New Salem Character #23: The Sphinx

The Sphinx (Felix Catt)

Pyramid Tier: 0    Experience level: 5

Affect/Gimmick: Egypt, Cats, Riddles. He's a classic riddle villain, and needs to share his genius with the world. He's also a roaming villain, not tied to New Salem particularly. 

Gang?: Sometimes. Depending on the gig, he sometimes has a small group of thugs or a crew of professional thieves, who are always referred to as his Pride. 

Status: He's a known villain, experienced, smart, not yet captured, and while the Syndicate doesn't care for him, they also don't really care too much about him. He's not targeting specific people in the city over and over, so they're better off just reimbursing if it hits him and not engaging. Of course some of the more egotistical nodes might get their hackles up if he makes them look like idiots.  

Powers: 3

1. Animal/Plant Powers - Mammal. He has several cat powers, mostly from just really acting like a cat. Sometimes he appears to have cats-eyes but not always. No one knows why/how.
1. Heightened Strength C: +8
2. Heightened Agility C: +8
3. Heightened Charisma C: +9
4. Heightened Senses: Catlike balance and nightvision. 
2. Lightning Control Item: This is as book, except that each of the component powers comes from a different piece of gilded hardwood on its surface "Egyptian tech". These are far more advanced than any traditional electronics (even if when you cut into them they appear to be electronics) and they are genetically coded to Catt (though in theory his offspring can use them). Assume 20 charges. These include 
1. Kopesh-topped spear: +3 to hit, +1d4 damage with a carried lighting control attack, or can fire lightning bolts to 22" range, each 2d8 damage
2. Egyptian Bow & Arrows: 44" range, +4 to hit, HTH +1 damage and the arrows carry a special attack to short out electronics, 44% chance. 
3. Control Scarabs: toss onto electronics for the usual control chances as per the rulebook. 
4. Pharaoh's Nemes: the headdress of the rulers of egypt, his looks kind of like a mane and also gives him Lightning Control defense. 
3. Heightened Charisma A: +12
4. Low Self Control: Has to leave riddles about his next crime; of course those riddles set people up for the wrong answer, but he still has to a) play fair and b) leave them.  

Weight: 230      Basic Hits: 5    Agi Mod: +0

S: 23        E: 14        HP: 50

A: 21        I:  23        Pow:  82

C: 22                        Move: 59

Accuracy: +4

Damage Mod: +4

Reactions Mod: +4

Carrying Cap: 1389    HTH: 1d10

Inventions: He will build specific tech for each crime, usually 1-2 pieces of one use tech. At one point he had a flying chariot, and he may bring that back at some time as needed. 

Background/Origin: Felix Catt claims that as an Egyptologist he found a hidden room inside the Sphinx that revealed to him secrets of Egyptian Technology*. This is likely all balderdash, but hey, it's a weird world. What is known is that he is a world class genius with electrical engineering, riddles, and Egyptology. He used to hold a post at Yale, but even they couldn't put up with this much eccentricity. 

*Stolen from Detective Comics 508