A nod to the Mad Thinker and his Awesome Android, Professor Ivo and Amazo, and all the other "Big Brain" villains out there with signature artificial henchmen - albeit with a creepy twist of their own..
The Cogitator Supreme and His Mighty Mentomaton
Wilson Waterman was once an important figure in the shadier part of the import/export field, specializing in obtaining artwork and historical artifacts of dubious provenance for private collectors. That was before he first saw the diadem, supposedly an relic of a lost prehuman civilization that one of his agents had "acquired" on speculation. Captivated by the thing, he placed it on his head - and found himself in direct contact with the Master Intellect, the combined mental essence that was the final evolution of that ancient species. Wilson was transformed in a flash of psychic energy, becoming the Cogitator Supreme, a physical extension of that otherworldly gestalt on the material plane.
While Waterman retains some vestige of free will, he now exists primarily to serve the Master Intellect's interests. The group entity seeks to harvest the mental energies of these newly-evolved "humans" to further empower itself, as well as seeking opportunities to satisfy its cold curiosity about these strange new "superhumans" that have appeared since the Intellect achieved their current form. He can remove the diadem to revert to his original form while still retaining a partial connection, letting him use the resources of his civilian identity to track down other useful relics like the Mighty Mentomaton. Even so, he prefers to spend his time as the Cogitator Supreme when possible, reveling in his augmented intellect and dreaming of full acceptance into the Master Intellect itself . To date none of his grander schemes have come to fruition, but he's a slippery customer and it's only a matter of time before he returns to siphon the sapience out of an entire city for his inhuman controller.
Description: A scrawny figure with an enormously oversized, distorted cranium that almost conceals his facial features beneath its overhanging brows. Usually dressed in a loose, pale blue robe that conceals conservative business attire. A lightweight triple-tiered diadem made of some unknown pale yellow metal rests upon his oversized head. He "speaks" using coldly superior and dismissive telepathic tones.
Gender: Male Age: Late Forties Height: 5'7" Eyes: Watery Blue
Hair: Balding Blonde Skin: Spotty Caucasian Build: Weedy, Macrocephalic
Approach: Mastermind Archetype: Predator
Health: 35 + (5 x H)
Powers: Telepathy d12, Deduction d10, Teleportation d8
Qualities: Conviction d10, Augmented Intellect d8, Criminal Underworld Info d8, History d8, Imposing d8, Otherworldly Mythos d8
Status: (# of Enemies Engaged) 0-1 - d10 / 2-3 - d8 / 4+ - d6
Abilities:
Cold Confidence (A) Boost yourself using Conviction. Use your Max die. That bonus is persistent and exclusive. Defend yourself against all Attacks until the start of your next turn using your Mid die.
Improbable Outcomes (R) Take one irreducible damage to reroll your dice pool on your turn or the dice pool of a hero Attacking or Hindering you.
Inhuman Intellect (A) Hinder all opponents that can see or hear you using Imposing. Boost yourself using your Max die.
Mental Supremacy (A) Hinder multiple targets using Telepathy. Use your Max die. Attack any target that gains a penalty this way that already had one penalty from you using your Mid + Min dice.
Upgrades & Masteries (optional):
Quality Upgrade (I) +20 Health. Increase the die size of each of your qualities except Augmented Intellect by one step (maximum of d12).
Extension of the Master Intellect (I) If you are in a situation involving an otherworldly mentality, automatically succeed at an Overcome to carry out its machinations.
Tactics
The Cogitator Supreme has no interest in conflict unless he's supported by allies, preferably including his mighty Mentomaton and any weak-willed minions or powered stooges available. With others to protect his hide, he'll usually open by using Cold Confidence for a lasting bonus and some extra protection, then use Inhuman Intellect repeatedly to impair as many foes while analyzing their weaknesses. Whenever he sees an opening to deal some damage with Mental Supremacy (usually requiring the turn order to go in his favor between two rounds) he'll switch to that instead. As long as he's fairly healthy and his allies are keeping multiple opponents from focusing on him, he'll use his Improbable Outcome reaction on his turn if his dice go cold, otherwise he reserves it for heroes who spike a roll against him.
