, working with a variety of super-criminals in the process. He was eventually captured, and during his pre-trial assessment it was discovered that he was, in fact, under the mental control of an infernoid, an extra-dimensional spirit of fiery consumption. The entity was exorcised, and Dr. Kincaid's original personality reasserted itself.
Appalled by his involuntary actions over the last few years, he vowed to use his powers and his considerable intellect in the service of justice and the public good. He would remake Doctor Atomico into a hero and redeem himself in the eyes of the public Surprisingly, the court system did eventually drop all charges against him, although he did voluntarily agree to government supervision to ensure he didn't have any "relapses" into atomic villainy. So far everything's gone well, although he's yet to get entirely out from under the shadow of earlier actions.
Description: A gangly, large-headed man with a beaklike nose and prominent ears, dressed in a hazard-orange bodysuit marked with a yellow-and-black trefoil radiation hazard symbol on its chest. He wears black calf-length boots, elbow-length black gloves, and a bulky black utility belt. When his nuclear powers are active (which they usually are) he's surrounded by Kirby crackle and blue Cherenkov radiation, shading to purple when absorbing energy. His flight expels beams of blue light and considerable kinetic energy, and makes a fairly loud crackling noise. Of course, there's nothing to see when he's invisible.
Gender: Male Age: 40 Height: 5'10" Eyes: Hazel
Hair: Chestnut Skin: Caucasian Build: Scarecrow Thin
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Background: Former Villain Power Source: Radioactive Archetype: Elemental Manipulator
Personality: Jovial Health (G/Y/R): 32/24/11
Powers: Absorption d10, Nuclear d10, Invisibility d8, Flight d6
Qualities: Science d10, Conviction d8, Medicine d8, Reformed Supervillain d8, Stealth d8
Status: Green (32-25) - d6 / Yellow (24-12) - d8 / Red (11-1) - d12
Green
Atomic Rays (A) Attack up to two targets using Nuclear. Take Nuclear damage equal to your Mid die.
Concentrated Beam (A) Attack using Nuclear. Use your Max die. Take Nuclear damage equal to your Min die.
The Power of Science! (I) You may reroll any ones you roll. You must accept the result of the reroll.
Principle of the Atom (A) Overcome a challenge involving nuclear energy and radiation. Use your Max die. You and your allies each gain a Hero Point. Minor twist: What other energy is currently causing your powers to go on the fritz? Major twist: What other energy is currently dampening all of your powers? RP: You can easily interact with nuclear energy and radiation.
Principle of Science (A) Overcome a challenge while applying specific scientific principles. Use your Max die. You and your allies gain each gain a Hero Point. Minor twist: What were the surprising effects of leveraging that principle in this situation? Major twist: What just blew up? RP: You are up to date on and understand the most modern scientific theories and can quote from them in conversation.
Yellow
Radiation Surge (A) Boost yourself using Nuclear. Then either remove a penalty from yourself or Recover using your Min die.
Siphon Energy (A) Attack one target using Absorption. Hinder that target using your Max die.
Nuclear Fallout (I) Whenever you take Nuclear damage, you may also inflict that much damage on another target.
Red
Radioactivity Spike (A) Attack up to three targets, one of which must be you, using Nuclear. Assign your Max, Mid, and Min dice to the target(s) as you choose.
Reactor Recharge (I) If you would take Nuclear damage, ignore that damage and instead Recover and Boost yourself using the value of that damage.
Out
Afterglow (A) Defend an ally by rolling your single Science die.
Tactics
Doctor Atomico is all offense in Green, with Concentrated Beam offering the best single target damage while Atomic Rays is better for multiple weaker enemies at the cost of inflicting more self-harm. The Power of Science! can selectively improve his dice pools, but remember its use is optional and there are times you might want a one on your Min die. His Principles require more imagination and justification to use than some, but reading up on science trivia may supply some inspiration and if he ever needs to (say) disarm a nuke or prevent a reactor meltdown he's the man.
In Yellow, Nuclear Fallout vastly improves his Green offensive abilities, where their self-harm also becomes free damage on a target - any target, and it isn't an Attack so many reactions fail against it. Siphon Energy gives him an Absorption-based Attack that (unlike his Green zone Attacks) doesn't harm him, as well as getting around resistances to Nuclear damage. Radiation Surge is a situational ability that combines a modest self-Boost with penalty clearance or minor healing.
Once he hits Red, Reactor Recharge turns all nuclear damage he takes into a combined Recovery and self-Boost. This makes an insanely good combo with Radioactivity Spike, which lets you use your entire dice pool each turn, hitting up to two enemies and turning the die of your choice into health and a bonus. Because of the way it's worded you can also pile multiple dice on a single target, and in an emergency all of them can be allocated to yourself for massive healing and probably a +4 bonus. I'd call it broken, but it takes two Red abilities to set this up and it does render Nuclear Fallout nearly useless while in Red since Reactor Recharge negating your nuclear self-damage isn't optional. Your best bet is probably to heal just enough with the combo to pop back up into Yellow while still dealing some damage and getting a bonus to exploit. Your foes will put you back in the Red soon enough.
