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Torque - PL10 Hero- Vibora Bay - WIP

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Posted (edited)



Name: Torque

Power Level: 10

Tradeoffs: -2 Attack / +2 Damage, -2 Defense / +2 Toughness

Power Points: 180

In Brief: Former engineering student remade into a transforming robot
Identity: Shantay Sullivan ('Taye)'
Birthplace: Vibora Bay, FL
Occupation: Wreck yard employee
Affiliations: none
Family: Clayton Sullivan (father), Rose Sullivan (mother), Curtis Sullivan (older brother), Otis Sullivan (uncle)



DOB: April 11rd, 1994

Date of Rebirth: August 3rd, 2019
Apparent Age: Mid-twenties
Gender: Female

Ethnicity: African-American
Height: 5’ 9”
Weight: 148 lbs.
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black (in long braids)


Taye appears to be an attractive young African-American woman in her mid-twenties. She's fairly tall with an athletic build, and tends to favor coveralls and work boots most of the time for their practicality, though she may wear some of her more colorful clothes from her former life underneath. She wears no makeup, some nice jewelry (she's especially fond of large hoop earrings) and usually keeps her long braids up and out of the way in a colorful scarf.


Torque doesn't have a proper costume yet, but as she spends a lot of time in vehicular form, it's not really been an issue. As a vehicle, she can assume aquatic, aerial or land-based forms, physically matching any boat, helicopter or auto she can think of, provided it's within her 'weight class', though she tends to favor sleek, sporty models. 



Shantay 'Taye' Sullivan was a very outgoing graduate of the UFVB engineering program, who hoped to work in the automotive industry someday. Her father, Clayton Sullivan, is a well-connected businessman with several investments throughout Weston, and a four bedroom home in Hollings Hill; however, he is not so secretly a senior lieutenant within Clark Robinson's organization, and a man to be feared. However, Clayton has always done his best to protect his family from that side of his life, and he was determined that both his children would go to college, and have better lives than he or his wife Rose ever did. They firmly but lovingly pushed their children through high school, and both children were able to attend UFVB on full scholarships, Curtis for football and Taye for science. The future was looking bright.


But then during her junior year, Taye began to complain that she was feeling tired all the time; naturally, she thought it was due to her heavy academic workload, and she vowed to get more rest. By her senior year, she was also experiencing fevers and night sweats, significan weight loss and a persistent cough. This led to batteries of tests and hospital visits as Taye's doctors struggled to discover what was making her sick. After several months, she was diagnosed with a very rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and treatment began, involving both chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Despite all this, she still managed to graduate with her degree only a year late, and the sight of the frail young woman in a wheelchair accepting her diploma onstage was extremely moving.


Despite Taye's heroic courage and her father sparing no expense in her treatment, by the time she turned twenty five, it was clear she was losing the fight, and her family was at their wit's end. Friends and associates began to whisper in Clayton's ear; this was Vibora Bay, where there were...other options. But a lifetime of distrust towards magic meant that option was not a viable one. No, his little girl would be saved by science...




When Taye woke up in a bed set up in one of her father's warehouses, surrounded by strange equipment, she didn't feel sick, weak or tired; she felt strong and fully aware. Something was different, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. Her family was there, and she greeted them in a pleasant manner, which seemed to make them uncomfortable for some reason. No matter, she'd been in bed long enough, and she had things to do! But her family asked her take it easy, and stay at home for a few days until she felt 'more like herself'.


Over the next several days, Tate discovered what had happened: through various criminal channels, Clayton has received a canister filled with billions of experimental nanobots which the dealer claimed would save her life, which they did, in a fashion. They'd rebuilt her, on a microscopic level, creating a robotic body indistinguishable from her biological one, including all of her memories, now encoded into her robotic brain. Taye no longer needed to eat or sleep, which she found to be very convenient, but her family, especially her parents, were not comfortable with the change. Then she began to eat pieces of rusted metal, which somehow made her mother cry.


And then came the day Taye offered to drive her father to work...by turning into a Mazzerati. This seemed to make him very upset, which was confusing; she'd always loved Italian sports cars, and now she could become one. This was a good thing, wasn't it? But apparently it wasn't. Clayton and Rose sat Taye down (Curtis wasn't there, for some reason) and said that while they still loved Taye, they didn't feel comfortable with her staying in the house. Her uncle Otis had volunteered to put her up for a while they 'figured things out, which seemed strange, but Taye certainly didn't want her parents to be uncomfortable. Then they cried a lot, which she knew was bad; she remembered that.


Now living in a trailer at her uncle's auto wreck yard, surrounded by her old things, Taye struggled to figure out what went wrong. As far as she could figure out, she was dying, and her father made a deal with some criminals.  The criminals lied, because they saved her life, but it made her parents unhappy. Ergo, if she fought crime, maybe she could find a way to make her parents happy again. Though she didn't understand the feelings behind it, she knew happy parents were better than unhappy parents, and then she could see her brother again. And she knew she wanted that very much.


