This character was inspired entirely by the attached art piece. My sincere thanks to Death Tribble over on the Hero Games forums for commissioning that art from Storn Cook in the first place, along with 150 or so other pieces. Talk about a steady customer!
Florida Man
The product of a botched supersoldier program using retroviral treatments to empower "volunteers" with animalistic capabilities, Florida Man is largely amnesiac about his previous life (much like fellow test subject the Mighty Bullfrog) and only answers to his supranym. He's acted a shades-of-gray hero or antihero (and occasionally a villainous dupe) over the last few years as he seeks to learn more about himself and the scientists who transformed him. As you might expect, he has superhuman strength and durability, jaws that can bite through a steel I-beam, can hold his breath for absurd periods of time, see in the dark, and is remarkably stealthy for his size, at least in the water. His blood also contains powerful antiviral and antibiotic properties and for unknown reasons doesn't trigger immune responses in most humans, making transfusions a viable cure for many infections as well as promoting regenerative healing - with only the smallest risk of passing along his "condition" and creating a new gator-human hybrid with scrambled memories. Honest, it's probably perfectly safe when properly screened. Don't ask about She-Gator.
Florida Man is quick to take offense when mistaken for anything even vaguely Egyptian, and insists he's a US citizen who was born in Tampa (he thinks...) despite lack of proper ID. Other things that annoy him are luggage jokes, asking him if he eats his meat raw ("Gross, I don't even like sushi."), and people assuming he's an idiot. His altered physique still hasn't managed to completely obliterate that Floridian accent, although he hisses more than he used to. He does not, in fact, like biting people at all ("You all taste terrible. What, do you think I don't have taste buds?") and usually sticks to chomping inanimate objects as a show of force. Cold temperatures (below freezing) make him increasingly torpid, and he'll eventually lapse into complete inactivity if exposed for long enough. He also doesn't like salt water much, although he's not as sensitive to it as actual alligators are.
Those are loose swimming trunks he's wearing, not some weird foreign skirt, and lots of supers wear utility belts. How else is he supposed to keep his phone dry? The boots are custom jobs designed to handle his mass and amphibian lifestyle, and the weighted wristbands add a little something extra to his punches. He might bundle up in the largest trench coat he can find if trying to go incognito or if it's cold out, which works about as badly as you'd expect. If he's working with technically-minded allies they'll usually try to find him a holo-projector disguise gadget and/or some kind of personal heating field as needed, but he tends to break such things pretty quickly during brawls.
Description: An image is worth a thousand words.
Gender: Male Age: Unsure - Maybe 24? Height: 6'7" Eyes: Reflective
Hair: None Skin: Alligator Build: Hulking Gator-Man Hybrid
Background: Blank Slate Power Source: Nature (Retroviral Animal DNA)
Archetype: Physical Powerhouse
Personality: Sarcastic Health (G/Y/R): 30/22/11
Powers: Strength d10, Vitality d10, Gator Jaws d8, Swimming d8
Qualities: Close Combat d10, Amnesiac Gator-Man Hybrid d8, Banter d8, Fitness d8, Stealth d8
Status: Green (30-23) - d8 / Yellow (22-12) - d8 / Red (11-1) - d8
Abilities:
Green
Hard Hitting (A) Attack using Strength. Use your Max die.
Gator Hide (I) Reduce any physical or energy damage dealt to you by 1, 2, or 3 in the Green, Yellow, or Red zone.
Get A Grip (A) Attack one target using Close Combat. That target must take an Attack action against you on its next turn if possible.
Principle of Ambition (A) Overcome a situation where someone else has given you a bonus from a Boost. Use your Max die. You and your allies each gain a Hero Point. Minor twist: How is the pursuit of your goals getting in the way of being a hero in this situation? Major twist: What did you just miss or pass up that could have helped you achieve your biggest goal at last? RP: You want your past back, and to know who's responsible for transforming you into a superfreak no matter the cost. You see paths to success that no one else will.
Principle of Strength (A) Overcome a challenge using brute force. Use your Max die. You and your allies gain each gain a Hero Point. Minor twist: What just broke? Major twist: Who just broke? RP: You do not need to roll to perform mundane feats of great strength.
Yellow
I Didn't Bite Him, I Swear (R) When you defeat a minion with an Attack using Strength, Recover Health equal to your Min die.
I Win, You Lose (R) When you defeat a minion, roll that minion's die to Boost yourself. Use the resulting bonus on your next action.
Riled Up (A) Attack one target using Strength. Use your Max + Min dice. Boost yourself and the target using your Mid die.
Red
Fine, I'll Bite Him Then (A) Attack using Gator Jaws and at least one bonus. Use your Max + Mid + Min dice and add all of your bonuses even if they're exclusive, destroying them.
Still Going Strong Here (I) When you use an action ability, you may also perform a basic action using your Mid die on the same roll.
Unexpected Burst of Speed (R) When an opponent Attacks, you may become the target of that Attack and Defend yourself by rolling your single Close Combat die.
Out
You Think That Hurt? (A) Hinder an opponent by rolling your single Banter die.
Tactics
Florida Man is all about the single-target melee thing, although in an emergency he can always throw big heavy stuff for very mediocre ranged attacks. He starts off with a Max die Attack ability, moves on to a Max + Min with a strong (if slightly double-edged) Boost rider, and winds up with a Max + Mid + Min hit that gets all his bonuses sacrificed to it to boot. Couple that with solid damage reduction, a strong full-party defensive reaction when it's most needed, and a taunt option to limit enemy actions and you've got a pretty good tank. If he's forced to deal with minions he has two different reaction that trigger when he defeats one, letting him choose between getting free bonuses or healing. His high damage lets him reliably tackle the toughest minions he can find to maximize the benefits, while in Red he gains a free basic action almost every turn that lets him slap down a minion while still hitting a more suitable target. That's a really good choice to upgrade to Yellow with four Hero Points when the narrator lets you. He's also just generally good at solving problems with sheer force, and even the smallest bonus from an ally makes his other Principle very versatile.
Design Notes
I've very deliberately not taken Principle of Amnesia on a Blank Slate background because A) it's too bloody obvious and B) Principle of Ambition has a lot more roleplaying potential for driving him down a "gray" hero path as he tries to regain his memories and maybe take revenge on whoever made him what he is. Gives off a sort of original run Swamp Thing vibe, that.
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