Punk Mambo (Icons Writeup)

Punk Mambo
aka Victoria Greaves-Trott

Prowess 4
Coordination 4
Strength 4
Intellect 5
Awareness 6
Willpower 8

Stamina 12

Powers
*Voodoo Magic 7 (Punk Mambo has mastered the following spells and may use them without the Performance Limit: Astral Projection, Blast, and Illusion)
*Immortality 1
*Ghost Lantern – Binding 7 (Limit: Only works on spirits and demons)
*Gris-gris – Magic Resistance 6
*Ring of Solomon – Dimensional Travel 10 (Limit: Only allows Punk Mambo to travel to and from a pocket dimension located within the ring. She may use it in conjunction with the Ghost Lantern to bind spirits and then dispatch them into the Ring)
*Various voodoo talismans and trinkets – Gadgets 5
*Punk Mambo can summon, control, and ride the Loa Ayezan, granting her the following powers and abilities while utilizing the Loa:

• Dimensional Travel 7 (Limit: Deadside Only)
• Flight 5
• Force Field 8
• Servant 6

Specialties
Investigation, Mental Resistance, Occult – Master (+3 bonus)

Qualities
*Rude, Crude, & Socially Unacceptable
*Mystical Mercenary
*Voodoo Priestess

Background

Victoria Greaves-Trott is a Mohawk-sporting, voodoo priestess. Dwelling in the Bayou outside New Orleans, Punk Mambo helps the wayward, troubled, and damned remedy what afflicts them for a price.

As a teenager in 1970s London, young punk rocker Victoria was abducted by Houngan, a lecherous voodoo priest. Much older than his youthful appearance suggested, the houngan- then operative under the name Joe Mayhem- collected Victoria and other young souls like her, forcing them into debauched rites and practices that fueled his immortality. Victoria observed Joe’s rites closely, and on breaking free, used their power for herself. Years later she would return to London to exact her revenge on Joe Mayhem and so-called friends who had placed her in his power. Ever the rebel, Punk Mambo left Mayhem humiliated, but alive.

It was Punk Mambo who Jack Boniface turned to when he was trying to rid himself of the loa that gave him his powers of Shadowman. And when MI-6 needed an occult expert to guide a team into the Deadside, they naturally turned to the most mystically accomplished British national they could find. When this team went missing, Punk Mambo would enter the Deadside side-by-side with Ninjak to retrieve them. There, the two of them faced a Shadowman slaved to the will of the villainous necromancer Master Darque. Ninjak and Punk Mambo subdued Shadowman and returned the lost team and the fallen hero into the hands of MI-6. Since then, she has worked alongside other heroes such as Doctor Mirage, though she hates being drawn into world-saving adventures, preferring to operate on a more personal level.

X-Caliber (Icons Writeup)

X-Caliber aka Sniper
Gregor Latinev aka Karl Breznoff

Prowess 5
Coordination 5
Strength 6
Intellect 4
Awareness 4
Willpower 4

Stamina 10

Powers
X-Caliber is a cybernetically-enhanced soldier. As a result of the modifications made to his body, he has the following abilities:

*Damage Resistance 4
*Technomorphing 7 (Extras: Interface, Images, Gadgets – his gadgets power reflects his ability to morph his arms into various weapons)

Specialties
Investigation, Military

Qualities
*Bionic Man
*Shadowy Past
*Project X-Caliber/Project Sniper

Background

X-Caliber, later Sniper, is a former Soviet agent who worked for the KGB. He underwent surgery receiving various bionic implants granting him a wide range of calibers and attack modes. Since the fall of the Soviet Union he now sells his services to the highest bidder. He clashed with X-O Manowar shortly after Aric became active in the 20th century.

The character first appeared in the sixth issue of Steve Englehart’s series Coyote, originally published by Epic Comics in the mid-1980s hence the “Featuring the Return of X Caliber” on the front cover of the issue. Englehart believed he owned the rights to the character and sold the license to Valiant. However, Marvel somehow objected and by the time this story was collected as part of the X-O Manowar: Retribution trade, the character was renamed to “Sniper” (real name “Karl Breznoff”) and the project was renamed to “Project Sniper” (instead of “Project X-Caliber”) as well.

