IRONSIDE (Power Level 10)Real Name: Rex Riggs
Aliases: Henri Leroux
Height / Weight: 6’ / 200 lbs.
Hair / Eyes: Black / Brown
Place of Birth: Manhattan, New York (August 15, 1962)
First Appearance: New Vindicators Academy of Europe #12
Physical Description: Rex appears to be a man in his mid-40s but is in excellent shape despite being middle aged. He has very tan skin due to all the years spent in the elements on various mercenary jobs, with short hair on the side and a somewhat shaggy top with an almost permanent 5 o’clock shadow. Rex seems to favor wearing BDU pants and shirts with boots while working and in his down time he’ll simply wear a plain t-shirt with his ‘work clothes’. He doesn’t talk often but when he does, his gravely voice cuts through the air with authority.
Biography: Rex Riggs grew up like most kids in New York, running the streets but wasn’t a true problem child. Most of his arrest record comes from guilt by association, the bad friends he ran around with getting him into trouble. Despite this Rex managed to stay out of jail, getting a job working construction, it was on the job that his powers manifested. Rex fell from the third story of a building he was working but when he hit the ground all that happened was a small crater in the ground and his clothes were ripped from where his coworkers had tried to hold onto him. Rex was fired from his job as the contractor didn’t want to deal with some of the Neo-Sapien hate groups that inhabit New York and Rex was unable to find a job for several months before finally becoming a janitor at a heat treating factory, though they only hired him because he could work near the furnaces without having to worry about being injured.
But even that wouldn't last as he was attacked one night by a small group of workers who wanted to get rid of the ‘freak’. Even though the angry men couldn't hurt him, Rex still was frightened and ran away; awkwardly fighting off those who followed after him until he ran in between the two of the furnaces to deter his most determined pursuers from following.
NEW VINDICATORS: sic semper tyrannis - Hiding in his small apartment, Rex heard when the armored man, that was named Mister Mayhem by the newspapers, offered a place for all Neo-Sapiens to come live. It sounded like a dream to him and he feared it was a trap but he still went to the designated place, Ellis Island, and quickly found himself in Moksha. There he finally felt able to relax, not worried about anyone trying to come after him just because of his being a Neo-Sapien, and he was given a job - to be part of the defense force to protect his new home land based on his powers.
But then the Vindicators IV arrived at the behest of the American government Rex, like many other members of the newly formed defense force, wasn’t allowed to be part of the initial group to oppose them due to his lack of combat experience. But he, and the others, were kept busy trying to maintain calm when it was revealed that the military had launched missiles at Moksha. Thankfully Bastion and the others were able to deal with that threat but before either the Vindicators or the Defense Force could resume their fight, Walkabout settled the matter by taking the people of Moksha and transporting them all over the world.
NVAE: sing - Rex next appeared in South Africa as one of the commanders of the Ugandan Unity Brigade under the guidance of General Basenji, were he was better known as Ironside, along with a few other of the former residents of Moksha (Bluster, James Udall, Skew, Sossus Vlei and Larry Harrison) who were fighting freedom fighters (Jerry Meyers, Joseph Cahan, Matt Kowalski, Mustafa Rauf, Philip Sonnemaker) determined to make Basenji and his men pay for the atrocities they’d committed in Ugangda. Seeing Otso Karell’s (aka the New Vindicator known as Ursa) plea on national television for information about his missing father the UUB commanders came up with a plan to use the boy as bait to draw out his father and his allies to finally finish them off.
After tricking Otso into coming to Uganda the commanders were able to pull off their plan: dumping Joseph Cahan, Matt Kowalski and Otso in Rwanda, they captured the remaining freedom fighters and a few days later publically executed them to show other resistants what would happen to them.
Str 20 (+5) Dex 20 (+5) Con 20 (+5) Int 10 (+0) Wis 12 (+1) Cha 12 (+1)
SKILLS: Acrobatics 3 (+8), Bluff 10 (+11), Climb 5 (+10), Handle Animal 4 (+5), Intimidate 10 (+11), Knowledge [Tactics] 8 (+8), Languages 4 [Base: English; French, German, Spanish, Swahili], Notice 10 (+11), Ride 3 (+8), Sense Motive 10 (+11), Stealth 10 (+15), Survival 6 (+7), Swim 5 (+10)
FEATS: All-Out Attack, Attack Focus [Ranged] 4, Attack Focus [Melee] 4, Attack Spec. [Unarmed], Attack Spec. [Swords] 2, Diehard, Dodge Focus 4, Endurance, Equipment 2, Fearless, Hide In Plain Sight, Improved Critical [Swords] 2, Improved Critical [Unarmed] 2, Improved Disarm 2, Improved Feint, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Instant Up, Power Attack, Prone Fighting, Redirect, Stunning Attack, Takedown Attack 2, Uncanny Dodge [visual], Weapon Bind
POWERS: Unbreakable Skin: Impervious Toughness 5, Protection 5 (Extra: Impervious)
Equipment: Multi-Tool, Nightvision Goggles, Radio, Masterwork Swords (x2; Strike 3 [Improved Critical, Mighty, Split]); 2 free equipment points
COMBAT Attack +8/+10 (unarmed)/+12 (swords), Grapple +15, Damage +5 (unarmed)/+8 (sword- critical 17-20), Defense +8 (+2 flat-footed), Knockback – (can’t recall how to figure that, help), Initiative +9
SAVES Toughness +10* (*Impervious), Fort +11, Ref +10, Will +10
COMPLICATIONS: Disability (Due to his Unbreakable Skin, Rex's sense of touch is basically non-existant. He can only feel something if he grips it as hard as he can and in many cases this could be a problem), Prejudice (Neo-Sapien), Quirk (Because of years living with skin that's virtually impossible to break open, Rex doesn't fear many things that most others would in a fight), Reputation (one of the commanders in the UUB under General Basenji)
Attributes 34 + Skills 25 (88 ranks) + Feats 39 + Powers 14 + Combat 16 + Saves 20 = 150 pts.Notes & Comments wrote:After talking to Michuru and getting his permission to post this buidl (seeing as how it is his thread here and all) here is the character I created for part of Ursa's last adventure in all his gruff glory – Ironside.
He’s meant to be a melee nightmare between his +10 rank Impervious Toughness & his combat skills, but at range it’s a different story as he’s as easy to hit as most other people are but then his Impervious helps him out a lot there too. Otherwise he’s a normal human as far as his stats go; he needs sleep, to eat, more importantly breathe, and such so he’s not unstoppable in a fight but he’ll definitely be a handful for folks who like to handle problems up close.