Outside of action scenes Doctor Atomico is a talented scientist and medical doctor, although he'll be quick to point that he's not a technician or engineer. He's also uncommonly dedicated to his heroic ideals as a result of his past, although he hasn't forgotten how to sneak around when he needs to. As a Reformed supervillain he has lingering criminal connections, familiarity with law enforcement and the general supers community, and a talent for ordering around minions, intimidating civilians, or bantering with other supers. He's best known for his devastating nuclear blasts (which he also uses to fly) but also possesses a very flexible ability to absorb and transform many varieties of energy. At its extreme, he can absorb and redirect light so effectively he becomes invisible over a large part of the spectrum, although the effect is somewhat ruined while he's flying owing to his brilliant (and noisy) thruster beams. His scientific training helps him get the most out of his energy manipulation powers.
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Name: Doctor Atomico
Background: Former Villain Power Source: Mystical Archetype: Blaster
Personality: Jovial Health (G/Y/R): 32/24/11
Powers: Flight d10, Nuclear d10, Absorption d8, Invisibility d8
Qualities: Imposing d10, Science d10, Conviction d8, Medicine d8, Reformed Supervillain d8, Stealth d8
Status: Green (32-25) - d6 / Yellow (24-12) - d8 / Red (11-1) - d12
Abilities:
Green
Beam-Jet Blasts (A) Attack using Flight. Hinder using your Min die.
Concentrated Beam (A) Attack using Nuclear. Ignore all penalties and Defend actions during this Attack, and it cannot be affected by reactions.
Principle of the Atom (A) Overcome a challenge involving nuclear energy and radiation. Use your Max die. You and your allies each gain a Hero Point. Minor twist: What other energy is currently causing your powers to go on the fritz? Major twist: What other energy is currently dampening all of your powers? RP: You can easily interact with nuclear energy and radiation.
Principle of Science (A) Overcome a challenge while applying specific scientific principles. Use your Max die. You and your allies gain each gain a Hero Point. Minor twist: What were the surprising effects of leveraging that principle in this situation? Major twist: What just blew up? RP: You are up to date on and understand the most modern scientific theories and can quote from them in conversation.
Yellow
Atomic Bolt (A) Attack using Nuclear. Use your Max die. If you choose another hero to go next, Boost that hero using your Mid die.
Beam-Jet Strafe (A ) Attack multiple targets using Flight. Take irreducible damage equal to your Mid die.
Radiation Surge (A) Boost or Hinder using Nuclear. Apply that mod to multiple nearby targets.
Siphon Energy (A) Overcome an environmental challenge using Absorption. Use your Max die. Either remove any penalty in the scene, or Boost using your Mid die.
Red
Radioactivity Spike (A) Attack up to three targets, one of which must be you, using Nuclear. Assign your Max, Mid, and Min dice between the target(s) as you choose.
Reactor Recharge (I) If you would take Nuclear damage, ignore that damage and instead Recover and Boost yourself using the value of that damage.
Out
Afterglow (A) Defend an ally by rolling your single Science die.
Tactics
Doctor Atomico has a pretty versatile array of abilities. In Green Concentrated Beam offers a nearly-unavoidable strike, although it won't bypass inherent damage reduction. Jet Blasts combines damage and a modest penalty and the wording lets you hit one target while impairing another if desired, unlike some similar abilities. His Principles require more imagination and justification to use than some, but reading up on science trivia may supply some inspiration and if he ever needs to (say) disarm a nuke or prevent a reactor meltdown he's the man.
In Yellow, Jet Strafe provides a strong but self-harming multi-target Attack, which can be ramped up with bonuses to become very dangerous but risky to the user. Atomic Bolt is strong single-target damage with a potential free Boost for an ally, and asks you to keep an eye on the flow of the turn order. Radiation Surge is an extremely versatile multi-target mod creator, probably the best of its kind. Siphon Energy gives you a strong way to deal with almost any environmental challenge (Absorption being a very flexible power) that also offers some penalty removal or a targetable Boost as a perk.
Once he hits Red, Reactor Recharge turns all nuclear damage he takes into a combined Recovery and self-Boost. This makes an insanely good combo with Radioactivity Spike, which lets you use your entire dice pool each turn, hitting up to two enemies and turning the die of your choice into health and a bonus. Because of the way it's worded you can also pile multiple dice on a single target, and in an emergency all of them can be allocated to yourself for massive healing and probably a +4 bonus. I'd call it broken, but it takes two Red abilities to set this up, which is a significant cost. Your best bet is probably to heal just enough with the combo to pop back up into Yellow while still dealing some damage and getting a bonus to exploit. Your foes will put you back in the Red soon enough.
Outside of action scenes Doctor Atomico is a talented scientist and medical doctor, although he'll be quick to point that he's not a technician or engineer. He's also uncommonly dedicated to his heroic ideals as a result of his past, although he hasn't forgotten how to sneak around when he needs to. As a Reformed supervillain he has lingering criminal connections, familiarity with law enforcement and the general supers community, and a talent for ordering around minions, intimidating civilians, or bantering with other supers. He's best known for his devastating nuclear blasts (which he also uses to fly) but also possesses a very flexible ability to absorb and transform many varieties of energy. At its extreme, he can absorb and redirect light so effectively he becomes invisible over a large part of the spectrum, although the effect is somewhat ruined while he's flying owing to his brilliant (and noisy) thruster beams. His scientific training helps him get the most out of his energy manipulation powers.
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