Name: The Sawhorse Val Char Cost 25* STR 5 12 DEX 6 25 CON 30 20 BODY 20 8 INT -2 10 EGO 15 PRE 5 4 COM -3 12* PD 7 12* ED 5 3 SPD 8 8 REC 50 END 41 STUN *Bonuses for Density Increase included Characteristic Rolls: STR: 14-, DEX: 11-, CON: 14-, INT: 11-, EGO: 11-, PER: 11- Run: 25", Swim: 2", Jump: 3", Lift: 800 kg Cost Powers END/Roll 13 Density Increase 10 points, +1/2 adv 0 END, +1/2 adv Persistent, -1/2 limit Always On, x4 Mass, -2" Knockback 5 Damage Resistance, 5 PD, 5 ED 30 75% Physical Resistant Damage Reduction, -1 limit STUN Only 38 Running +19" (Total 25") 30 Full Life Support Cost Skills, Talents, Perks Roll 5 Concealment 12- 9 +3 Levels with Move-By, Move-Through 100+ Disadvantages 15 Animated Log, not concealable 15 As Dumb As A Post, common, strong 10 Easily Startled, common 25 Can't Move Head (No Neck); No Manipulation 10 Reputation 11-: The Fastest Thing on Legs in Oz 10 Watched 11-: Princess Ozma 15 Susceptible to Termites, 3D6 Damage per Minute, uncommon 10 Bumpy Log Bonus OCV: 4 (7 with Move-By); DCV: 4; ECV: 3; Mental Def.: 0; Phases: 4, 8, 12 PD/rPD: 12/5; ED/rED: 12/5 Costs: Char.: 81 Disad.: 100 Powers: + 130 Base: + 100 Exp.: + 11 Total: = 211 Total: = 211 Source: L. Frank Baum, "The Land of Oz," 1904; "Dorothy and the Wizard in Oz," 1908 Background: The Sawhorse isn't the flashiest hero in Oz, nor the brightest, but it is a stalwart companion and has accompanied Dorothy Gale and Princess Ozma on most of their adventures. Despite its fame, the Sawhorse is very aware of its origins and is soft-spoken and humble. When Ozma escaped from the sorceress Mombi she fled toward the Emerald City to get help from the Scarecrow. She collapsed, footsore and exhausted, in a forest near an abandoned lumber camp. While recovering, she noticed that a rough-hewn sawhorse left behind by the lumberjacks looked vaguely like an animal. She used the Powder of Life stolen from her captor to animate the sawhorse so that she could ride the rest of the way to her destination. She was unable to get the creature to cooperate until she carved wood chips into a pair of ears for it; the Sawhorse had been deaf and was frightened by being brought to life. The creature's fantastic speed enabled her to reach the city ahead of Mombi and General Jinjur's army of conquest. The Sawhorse joined Ozma and the Scarecrow in escaping from Jinjur and helped them get to Glinda the Good's castle. During their adventures together, Ozma discovered that the Sawhorse's wooden legs tended to wear out while it was running. When she became ruler of Oz, she fitted it with new dowels with gilded steel caps on the ends. She also attached a saddle to its middle. Residents of the Emerald City were much impressed by the creature since there are no equines in Oz. However, Jim the Cab Horse -- who accompanied Dorothy, the Wizard, and Zeb Hugson to Oz -- despised the construct as an insulting imitation and challenged it to a race. Although Jim was descended from thoroughbred racers, the Sawhorse beat him handily. Humiliated, Jim chose to return to California with Zeb rather than remain in Oz -- and Ozma made the Sawhorse the nation's official "real" horse by decree. Powers and Abilities: The Sawhorse's body is inflexible, and its legs move only where they join its body. This gives the creature an awkward rocking gait when it walks. In spite of this, the Sawhorse can run faster than many animals can fly, and it never gets tired. The fact that it is essentially a big chunk of tree also makes the Sawhorse relatively tough. There isn't much an opponent can do to really hurt it. Even fire would take some time to cause any significant damage. And it never gets stunned. In combat, the Sawhorse acts as a living battering ram, running into or over opponents. It has also been known to trod heavily on an opponent's feet. With its weight and strength, you know that's got to hurt. Disadvantages: Since it is a block of wood, the Sawhorse isn't particularly smart. It requires constant direction from its rider and tends to take all instructions literally. For instance, it won't stop automatically when it comes to a barrier or a precipice; if its rider doesn't shout "Whoa," it will attempt to keep on going. It is also easily startled, like a skittish real horse, and tends to panic at a sudden noise or motion. Because it doesn't have a neck, the creature must turn its body completely around to look behind it. It also needs help to get back up when knocked on its side or back. (This doesn't prevent it from kicking opponents while it is overturned.) Length: cm (5' 7"), Weight: 400 kg, Sex: None, Race: Magical Construct Appearance: The Sawhorse is a section of log fitted with four sturdy wooden dowels for legs. A notch at one end serves as a mouth, a pair of knots in the wood nearby are its eyes, and Ozma attached wood-chip ears behind the knots. At the opposite end of the log, a small branch functions as a tail. Ozma also inserted a short dowel behind the Sawhorse's head to serve as a pommel. The Sawhorse speaks in a gravelly voice, when it chooses to speak or move at all. When its friends aren't around, it often prefers to stand motionless in a corner like a piece of furniture. ================ 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