New superhero written up for a play-by-post game that's taking its core concept from the Dispatch PC game (which just finished up its initial arc at time of writing). All the PCs are going to be employees of a security company called SDN, with some being idealistic hero types, some just punching the clock, and some reformed (?) villains. The GM will be playing NPC dispatchers and other executives (who may or may not be supers themselves) who send us out on specific missions that make up the bulk of the action scenes. We have a lot of players (7 or 8 IIRC) and we'll usually be split into smaller groups with varying rosters based on the missions involved, emulating the Dispatch game setup with the POV shifted to the field operatives rather than the dispatcher.
It's an interesting pitch, and I'm looking forward to seeing how it plays out.
Dynamic
Ryan Rushmore wasn't so much recruited by SDN as he was given a position with the company to make him stop bothering Management. It isn't a very important position, and his paycheck goes straight to the philanthropic organization he set up years ago, but it lets him get out there in the streets (and skies) as a superhero with some vaguely official status. Ryan is very keen on proving himself, and sincerely believes that he's providing an aspirational example that anyone can be a hero and change the world for the better with the right mindset and some determination. Sometimes when he gets talking you can almost believe in his dream yourself. Reality usually crashes in shortly afterwards, but it's a nice dream while it lasts.
If nothing else, he's a pretty good "face" for a super-powered security company, and he pays for his fancy suit himself.
Ryan's optimistic outlook tends to overlook his own natural advantages. He's smart, smooth-talking, handsome, and a savant when it comes to a electrical science and engineering who graduated with his PhD at 16 years old. A self-made multi-millionaire thanks to his many patents, even that hasn't ruined him. Almost half his income goes toward charitable causes, principally backing other young inventors and scientists and helping fund STEM education in under-budgeted schools.
Most of the rest goes toward paying for the Dynamic electro-suit, including maintenance, repair, and ongoing research into improving its capabilities. He regards himself as a cross between a test pilot and an superhero when in the suit, taking risks he wouldn't ask others to accept. His long-term goal is to make suit variants that are safe enough and affordable enough to produce en masse for a wide variety of roles, from industrial construction to emergency services, but that's a long way off yet - a process not accelerated any by his refusal to work with the military.
Description: Seen outside of his power suit, a young man with broad smile, a winning personality, and the looks of a movie star. When in action, he wears a sleek, photogenic power suit in a mix of bold blues and electric yellows with sharply contrasting black detailing that resembles a stylized circuit diagram. The suit's mask is an abstracted version of his own features. His voice is a powerful baritone worthy of a voice actor.
Gender: Male Age: 24 Height: 5'11" Eyes: Blue
Hair: Blonde Skin: Tanned Caucasian Build: Calendar Model
Background: Upper Class Power Source: Powered Suit Archetype: Elemental Manipulator
Personality: Alluring Health (G/Y/R): 34/25/12
Powers: Electricity d10, Immense Wealth d8, Power Suit d8, Absorption d6, Flight d6
Qualities: Conviction ("We can all be heroes") d10, Science d10, More Than Just His Money d8, Persuasion d8
Status: Green (34-26) - d6 / Yellow (25-13) - d8 / Red (12-1) - d12
Abilities:
Green
Controlled Charge (A) Attack using Electricity. Use your Max die. Take damage equal to your Min die.
Electro-Web (A) Defend using Electricity. Use your Max die. Boost using your Min die.
Power Buffers (I) Whenever your status changes due to a change in your current Health, you may remove a penalty from yourself.
Principle of the Electron (A) Overcome in a challenge involving Electricity. Use your Max die. You and your allies each gain a Hero Point. Minor twist: What other energy type is causing your powers to go on the fritz? Major twist: What source of energy is currently dampening all of your powers? RP: You have a knack for manipulating electricity and can interact with it easily.
Principle of the Team (A) Overcome by using your status as a team representative. Use your Max die. You and your allies each gain a Hero Point. Minor twist: What embarrassment did you just cause your team? Major twist: What major sanctions will you suffer as a result of your actions? RP: Your heroic team takes up a significant portion of your life and you have a position within the team. Civilian authorities will recognize your status on the team.
