Every good villain roster needs a genetically-altered crab-man, right? This one's muscle for hire at the moment, but his ongoing mental decay may eventually turn him into the monster he looks like.
Karkinos
Jason Vasilakos was once a normal man, an average soldier in the US Army. He had the misfortune of being diagnosed with lymphatic cancer during his first term of service. That might have ended his life as well as his military career if he hadn't been offered a opportunity to enroll in an experimental genetic therapy program that might provide a cure. That program turned out to be as secretive and ethically questionable as it was experimental, and Jason wound up going through torturous DNA hybridization that transformed him into the hulking monstrosity he is today. When the program was exposed and forced to shut down, he was one of the few subjects to escape from the attempted purge and cover-up along with the Mighty Bullfrog. Jason followed a similar trajectory at first, finding refuge in the criminal underworld and using his powerful but inhuman form as muscle for hire - but where the Bullfrog has become a reformed former supervillain Jason embraced his new identity as Karkinos and is now a well-known and reliable mercenary super.
Karkinos' memories of his human life are fading with time, gradually being replaced with disturbingly alien instincts. His new and violent life appeals to the thing he's become. Karkinos' immense durability and surprisingly keen senses make him a popular bodyguard for less physically imposing villains, although his appearance makes it impossible for him to pass unnoticed in public without sophisticated holographic, magical or psionic disguises. To date his changing mental state hasn't been noted by his employers and allies, but it's probably only a matter of time before the concept of working for money and material possessions stops motivating him and he begins pursuing his own goals.
Description: Bulky, roughly humanoid crab-man, top heavy looking with shoulders almost five feet across. Its powerful arms are asymmetrical, with the larger claw on the left and a longer, narrower one on the right. Six much smaller limbs fan out from the upper body, tipped with gripping pincers. It sports a horrible parody of a human face set high on the torso between his shoulders, the mouth replaced with wriggling pedipalps and sporting two clusters of extensible eyestalks. The creature wears no clothing and its bare carapace sprouts sensory bristles at every joint. When it speaks its voice has a thick buzzing undertone that makes it hard to understand.
Gender: Male Age: 26 Height: 6'4" Eyes: Black, Pink Eyestalks
Bristles: Black, Tipped Red Carapace: Red-Orange, Yellow Highlights Build: Hulking
Approach: Generalist Archetype: Guerrilla
Health: 45 + (5 x H)
Powers: Vitality d10, Awareness d8, Strength d8, Swimming d6
Qualities: Fitness d10, Close Combat d8, Mad Science Mutate d8, Criminal Underworld Info d6
Status: (# of Enemies Engaged) 4+ - d10 / 2-3 - d8 / 0-1 - d6
Abilities:
Crusher Claw (A) Attack one target using Close Combat. Use your Max + Min die. Defend against all Attacks from targets other than that target with your Mid die until your next turn. All Defended damage is dealt to the target of your Attack instead.
Eyestalks & Bristles (I) If you are outnumbered by nearby opponents, reduce all damage dealt to you by 2.
Fiddler Crab Shield (R) When an ally is Attacked, Defend them by rolling your single Vitality die. Boost yourself using the same roll.
Impenetrable Carapace (I) Reduce physical and energy damage dealt to you by 1/2/3 when the scene is in the Green/Yellow/Red zone.
Pincer Claw (A) Attack using Close Combat. Use your Max die. Recover Health equal to your Min die.
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 when your payment is at stake.
Tactics
Karkinos is a durable melee brawler who prefers to be in the thick of the fight, as well as a capable bodyguard for a villainous ally. His preferred move is to use his Crusher Claw to grab foes and use them as a human shield against their allies, making him even more durable than his Impenetrable Carapace and excellent combat awareness from his Eyestalks & Bristles already do. If badly hurt or facing a single foe he'll strike with Pincer Claw instead to let his regeneration repair some damage. He uses Fiddler Crab Shield to defend nearby allies as often as possible, usually saving up his bonuses from it to use for a big Recovery or Defend with his offensive abilities.
His upgrade makes him even tougher and amps up his damage output considerably, while his mastery makes him a more reliable work-for-hire villain.
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