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[Mutants & Masterminds] A World Less Magical But No Less Fantastic
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<blockquote data-quote="Davies" data-source="post: 8226477" data-attributes="member: 30538"><p><span style="font-size: 26px">Ken Griffin</span></p><p><img src="https://photos.smugmug.com/My-First-Gallery/i-CWvSKm8/0/4da402fc/S/fistofthenorthstar-still-S.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p>Born in Belgium to American citizens, educated (in a conventional manner) in the United Kingdom, and frequently accompanying his parents -- both soldiers of fortune -- wherever they were deployed in any given month; such was the life of Kenneth Griffin (1953-1992). To their credit, Robert and Katherine Griffin hoped that their only child wouldn't follow them into their profession. But by his early adolescence it was clear that the mercenary life was calling to him, as he patiently learned more from his parent's associates than he ever did from from his schoolmasters.</p><p></p><p>Some of those associates were superpowers; by Ken's late adolescence, he'd started to develop certain psychic gifts of his own, making him into a hand-to-hand fighting machine. As this allowed him to charge more for his services, even if he generally fought with conventional weapons, it was clearly a good thing. The full story of his activities in the early and mid-70s, after he parted ways with his parents (shortly before their own partnership dissolved), has never been fully told. He was active in South East Asia for much of this period, and is known to have crossed paths with Hazard on at least two different occasions, as an ally and as an enemy (and beneficiary of the man's mercurial humor.)</p><p></p><p>In 1978, while Ken was passing through Argentina on other business, he chanced to run into his father, who attempted to persuade him to sign up with the new outfit he'd joined. The offer sounded intriguing enough, but something about the man accompanying his father set Ken's teeth on edge, mostly the way that he kept glaring at him as though Ken's very existence was an offense. When Ken finally turned down the offer, he had the distinct feeling that the only reason he was allowed to walk out of the bar alive was his father's presence. That was the first time he ever encountered General Estrella, and the last time he saw his father alive.</p><p></p><p>Four years later, the Pythonian Insurgency burst out onto the world. It created a lot of work for mercenaries, training various private armies to defend against them -- or occasionally to be recruited by them. Ken found the latter work to be distasteful, but he wasn't in a position to turn it down when it came his way. Not even the report of his father's death in battle really moved him; such was the nature of a mercenary's business, and it made no sense to take such things personally.</p><p></p><p>And then, in 1984, he had his first direct confrontation with his nemesis, leading a small group of Burmese soldiers against a much larger force of Pythons led by General Estrella. Single combat between champions was something that belonged to a prior age of warfare, and yet that was how it worked out on that day as well, with the two of them clashing heedless of the fighting around them. It was a draw, ultimately, and they were separated before either of them could press onward to bring matters to a conclusion. But Ken realized that he had made an enemy that would pursue him until one of them died.</p><p></p><p>If he was an enemy to one of the senior members of the Pythonian Insurgency, it simply made sense to find allies among <em>their</em> enemies. He briefly worked with the United Kingdom's Active Force, but found that its commanders were (with one major exception) unwilling to take the fight to the enemy's door. So he started attempts to persuade the American JSOT to accept him instead, a process complicated by his history of mercenary activity, a good chunk of which had involved activities against American interests. Swallowing his pride, Ken managed to convince enough of the group's leadership that his actions had always been intended to <em>support</em> such interests -- a ruse, in other words. It seems likely that this was the source of his code name when he was finally accepted into the Task Force as a Lieutenant, and the group's second openly superpower soldier.</p><p></p><p>He had the support he needed, and would challenge General Estrella many times in the next few years, though never managing to bring matters to a decisive end, one way or another. Their final confrontation would come on Mars, in a fight that sent them out through the walls of the pyramid-like structure that the Pythonians had inhabited, out onto the Martian landscape. There they fought, and Ken was able to prevent his enemy from escaping back into shelter until he finally expired from lack of oxygen.