Monday, September 11, 2023

Mister Kong, Psychic Super-Gorilla Heister

How did I not have a gorilla supervillain already?  That's no way to sell comics.  Well, easily fixed.

Mister Kong

Mister Kong (he's quite insistent on the "Mister" part) is the accidental product of an ethically-bankrupt research program intended to produce uplifted gorilla super-soldiers, something that completely overlooked the relatively small number of gorillas available for such treatments.  The entire affair was a debacle, with Mister Kong developing the unplanned ability to project convincing psionic illusions and using it to escape confinement, vanishing into the criminal underworld.  He's built himself a solid reputation as a minor criminal mastermind, skillfully planning and executing a series of profitable heists that let him live comfortably in seclusion.  He usually works with simple criminals, although he has been seen in league with other supervillains who share his monetary motivations. 

The super-gorilla has a sizable mental library of illusory disguises that let him operate in public without attracting undue attention, with a particular fondness for elderly human females of various ethnicities.  He's also been known to adopt the appearance of security guards and police officers while on a job, as well as imitating heroes during combat to confuse their allies.  Mister Kong is surprisingly realistic about his own capabilities compared to the broader supers community, but he's not afraid to take on multiple foes at once when he sees an opportunity to catch them off guard.  Ordinary humans get a lot less respect from him, and he happily displays his physical superiority when opposed by "mere" law enforcement officers.

Description: A powerfully built adult male gorilla.  Spends more time walking upright than any normal member of the species.  Often wears a compact communications headset networked with his allies and henchmen.  His voice is deep and guttural, but his English diction and grammar are impeccable.  

Gender: Male        Age: 24          Height: 6'2"          Eyes: Black

Fur: Black & Silver          Skin: Black          Build: Like A Gorilla

Approach: Dampening                         Archetype: Guerrilla

Health:  45 + (5 x H)

Powers: Illusions d10, Strength d8, Vitality d8

Qualities:  Close Combat d10, Criminal Underworld Info d8, Persuasion d8, Psychic Super-Gorilla d8

Status: (# of Enemies Engaged) 4+ - d10 / 2-3 - d8 / 0-1 - d6

Abilities:

Exchanged Images (A) Attack one target using Illusions.  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.

Threat Display (A) Attack one target using Close Combat.  Use your Max die.  Hinder each opponent that can see or hear the target using your Min die.

Twisted Perceptions (A) Hinder using Illusions.  Use your Max die.  That penalty is persistent and exclusive.  As long as that penalty is on the target, reduce their highest power die of your choice by one die size.  Attack using your Mid die.

Wrong Target (R) Defend against an Attack by rolling your single status die.  Deal that much damage to a different nearby target.

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.

Gorilla Behind the Curtain (I) As long as you are not directly involved in the fray and are using your influence indirectly, automatically succeed at an Overcome to manipulate a situation.

Tactics

Mister Kong is a gorilla, but he's not fool enough to overestimate how physically powerful some supers are.  He frequently tries to remain unnoticed behind a shroud of psychic illusions while assessing his foes, focusing on critical Overcomes to achieve his goals, or position himself for a sudden ambush.  When he does take direct action, he's quick to engage multiple foes so he can use their numbers against them, relying on Wrong Target to protect himself while misdirecting Attacks through evasion and phantasmal projections.  His other abilities mix powerful blows with illusory images to confound his enemies.  Twisted Perceptions is used against whatever hero seems to be the greatest threat.  Threat Display is a daunting show of brute savagery augmented by psychic "special effects" that make the damage seem worse than it is.  Exchanged Images hits very hard and swaps the appearance of Mister Kong and his target for a brief period, leading to "friendly fire" incidents as his other foes struggle to identify who's who.

With his upgrade he's much better at dealing raw damage and dealing with multiple foes, while his mastery encourages him to employ psychic trickery and direct his allies from relative safety.

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Mister Kong usually works with fairly low-grade help, but he's good at recruiting them in large numbers when he needs them.  Sometimes he even lets them know he's a gorilla in advance.  Usually he saves it as a special surprise.


Boss Thug d8 lieutenant

Description: An experienced human criminal, unobtrusively dressed and armed with a variety of concealed weapons.  Dangerous by themselves, but even better at bossing around lesser crooks.

Take Charge: If you take a Boost action, you may target all nearby allied Typical Thug minions.

Human Shield: Gain a +2 bonus to saving rolls against damage as long as there's at least one allied Typical Thug minion close by.


Typical Thug d8 minions

Description: Your basic human crook, usually cheaply dressed and armed with a concealed pistol that they're reasonably competent at using.  Not too bright but also not too ambitious, they're pretty reliable as long as someone's keeping an eye on them.

Follows Orders Well: If an allied lieutenant or villain Boosts you, increase the value of the bonus created by one.


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