Old Gruff

F Ty 6

A Ty 6

S Pr 4

E Gd 10

R In 40

I Ex 20

P Ex 20

Res Rm 30

Pop Ty -5

*off Pr 4

*dex Gd 10

*mgt Fe 2

*res Ex 20

*log In 40

*alt Ty 6

*will In 40

*mat Am 50

*pub Ty -5

*def Gd 10

*bal Pr 4

*vgr Ty 6

*sta Ty 6

*mem In 40

*awr In 40

*pre Ty 6

*$ Gd 10

*sec Ty -5

Health: Karma:

26 80

NH: MH:

22 42

Origin:

Physically speaking, Barry Grueber is a perfectly normal, if old human. Mentally however, he's a raving lunatic genius in the field of physics. Using advanced devices of his own design, Barry wishes to wield the universe's fundamental forces to conquer it wholesale!

Known Powers:

(none)

Limitations / Enhancements:

(none)

Equipment:

Cosmological Compressor: while this device has been smashed by interloping vigilantes, it's possible that Barry may attempt to rebuild it once again, assuming he bothers to track down its inexplicably rare special requirements. But then, it was built to give him Ultimate Power!

It is designed to compress the whole of space-time into a singular, one-dimensional point for but a second, collecting all the unused universal energy extant in that second, and then granting it to Barry when the universe returns to normal. But then, it didn't quite work right, anyway.

Invisible Floating Laboratory Ball: no longer content to lair where the authorities can locate (or even reach) him, Barry has built a masterpiece showcase of his gravity control technology: the Invisible Floating Laboratory Ball! Hey, he's not good with names, okay?

The Invisible Floating Laboratory Ball is approximately one hundred feet in diameter, a metal sphere with Remarkable (30) m.s. walls about a foot thick everywhere on its surface. In addition to having enough room to store all of Barry's experiments, the Ball has these functions:

* Invisibility: thanks to a creative trick with gravitational lensing, the Invisible Floating Laboratory Ball is, well, invisible. It can avoid detection by visual means with Remarkable (30) ability, namely by bending the light of anything behind it around itself completely.

* Levitation / Propulsion: using antigravity, the Invisible Floating Laboratory Ball can completely negate its own weight, and even coast up into the air. It may also repel itself away from nearby matter (even air), achieving the effects of these powers with Good (10) ability.

Jumpers: built into what merely looks like a creepy bondage harness, this technology acts to greatly reduce Barry's effective weight. While active, Barry's Jumpers reduce his weight to one percent of its normal value - essentially making him weigh but two pounds!

Since he's so physically feeble, this doesn't really allow him any considerable leaping bonus. However, it does allow Barry to move about effortlessly despite his decrepitude; he may move as if he were a man decades younger, who took much better care of himself in life.

Pressor Pounders: kept in twin holsters strapped to his back (via a hole in his lab coat, held up by his Jumpers' harness), Barry always has two of these devices handy. An offensive application of his gravity control technology, they fire bursts of focused antigravity!

These dangerous weapons can be fired to inflict Amazing (50) Force damage per powerful blast, which will also call for a check versus Slam if the target weighs fifty tons or less. And can be very deadly if Barry blasts someone while on his invisible floating laboratory ball.

Neutronium Synthesizer: built on a large tract of land in rural Montana is a particle collider of Barry's design. Situated feet beneath a seemingly normal, unattended farm plot, and powered by wind turbines rented out to a local utility, this device helps Barry to fund his projects.

Though small, he can use this particle collider, along with his own gravity bending technology, to generate tiny amounts of neutronium, a Class 5000 m.s. material - which people pay out the nose for. And no, he hasn't lined the Floating Ball with it yet - it'd still be too heavy!

Quirks:

Dulled Sense / Vision: those stylin' goggles aren't just to make Barry pretty. His advanced age having significantly hampered his visual acuity, Barry must wear his prescription lenses at all times, or he will suffer a -2 CS to any vision-based Intuition (alt) FEAT rolls.

Gravity Intolerance: having quickly grown reliant on his Jumpers, as well as life in a null-G facility, Barry doesn't react well to normal gravity any longer. Whenever subject to anything greater than .2 Gs, Barry will suffer a -2 CS penalty on all Endurance FEAT rolls he makes.

Mania / Megalomania 3: Barry is absolutely assured of his own superiority - it's just a matter of time before everyone else is similarly aware of such. He must pass a Psyche (will) FEAT roll at -6 CS to even remotely consider that he may be wrong about anything.

Natural Talent / Physics: perhaps Barry has so many problems dealing with people because he's got so much physics hard-wired into his head. He has a natural knack for physics problems of all varieties, and may add a further +1 CS to any physics-based Reason FEAT he attempts.

