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Ben Grimm Homage - Need Ideas

Hello all!

Recently, I'm trying to create a Thing homage, but I'm kinda dry on ideas. Duplicate his visual is an easy task, but I don't want a copycat, I want something in the monster-thing-creature theme, not necessarily rock-based. Anybody with concept ideas? Any feedback is welcome :)

Bonus: Thing pics B)

Comments

  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    edited March 2018
    Nice pics, thanks. :)

    The possible concepts in this setting are as wide as in the mainstream comics universes: inborn genetic mutation; accidental or deliberate alteration by science or magic; alien; supernatural creature from myth or folklore; artificial construct. If you want we could throw out a bunch of random ones hoping one sticks; but how about approaching this from the direction of character? Often who the character is provides clues to the most appropriate definition of what he is.

    What kind of person do you want this character to be? How does he see himself? What's his relationship to "normal" people and other supers? What was his journey to become what he is now? Any significant past events or personal relationships you want to play up?

    If that's not how you want to proceed, we can return to spitballing concepts. ;)
  • brfabeirasbrfabeiras Posts: 182 Arc User
    My chacacter direction would be similar of Ben Grimm, I was thinking about a background story like 70s Marvel Two-in-One with Thing lone wandering and teaming-up with a different hero every story.

    He kinda hates his monster aspect, but he understands the good he can do in this form (pretty much like Ben too).

    Personality-wise, he would be a grumpy person (in part because his monster aspect), but with a good heart, alwasy willing to help people in need.

    About origin, I haven't decided yet... I'll update here as soon as I decide. ;)
  • ealford1985ealford1985 Posts: 3,582 Arc User
    Running more of a clone than a homage.

    Try not using the fantastic four colors.
  • brfabeirasbrfabeiras Posts: 182 Arc User

    Running more of a clone than a homage.



    Try not using the fantastic four colors.

    Yeah I know, just did that for fun :p It's not the visual I'll run with.
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    edited March 2018
    Okay, it sounds like you're going for a relatively normal guy who was changed into this superhuman monster form at some point. Do I have that right?

    If that is the case, as I indicated before there are many possible ways this could come about; but I'm going to suggest one origin that's more distinctive to the Champions setting. There's an official villain called Fleshtone (written up for the Champions PnP game in Champions Villains Vol. 3) who has a specialized form of telekinesis which allows him to mold living flesh, his own or someone else's, as though it were clay, "sculpting" it however he imagines. Fleshtone can alter flesh's shape, volume, to some extent even function. He can make someone more attractive, or hideous; cripple a person by twisting their body, or kill them by impairing a critical function, like covering over their faces so they can't breathe. Fleshtone has become a sadistic sociopath, considering all creatures as potential raw material for his "art."

    People subjected to Fleshtone's powers generally return to normal after a few minutes, but he can make any change permanent if he wants to. While Fleshtone can make someone's body stronger or tougher, as he's done to himself, he can't intentionally grant superhuman powers. However, one of his victims developed super-strength, probably resulting from a latent mutation stimulated by Fleshtone's attack. That victim is now the supervillain called Grotesque (also in CV 3).

    The advantages to this origin are that the character can have almost any desired background, having just been in the wrong place at the wrong time; and almost any appearance, as long as it's recognizably organic.

    If that doesn't work for you, if you could provide a few more specifics we can keep exploring. :)
  • brfabeirasbrfabeiras Posts: 182 Arc User
    I just reminded Concrete's origin. He's a Dark Horse character that was abducted by aliens and had his brain transplanted to a rock-like body. In case you don't know him:

    https://comicvine.gamespot.com/concrete/4005-6907/
    Are there any similar origins on CU lore? I'm starting to like this one :)
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    edited March 2018
    I can think of at least five relevant precedents that could be made to work for such an origin, two scientific, another magical, and two using aliens.

    The monster called the Lodge, which haunts the wilds of Canada, looks like a giant humanoid earth-elemental type with a rock-like exterior. But it's actually organic, created and customized by the villainous master geneticist Teleios out of a tissue sample from an alien predator. Teleios also has the capacity to transfer someone's memories and personality from one body into another -- that's how he came to occupy his current "perfect" body. And Teleios is the sort of totally amoral scientist who would do this to a random person just to see how he would respond. (The Lodge is written up in Champions Of The North, and Teleios in Champions Villains Vol. 1. You could also scroll down the first post on this forum thread for some examples of Teleios's superhuman creations.)

