I'll be needing two new PCs for our planned October one-off games, and this oddball is the one I'll be using for what's supposed to be a more gonzo Golden Age-inspired story. I suspect we'll be doing an homage to the old DC comics where Santa Claus needs saving so the holiday can go on, with the Great Pumpkin standing in for the Jolly Old Elf. A character who's a literal toy of sorts seems like a decent fit for that.
Captain Brass
An enchanted toy crafted centuries ago to serve as companion and bodyguard to the oldest son of a Venetian noble, "Capitano Otone" has outlived his old master's bloodline and gone on to develop something at least approximating free will. He still sees himself as a dashing champion and foe of evil - especially assassins and supernatural menaces - and has a reputation in the occult fringe community for being easily convinced to fight for a good cause. Over the years he's partnered with a number of white wizards, exorcists, monster hunters, and similar do-gooders only to see them succumb to age while his own clockwork mechanisms keep ticking along eternally. He's picked up a few magical tricks related to his own artificial nature in the process, letting him manipulate metals beyond merely repairing himself and his mount.
In the modern superheroic age, he goes by Captain Brass and spends his time wandering the world in search of worthy foes, occasionally assisting local heroes who find themselves confronting occult threats or getting entangled in international crimes or the schemes of old foes. At least one criminal collector has made repeated attempts to "acquire" him for their collection of stolen art and antiquities. He's also acquired enough technological savvy to establish an online identity as Giuseppe Otone, private investigator, which his friends and allies use to reach him in times of need.
Captain Brass is rarely seen off of his leonine mount Corragioso, which was built and enchanted with him as a part of a set. The winged lion is oversized in 1/3 scale, standing almost 20" tall at the shoulder and 4' long, with a wingspread over 7'. More of a machine than an animal and obeys Brass without pause, but has only limited "instincts" to act on when separated. The two of them are much more dangerous combined, with absolutely amazing maneuverability even by superhero standards. Brass and Corragioso share the same winding key, and both have a keyhole connected to their mainspring concealed beneath armor plates covering where an organic being's heart would be.
Description: A clockwork construct in the form of a 15th century Venetian cavalryman wearing polished steel plate armor and carrying a long cavalry saber and small round shield. He wears a large brazen key around his neck on a fine steel chain. The heraldry on his shield and tabard mirrors his mount Corragioso, a fantastical lion with brass-feathered wings. Both are roughly one-third scale and amazingly lifelike, right down to the intricate internal mechanisms that lets the cavalryman speak and even sing and the lion produce a powerful (if somewhat tinny) roar.
Gender: Male Age: Created In The 15th Century Height: 2'2" Eyes: Crystal Lenses
Hair: Fine Silver Wire Skin: Brass, Mostly Covered In Steel Plate Built: A Studio In Venice
Background: Created Power Source: Genius Archetype: Sorcerer
Personality: Stalwart Health (G/Y/R): 28/21/10
Powers: Brass-Winged Lion d10, Clockwork Saber d10, Metal d10, Lightning Calculator d6
Qualities: Acrobatics d12, Clockwork Knight d8, Magical Lore d8, Creativity d6, History d6, Technology d6
Status: Green (28-22) - d8 / Yellow (21-11) - d8 / Red (10-1) - d10
Abilities:
Green
Brazen Wings (A) Attack multiple targets using Brass-Winged Lion. Use your Min die for each.
Principle of Immortality (A) Overcome in a situation involving your physical condition. Use your Max die. You and your allies each gain a Hero Point. Minor twist: You take the long view of things. How does that cause you to be too slow to act? Major twist: What important attachment must you shed? RP: You do not age and will not be affected by mundane ailments.
Principle of Mastery (A) Overcome in a situation that uses your powers in a new way. Use your Max die. You and your allies gain each gain a Hero Point. Minor twist: How did your powers fail you in the moment? Major twist: What side effects are you suffering from your powers? RP: You understand the metaphysics of your powers.
Stinging Jab (A) Hinder using Metal. Use your Max die. If you roll doubles, also Attack using your Mid die.
Yellow
Combined Assault (A) Attack using Brass-Winged Lion. Then, if the target survived, also Attack that target with your Max die. Otherwise, Recover Health equal to your Min die.
Masterful Parry (R) When you are Attacked, first roll your single Clockwork Saber die. Use that roll to Defend yourself, then Boost yourself.
Winding Bindings (A) Destroy all mods on a target. Then, Hinder that target using Metal. Use your Max die.
Red
Animated Fragments (A) Use Metal to create a number of d6 minions equal to your Mid die. Choose the one same basic action that they can each perform. They all act at the start of your turn.
Mainspring Strike (A) Attack using Clockwork Saber and at least one bonus. Use your Max + Mid + Min dice. Destroy all of your bonuses, adding each of them to this Attack first even if they are exclusive.
Out
Loyal Fragments (A) Defend an ally by rolling your single Metal die.
Tactics
In Green, Brazen Wings gives Captain Brass a typical multi-target minion-sweeper option while Stinging Jab lets him inflict painful minor injuries, either with precise blows of his sabers, the claws of his mount, or by reshaping any metal his victims are carrying into pins and needles inserted in particularly uncomfortable locations. He prefers not to spend his time on Overcomes while there are foes to face, but when he does his Principles are reasonably easy to apply.
In Yellow, Combined Assault is his go-to single-target offensive move, delivering either very strong damage or some minor healing when dealing with weaker foes. Masterful Parry is a very strong reactive defense and bonus generator, the latter of which will often be used to improve his next reaction or healing when he defeats a weak foe. Winding Bindings is a more specialized move, stripping off enemy bonuses and then applying a strong penalty by wrapping foes in animated metal woven into wire bonds.
In Red, Mainspring Strike puts his damage output through the roof, and every round that his Yellow defensive reaction keeps him in the fight will power another blow. Animated Fragments can be very potent, flooding the scene with minions made from metallic debris - including battered parts of his own body and his mount's. It's unlikely to actually be used in the Red zone though, as taking a twist to use it earlier will almost always pay off better, especially with a bonus or two to throw into it to increase the number of minions created.
Even when Out, allies can still be protected by his magically animated Loyal Fragments.
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