Talents:

Computers: though it's not his favorite thing, Barry can code with the best of them - most of his creations require at least a small modicum of automation, after all. He may design, build, repair, and program computers as if his Reason (log) was +1 CS higher than is listed above.

Electronics: it may go without saying, being that he's a member of the Electronicists' League, but Barry is an accomplished electronics engineer, on top of his 'ordinary' engineering skills. He may design, build, and repair electronic devices as if his Reason was +1 CS in rank.

Engineering 2: Barry is good at building things. Whether it's an automobile engine or even a high energy particle collider, Barry knows his way around the making of inanimate objects. He may design or build machinery or standing structures as if his Reason was +1 CS higher.

Physics 3: what got him into mad science in the first place, Barry is one of the world's greatest physicists - definitely the planet's single greatest expert on gravity. He may attempt any Reason FEAT roll related to physical phenomenon at a whopping +3 CS!

Contacts:

Barry isn't on good terms with that many people. When you're megalomaniacal enough to think you should rule all of creation, you generally don't treat others well. However, the League tolerates his derision and general nastiness thanks to the impressive work he does for them.

When, you know, not trying to destroy the world, that is.

Costume:

Barry wears the same clothing pretty much all the time.

It consists of a leather chest harness (with a two inch diameter ring in the center) beneath a long white lab coat, twin back holsters for his current energy weapons, thick rubber boots and gloves, a black leather belt, worn and torn blue jeans, and brass and leather rimmed goggles.

Personality:

Domineering, megalomaniacal, overconfident. Barry has all the traditional hallmarks of a mad scientist, thinking 'ethics' and 'common sense' are things that not only happen to other people, but hold back the Future! He could use a bit of both, but don't you dare tell him that.

Real Name: Barry Grueber
Occupation: mad scientist, would be conqueror of all
Legal Status: citizen of the United States with a considerable criminal record, currently wanted by various agencies
Marital Status: divorced
Alias(es), if any: none
Group Affiliation: the Electronicists' League

Height: 5' 4" (hunched over, would otherwise be 5' 9")
Hair: white, balding (salt and pepper chest hair)
Eyes: blue
Weight: 199 lbs
Other Distinguishing Characteristics: Barry has a considerable amount of body hair, which is plainly visible thanks to his general lack of a shirt. He also has an ample pot belly and wears large-gauge nipple rings, which only makes being around him even more uncomfortable.

His hair, though balding, seems to be possessed of considerable body, the areas in which it is not gone invariably sticking straight out.

Story:

Barry Grueber, otherwise known to the world as Old Gruff, is a consummate enemy of freedom. Well, he believes in freedom, inasmuch as he believes he is free to conquer the universe. All other sentient beings are simply freeloading on what he considers his back yard.

A long time ago, Barry decided that he needed an edge if he wanted to take over reality as we know it. After all, many men have attempted global conquest and failed utterly, their plots foiled by enemies with equal or greater resources, technology and/or manpower.

So Barry figured he'd come up with an edge that didn't involve letting others in on his scheme, much less a need for vast resources. This left science as Barry's trick, which he thus began to study and develop in earnest. For most people, that would've been it.

They'd realize there was a comfortable living to be had with a knack for science that covered a few degrees worth of knowledge, after all, and quit striving for power. But Barry could never tolerate the very notion of working under the auspices of anyone else. Never!

Thus, he retreated into a life of research on the far fringes of mankind's awareness. Funding such work is difficult however, particularly when you need to perform various high energy experiments to prove your theories on, say, the the practical application of gravity control.

Thus, Barry began to rob banks, the wealthy, and various industrial supply corporations in an effort to acquire all that he needed to bring about his new science. While a genius physicist and competent engineer however, Barry isn't really all that good with crime.

He was successful as often as not, and Barry found himself repeatedly arrested over the years in his attempt to fund his experiments. On his seventieth birthday, Barry managed to earn parole yet again, at which point he found himself face to face with Transistorized Ted.

This irrationally dressed man came to Barry the moment he was released from jail, and had a proposition for him. Ted wanted access to Barry's theories and, if he ever managed it, a working prototype of his gravity manipulating technology. Ted would of course fund Barry in exchange.

Thinking this buffoon to be mad, Barry nonetheless took him up on the offer because hey, free money. With the aid of Ted and his organization, the Electronicists' League, Barry was finally able to render his mad theories and outre desires into a coherent, tangible whole.

Which is how he originally developed the technology to manipulate gravity! Barry donated the original technology to the League in the form of Jumpers, items that one can wear to reduce the effects of gravity on their persons, but naturally continued to develop his gear considerably.

He's since developed practical levitation technology, gravity blasters, and much, much more. This equipment has enabled him to effortlessly secure funding for even greater projects, such as his invisible floating laboratory ball, as well as create even greater, more dangerous devices!

Devices that Barry is more than ready and/or willing to turn against an unsuspecting universe...!

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