Another member of the Syracuse Seven hero team, the rest of whom can be found at the link along with some of their relatives and enemies.
Mister Corundum
"Mister Corundum" is an alien refugee on Earth, rescued from a group of spacefaring slave traders when they attempted to raid Jersey City a few years back. His real name is mostly outside of human hearing range, hence the "nickname" he's adopted. While he's really a pretty average Tamfranian citizen, his natural advantages put him on par with many supers, so he's volunteered to join a small-time hero team while he waits for an opportunity to get back off world. As a member of a long-lived species he figures he can spare a few decades playing do-gooder for these frail aliens, It's a fair repayment for being saved from a one-way trip to the spice mines or galactic gladiatorial arenas.
Corundum is frequently bemused by Earth customs, and asks a lot of awkward questions about everything from biology to politics. Fortunately he's a good-natured sort and rarely causes lasting offense. He has faced some anti-xeno bigotry already and there's probably more to come, but it hasn't made him cynical yet.
Description: A tall humanoid figure made of blue crystals with pink and purple highlights. Much broader across the shoulders than humans, has a top-heavy look with a microcephalic head. His voice is high pitched and sounds like chimes. If it wasn't already obvious that he's not a Terran native, the six-digited hands and three-taloned feet should make it clear.
Gender: What's That? (Uses he/him) Age: 148 Height: 6'4" Eyes: Dark Purple
Hair: Spikes Of White Crystal Skin: Sapphire Crystal Build: Multi-Faceted
Background: Interstellar Power Source: Alien Archetype: Armored
Personality: Stalwart Health (G/Y/R): 32/24/11
Powers: Vitality d10, Cosmic d8, Strength d8, Awareness d6
Qualities: Alertness d12, Close Combat d8, Deep Space Knowledge d8, Insight d8, Tamfranian Space Construction Worker d8
Status: Green (32-25) - d8 / Yellow (24-12) - d8 / Red (11-1) - d8
Abilities:
Green
Invigorating Punch-Up (A) Attack using Vitality. Recover Health equal to your Min die.
Principle of the Indestructible (A) Overcome when you charge headlong into danger. Use your Max die. You and your allies each gain a Hero Point. Minor twist: What goes wrong with your defenses? Major twist: Who got hurt other than you as a result of you not being able to take damage? RP: You ignore damage from unpowered attacks such as clubs, fists, arrows, etc.
Principle of Space (A) Overcome while in space or similar conditions to space. Use your Max die. You and your allies each gain a Hero Point. Minor twist: Who can hear you scream? Major twist: What caused you to drift off into the unknown? RP: You are unaffected by the rigors of space.
Subtlety Is Overrated (A) Attack using Strength. Attack a second target using your Min die.
Taking Advantage (A) Attack using Alertness. This Attack ignores all penalties and Defend actions, and cannot be affected by Reactions.
Tamfranian Physiology (I) Reduce any physical or energy damage your take by one while you are in the Green zone, two while you are in the Yellow zone, or three while in the Red zone.
Yellow
Blocked Hit (R) When you are Attacked at close range, Defend yourself by rolling your single Vitality die.
Wary Guidance (A) Boost all nearby allies using Awareness. Use your Max + Mid dice. Hinder yourself using your Min die.
Red
Efficient Neural Networking (I) When you use an action ability, you may also perform a basic action using your Mid die on the same roll.
Exploit Every Opening (R) After an opponent Attacks or Hinders you or a nearby ally, Attack that opponent by rolling your single Alertness die.
Hyperreactive (I) You have no limit on the number of reactions you can take. Each time you you use a reaction after the first in a round, take one irreducible damage or take a minor twist.
Out
Impromptu Cover (A) Defend an ally by rolling your single Vitality die.
Tactics
In Green, Mister Corundum has several offensive options. Subtlety Is Overrated offers some minor minion-clearance. Invigorating Punch-Up grants a bit of healing to extend your fighting time, which pairs well with the damage reduction provided by Tamfranian Physiology. Taking Advantage is the highest damage option and bypasses many defensive tricks and reactions, and reflects Corundum's ability to instantly spot and identify weaknesses in enemy fighting styles. Principle of Space is a bit hard to use in most Overcomes but provides a lot of "life support" effects thanks again to his alien nature. Principle of the Indestructible is much easier to use for a frontline brawler and tank.
Once he reaches Yellow, he gains a solid close combat defensive reaction in Blocked Hit, and leans into his role as a tactical leader with the very strong Wary Guidance ability.
His Red abilities have the nasty combination of Exploit Every Opening letting him respond after every Attack or Hinder on himself or a nearby ally, and Hyperreactive means "every opening" means exactly that (as well letting him block multiple close attacks per round of that seems better). He'll probably draw a lot of Attacks fast once this is in play, but hopefully he can exploit it for at least a couple of hits. Efficient Neural Networking will also improve his general action efficiency quite a lot, most likely using it for self-Boosting so he can improve his minor healing ability and last longer.
Once he goes Out, allies can still use his massive frame as Impromptu Cover to Defend themselves.
Design Notes
This hero proved to be a very straightforward port from Tiny d6 Supers to the SCRPG, easily re-creating the original team tactician/brick concept. Everything fell into place easily, and I even managed to add a modest Cosmic die to give him a ranged combat energy manipulation option, which can be pooled with his amazing Alertness quality in Taking Advantage if need be.
Mister Corundum is fairly average specimen of his species, which means he's inhumanly strong, fantastically tough (if a little brittle) and has very quick mental processing thanks to his "brain" being a lattice of crystalline circuitry running through his whole body mass - hence his remarkable Alertness. His natural advantages make him a decent brawler even by superhero standards, but he'll often skip trading punches to use support abilities on his allies. Tamfranian physiology is quite immune to the rigors of deep space - vacuum, hard radiation, zero gravity, extremes of temperature - as represented by Principle of Space. Their visual senses extend to the entire electromagnetic spectrum, and they have an extra sense that detects cosmic and nuclear energies at modest ranges - hence the Awareness power.
His greatest weakness in an intense dislike of heights. Seriously, he gets dizzy on a stepladder, not that most of them can support his weight anyway. He stays well away from windows in skyscrapers, hates making rooftop patrols, and really dislikes flying. The fact that he'd probably hurt the ground more than himself if he fell off a ten-story building doesn't matter, this is an irrational fear of his.
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