Randy Cartier (Icons Writeup)

Randy Cartier

Prowess 4
Coordination 4
Strength 8
Intellect 6
Awareness 6
Willpower 5

Stamina 13

Powers
All powers are derived from the X-O Manowar Class Armor. Without the armor, her Strength drops to 4 and her Stamina is reduced to 9. Her Intellect is reduced to 4 without the armor and her Awareness drops to 4, as well. During the time she wore the armor, she also had the Control Ring. The Control Ring has two powers of its own – Detection and Interface, both level 10 and both with the Limit: X-O Manowar armor only. If someone were to take the Armor Control Ring from her, they could theoretically bond with the armor as she and Arci did.
*Blast (100 MGHz pulsed ion beams) 8
*Dazzle (blinding light) 6
*Extrasensory Perception (Remote Eye) 2
*Flight 8 (Extra: Spaceflight)
*Force Field 6
*Gadgets 4
*Interface 8
*Life Support 10
*Immortality 2
*Regeneration 4
*Damage Resistance 5
*Super-Senses 5
*Telepathy 4 (Limit: Only functions with the wearer of the Control Ring)

Specialties
Athletics, Military (Expert +2 bonus), Weapons (Guns)

Qualities
*Slow to trust
*Counterbalances Aric’s strengths and weaknesses
*X-O Womanowar

Background

Randy Cartier is an ex-soldier who temporarily becomes the second X-O Manowar when the original, Aric Dacia, takes a break from the role. Prior to this she worked as Aric’s head of security at Orb Industries. She and Aric eventually became lovers but she was killed during Crescendo’s assault on Orb Industries.

Spider Aliens – Warrior (Icons Writeup)

Spider Alien Warrior

Prowess 4
Coordination 5
Strength 6
Intellect 3
Awareness 5
Willpower 3

Stamina 9

Powers
*Affliction (poison bite) 7
*Binding 5
*Blast Rifles 6
*Extra Body Parts (arms/legs) 6 (extras: fast attack, super-speed)
*Gadgets 4
*Leaping 1
*Wall-Crawling 5

Specialties
Military, Wrestling

Qualities
*Nature Worshippers
*View humanity as cattle
*Creators of the alien armors (x-o wolf, x-o commando)

Background

The Spider Aliens are a race of alien conquerors. They are responsible for creating the armored exo-skeleton worn by the Earth superhero X-O Manowar and were frequent foes of X-O Manowar and Solar. They worship nature and have great gardens on their spacecraft – they are meat-eaters, however, and consider it sacrilege to eat the fruits of the garden. These stats for the warrior caste, there are numerous sub-types of Spider-Aliens, including spies, priests, scientists, etc.

Crescendo’s Guardsmen

Crescendo’s Guard

Prowess 4
Coordination 3
Strength 4
Intellect 3
Awareness 3
Willpower 2

Stamina 6

Powers
All of the guardmen’s powers come from their armor. It provides them with the following abilities:

*Blast 5
*Damage Resistance 5
*Supersenses 1 (Nightvision)
*Life Support 2 (Heat/Cold)
*Gadgets 3

Specialties
Athletics

Qualities
*Faceless Minions
*Bullies
*We serve Mistress Crescendo

Background

The men that make up Crescendo’s royal guard are mostly unknown figures. We’re not sure where she finds these soldiers or if their loyalty is a result of true fervor or if they merely follow her for money and power. Their armor is sufficient to overpower most ordinary military forces but one-on-one they cannot stand up to X-O Manowar. As such, they tend to attack en masse.

Augur (Icons Writeup)

Augur

Prowess 2
Coordination 2
Strength 2
Intellect 4
Awareness 4
Willpower 4

Stamina 6

Powers
*Immortality 1 (Limit – Source: Augur’s immortality fades if he is not within close physical proximity to Mistress Crescendo)
*Magic 4

Specialties
Linguistics, Mental Resistance, Occult

Qualities
*Fiercely loyal to Crescendo
*Craven
*Snazzy Dresser

Background

Very little is known about the man called Augur. He was the loyal Vizier to Mistress Crescendo and was at her side when she toppled Orb Industries and also when she teamed up with Baron Zemo to threaten both X-O Manowar and Iron Man. It seemed that he had been her advisor since the days of the Visigoths but it’s unknown if he was kept alive through Crescendo’s machinations or if he himself was immortal. He is an intelligent schemer but too much of a coward to directly face a foe without lots of backup. He apparently died during a multiversal crossover but given the timey-wimey nature of such things, he might still be alive.

