Name: Tin Woodman Val Char Cost 18 STR 8 13 DEX 9 20 CON 20 16 BODY 16 10 INT 15 EGO 10 18 PRE 8 14 COM 2 5 PD 1 5 ED 1 3 SPD 7 8 REC 40 END 35 STUN Characteristic Rolls: STR: 13-, DEX: 12-, CON: 13-, INT: 11-, EGO: 12-, PER: 11- Run: 6", Swim: 0", Jump: 3-1/2", Lift: 300 kg Cost Powers END/Roll 21 7PD, 7ED Armor 30 Full Life Support 15 2D6 HKA, -1 limit OAF Axe Cost Skills, Talents, Perks Roll 3 Bureaucratics 13- 3 Conversation 13- 2 AK: Oz 11- 2 KS: Wood Carving 11- 2 PS: Carpenter 11- 2 PS: Lumberjack 11- 3 Oratory 13- 3 Persuasion 13- 3 Tracking 11- 6 +2 Levels with Axe 75+ Disadvantages 15 Can't heal, must be repaired by tinsmith 10 No stealth, clanky metal body 25 3D6 STR Drain per Turn when exposed to water (rusts) 15 Protective of friends 20 Hunted 11-: Wicked Witch of the West 15 Metal man, not concealable 2 No Swimming (-2") OCV: 4 (6 with Axe); DCV: 4; ECV: 5; Mental Def.: 0; Phases: 4, 8, 12 PD/rPD: 7/4; ED/rED: 7/4 Costs: Char.: 82 Disad.: 102 Powers: + 95 Base: + 75 Exp.: + Total: = Total: = 177 Source: L. Frank Baum, "The Wizard of Oz," 1900; first in a series Background: The heroic Tin Woodman began his existence as human woodcutter Nick Chopper. Engaged to a pretty Munchkin girl, Chopper was determined to earn enough money to replace his log cabin with a comfortable house so they could marry. However, the girl's guardian bribed the Wicked Witch of the West to break up the engagement. The Witch cursed Chopper's axe so that it slipped, severing his leg. Miraculously, Nick survived this grevious injury. At first, he feared he would be unable to support his fiancee, but a neighboring tinsmith made him a prosthetic leg which worked so well that Chopper soon returned to work. Although the cursed axe continued to cost Chopper limbs, the courageous young man kept going with arms and legs of tin. He even persisted in his efforts when the axe cut off his head; the tinsmith -- who by this time apparently was in the habit of checking up on him -- replaced it with a functioning metal prosthetic as well. When the axe cut his torso in two, however, Chopper became convinced that his now all-metal body lacked "heart." He broke off the engagement and retired to his cabin, grieving over his lost humanity. Caught in a rainstorm while working outside, he rusted solid and was trapped for one year until the Scarecrow and Kansas farm girl Dorothy Gale stumbled upon his cabin. After oiling his joints so that he could again move, the pair persuaded him to accompany them to the Emerald City, where Chopper hoped to ask the Wizard of Oz for a heart. This decision brought him once again to the attention of his old foe, the Wicked Witch of the West. The Tin Woodman proved to be Dorothy's most effective protector against the Witch's henchmen. Despite his desire to be gentle and sensitve, he ruthlessly slaughtered wolves, giant ravens, and black bees sent to destroy the girl and her friends. He was overcome only when a swarm of Winged Monkeys lifted him into the air and dropped him onto sharp rocks. After the Witch was defeated, her former subjects proclaimed the Woodman their new ruler. He became an able if somewhat vain administrator, calling himself "emperor" and having his dull tin body plated with gleaming nickel. He left his throne, however, to help the Scarecrow battle an army of insurgents led by General Jinjur, an ambitious former milkmaid who seized the Emerald City and established a matriarchy in Oz. He also assisted Dorothy and the Scarecrow in rescuing the royal family of the kingdom of Ev from the sinister Nome King. Powers and Abilities: Most of the Tin Woodman's abilities derive from his metal body. He is impervious to most melee weapons (including, fortunately, his own axe) and to the rare black powder firearms native to Oz. He's durable but not invulnerable. His hollow tin body can be crushed by blows or pressure of sufficient force. His above-average physical statistics are intended to reflect his mechanical toughness and tirelessness. He doesn't need to breathe, eat, or sleep. It's tempting to consider the Tin Woodman a sort of full-conversion cyborg -- but he has no internal organs or mechanisms. He's a simple, articulated metal shell in the shape of a man that retains Nick Chopper's consciousness by some unknown means. Because of this, he doesn't share the common robotic vulnerabilities to electricity, magnetism, and so forth. He has no circuits inside to scramble, no gears to jam. Because he is hollow, he is relatively light for his size. His ability to run and jump are undiminished. He can float in water rather like an oil drum but cannot swim (his joints seize up when exposed to moisture). Disadvantages: His metal body is also the source of the Woodman's weaknesses. If he does take damage, he can't heal normally but must be repaired by a tinsmith or other qualified metalworker. His joints rust when exposed to moisture, effectively immobilizing him until he is dried and oiled. Even when he's perfectly lubricated, the Tin Woodman bangs and clanks when he moves. He might be able to sneak up on someone in a noisy machine shop or during a rock concert, but otherwise stealth is physically impossible for him. Height: cm ( 6' 2"), Weight: kg (190 lbs), Sex: Male?, Race: Magical Construct Appearance: Even with his nickel plating, the Tin Woodman resembles an animated hot water tank with jointed, tubular limbs. His head is a metal globe mounted on a swivel joint. He has a prominent, spout-like nose and wears a cap that looks like an inverted metal funnel. He has a welded square patch on his chest where the Wizard of Oz installed his heart. If it's not in his hand, his axe is always nearby. His deep metallic voice sounds as if he were speaking inside a drainpipe. He usually wears a kindly, bemused expression but quickly becomes a relentless mechanical slayer if his friends are threatened. ================================================================================ The Defenders of Oz Why write up the Oz crew for the Hero System? There are several good reasons. According to author L. Frank Baum, Oz is a difficult to reach but real place located on early twentieth-century Earth, much like other lost worlds such as Maple White Land, King Solomon's Mines or Pellucidar. And like them, it preserves something from the planet's past, in this case, functioning magic. It is conceivable that a hardy band of cowboys or pulp adventurers or a superhero team could stumble upon Oz during their travels. Also, the heroes of the Oz books are arguably the earliest example of a modern superhero team, predating the Justice Society of America by more than forty years. While they may not be as "super" as later protagonists, they demonstrably have abilities beyond those of mortal men. The Cowardly Lion's powerful muscles enable him to leap wide ravines and reach palace balconies with a single bound. The Tin Woodman and Tiktok are at least men of metal, if not of steel, impervious to blades and to the primitive firearms native to Oz. The Raggedy Man, while not strictly a master of men's minds, frequently gains the loving cooperation of total strangers. Dorothy Gale may not be able to bend steel in her bare hands, but she is an all-American heroine raised by foster parents on a small Kansas farm. Like Captain America of the Avengers, she's able to get her motley collection of powerful friends to work together to protect the people of Oz against evil. ============== Hero System write-up by Kevin Scrivner