Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Davies" data-source="post: 8577558" data-attributes="member: 30538">Malkin<img src="https://photos.smugmug.com/My-First-Gallery/i-FdXxxR5/0/ac24f5d0/S/f538a6cc79bebd0a54754e29dd51838a-S.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />When contemplating the vile and the villainous, it is not uncommon to note how many cases are tragic, in the old sense -- how many examples of them could have become positive forces but for circumstances that were likely beyond their control. Even when considering those who, deliberately and with malice aforethought, chose their path of destruction, there is often a sense of regrettable waste. This can easily shade into pity, which can be dangerous in more than one way.Twenty-odd years ago, Louis Robbins, a resident of Tampa, set out to become one of the first major supervillains of the second age of heroes. He knew exactly what he was doing, and was inspired solely by greed and a touch of arrogance. He also had -- or more accurately imagined that he had -- a deep empathic connection with animals, and so sought to use them as minions in his crimes, under the alias Beast Master. (He had, for the record, never read the Andre Norton novel of that title, nor any of its sequels.*) Thwarted by Fuego, he went to jail for robbery and animal endangerment, and the latter charge was what really stung.Never imprisoned for long thanks to the assistance of a certain patron who found him amusing and somewhat useful, Beast Master continued to engage in his attempts at infamy for several years before reaching the conclusion that he was outmatched by his opposition. Rather than admit defeat, however, Robbins decided to up his game and sought out the notorious Dr. Charles MacCorkindale, the Manimalist, and offered himself to serve as an experimental subject and have animal characteristics imprinted on himself. MacCorkindale believed that this would free Robbins of what little "false and hypocritical morality" he still possessed; Robbins believed that his "deep empathic connection with animals" would allow him to retain his original personality.It is still not clear which of them was more mistaken in their beliefs. Regardless, the ape-tiger-human hybrid that emerged from the experiment, who dubbed himself Malkin, was a much more dangerous criminal than Beast Master had ever been, vicious and homicidal rather than greedy and selfish. (He also promptly betrayed MacCorkindale and destroyed the laboratory where this all took place, setting the scientist back years.) Further, his claim to have personal influence over the animals that he used in his crimes had become the truth, as he was able to exert psychic control over their actions, which he (delusionally) believed to be them responding to his "supremely Alpha" status.Regardless of his false beliefs, he was active as a criminal throughout the American southeast for the next decade, often captured but never held for long. However, he has not been sighted in the wild (pun intended) since 2018. Most observers, including Argus sources, believe that he has fallen victim to another, equally dangerous villain (such as the Reaper), or attempted to mutate himself further and suffered lethal consequences, or possibly suffered some misadventure while attempting to control an animal that resisted his psychic influence.They are mistaken, but not by much. The Reaper did nearly kill him when their paths crossed in 2018, but Malkin escaped death. In need of assistance, however, he sought out his estranged sister Lauren Robbins, a self-proclaimed conservationist who operated an animal rescue facility in their home state. Lauren agreed to help him, but only in exchange for his own assistance in maintaining her facility. Malkin agreed to her terms, and she supplied him with Paramorphan, an opioid substance to help him with the lingering pain of his injuries, while he used his animal control powers to ensure that the animals under her care were docile.And that is where he has been ever since. While his injuries have long since healed, Malkin is now thoroughly addicted to the drugs supplied by his sister, and spends most of his time in a stupor where he does little except use his animal control powers to essentially domesticate the animals in the facility, allowing people to visit and interact with them, often posing for pictures with even dangerous creatures unable to resist. This is clearly a mistreatment of these animals, and it is not good for Malkin either; his health is beginning to fail. On the other hand, if the truth of the facility is exposed and he is freed, he will return to crime and be even more psychopathic than he was at the start of all this. Furthermore, in order to pay the costs of his incarceration, both the drugs and his high food expenses, Lauren Robbins is engaged in a number of other criminal activities, which cause even more harm to their community.Sometimes, there are no right answers. Malkin - PL 11Abilities:STR 7 | STA 6 | AGL 5 | DEX 2 | FGT 8 | INT 0 | AWE 3 | PRE 1Powers:Animal Control: Burst Area 2 Progressive Affliction 8 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Compelled, Controlled), Concentration, Limited to animals, Subtle 2 - 42 points Claws and Teeth: Strength-based Damage 2 - 2 pointsFur: Immunity 1 (cold) - 1 pointPredatory Senses: Senses 6 (acute tracking scent, danger sense, darkvision, ultra-hearing) - 6 pointsPredatory Speed: Enhanced Defenses 8 (Dodge 4, Parry 4); Leaping 2 (30 feet); Speed 4 (30 MPH) - 14 pointsAdvantages:Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Chokehold, Close Attack, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Fearless 2, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Critical (claws), Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Improved Initiative, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Startle, Takedown, Uncanny DodgeSkills:Acrobatics 7 (+12), Athletics 4 (+11), Close Attack: Claws 4 (+12), Expertise: Survival 9 (+9), Insight 6 (+9), Intimidation 9 (+10), Perception 7 (+10), Stealth 8 (+13).Offense:Initiative +9Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 7)Claws +13 (Close Damage 9, Crit 19-20)Animal Control -- (Burst Area Will 8)Defense:Dodge 10, Parry 12, Fortitude 10, Toughness 8/6, Will 5Totals:Abilities 64 + Powers 62 + Advantages 18 + Skills 27 + Defenses 7 = 178 pointsOffensive PL: 11Defensive PL: 10Resistance PL: 8Skill PL: 9Complications:Psychopathy--Motivation. Addiction. Big Eater. Obviously Inhuman.* Movies? What movies?</blockquote>

Verification