This was the first V&V character I had based on me, back in 6th grade. I never had the chance to play him because I was always the GM.
Manhunter (Brian Rogers)
Side: Good Experience level: 1
Affect/Gimmick: True to the name he's a detective type/bounty hunter hero with magically based illusions as his main power and carrying a staff that collapses into a cane and also has a detachable head with cable for swinging and entangling people and stuff. Much like with Renegade he was supposed to rely on confusing and misdirecting his opponents attacks with illusions; the sort of thing that works much better in fiction than at the game table with other PCs, especially early teenage boys who want to show off their powers rather than do subtle detective work and illusions that leads all the enemies to shoot each other. The visual image of him - full face mask, curved-edge long cape, silver cane-staff - came from one of the reader-provided heroes in the Adventure Comics run of Dial H for Hero, but I no longer have the issues I once owned. Never throw anything away, kids. NEVER. Anyway I'm pretty sure that's the origin of the image, but without the full issues I can't confirm. He also looked kinda like Puzzle Man from the Marvel Comics ads, but without the crossword motif.
Covers by Ross Andru and George Perez explain why I bought these in '81.
Status: Presumably I had intended for him to work with the authorities on tracking down criminals. I guess. It's I have no idea where I got this from, except maybe the Fall Guy was big on TV at the time.
Powers: 1
- Heightened Intelligence A: +12, adds the Law Enforcement and Religion/Mysticism backgrounds
- Heightened Agility A: +14
- Special Weapon - Converti-Staff: this high tech weapon can appear as a cane, a quarterstaff, or a mace and chain as needed, and the 'chain' of the mace and chain can be extended 10" (50'), and retract with enough force to pull in 1000 lb. or rapidly lift Manhunter for swinging and jumping. Assume any form is +3 to hit, +1d6 damage.
- Illusions A: Visual/Audible/Psionic, PR 3 per turn, 1 action per turn to maintain. This can cover an area or a single person (with a successful mind control attack)
- Psionics: Through specialized training he can use his illusions to
- become Invisible or PR 3/hour only vs. living minds.
- Transform (C-1 Disguise) at will PR 3/hour, only vs. living minds
- Sense the minds around him out to 25" as a heightened sense; this is constant.
- 'Locks on' to someone in that range (with a mind control attack) he can follow them as per Telepathy. PR 3/hour
- If he makes an illusion directly attack someone he can make a PR 3 Mind Control attack to do 1d12 Power damage.
Inventions: None yet, but I figure I would have made some
Background/Origin: Brian Rogers was a typical Junior High School student deeply into theater and role-playing (Performing Arts background) until he spent a summer living with his uncle in distant, far off, exotic Minnesota. There he learned that his uncle had, in the 60's, been a member of a group of mystically-trained international adventurers. After three months of intensive psionic tutelage Brian had unlocked the true potential of his mind, enhancing his intelligence and grace and giving him the ability to sense minds and manipulate perceptions. Taking these powers back to Connecticut he began his career in super-heroics, using his illusion powers to guard his identity and keep the criminal element off balance.
I remember the image of the staff, and I knew I carried one because I didn't have natural weaponry or an attack power and needed the combat boost. I'm making it a special weapon here but I'm not sure; it might have just been something he carried, and was going to invent the other functions for if I could. The Psionics power was a grab back of things I thought illusions - especially his psionic illusions - should do or that I thought were cool. I still do.
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