Personality & Motivation:

'Old' Taye was an outgoing, lively young woman; 'new' Taye appears to aloof and unfeeling, though the ghosts of old emotions still influence her behavior. She wants to help people as a way of finding new purpose in life, and hopes to reconnect with her 'fellow humans'. She prefers to be useful, and appreciates the chance help her uncle out.


Crime ruins lives. True, it allowed Taye to 'survive' her illness, but it also tore her family apart with an unfair devil's bargain that only benefited the crooks involved. No one should be forced into such a situation, and Torque wants to do everything in her power to keep that from happening again.


Powers & Tactics:

Torque is still learning to use her powers. She has some skill in hand-to-hand combat, but is much more effective in vehicular form. She can also use her nannites to breakdown the structure of any inanimate object she touches, normally to make it easier to consume, but the process has many tactical applications as well. Her vehicular forms are also well suited for rapid response transport and rescue operations, and can be devastating in combat.



Was That An Attempt At Humor?: One of the casualties of Taye's transformation was her sense of humor. It's not that she takes everything literally or doesn't understand sarcasm; it's more she doesn't see the point of such things.


The Uncanny Valley: Taye's flat affect and general lack of empathy make her less than pleasant to be around, though some may assume she's on the autism spectrum.


Family Ties, Or The Lack Thereof: Taye's horrified parents are extremely uncomfortable around her since her transformation, and politely asked he to leave. Her brother Curtis and Uncle Otis are a bit more sympathetic to her plight, and sometimes get in over their heads.


This Isn't Coffee, It's Rust Tea: Taye's non-human body can no longer process food, which can lead to awkward social situations.


Abilities:  9 + 4 + [-10] + 6 + 4 + 0 = 13PP

Strength: 35 [19] (+12/+4)

Dexterity: 14 (+2)

Constitution: n/a

Intelligence: 16 (+3)

Wisdom: 14 (+2)

Charisma: 10 (+0)


Combat: 32PP

Initiative: +2 (+2 Dex)

Attack: +8/+10 Melee (+6 Base, -2 Size, +4 Attack Focus [Melee]), +4 Ranged (+6 Base, -2 Size)

Damage: +12/+4 Unarmed

Grapple: +28/+8 (+8 Melee Attack, +12 Strength, +8 Size)

Defense: +8/+10 (+10 Base, -2 Size), +4 Flat-Footed

Knockback Resistance: 14


Saving Throws: 12PP

Toughness: +12/+8 (+ 8 Protection, +4 from Growth)

Fortitude: --

Reflex: +8 (+2 Dex, +6PP)

Will: +8 (+2 Wis, +6PP)


Skills: 88 r = 22PP

Acrobatics 3 (+5)

Bluff 0 (+0, +4 w/ Attractive)

Computers 7 (+10)

Craft (Electronic): 8 (+10)*

Craft (Mechanical): 8 (+10)*

Diplomacy 0 (+0, +4 w/ Attractive)

Disable Device 7 (+10)

Disguise: 0 (+0/+20 as Vehicle)

Drive 8 (+10)*

Knowledge [Current Events] 2 (+5)

Knowledge [Earth Sciences] 2 (+5)

Knowledge [Physical Sciences] 2 (+5)

Knowledge [Streetwise] 2 (+5)

Knowledge [Technology] 7 (+10)*

Notice 3 (+5)

Pilot: 8 (+10)

Search 2 (+5)

Stealth: 10 (+10)

Swimming 8 (+12/+20 as Boat)


Feats: 5PP

Attack Focus: Melee 2


Improvised Tools

Skill Mastery (Craft [Electronic], Craft [Mechanical], Drive, Knowledge [Technology])


Powers: 7 + 40 + 8 + 4 + 45 = 106PP

Drain Toughness 7 (Extras: Affects Objects, Flaws: Affect Only Objects) [7PP}


Immunity 40 (Fortitude and Mental effects) [40PP]


Protection 8 [8PP]


Super-Senses 4 (Darkvision, Infravision, Radio) [4PP]


Vehicle Form 9 (45PP Container [Active]) [45PP]

  • Enhanced Skills 8 (Stealth 8 ) [2PP] (Stealth Mode)

  • Features 3 (Headlights, Internal Compartment, Theme Music [on the radio) [3PP]

  • Growth 8 (Size: Huge, Size Modifiers: +16 Strength [+26 Lifting], +8 Constitution, -2 Attack, -2 Defense, +8 Grapple, +8 Knockback Resistance, +4 Intimidation, -8 Stealth) [24PP]

  • Morph 4 (+20 Disguise, Flaws: Limited to Any Vehicle) [8PP]