Yellow
Capacitor Override (R) When you take damage from Electricity, treat the amount of damage dealt as a Boost for yourself.
Rapid-Fire E-Mag Accelerators (A) Attack up to three different targets using Power Suit. Use your Max die on one target, your Mid die on a second target, and your Min die on a third target. If you roll doubles, either take a minor twist or take irreducible damage equal to that die.
Sustained Blitz (A) Attack multiple targets using Electricity. Take damage equal to your Max die.
Red
Cyclic Generator Stabilization (I) If you would take damage from Electricity, ignore that damage and instead Recover that much Health. Use the value of that damage to Boost yourself.
Time To Save the Day (R) When an opponent Attacks, you may become the target and Defend by rolling your single Red zone status die.
Out
Hazard Pay (A) Boost an ally by rolling your single Immense Wealth die.
Tactics
A lot of Dynamic's tactics involve using the right abilities at the right time, letting the suit accumulate a greater and greater charge over time rather than rushing the process and risking systems failure. Or at least that's the theory. In Green, you have access to the powerful Controlled Charge option for offense. You could also look for opportunities to make Principled Overcomes, but you may want to generate some bonuses first for twist insurance. Electro-Web gives you a versatile option to do so, since both the strong Defend and weaker Boost can be targeted on you or on others, and can be split up for best effect. Power Buffers offers some easy penalty removal, although it won't come into play much until your begin the Yellow/Red/Yellow yo-yo.
In Yellow you gain your Capacitor Override reaction, which turns your self-inflicted Electricity damage into Boosts, and if the enemy is throwing lightning around that's just a (literal) bonus. You have two new strong offensive options as well. Rapid-Fire E-Mag Accelerators is strong and offers some non-Electrical damage output, but rolling doubles can really hurt (although remember the twist option). Sustained Blitz is even better for multi-target work, although the high self-damage may not be worth it just for the Boost it can offer, so it's more of a Red zone trick.
Once you reach Red the last piece falls into place, with Cyclic Generator Stabilization effectively replacing your earlier reaction and turning every instance of electrical damage into combined Boosts and healing. This will likely result in you bouncing over the Y/R Health boundary repeatedly - which also lets you clear penalties each time for free. You also gain the Time To Save the Day reaction for d12 defense for yourself or allies, making Red zone brinkmanship a lot safer. Sustained Blitz becomes far more of a go-to move in Red, and if you really need Max die single-target damage you still have access to options in Green and Yellow. Rapid-Fire E-Mag Accelerators can be pretty risky in Red unless you take the twist on doubles, but Controlled Charge produces relatively small amounts of Boosting and healing coupled with that big Max die damage.
When Out you can still offer a modest Boost for allies with Hazard Pay.
Design Notes
This is a bit of a gambler's build that has the potential to trade a lot of Health away in Yellow on strong Attacks and Boosts generated through self-damage, then recover it and gain further Boosts as you bounce back out of Red, hopefully repeating the cycle multiple times per scene. It's got high damage output even from Green, and bonuses can crank its Mid die multi-target ability up to terrifying levels. It's lacking in Hinders and only gains a reactive Defend in Red, but the steady flow of bonuses does give it a better Overcome game than it may appear.
You could also play it safe(r) and rely on your 3-target Attack in Yellow, which won't produce bonuses but only hurts you on doubles, and even then you could take a twist instead. Using Max + Mid + Min over three targets is still quite strong, and it also applies generic physical damage rather than typed energy damage, helping get around the rare villain damage immunity or inversion tricks.
It also has deceptively strong penalty removal once you start bouncing between Yellow and Red, and its Red reactive Defend is very strong and versatile, potentially covering an ally if need be. Should make for an engaging and thoughtful build in play - at least more so that the usual "invert damage and blast away" Elementla Manipulator streotype.
