An oddball villain from back in my first ongoing game. While I've got some other "stealthy thief" style villains like Black Rabbit, Despoiler (when he doesn't go out of control) and the Emerald Phantom, this one is more of a espionage agent and infiltrator than a crook.
Slink
Slink is a gimmick villain with a specialty in infiltration, relying on remarkable skill and an array of gadgetry rather than exotic powers to do the job. While they could simply steal for a living, it's much more common for them to be hired to go somewhere and commit acts of espionage ranging from copying, altering or deleting information to leaving behind bugs, planting evidence (false or otherwise) or sabotaging equipment. They won't take on direct assassinations or kidnappings or leave behind lethal mechanisms like explosives but outside of that there doesn't seem to be much beyond the pale for them. To date Slink's true identity is unknown, even among the criminal underworld, but their reputation continues to grow as they pull off job after job.
Description: A slim, anonymous figure dressed head to toe in some kind of chameleon bodysuit. In ideal situations the suit is almost as good as true invisibility, leaving only a slight hint of distortion in the air. Even at worst it's blurry and hard to see, seeming to drink in light rather than reflect it. The suit is also incredibly slippery when the wearer wants it to be while somehow also maintaining selective adhesion to handle objects and cling to walls and ceilings. Whatever other gear the being has is similarly concealed, as are the objects being made away with - or brought to leave behind, when deploying surveillance devices or sabotage mechanisms. Slink rarely communicates on a job, and when they do their voice is altered into flat mechanical tones.
Gender: Unknown Age: Unknown Height: 5'5" Eyes: Concealed
Hair: Hidden Skin: Fully Covered Build: Lithe
Approach: Skilled Archetype: Loner
Health: 25 + (5 x H)
Powers: Gadgets d10, Leaping d8, Wall-Crawling d6
Qualities: Alertness d10, Stealth d10, Finesse d8, Mysterious Intruder d8, Persuasion d8, Technology d8
Status: (# of Other Allied Villains) 0 - d10 / 1-2 - d8 / 3+ - d6
Abilities:
Concentrated Soporifics (A) Hinder using Stealth. Use your Max + Min dice. The resulting penalty is persistent and exclusive.
Dispersed Soporifics (A) Hinder multiple targets using Gadgets. Recover Health equal to the number of targets Hindered this way.
Extensive Training (A) Take any basic action and use your Max die. Recover Health equal to your Mid die.
Hardly Touched Me (R) When you would be Hindered, reduce the penalty to -1. When an Attack would reduce you to zero Health, reduce the damage to one.
Upgrades & Masteries (optional):
Quality Upgrade (I) +20 Health. Increase all Quality dice sizes except Mysterious Intruder by one (max d12).
Master Mercenary (I) If you have a contract for a specific task, automatically succeed at an Overcome when your payment is at stake.
Note: If using the alternate homebrew masteries suggested in this earlier postthis earlier post, swap Master Mercenary for Master Infiltrator instead.
Master Infiltrator (I) If you've had the opportunity to properly study a security system, automatically succeed at an Overcome to bypass or otherwise manipulate that system without being detected. Villains with this Mastery rarely remain in prison for very long unless special countermeasures are employed to prevent their escape.
Tactics:
Slink just wants to complete whatever their current mission is and leave, they have zero interest in a fight if they can possibly avoid it. If an Action Scene breaks out they'll make an attempt at finishing their job but the minute their personal Health zone goes below Green they'll start looking for ways to elude pursuers and depart, post haste. They'll try to hamper the most aggressive foes with Concentrated Soporifics or deal with groups using Dispersed Soporifics, then use their Extensive Training to pull off tricky Overcomes to hide, grab (or plant) whatever they're here for, cause distractions by starting challenges, or otherwise mess with heroes. Only in the direst of circumstances would they consider making an Attack. Despite their excess of caution, Slink is actually pretty hard to seriously impair or put down for good thanks to their Hardly Touched Me reaction and multiple healing options.
Their upgrade makes them even better at all the things they do, as well as a bit more durable (and hence harder to push to Yellow or Red). Depending on which mastery you use with them they may be a little more willing to stick to mission in the face of violence, or even better at turning security systems against their owners and guardians.
Design Notes:
In my campaign Slink's big secret was that they weren't a single person. There were actually six Slinks, all of whom had been adopted and trained from a young age by the surviving members of a previous generation's group of master infiltrators, making them a secret legacy team. While only a single Slink was seen at a time, one or more of the others would provide backup, sometimes from undercover roles within the target organization or facility. Mechanically, this worked as environment twists or the actions of a "powerful" (or at least untouchably concealed) entity.
Because of their nonviolent evasive approach, scenes with Slink usually include an environment that's largely hostile to the heroes because of sabotaged security systems, one or more challenges rigged up as distractions, and multiple locations with Slink's objective (often hidden) in one of them, forcing everyone to move around more than usual. Allied villains, lieutenants or minions are pretty much unheard of, but it's quite possible that sheer bad timing might lead to Slink running into someone else's fight by accident. Other villain targets might be defending Slink's objective, raiding it themselves, or even just there to attack the heroes guarding the place. In that kind of situation Slink will try to avoid both sides in the clash while carrying out their task, and might very well get away with it if they avoid attracting too much attention.
If you want an aggressive version of Slink as a more traditional villain, it's easy to do a "mean Slink" variant by simply by swapping out Dispersed Soporifics for the more aggressive ability below.
Deploy Neurotoxins (A) Attack multiple targets using Gadgets. Hinder each target using your Max die.
Still not an offensive powerhouse but willing and able to launch some Attacks when called for, and less likely to back off in the face of strong opposition. Most likely to appear after one or more of the other five team members have been captured, injured or killed in action, leading to the survivors becoming more brutal and unprincipled.
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