</p><p></p><p>Ken took a moment to consider his circumstances. While seriously injured, he could probably make it back to the others and receive medical treatment on the way back to Earth. But he'd been exposed to the radioactive material that covered the Martian landscape, and so the odds seemed good that he'd only be extending his pain if he did that, and the medical personnel would probably do better to help those who could still be helped. The truth was, he realized with a faint smile on his face, that he was already dead. He lay down to let the process complete itself, and in a few moments, it was all over. </p><p></p><p><strong>Ken Griffin/Ruse -- PL 8</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Abilities:</strong></p><p><strong>STR</strong> 3 | <strong>STA</strong> 3 | <strong>AGL</strong> 5 | <strong>DEX</strong> 5 | <strong>FGT</strong> 8 | <strong>INT</strong> 1 | <strong>AWE</strong> 4 | <strong>PRE</strong> 3</p><p></p><p><strong>Powers:</strong></p><p><strong><em>Martial Power:</em></strong> Array (3 points) <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> <strong><em>Projected Strength:</em></strong> Line Area Damage 6, Distracting, Tiring - 3 points</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> <strong><em>Striking Strength:</em></strong> Strength-based Damage 3 - 1 points</li> </ul><p><strong><em>Meditation:</em></strong> Sustained Immunity 4 (need for sleep, starvation & thirst, suffocation) - 4 points </p><p><strong><em>Sense Those of Comparable Power:</em></strong> Senses 3 (acute tracking psychic awareness) - 3 points</p><p><strong><em>Weightless Step:</em></strong> Leaping 3 (60 feet); Movement 1 (trackless) - 5 points</p><p></p><p><strong>Advantages:</strong></p><p>Accurate Attack, All-out Attack, Benefit (military rank) Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 4, Extraordinary Effort, Fast Grab, Grabbing Finesse, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Language 2 (French, Japanese, Mandarin, Spanish), Move-by Action, Power Attack, Taunt</p><p></p><p><em>Equipment:</em></p><p>Assault Rifle (Ranged Multiattack Damage 5), Commlink, 4 points of equipment as needed.</p><p></p><p><strong>Skills:</strong></p><p>Acrobatics 4 (+9), Athletics 6 (+9), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+10), Deception 6 (+9), Expertise: Military 6 (+7), Insight 4 (+8), Perception 4 (+8), Ranged Combat: Guns 4 (+9), Stealth 4 (+9), Vehicles 4 (+9)</p><p></p><p><strong>Offense:</strong></p><p>Initiative +9</p><p>Unarmed +10 (Close Damage 6)</p><p>Assault Rifle +9 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 5)</p><p>Projected Strength -- (Line Area Damage 6)</p><p></p><p><strong>Defense:</strong></p><p>Dodge 9, Parry 11, Fortitude 7, Toughness 5/3, Will 7</p><p></p><p><strong>Totals:</strong></p><p>Abilities 64 + Powers 16 + Advantages 19 + Skills 22 + Defenses 14 = 135 points</p><p></p><p><strong>Complications:</strong></p><p><strong><em>Justice--Motivation. Nemesis</em></strong> (General Estrella.) <strong><em>Responsibility</em></strong> (soldiers under his command.) <strong><em>Won't Use The Same Attack Twice in Succession.</em></strong></p><p></p><p><em>Note: After 1988, he is equipped with a Blaster Rifle (Ranged Damage 8) and has Ranged Attack 1.</em></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Davies, post: 8226477, member: 30538"] [size=150]Ken Griffin[/size] [img]https://photos.smugmug.com/My-First-Gallery/i-CWvSKm8/0/4da402fc/S/fistofthenorthstar-still-S.jpg[/img] Born in Belgium to American citizens, educated (in a conventional manner) in the United Kingdom, and frequently accompanying his parents -- both soldiers of fortune -- wherever they were deployed in any given month; such was the life of Kenneth Griffin (1953-1992). To their credit, Robert and Katherine Griffin hoped that their only child wouldn't follow them into their profession. But by his early adolescence it was clear that the mercenary life was calling to him, as he patiently learned more from his parent's associates than he ever did from from his schoolmasters. Some of those associates were superpowers; by Ken's late adolescence, he'd started to develop certain psychic gifts of his own, making him into a hand-to-hand fighting machine. As this allowed him to charge more for his services, even if he generally fought with conventional weapons, it was clearly a good thing. The full story of his activities in the early and mid-70s, after he parted ways with his parents (shortly before their own partnership dissolved), has never been fully told. He was active in South East Asia for much of this period, and is known to have crossed paths with Hazard on at least two different occasions, as an ally and as an enemy (and beneficiary of the man's mercurial humor.) In 1978, while Ken was passing through Argentina on other business, he chanced to run into his father, who attempted to persuade him to sign up with the new outfit he'd joined. The offer sounded intriguing enough, but something about the man accompanying his father set Ken's teeth on edge, mostly the way that he kept glaring at him as though Ken's very existence was an offense. When Ken finally turned down the offer, he had the distinct feeling that the only reason he was allowed to walk out of the bar alive was his father's presence. That was the first time he ever encountered General Estrella, and