Gamin (Icons Writeup)

Gamin

Prowess 4
Coordination 6
Strength 3
Intellect 3
Awareness 4
Willpower 4

Stamina 7

Powers
*Images 8 (Limit: Can only produce three-dimensional images of herself)

Specialties
Athletics, Sleight of Hand (Expert +2), Stealth

Qualities
*Master Thief
*Flirtatious
*Beneath it all, she wants to do the right thing.

Background

Gamin uses sophisticated technology to project false three-dimensional images of herself. Gamin is also a thief and went after Aric’s X-O Manowar armor but ultimately she seems to find Aric more attractive than his armor and settles for a kiss. They become friends until she is killed by the armor after it is corrupted by the Darque Power of Master Darque.

Bloodshot – Modern Version (Icons Writeup)

Bloodshot
aka Ray Garrison

Prowess 7
Coordination 7
Strength 7
Intellect 4
Awareness 6
Willpower 6

Stamina 13

Powers
*Nanite Physiology 8 (Extras: Regeneration, Adaptation, Emotion Control [Limit: Can induce a psychedelic high for a few hours only], Fast Attack, Images, Interface; Limit: Must consume massive amounts of protein to provide the energy for his nanites)
*Super Senses 5 (Hearing, Vision, Taste, Touch, Smell)
*Handguns 4
*Heavy Assault Rifles 6
*Gadgets 4

Bloodshot also has a number of latent powers that have been activated in the past by other Harbingers or special nanites. Normally, he is not able to access these abilities:

*Mind Control 5
*Duplication 1
*Body Alteration 6 (Extras: Blast, Extra Body Parts)

Specialties
Drive, Investigation, Leadership, Martial Arts, Mental Resistance, Military, Stealth, Weapons (Expert +2 bonus)

Qualities
*Implanted Memories
*Frequently ends up as a protector of youths on the run
*Unstoppable killing machine

Background

Bloodshot is a super-soldier project created by the secret government organization Project Rising Spirit. Special nanites in his bloodstream give him a variety of powers, including the ability to recover from almost any trauma by consuming protein. The modern incarnation of Bloodshot is Ray Garrison, though to improve his efficiency, he was brainwashed with a number of implanted identities, allowing PRS to give him personal motivations for every mission. His original purpose was to hunt down and capture or assassinate psiots. Eventually he would escape his programming and go on a search for his true identity.

The Geomancer – Geoff McHenry (Icons Writeup)

Geoff McHenry
aka The Geomancer 

Prowess 2
Coordination 3
Strength 3
Intellect 4
Awareness 8
Willpower 5

Stamina 8

Powers
*Geomancy 6 (Extras: Extrasensory Perception, Healing, Mind Shield, Postcognition, Telepathy)

Specialties
Investigation (+1 bonus), Occult (+1 bonus)

Qualities
Speaker of the Earth
Protected by the Fist and the Steel (Eternal Warrior)
Highly Respected by the Hero Community

Background

Geomancers are a lineage of men and women who, since 3500 BC, have been chosen by the Earth itself to defend it, with one Geomancer operating at a time. In the Viking era, it was a young boy. When a Geomancer dies, his or her chosen successor takes their place. When a Geomancer has reached the end of their life-cycle their power is removed by a suicide ritual called Bagh-Nakh. The main part of their power is that they are able to communicate with nature and their surroundings, receiving information from the trees, the grass, and even inanimate objects (like a photograph that ‘witnessed’ a murder).

Geomancers were instrumental in many pivotal events in the Valiant Universe, including the Unity Conflict, the birth and upbringing of Magnus, Robot Fighter, the struggle against the Darque Power and the Harbinger Wars. Gilad Anni-Padda served as the “Fist and Steel” of the Geomancers for most of his life, failing three times to save a Geomancer.

