NOW LIVE! Today's the day you meet your new best friend. You don’t have to leave Wolfy behind... In 'Pets & Sidekicks' your companions level up with you!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Davies" data-source="post: 8209660" data-attributes="member: 30538">The Arachnid<img src="https://photos.smugmug.com/My-First-Gallery/i-8DvHfFQ/0/8b0fb3c9/S/4106398-1431661-dd_510_0008-S.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />Of the core members of the SNM, the records pertaining to the origins of Ivan Lyutov, the Arachnid (Paukoobraznyy) were the least redacted among those contained in the KGB archives. It's likely that this results from the fact that his origins did not involve technology developed within the Soviet Union, but by a hostile entity. In early March, 1962, Lyutov was one of a team of Spetsnaz commandos sent to investigate and infiltrate an installation on an island north of Finland, operated by Hannes Zaharoff's organization. The installation turned out to be a biological science laboratory creating bizarre mutated and modified animals, most notably flying piranhas, and was destroyed in the action that followed. During the operation, Lyutov was bitten by what seemed to be a bizarre hybrid of a spider and a scorpion, but seemed to recover quickly. During his debriefing, however, he was informed that his medical examination had indicated that he'd been mutated by the bite. Further tests revealed that he'd developed a superhuman physique and reflexes, the bewildering ability to adhere to walls, and a semi-precognitive danger-sense. The identity of the Arachnid was quickly developed for him, and he joined the other members of the Assembly when it made its debut on May Day of that year.Privately, Lyutov had his doubts about this entire idea. It was far more showy and public than something that a commando, trained for stealth and discretion, should be doing. Still, he was also trained to obey orders and adapt to unfavorable conditions, so he did what he was told and stayed out of the way of the other two and their egos. As other members joined, he passed on advice to do the same to them, rarely giving them any help outside of missions beyond that. He looked out for himself, and they could do the same.That callous behavior actually concealed a greater concern for him. Lyutov gradually became aware that he was having difficulty controlling his crueler impulses, often engaging in behavior that could only be called sadistic, particularly towards his romantic partners. He is known to have injured many and possibly murdered one of the second-stringer members of the Assembly. He believed this to be a side-affect of the mutations, but there's no real evidence to support that. To his credit, Lyutov seems to have been disgusted by his most vicious behavior, though possibly only because he regretted the lack of self-control that it demonstrated.Regardless, his death was unquestionably heroic, sacrificing his own life in personal combat with Stardust to buy time for the Red Comet and the Untouchable to escape. Stardust proceeded to extract the Arachnid's blood and other vital fluids from his body, leaving his corpse a desiccated husk. It was recovered in the aftermath and supposedly buried in the Kremlin Wall, though there is some evidence that it was actually used for ongoing attempts to induce similar powers in others.Those efforts had actually begun during the Arachnid's life, with at least one experiment, conducted in Cuba in 1967 on a political prisoner, having been a success, with the subject demonstrating additional powers that Lyutov did not possess. Before the prisoner could be vivisected to determine why he'd developed these abilities, however, he escaped from the laboratory and from Cuba, escaping to Florida and from there to Mexico. He began a new life there under the name Rafael Fuentes, occasionally fighting crime under the name el Arano -- just as his son and later grandson would also do.The Arachnid (Paukoobraznyy) -- PL 9Abilities:STR 6 | STA 5 | AGL 8 | DEX 4 | FGT 8 | INT 1 | AWE 4 | PRE 2Powers:Spider-Movement: Leaping 2 (30 feet); Movement 3 (Swinging, Wall-crawling 2) - 8 pointsSpider-Senses: Enhanced Advantage 2 (Improved Initiative 2); Enhanced Defenses 8 (Dodge 4, Parry 4); Senses 3 (Danger Sense, Darkvision) - 13 pointsAdvantages:Agile Feint, Close Attack 4, Equipment 5, Evasion 2, Great Endurance, Hide in Plain Sight, Move-by Attack, Ranged Attack 3, Redirect, Teamwork, Uncanny DodgeEquipment:25 points as needed for any given mission (often an assault rifle [Ranged Multiattack Damage 5]). Skills:Acrobatics 4 (+12), Athletics 4 (+10), Deception 6 (+8), Expertise: Military 6 (+7), Perception 6 (+10), Ranged Combat: Guns 2 (+6), Sleight of Hand 5 (+9), Stealth 3 (+11).Offense:Initiative +15Unarmed +12 (Close Damage 6)Defense:Dodge 13/9, Parry 12/8, Fortitude 6, Toughness 5, Will 6Totals:Abilities 76 + Powers 21 + Advantages 21 + Skills 18 + Defense 4 = 140 pointsComplications:Patriotism--Motivation. Sadistic Tendencies. Weakness (pest control chemicals.)</blockquote>

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