Name: Captain Amazing Val Char Cost 20* STR 10 18 DEX 24 15 CON 10 13 BODY 6 10 INT 15 EGO 10 20* PRE 10 18 COM 4 8 PD 4 8 ED 5 3 SPD 2 7 REC 30 END 31 STUN *STR 25, PRE 25, Only with Battlesuit Characteristic Rolls: STR: 13-, DEX: 13-, CON: 12-, INT: 11-, EGO: 12-, PER: 11- Run: 8", Swim: 2", Jump: 4", Lift: 400 kg Cost Powers END/Roll 12 Armor 8 PD/8 ED, -1/2 limit OIF Battlesuit, -1/2 limit Activates 14- 13 Flight 10", -1/2 limit OIF Battlesuit 7 +5 STR, +5 PRE, -1/2 limit OIF Battlesuit 4 +2" Running Cost Skills, Talents, Perks Roll Classic Comic Book Martial Arts Maneuvers 4 Punch (Martial Strike), +2 DCV, STR+2D6, Strike 5 Kick (Offensive Strike), -2 OCV, +1 DCV, STR+4D6, Strike 4 Block (Martial Block), +2 OCV, +2 DCV, Block, Abort 3 Throw (Martial Throw), +1 DCV, STR + v/5; opponent falls 4 Dodge (Martial Dodge), +5 DCV, Dodge, Affects all attacks, Abort 3 Acting 13- 3 Breakfall 13- 3 Bureaucratics 13- 3 Conversation 13- 3 High Society 13- 3 KS: Criminals of Champion City 12- 3 KS: Movers and Shakers of Champion City 12- 3 KS: Repartee 12- 2 KS: Marketing 11- 3 Oratory 13- 3 Persuasion 13- 3 Seduction 13- 3 Trading 13- 2 Familiar with Common Melee Weapons 5 +1 with Hand-to-Hand Combat 10 Perk: Wealthy 75+ Disadvantages 20 Extreme Reputation 14-: Protector of Champion City 15 Secret ID: Lance Hunt, wealthy pillar of the community 20 Opportunist, total 15 Overconfident, common, strong 15 Greedy, common, strong 20 Hunted 11-: Cassanova Frankenstein, more powerful 15 Watched 11-: Corporate Sponsors, more powerful, NCI 1 Quirk: Boyish Grin OCV: 6 (7 w/ HTH Combat); DCV: 6; ECV: 5; Mental Def.: 0; Phases: 4, 8, 12 PD/rPD: 8/8; ED/rED: 8/8 Costs: Char.: 85 Disad.: 121 Powers: + 111 Base: + 75 Exp.: + Total: = 196 Total: = 196 Source: "Mystery Men," Universal Pictures, 1999 Background: Once, Captain Amazing may truly have been a public-spirited defender of the weak and oppressed. He's now a jaded and cynical self-promoter who solicits product endorsement deals with potential advertisers. He hasn't become a villain, per se, but he no longer cares about the people he claims to serve. His good deeds are done for show; he doesn't bother helping others (or even showing them courtesy) if the cameras aren't running and he doesn't stand to gain something from the effort. But he still looks and talks good, so most people think he is the hero he appears to be. Wealthy financier Lance Hunt commissioned the Amazing battlesuit during an outbreak of gang violence and won fame by defeating (with police help) a vertable rogue's gallery of eccentric mob bosses. A saavy marketer, he hired a press agent to shape the public's perception of his activities and a business manager to deal with property damage and legal issues. Grateful city officials erected a statue of him. The civil unrest, however, sent the value of Hunt's investments plummeting just as the bills for the battlesuit came due. When he was approached by a company with an advertising deal, Captain Amazing was unable to refuse More endorsement offers poured in; the Captain explained to potential critics that his commercial activities enabled him to purchase more advanced crime-fighting equipment without dependence on citizens' tax dollars. His battles with assorted colorful villains (many genuine, some undoubtedly staged) were always ratings winners. Popular support and profits soared. By the end of the decade, the city's most ambitious felons were imprisoned or driven into hiding. Voters elected to rename their community Champion City in Captain Amazing's honor. The crime rate plummeted. So did the ratings; there were fewer opponents, and the remainder were less serious threats. Captain Amazing was a victim of his own success. Forced to trade on his reputation, he was reduced to making toothpaste ads. To the citizenry, he is still a paragon. To his sponsors, he is quickly becoming a has-been. He's a desperate man. Why would a gamemaster insert a sleazy anti-hero like this in a campaign? For starters, he's a warning to the player-characters of what they might become if they compromise their ideals. He's also a challenge to deal with. At first, the heroes may consider Captain Amazing a comrade in the war on crime, even a model to emulate. As he crosses their paths more often, however, he'll attempt to take credit for their actions, give them misleading information while eagerly putting to use the clues they've uncovered, abandon them in combat if things aren't going well and there aren't witnesses, and generally stab them in the back. Public officials, news reporters, and other superheroes may refuse to believe the PCs if they complain about the Captain. The heroes might be accused of having some sort of political agenda or of being jealous. Since Captain Amazing is the primary superhero of Champion City, the PCs will have to confront these issues and come up with a solution if they want to keep battling crime there. Powers and Abilities: Captain Amazing's most obvious powers stem from his flying, armored battlesuit. The suit boosts his strength and presence slightly; it was designed by a notable graphic arts firm to look stylish. The Captain is also a competent, if limited, martial artist. His training plus the suit's strength enables him to throw around thugs in a marketably flashy manner. However, Lance Hunt's true power is his ability to manipulate others to achieve his ends. He has persuaded most residents of Champion City, including its criminal community, that he is a model of public service. Note his lack of detective skills; he's bamboozled the police force into doing the work while he takes the credit. Note also his lack of espionage skills such as Stealth. Captain Amazing wants to be noticed; he isn't an effective living billboard unless he is seen by as many people as possible. Disadvantages: Ultimately Hunt's considerable charm can't conceal what a selfish jerk he really is. He will take advantage of any person or situation to promote himself. He can't pass up an opportunity for financial gain even if it is of questionable taste or ethics, although he will avoid activities that are illegal or which might compromise his public image. He is under considerable pressure from his sponsors to keep that image clean and sales up. That pressure caused Hunt to arrange the release of the city's last remaining super villain, a psychotic genius known as Cassanova Frankenstein, because his lack of exciting foes to battle had cost him several profitable licenses. Frankenstein, of course, has vowed to destroy the man who put him in the asylum. Height: cm (5' 8"), Weight: kg (175 lbs), Sex: Male, Race: Caucasian Appearance: Lance Hunt is a boyishly handsome, physically fit man in his late thirties. He has brown hair and eyes. He usually wears some variation of a business suit. As Captain Amazing, he exchanges his thick, black hornrim glasses (they're for show only) for an impressive black leather-and-plastic battlesuit that covers most of his body except for his head. A surprisingly compact section on his back houses a jet pack. The battlesuit is as plastered with corporate icons and logos as a NASCAR driver's racing suit. ============ Hero System write-up by Kevin Scrivner