the last time he saw his father alive. Four years later, the Pythonian Insurgency burst out onto the world. It created a lot of work for mercenaries, training various private armies to defend against them -- or occasionally to be recruited by them. Ken found the latter work to be distasteful, but he wasn't in a position to turn it down when it came his way. Not even the report of his father's death in battle really moved him; such was the nature of a mercenary's business, and it made no sense to take such things personally. And then, in 1984, he had his first direct confrontation with his nemesis, leading a small group of Burmese soldiers against a much larger force of Pythons led by General Estrella. Single combat between champions was something that belonged to a prior age of warfare, and yet that was how it worked out on that day as well, with the two of them clashing heedless of the fighting around them. It was a draw, ultimately, and they were separated before either of them could press onward to bring matters to a conclusion. But Ken realized that he had made an enemy that would pursue him until one of them died. If he was an enemy to one of the senior members of the Pythonian Insurgency, it simply made sense to find allies among [i]their[/i] enemies. He briefly worked with the United Kingdom's Active Force, but found that its commanders were (with one major exception) unwilling to take the fight to the enemy's door. So he started attempts to persuade the American JSOT to accept him instead, a process complicated by his history of mercenary activity, a good chunk of which had involved activities against American interests. Swallowing his pride, Ken managed to convince enough of the group's leadership that his actions had always been intended to [i]support[/i] such interests -- a ruse, in other words. It seems likely that this was the source of his code name when he was finally accepted into the Task Force as a Lieutenant, and the group's second openly superpower soldier. He had the support he needed, and would challenge General Estrella many times in the next few years, though never managing to bring matters to a decisive end, one way or another. Their final confrontation would come on Mars, in a fight that sent them out through the walls of the pyramid-like structure that the Pythonians had inhabited, out onto the Martian landscape. There they fought, and Ken was able to prevent his enemy from escaping back into shelter until he finally expired from lack of oxygen. Ken took a moment to consider his circumstances. While seriously injured, he could probably make it back to the others and receive medical treatment on the way back to Earth. But he'd been exposed to the radioactive material that covered the Martian landscape, and so the odds seemed good that he'd only be extending his pain if he did that, and the medical personnel would probably do better to help those who could still be helped. The truth was, he realized with a faint smile on his face, that he was already dead. He lay down to let the process complete itself, and in a few moments, it was all over. [b]Ken Griffin/Ruse -- PL 8 Abilities: STR[/b] 3 | [b]STA[/b] 3 | [b]AGL[/b] 5 | [b]DEX[/b] 5 | [b]FGT[/b] 8 | [b]INT[/b] 1 | [b]AWE[/b] 4 | [b]PRE[/b] 3 [b]Powers: [i]Martial Power:[/i][/b] Array (3 points)[list] [*] [b][i]Projected Strength:[/i][/b] Line Area Damage 6, Distracting, Tiring - 3 points [*] [b][i]Striking Strength:[/i][/b] Strength-based Damage 3 - 1 points[/list] [b][i]Meditation:[/i][/b] Sustained Immunity 4 (need for sleep, starvation & thirst, suffocation) - 4 points [b][i]Sense Those of Comparable Power:[/i][/b] Senses 3 (acute tracking psychic awareness) - 3 points [b][i]Weightless Step:[/i][/b] Leaping 3 (60 feet); Movement 1 (trackless) - 5 points [b]Advantages:[/b] Accurate Attack, All-out Attack, Benefit (military rank) Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 4, Extraordinary Effort, Fast Grab, Grabbing Finesse, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Language 2 (French, Japanese, Mandarin, Spanish), Move-by Action, Power Attack, Taunt [i]Equipment:[/i] Assault Rifle (Ranged Multiattack Damage 5), Commlink, 4 points of equipment as needed. [b]Skills:[/b] Acrobatics 4 (+9), Athletics 6 (+9), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+10), Deception 6 (+9), Expertise: Military 6 (+7), Insight 4 (+8), Perception 4 (+8), Ranged Combat: Guns 4 (+9), Stealth 4 (+9), Vehicles 4 (+9) [b]Offense:[/b] Initiative +9 Unarmed +10 (Close Damage 6) Assault Rifle +9 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 5) Projected Strength -- (Line Area Damage 6) [b]Defense:[/b] Dodge 9, Parry 11, Fortitude 7, Toughness 5/3, Will 7 [b]Totals:[/b] Abilities 64 + Powers 16 + Advantages 19 + Skills 22 + Defenses 14 = 135 points [b]Complications: [i]Justice--Motivation. Nemesis[/i][/b] (General Estrella.) [b][i]Responsibility[/i][/b] (soldiers under his command.) [b][i]Won't Use The Same Attack Twice in Succession.[/i][/b] [i]Note: After 1988, he is equipped with a Blaster Rifle (Ranged Damage 8) and has Ranged Attack 1.[/i] [/QUOTE]
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