A dreadful Cold War stereotype who's evolved into a dreadful modern stereotype, because every hero deserves an opportunity to punch a dictator in the nose.
Ivan Kranjo, Citizen Supreme of Brulgovia
Ivan Kranjo has been Citizen Supreme of Brulgovia since the communist revolution overthrew the former constitutional monarchy in the early 1900s, but he never seems to age and retains an iron grip on power even in 2023. Rumors of super-science youth treatments, black magic, or a long succession of body doubles or clones are rife outside of the nation, but within it the loyal Citizens accept his longevity without question. While not actually a supervillain himself, the Citizen Supreme has the backing of an entire nation of fanatical followers, access to various super-tech gadgets from tame scientists and the international black market, and considerable diplomatic protection from his status as head of state.
In the Gold and Silver Ages he was beholden to Moscow and acted as a proxy for them throughout the Cold War, serving as a stereotypical communist schemer that was invariably stopped from stealing NATO scientific secrets by patriotic Western supers. After the fall of the USSR Brulgovia became a rogue state with Kranjo still in place as an autocrat. The country continued to pursue its own shady interests and became a notorious haven for unethical scientists and minor villains on the run. Think "less backward and deprived North Korea in Eastern Europe, but with supers and mad science rather than nukes" and you've got the general vibe of the place post-Soviet Union.
Description: A big hairy bear of a man who bears a striking resemblance to Joseph Stalin if he was wearing Fidel Castro's facial hair. Always dressed in a Brulgovian military uniform loaded with self-awarded medals and ribbons, with various gadgets, weapons and defenses concealed beneath. He has a deep voice with a thick vaguely Eastern European accent and knows how to use it best for motivational speeches and issuing commands...or threats.
Gender: Male Age: Always Seems Forty-Something Height: 6'2" Eyes: Black
Hair: Black, Mustachioed & Bearded Skin: Caucasian Build: A Great Bear Of A Man
Approach: Adaptive Archetype: Overlord
Health: 30 + (5 x H)
Powers: Gadgets d10, Intuition d8, Presence d8, Vitality d6
Qualities: Leadership d10, Conviction d8, Paranoid Head of State d8, Self-Discipline d8
Status: (# of Minions & Lieutenants) 9+ - d12 / 5-8 - d10 / 3-4 - d8 / 1-2 - d6 / 0 - d4
Abilities:
Citizen Supreme (A) Use an action ability of one of your allies.
Cracking Skulls (A) Attack using Gadgets. Use your Max die. Defend yourself against all Attacks until your next turn using the number of your minions in the scene.
Do Not Fail Me! (R) Reroll any number of minion saves against the same Attack.
Finest Brulgovian Technology (R) When Attacked, Defend yourself by rolling your single Gadgets die. Boost yourself using the same result.
Forward! For Brulgovia! (A) Boost using Leadership for all your minions until the start of your next turn.
Taking Names (I) On your turn, whenever you Attack a target you haven't dealt damage to yet this scene, Boost yourself using your Max die.
Upgrades & Masteries (optional):
Personal Shield (I) You cannot be damaged by anything except yourself until the defense shield is destroyed. The shield has 40 Health, or can be deactivated with three Overcome successes. If a hero takes a minor twist working on the shield, you can use a Reaction to Attack that hero by rolling your single Gadgets die. Gain Reestablish Shield (A) Overcome using Gadgets. Use your Max die. On a success remove one success from the deactivation challenge. Alternatively, instead of an Overcome, use your Max die to Recover that much of the shield's Health. This ability cannot be used if the shield has been completely removed.
Master of Conquest (I) As long as you are in command of your own forces, automatically succeed at an Overcome to seize an area or capture civilians.