  • Vehicular Movement 5 (10PP Array, Feats: Alternate Power 2) [12PP]

    Base Power: Flight 5 (250MPH / 2,500ft per Move Action) [10PP]

    AP: Speed 5 (250MPH / 2,500ft per Move Action, Feats: Subtle) [6PP] (Descriptors: Subtle power feat = Electric back-up motor for Stealth Mode)

    AP: Swimming 5 (50MPH / 500ft per Move Action) [5PP]

  • Disability (No Hands, Frequency: Very Common, Intensity: Moderate) [-4PP]


Drawbacks: -10PP

Vulnerability (Electricity, Frequency: Common, Intensity: Major [x2 Effect Rank]) [-4PP]


Vulnerability (Magnetism, Frequency: Uncommon, Intensity: Major [x2 Effect Rank]) [-3PP]


Weakness (Requires Inorganic Materials, Frequency: Common, Intensity: Moderate [cumulative -1 penalty on all checks, attack rolls and Defense]) [-3PP]


DC Block

ATTACK        RANGE     SAVE                   EFFECT

Unarmed       Touch       DC 12 Tough      Damage

Vehicle          Touch       DC 27 Tough      Damage

Drain              Touch       No Save              Drain Toughness (Inanimate Only)


Abilities 13 + Combat 32 + Saves 12 + Skills 22 + Feats 5 + Powers 106 - Drawbacks 10 = 180 pts

Edited by Heritage

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Posted (edited)

Right now, this is a very much a Frankenstein's monster creation, made from an incomplete build by Grumblefloof and one of AA's Oddballs. The math is all wonky, and lots of stuff needs fixing, but I really like the core concept and fun of the character.

Edited by Heritage

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A lot of the math on the sheet doesn't add up, which is understandable given that it's Frankenstein'd from multiple other sheets.


For starters, since she has no Constitution, she has no Fort save, so no need to spend points there. Immunity means she automatically passes any Fort save she's required to make.

Since she has no Con, Growth is just giving her +4 Toughness while her vehicle form is active, rather than +8 Con. And her Toughness starts at +0, so with +4 from Growth 8 and the Protection currently in her vehicle form, she's got Toughness +6.

I would take the Protection out of the Vehicle Form container entirely.


I would go with 35 Strength instead of 34 just because it makes calculating her lifting strength / carry capacity a lot easier.


The Uncanny Dodge (Radio) doesn't make sense to me, since her only Radio-type sense is, well, Radio. I don't see how picking up and decoding radio wave transmissions corresponds to being able to react when someone tries to surprise attack you. It would make more sense if she had some actual radar.


By default, since she has no Con, she doesn't recover over time from damage or fatigue the way a living creature would. Instead, she has to be repaired, either by herself, or by someone else (and if she's hurt bad enough, it's gotta be someone else).

If that fits your concept, then you're good.


If you want her to be automatically self-repairing, effectively recovering over time like a living creature, then you need to buy recovery bonus with Regeneration. (Living creatures automatically have a recovery bonus equal to their Con bonus, plus any Regen they buy to supplement that.)

Con 0 has a -5 bonus, so 1PP will get her +1, a -4 recovery bonus. Recovery checks are DC10, so she'd have to roll a 14 or better.

5PP in Regen would get her a Recovery bonus of +0, like an average living creature with 10 Con.

14PP in Regen would get her a +9 Recovery bonus, enough to take 1 and automatically succeed at any recovery checks.


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Oh yeah, the math right now is utter nonsense! And yes, the Uncanny Dodge will be gone shortly


Thanks for the advice, Grumble; I think I need to dust off my pdf of UP for a deep dive!

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Got her down to 160, but that's still 10PP over and she's way under caps in Toughness. Saviing for now.

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Here's some revised drawbacks that might help:








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Okay, got her down to 150 (I don't think the usefulness of the headlights justified the expense of Environmental Control). I can start working on her fluff, then present her for full analysis and dissection.

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Posted (edited)

So at Grumble's suggestion, going to shift Torque into a 180 slot, which is much less restrictive.


I'm interested in the Matter-Eater power on page 172 of UP, and having it only be available in her 'human' form. It works well with her Weakness, and could prove useful. Does it violate any house rules? I'd probably cap it at 10 ranks.

Edited by Heritage

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Another concern: I was thinking of giving her a few powers, such as Ranged Damage and Leaping, that she could only use in her humanoid form, but it seems like 'Limited: Can Only Use in Human Form' might be stretching the definition of 'Limited'.

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Don't give them a Limited flaw. Slap them into a Container and make it an alternate power of her Vehicle Form container. Pay 1PP.


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Yes, of course! Ye gods, the potential this character has!

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Torque's crunch is mostly done, but I want to use some Rewards for a Sidekick and an HQ.

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