His upgrade makes that "supreme" in his name a lot more accurate as a result of a closer connection to the extradimensional Master Intellect that empowers the Cogitator.
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The Mighty Mentomaton
The Mighty Mentomaton was "found" in a bogus archeological dig sponsored by "importer" Wilson Waterman. An artificial servant/warrior created by the entities that became the Master Intellect, the ancient construct retains a connection to them even in their immaterial form. It now serves as a potent protector of their mortal servant the Cogitator Supreme, Waterman's alter-ego. The thing lacks true sapience and obeys commands from him and (more distantly) the Master Intellect itself without hesitation.
A product of prehuman science that can't be re-created in the modern day, only one functional Mentomaton has been found so far, but there may be more out there awaiting discovery. It's possible that the construct apes the long-abandoned physical form of the species that became the Master Intellect, although even the Cogitator Supreme is unsure about that. His access to the gestalt is still fairly restricted until he proves himself further, something that galls what's left of his independent personality.
Description: A hulking anthropoid shape made of some coarse, dark gray substance. Its head is a featureless cylinder sitting atop massive shoulders that lead down to ape-like arms, giving the thing a vaguely simian overall appearance. When in combat it extrudes dozens of short metallic blaster barrels from its torso and arms, and may re-shape its four-digited hands into crushing bludgeons and hammer shapes.
Gender: None Age: Prehistoric Height: 7'4" Eyes: None?
Hair: None Skin: Dark Grey, Rough Build: Inhumanly Massive
Approach: Ancient Archetype: Guerrilla
Health: 50 + (5 x H)
Powers: Integrated Arsenal d12, Strength d10, Vitality d10, Teleportation d8
Qualities: Close Combat d12, Ranged Combat d12, Imposing d10, Fitness d8, Synthetic Servant d8
Status: (# of Enemies Engaged) 4+ - d10 / 2-3 - d8 / 0-1 - d6
Abilities:
Amplified Threat Response (I) At the start of your turn, gain a bonus equal to the number of opponents that Attacked you since your last turn.
Compulsion (R) Defend against an Attack by rolling your single status die. Deal that much damage to a different nearby target.
Perfect Obedience (A) Take a basic action using Synthetic Servant. Use your Max die.
Unrelenting Barrage (A) Hinder multiple targets using Integrated Arsenal. Use your Max die. Attack each target using your Mid + Min dice.
Upgrades & Masteries (optional):
Brainwashing Zone (I) +10 Health. While the scene is in the green zone, all heroes' qualities of d8 or higher are reduced by one die size. In the Yellow zone all of the heroes' qualities of d10 or higher are reduced by one additional step (two die sizes total). In the Red zone, all heroes' quality dice are treated as d4. Heroes can remove this upgrade with three overcome successes. If a hero takes a minor twist while taking these Overcomes, they lose access to a quality entirely until this upgrade is removed. If a hero is knocked out while this ability is active, create a new friendly minion with a die size equal to the hero's largest power die to represent the brainwashed hero.
Master of Annihilation (I) If you can cause massive collateral damage without regard for casualties, automatically succeed at an Overcome in a situation where a show of overwhelming force would help.
Tactics
The Mighty Mentomaton will usually be found alongside the Cogitator Supreme, acting as bodyguard and a massively dangerous distraction. It might be sent out on independent errands, but only with instructions to withdraw if faced with strong opposition. The thing's tactics are very simple. Blaze away with Unrelenting Barrage at every opportunity (sprouting some melee weapons as well as blasters if crowded in melee) while trying to draw Attacks to itself to improve its status die and benefit from Amplified Threat Response. Only if it needs to accomplish something else (usually under orders) will it resort to Perfect Obedience instead. The Mentomaton will try to use Compulsion to redirect a foe's strike once per round, either protecting itself or the Cogitator as need be.
Its upgrade vastly improves the vestigial connection to the Master Intellect that's normally represented by its Compulsion ability. Master of Annihilation reflects its brute force approach to problem solving.
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