Name: The Scarecrow Val Char Cost 13 STR 3 17 DEX 21 14 CON 8 10 BODY 20 INT 10 11 EGO 2 15 PRE 5 10 COM 8 PD 5 8 ED 5 3 SPD 3 6 REC 28 END 28 STUN Characteristic Rolls: STR: 12-, DEX: 12 -, CON: 12-, INT: 13-, EGO: 11-, PER: 13- Run: 10", Swim: 0", Jump: 2-1/2", Lift: 150 kg Cost Powers END/Roll 30 Full Life Support 60 75% Resistant Physical Damage Reduction 40 75% Energy Damage Reduction 8 +4" Running (Total 10") 5 Ultraviolet Vision Cost Skills, Talents, Perks Roll 3 Breakfall 12- 3 Climbing 12- 3 Deduction 13- 3 Eavesdropping 13- 3 Concealment 13- 3 Contortionist 12- 3 Paramedic 13- 3 Stealth 12- 3 Scholar 1 KS: Bird Lore 11- 1 KS: Edible Plants 11- 3 Talent: Double-Jointed 100+ Disadvantages 15 Can't Heal, Must Be Repaired or Restuffed 17 Can't Swim (Absorbs Water Like a Sponge) 10 No Fine Manipulation (Mitten Hands) 15 Loyal to Friends, Common, Strong 15 Fear of Fire, Common, Strong 40 Vulnerable 2x BODY and STUN from Fire 10 Vulnerable 1-1/2x Effect From Knockback 10 Animated Scarecrow, Concealable with Major Effort OCV: 6; DCV: 6; ECV: 4; Mental Def.: 0; Phases: 4, 8, 12 PD/rPD: 8/0; ED/rED: 8/0 Costs: Char.: 62 Disad.: 132 Powers: + 170 Base: + 100 Exp.: + Total: = Total: = 232 Source: L. Frank Baum, "The Wizard of Oz," 1900; first in a series Background: The Scarecrow was created by a Munchkin farmer who apparently never realized that his creation had became self aware as soon as the old feed bag which comprises his head was stuffed with straw. The farmer hung the Scarecrow on a pole in his fields; despite his ability to move and speak, the Scarecrow was a failure at spooking the crows because they realized he couldn't get down to chase them. An old crow told him he could be as good a man as any if he only had brains to think with. Fortunately, Kansas farm girl Dorothy Gale passed by soon afterward and freed him. He decided to join her on her journey to the Emerald City and hoped to ask the Wizard of Oz for a brain. Despite his lack of combat skills and the conviction that he was a fool, the Scarecrow was a valuable companion because of his ability to think quickly and clearly in an emergency and his willingness to risk danger first. After he helped Dorothy defeat the Wicked Witch of the West, Oz named the Scarecrow his successor. He was a popular and effective ruler for the people of the Emerald City until he was overthrown by General Jinjur, whose all-girl army seized the city and established a matriarchy in Oz. The Scarecrow sought the aid of Glinda, Good Witch of the South, but was told that both he and the Wizard of Oz had been illegitimate rulers. He agreed to help Glinda find the restore the missing heir, Princess Ozma, who had been hidden away after the Wizard deposed her father, King Pastoria. The Scarecrow and his allies succeeded in defeating Jinjur and locating Ozma, and he became the girl queen's closest advisor. In this capacity, he assisted Ozma and Dorothy in freeing the royal family of Ev from the clutches of the Nome King. Powers and Abilities: The Scarecrow is virtually invulnerable to physical attacks because there isn't much of him there to damage. If he's shot or stabbed, he merely has a hole in his jacket. If he's struck, the straw inside is merely shifted around. He has no bones to break, organs to damage, or nerves to stun. This fact also protects him against many types of energy attack. His boneless body enables him to squeeze into and out of places more solid characters can't -- hence his Contortionist and Double-Jointed abilities. He is able to see as well by night as by day. His goofy affability enables him to get along well with most people; he's a good team player even when he doesn't get to be captain. Disadvantages: On the other hand, the Scarecrow's grass construction is also the source of many of his vulnerabilities. Any energy killing attack, particularly fire, might ignite his stuffing and destroy him in seconds. Because of this, he is deathly afraid of fire. His Life Support against extreme heat should be portrayed accordingly. The Scarecrow can easily cross a desert that would kill a man because he doesn't suffer from exposure and thirst. However, he can't endure temperatures or other conditions that would normally destroy the materials he is made of. He can't swim because he absorbs water like a sponge; water won't kill him but it can reduce him to a misshappen, sodden mass unable to act effectively until he dries out. He's so light that a strong blow or heavy wind can send him incredible distances, like a kite. The Scarecrow can't heal but must be re-stuffed and reassembled. The GM can assume that any BODY damage he does take literally knocks the stuffing out of him. The good news is that he can be filled with almost anything, and the repair is instantaneous. In one adventure he was reassembled using large quantities of paper money. The Scarecrow can't truly die as long as the sack that makes up his head remains intact. Height: cm (5' 1"), Weight: kg (15 lbs), Sex: Male?, Race: Magical Construct Appearance: The Scarecrow is dressed in the Munchkin farmer's faded blue work jacket and trousers with worn blue leather boots for feet, mittens for hands, and a sack for a head. His face and ears are painted onto the cloth; one eye is slightly larger than the other. He wears the farmer's old hat -- a blue conical affair with a broad, floppy brim. After his encounter with the Wizard of Oz, the top of his head bulges and pins poke out of the cloth when he's thinking hard. ================================================================================ 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