the Human Torch
| F Ex 20 |
A Ex 20 |
S Ex 20 |
E In 40 |
R Ty 6 |
I Ty 6 |
P Ex 20 |
Res Gd 10 |
Pop Mn +75 |
| Health: Karma: |
100 32 |
Origin:
An android built by Phineas T. Horton, the Human Torch had the fatal flaw of igniting upon being exposed to air. He managed to get control of this tendency however, and has since used his pyrotechnic abilities in the fight against whatever evils happen to cross his path!
Known Powers:
Synthetic Construction: the Human Torch is an artificial being, built from off the shelf components married together with synthetic organic building blocks known as Horton cells. As a manufactured human, the Torch has the benefit of the following ascendant abilities:
* Agelessness: the Torch doesn't age as per regular humans. As long as he maintains his various bodily systems, he can continue to function indefinitely. Finally, his android body only requires about half the sleep a conventional human being needs.
* Resistance to Disease and Poisons: while he isn't fully immune to the failings of natural beings, what with him being partially organic in nature, the Torch is nonetheless resistant to these attack vectors. He possesses Monstrous (75) protection from such assaults.
Fire Generation: his most notorious ability, this power allows the Human Torch to generate flames as he sees fit. He may do so with Monstrous (75) ability, inflicting like SD Energy damage with each assault, and has mastered these power stunts thus far:
* Aura / Fire and Heat: the Torch's body generates an astounding amount of heat while his powers are active. This translates into a Monstrous (75) rank nimbus of flame and infrared light around his body, which is extremely deleterious to infravision.
In addition to so brutally inconveniencing individuals with this sensory enhancement, the Torch's fiery aura provides him a considerable amount of protection from a wide array of injury, described as follows:
Am 50 / Mn 75 / Ex 20 / Ty 6 / Fe 2
* Flight: by projecting his flames behind himself, the Torch can achieve flight speeds of up to 140 miles per hour (which roughly translates into Excellent (20) rank), or ten areas per turn. He can carry up to 180 additional pounds before he is slowed down any.
* Nova Blast: this ultimate assault allows the Torch to release the power of a nuclear blast. This translates into a Shift Y (200) intensity SD Energy blast, affecting everything within approximately four miles with its deadly power. The Torch doesn't use this often, however.
This because it would kill almost anybody within the blast radius. And would be an enormous Karma nightmare, to say the least. Furthermore, his nova blast drains the Torch's power for about twelve full hours, during which time he is easy prey for anything that survived its use!
Fire Manipulation: the Torch's second main power is his ability to control active fiery energies. He can do this with Monstrous (75) ability, affecting either his own fire or the flames of others. The Torch can produce the following effects with this power:
* Flame Cages: the Torch can create cages and other barriers composed of flaming energy, which are of Monstrous (75) intensity. Anyone crossing these cages or barriers will suffer like SD Energy damage with each attempt.
* Energy Duplicates: the Torch can produce up to ten fiery duplicates of himself at one time. Each is considered to be an Monstrous (75) intensity fire 'object', inflict like damage upon touch, and act with similar statistics under the Torch's control.
* Fiery Object Creation: the Torch can produce skywriting, and other 'objects' of fire that are of Monstrous (75) intensity flame. Such 'objects' will last for about 35 rounds (3.5 minutes) before burning out, unless the Torch concentrates on maintaining them.
* Temperature Control: the Torch has also demonstrated influence over heat as well. He can lower the temperature of an object to about thirty degrees Fahrenheit, or raise it up to several hundred degrees. Alternately, he can simply absorb heat into his body to fuel his Nova blast.
Resistance to Fire and Heat Attacks: the Human Torch can supposedly only be harmed by fire of an intensity greater than his own maximum output: his nova blast. As such, it can be assumed that he is resistant to all fire and heat attacks at Shift Y (200) rank.
Limitations / Enhancements:
Achilles' Heel: The Human Torch, while quite powerful, has a weakness. Applying five or more gallons of water to him can douse his powers, as can extremely powerful winds (those of Unearthly (100) intensity or higher). Extinguishing the Torch neuters his powers for 1d10 turns.
Equipment:
(none)
Quirks:
(none)
Talents:
Law Enforcement: for a time, the Human Torch was a member of the NYPD, and as such, he'd be properly schooled in the ways of busting up crime, whatever form it manifests in. Consider his Reason to be +1 CS concerning law and order FEAT rolls.
Military / United States: while not an actual member of the armed forces, per se, the Human Torch worked with them for four years during World War 2, and as such, it is likely that he has an intimate knowledge of the inner workings of the American military as a whole.
Piloting: even though he himself can fly unaided by technology, the Human Torch has been spotted on numerous occasions piloting the aircraft owned by the Sub-Mariner. As such, he may add a +1 CS to any Agility or Control FEAT called for while operating such vehicles.
