Name: Cowardly Lion Val Char Cost 43* STR 13 20 DEX 30 20 CON 20 16* BODY 8 10 INT 10 EGO 20 PRE 10 16 COM 3 10 PD 5 8 ED 4 4 SPD 10 9 REC 40 END 38* STUN *Bonus for Growth added in Characteristic Rolls: STR: 18-, DEX: 13-, CON: 13-, INT: 11-, EGO: 11-, PER: 13- (15- with Hearing, Smell) Run: 16", Swim: 2", Jump: 8" (standing jump), Lift: 9.4 tons Cost Powers END/Roll 13 10 points Growth, +1 adv 0 END, Persistent, -1/2 limit Always On, x2 Mass, -2" Knockback, -1 DCV. +1 vs. PER Rolls against him 13 Superleap +13" (Total 17-1/2" if Running) 24 2D6 HKA Claws, Reduced Penetration (2x 1D6 HKA; 2x 2D6 HKA with STR) 15 1D6 HKA Bite, 2D6 with STR 9 +15 PRE, -1/2 limit Fear Only, -1/4 limit Only When Roaring 3 1 PD, 1 ED Armor 20 +10" Running (Total 16") 6 +2 Perception, All Senses 4 +2 with Hearing and Smelling Perception 5 UV Vision 10 Tracking Scent Cost Skills, Talents, Perks Roll 10 +2 Levels in HTH Combat 3 Climbing 18- 5 Concealment 12- 5 Stealth 14- 100+ Disadvantages 15 No Fine Manipulation 15 Underconfident, Common, Strong 15 Timid, Common, Strong 15 Uncomfortable Near Civilization, Common, Strong 20 Giant Lion, Not Concealable, Causes Fear 15 Hunted 11-: Wicked Witch of the West, As Poweful 10 Rivalry, Professional and Romantic, Other Male Lions 10 Enraged When Takes BODY Damage 11-, Recover 8-, Uncommon 10 Reputation 11-: Coward 10 DNPC 14-: Dorothy Gale, Less Powerful, Useful Skills 13 King of Beasts Bonus OCV: 7 (9 in HTH); DCV: 6; ECV: 3 ; Mental Def.: 0; Phases: 3, 6 ,9, 12 PD/rPD: 10/1 ; ED/rED: 8/1 Costs: Char.: 103 Disad.: 135 Powers: + 145 Base: + 100 Exp.: + 13 Total: = 248 Total: = 248 Source: L. Frank Baum, "The Wizard of Oz," 1900; first in a series Background: The Lion was convinced that he was a coward because he felt fear when facing an opponent. He figured Dorothy Gale and her friends would be easy prey but broke down when she slapped his nose for trying to bite Toto. He joined the others in traveling to the Emerald City because he hoped Oz would grant him courage. Despite his professed cowardice, the Lion was essential to the group's success. He leaped across deep chasms that blocked the Yellow Brick Road, ferrying the others on his back. He fended off maurading Kalidahs (large bipedal carnivores native to Oz), and later routed an army sent by the Wicked Witch of the West to seize Dorothy and her companions. He and Dorothy were captured by the Winged Monkeys and imprisoned by the Witch, who hoped to force him to pull her chariot. He refused to submit even when she attempted to starve him. After the Witch's defeat, he accompanied Dorothy on her journey south to seek aid from Glinda the Good. In a forest just north of Glinda's borders, he discovered that the animals lived in fear of a monstrous spider. In return for the animals' promise to make him King of Beasts, the Lion stalked and slew the creature. When Dorothy returned to Kansas, the Lion returned to the forest to begin his reign. He remained in the forest for a number of years but joined Princess Ozma's expedition to free the royal family of Ev from the Nome King. The Lion's willingness to endure the confines of the Emerald City is a testament to his loyalty to his friends. Outside their company he is feral and cunning, not someone the player-characters would like to meet in the woods whatever his self-image problems. He's the closest thing the defenders of Oz have to a brick, but his quadraped body prevents him from using his great strength as effectively as a humanoid could. The Lion is terrifying in combat. Most of the time, he uses only his strength against weaker foes. Should he be wounded, however, his opponents will feel the full force of his fangs and claws. Powers and Abilities: I based the Cowardly Lion on the lion write-up in the Hero System Rulesbook because he is a normal beast, only larger and smarter. The Superleap is to compensate for his added mass when jumping. He rarely takes advantage of his full leaping potential since he instinctively leaps from a standing (crouching?) position. When the Scarecrow asked him why, he replied, "Because that's the way we lions do these things." He would gain at least two more dice of Presence if only Dorothy and Ozma would stop putting bows in his mane. Height: cm ( ' "), Weight: 400 kg ( lbs), Sex: Male, Race: Ozian Lion Appearance: Not just a lion but a really big lion. Dorothy Gale claimed he was "as big as a house," but he was able to enter a Munchkin cottage and to sleep on a (presumably king-size) bed at the palace in Emerald City. On the other hand, the Cowardly Lion is large enough to have slain a giant, B-movie-size spider and to haul Princess Ozma's carriage when he visits civilization. Like most beasts native to Oz, he can speak quite fluently. ============== 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 Shaggy 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