In 1992, Geomancer Tashi Khatun authored a book entitled The Book of Geomancer, the tome of ultimate knowledge.

The first Geomancer was Khanit, who was chosen in 3500 BC. Later Geomancers included Buck McHenry, Geoff McHenry, Lucinda Mendez, Yuri Pierce, Ana Kawainui, Rokland Tate and Aram Anni-Padda.

Geoff was the Geomancer during Unity and The Chaos Effect. He was a gentle kid who sought nonviolent means of resolving conflict. When Valiant first began and it was running in real time, I figured Geoff would grow into being Valiant’s premiere hero… but it never happened as they replaced him immediately after Chaos Effect. During his time as the Geomancer, Geoff was a trusted ally of Solar and the Eternal Warrior – and when he came looking for assistance, both men would drop everything to aid him. His Geomancy power is a six here because he was very much learning as he went… if we’d seen him as an adult, I’d expect his power to have increased to an 8 or possibly even a 9.

Divinity (Icons Writeup)

Divinity
aka Abram Adams

Prowess 4
Coordination 4
Strength 5
Intellect 5
Awareness 9
Willpower 9

Stamina 14

Powers
After Embracing the Unknown, Divinity’s physiology became augmented to near limitless levels, giving him the ability to control and manipulate space and time, as well as giving him access to the cosmic energies of the universe.

*Cosmic Power 10 (Extras: Absorption – Radiation, Alteration Ray, Blast, Dazzle, Detect, Duplication, Energy Control, Extrasensory Perception, Flight, Force Field, Healing {Divinity has raised the dead}, Images, Immortality, Invisibility, Life Support, Phasing, Telekinesis, Teleportation, Time Control {Extra: Time Travel}, Transmutation)

Specialties
Pilot (Expert +2 bonus), Science

Qualities
Godlike Being
Obsessed with getting to know his time-lost daughter
Former Soviet Soldier

Background

Abram began his life by being dropped off on someone’s doorstep in a basket as a baby. After years as a ward of the state, Abram joined the Soviet Union’s army, and during the height of the Cold War the army asked him to take on a dangerous 30-year mission deep in space. They thought he was perfect because he had no family ties, but secretly, he had a wife/girlfriend. Abram accepted and began to train extensively until he was ready. The night before he was sent into space, he told his wife he would have to leave for years. That night, his wife also confessed to him that she was pregnant.

His journey into space began in 1960. During the journey, he and his comrades went into a cryogenic state from time to time until they found something amazing, a place only known as The Unknown. Abram couldn’t breathe so he took off his helmet, and miraculously, he could still breathe. Then something changed him and gave him the powers of a god although it felt to him as it was the moment he died. This is also the moment he decided to return home. After 55 years, Abram eventually returned to Earth landing in the Australian outback in 2015.

Once Abram got back to Earth, he began granting nearby people’s wishes, even soldiers sent to take him down. Eventually, he amassed too much of a crowd, with travelers coming to him seeking advice, and the team Unity, consisting of Ninjak, Eternal Warrior, X-O Manowar, and Livewire was sent to capture him or terminate him if necessary. When they got there, Divinity made seconds turn into months for the heroes. But Ninjak had training and knew this wasn’t real. So he went to help the other heroes and eventually they got back to the real world. The battle began but Divinity already had followers, and worshipers, led by David Camp, a man Divinity had helped earlier. The followers started to attack the heroes but Livewire put a prison pod around Divinity as the other heroes attacked him while he was distracted by images of his dead wife/girlfriend and daughter. Eva, the wife, didn’t want to be back to life and she had died peacefully in sleep while his daughter, Anya died of cancer. Eventually, the heroes sealed up Divinity and were extracted by the giant robot GIN-GR. Afterward, Unity had a conversation with Neville, their organizer, saying they didn’t understand what Divinity did wrong. Unity put the prison pod miles below the Earth’s surface. Now Abram looks back at his life and gets to know his daughter more by talking to her when he can using his time manipulation.