Skill / Fire Generation: though he lacks other combat training, the Human Torch is skilled in the use of his power, especially when using it in combat. He makes all FEAT rolls for his fiery powers at a +1 CS (except for damage, of course).
Trivia: the Torch is knowledgeable in various areas of 1930s and 1940s culture, as he was schooled via remote control by his creator while locked underground in a cement vault. His Reason FEATs concerning this era should be +1 CS for all applicable rolls.
Contacts:
The Human Torch was a hero of great renown during the 1940s - both before and after he joined the Invaders. He could presumably rely upon any other hero from this era for aid should he but ask, as well as the US military, whom he worked alongside for years.
Costume:
When not wearing civilian clothes, the Human Torch usually wears a body suit that is entirely red, save for its yellow collar and cuffs. Of course, the vast majority of the time that you encounter him, he's ablaze - so you wouldn't really see anything but him inside his fiery aura.
Personality:
The Human Torch often felt loneliness, being the very first of his kind - much less an outsider in human society despite his many attempts to fit in. He's found friendship in the form of his fellow Invaders however, especially with his side kick, Toro - who he treats like a son.
Real Name: the Human Torch
Occupation: adventurer, former police officer
Legal Status: unrevealed
Marital Status: single (if applicable)
Alias(es), if any: Jim Hammond
Group Affiliation: the Invaders
Height: 6' 3"
Hair: blond
Eyes: blue
Weight: 300 lbs
Other Distinguishing Characteristics: none
Story:
The Human Torch was created in the laboratory of one Phineas T. Horton. He and his assistant were pioneers in artificial intelligence and robotics - truly decades before their time. Working in secret for years, these two managed to eventually produce a working android: an artificial being that mimicked virtually all of the normal functions of the human body!
The only problem was that this android would catch fire as soon as it was exposed to oxygen! Attempting to earn back some of his investment on all his work, Horton called a press conference to show off his new creation; this irked his assistant, who subsequently made off with a second, almost complete android body - and he proved to have been correct in doing so.
This was because the press reacted quite poorly to Horton's showing of this 'Human Torch', condemning it as a 'monster' and a 'menace to society'. Cowed by the press's reaction and threats against him, Horton locked the android away in a cement chamber underground, its only link to the above world a speaker with which Horton could teach this nascent entity about humanity.
Time passed though, and Horton's air-tight tomb proved to be not as sealed as he thought. Eventually, the Human Torch managed to break free of his prison, making his way through a New York City completely unprepared to handle such a freakish event. Panic ensued as the Torch poorly interacted with his surroundings, inadvertently setting fires and causing all kinds of damage.
The Torch eventually got control of his powers, however, and declared himself independent of Horton when the man tried again to cash in on his creation. In fact, the two had a violent altercation that seemed at first to kill Horton, but the man ultimately escaped to create further androids. The Torch, meanwhile, adopted the identity of Jim Hammond, and became a police officer.
He fought crime as a policeman for a time, at least until some manner of villainous threat would force him to catch fire and deal with it directly. On one such occasion, the Torch found out that the Asbestos Girl had targeted the Raymond family for their secrets in fireproof technologies. Though he routed her, the Torch couldn't prevent her from killing most of the family.
Save for the youngest member, Thomas - who, upon meeting the Torch, displayed fantastic fire-based powers of his own! Since the youth no longer had a family, the Torch took him under his wing, and the duo started fighting crime together. Though he was a human being, Thomas - who took to calling himself Toro - began to think of the android Torch as a father figure, and the two became best friends.
They would fight evil together wherever they could find it, whether alone or together. These feats of heroism included numerous clashes with the aquatic Sub-Mariner, who had a grudging respect for the Torch despite his opposition to assaults on the human world. Of course, the Torch would wind up working with Namor eventually, when the two were asked to join a team by Captain America.
Tasked with the opposition of fascist forces worldwide, the Invaders would be the earth's premiere combat team. The Torch readily joined up with Captain America, taking Toro with him, as did Namor and the Cap's own side kick, Bucky. This team would grow over time to become as effective as planned, the individual members slowly learning how to fight alongside each other more efficiently.
And they were joined by others, including the second Union Jack and Spitfire, British siblings who both gained super-human powers; Union Jack 2 by a variant of the Super-Soldier Serum, and Spitfire by the mutagenic reaction caused by exposure to vampire ichor and a blood transfusion from the Torch himself. This team proved so mighty that no fascist threat could stop their onslaught.
Either with just Toro or the entire Invaders team, the Torch would continue to fight evil for the duration of the War.
Extra Goodies:
The Human Torch entry originally written with Keith Kilburn!
Continue on to the Modern Human Torch!
Return to the Invaders main page!
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