Tactics
Ivan Kranjo is a brash and overconfident foe as long as he's accompanied by a group of his loyal subjects, but is quick to look for an escape route as their numbers dwindle. He'll usually spend his actions on Forward! For Brulgovia! initially, increasing his lackeys' effectiveness while he defends them with Do Not Fail Me! or himself with Finest Brulgovian Technology. If things are going well he'll start collecting bonuses by using Cracking Heads to trigger Taking Names. These bonuses are likely to be used with his Mid die when imitating abilities with Citizen Supreme, either to add more minions, heal and Boost himself, or Hinder foes and Defend himself. Note that the relevant lieutenant has to be in play to use their ability, so Kranjo's options diminish as casualties mount. He may also benefit from allied villain abilities if any are present, of course.
His upgrade greatly improves his defensive technology while the Personal Shield lasts, and his mastery reflects his lust for conquest perfectly.
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The lieutenants below represent typical members of Ivan Kranjo's personal entourage, and it would be rare not to see at least one example of each accompanying him into a potential conflict. Multiple Section Leaders are most common within Brulgovian borders, although Companion Guards are more often seen on the rare occasions when the Citizen Supreme goes abroad on a diplomatic mission or similar excursion where he can't bring whole regiments of soldiers with him. When Kranjo uses his Citizen Supreme ability to imitate one of their action abilities, he builds a die pool as usual and uses the Mid die for all effects.
Brulgovian Soldier d8 minion
Description: A proud soldier of the glorious Brulgovian State, equipped for war or peace with the product of our mighty industries, determined to serve the Cause and the Citizen Supreme with unshakeable bravery no foe can match.
Trained To Obey: You gain a +1 bonus to all your rolls as long as an allied lieutenant or villain is nearby, otherwise you suffer a -1 penalty instead.
Companion Guard d10 lieutenant
Description: An elite bodyguard in the direct service of the Citizen Supreme, every fiber of their being dedicated to ensuring the safety of the head of the Brulgovian State and lesser VIPs. Most are specially selected for their attractiveness, thereby distracting the weak-minded foes of the Cause.
Fanatical Determination: Whenever you would fail a save against damage and you do not already have a penalty, ignore the failed save and receive a -2 penalty.
Skilled Bodyguard: As an action, you may Defend a nearby villain and Hinder, applying the resulting penalty to all Attacks made against that villain until the start of your next turn.
Personal Physician d8 lieutenant
Description: Only the finest medical practitioners in all of Brulgovia are selected for service as personal physicians to the Citizen Supreme. They are tasked with ensuring he remains in perfect health no matter what futile poisoning schemes are attempted by foreign agents or faithless traitors.
Brulgovian Medical Science: As an action, you may both Boost a nearby villain and allow that villain to Recover Health equal to your die.
Non-Combatant: When making a save against damage, you suffer a -1 penalty to the roll.
Section Leader d10 lieutenant
Description: A junior officer of the Brulgovian armed forces, courageously leading his loyal men into action and directing their efforts to best serve the Cause and the Citizen Supreme, driving enemies of the State before them no matter the odds.
Summon Reinforcements: As an action, roll your die and add half that many Brulgarian Soldier minions to the scene, rounding fractions up. Mods apply to this roll before rounding.
Veteran Survivor: When rolling to save against damage, you gain a +2 bonus as long as there are any Brulgovian Soldier minions nearby. If you succeed at the save, remove one of those minions.
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Design Notes
If it isn't obvious already, do not build action scenes with this guy unless you include some of his signature lieutenants, particularly the Section Leaders. Kranjo relies on them to both deploy minions and to give him more abilities to borrow from with his Citizen Supreme trick, and as an Overlord archetype he'll underperform badly without them. You might be able to make him work without actual minions (or a minion summoning trick) if you have enough lieutenants (perhaps using minor supervillains to fill that role), but it will leave him with several "dead" abilities.
Trivia
Both Brulgovia and Kranjo's name are homages to the old Tom Swift Junior series, which occasionally featured the forces of both Brulgaria and (less often) Kranjovia as opposition to the heroic young inventor. Both were transparent stand-ins for satellite states of Russia, which was pointedly never mentioned by name. Kid's books during the latter part of the Cold War could be kind of strange.
Also, his name is pronounced "ee-van" not "eye-van" and if there's one thing that really makes him angry, it's getting that wrong.
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