    The evil tech corporation ARGENT also routinely conducts involuntary experiments on people, looking to create something marketable. They often kidnap subjects, most often homeless people, or deal with discreet slave traders; but they'll go after any person who has factors especially suiting them to a particular experiment. One of their ongoing fields of research is into finding a safe, reliable method of granting someone super-powers. If you scroll down this forum thread to the post titled, "ARGENT-Created Superhumans," you'll find a full description of their known official efforts to date, including a few which might fit your desired concept. (I'm particularly thinking of Interface.)

    Golem is a member of the supernatural villain team, the Devil's Advocates. His particular magical specialty is casting his psyche into a statue to animate it, by preparing an enchanted talisman which he attaches to the statue beforehand. Golem gains physical strength and durability commensurate to the size and composition of the statue. If someone were to be caught in the middle of a super-battle involving the DAs, and was too close to Golem when the right kind of super-zap was thrown... well, comics are full of much bigger coincidental origins. ;) In fact, another of the DAs, Tartarus, had just that sort of accidental origin involving a demon-summoning artifact, which left his mind occupying the demon's body. (The Devil's Advocates are detailed in Champions Villains Vol. 3.)

    You might have played at the Forum Malvanum on Earth's Moon in CO. The Malvans are the most technologically advanced race in the galaxy, which includes the capacity to induce almost any super power in any being. When Ironclad fled Malva, its ruler, the Phazor, missed one of his favorite gladiators and wanted to replace him. So he had his agents kidnap another Perseid (Ironclad's race) and imbue him with comparable strength and durability. But for variety the Phazor wanted this one to look like living stone instead of metal, which is how he became known as Malachite. (Note that his mineral appearance was just one choice the Phazor could have made.) It would also be well within the Malvans' capabilities to transfer a brain, psychically or physically, into another prepared body.

    The trick with this last origin would be figuring out why the Malvans would want to do something like this to your character specifically. It may be helpful that, while the Malvans seem to prefer their gladiators to fight voluntarily, they can erase a reluctant person's memories and program them with a suitably obedient persona, as they did with Malachite. Hence your character could be amnesiac, at least until you figure out that "why" part. ;) (The Malvans are very extensively described in Champions Beyond, including the Forum Malvanum, as well as Malachite and a number of their other super-gladiators.)

    Many alien races are able to manifest super-powers just as humans can; but humanity gains them more often, at a higher average power level, and/or over a wider range of powers, than almost any other species. The main reason the Qularr first invaded Earth was to be able to conduct mass experiments on the human race, to discover how to imbue that superior potential in themselves. To that end they undoubtedly continue to experiment on captured human subjects. At least one such experiment, involving "growing" a mixture of Human and Gadroon DNA, produced a superhumanly-strong monster; but its strength was an unintentional side-effect and it proved uncontrollable. (That experiment is described in the chapter on Earth's Moon in Champions Beyond, which also devotes chapters to all aspects of the Qularr and Gadroon.)

    Please let us know if you want more about any of these (which I'll be glad to supply, within the limits of Fair Use of the Champions IP). :)
    Post edited by bulgarex on
  • brfabeirasbrfabeiras Posts: 182 Arc User
    So many possibilites to choose now, thanks, Bulgarex! I think I have enough material to finish my character now :)
  • dialamxdialamx Posts: 931 Arc User
    edited March 2018
    I have a Thing homage named Brickhouse Malone. He's a former heavy weight boxer who's mutant power manifested very late in his life (in his 40's), when his fist turned to stone inside his boxing glove, and he accidentally killed his opponent. His opponent was part of the mob, and this set him in their sites. He was forced to use his mutant powers to protect his family, and now can manifest his "Rock Form" at will, using his boxing name as his superhero name.

    Not at all the same story as Ben Grimm, but allows my character to take on a Gray colored version of the Thing, while not being an exact clone.
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    Champions Universe p. 89 mentions a "brick" (game's term for a superstrong character) called Blockhead, who's an auxiliary member of the Champions in Millennium City. Although not officially identified, popular fan opinion is that Blockhead is the stony-looking fellow in a suit on the bottom left corner of the cover to the CU book: http://static4.paizo.com/image/product/catalog/HER/HERDOJHERO1102AE_500.jpeg
  • brfabeirasbrfabeiras Posts: 182 Arc User
    dialamx said:

    I have a Thing homage named Brickhouse Malone. He's a former heavy weight boxer who's mutant power manifested very late in his life (in his 40's), when his fist turned to stone inside his boxing glove, and he accidentally killed his opponent. His opponent was part of the mob, and this set him in their sites. He was forced to use his mutant powers to protect his family, and now can manifest his "Rock Form" at will, using his boxing name as his superhero name.

    Not at all the same story as Ben Grimm, but allows my character to take on a Gray colored version of the Thing, while not being an exact clone.

    Cool! That's a nice homage :)
    bulgarex said:

    Champions Universe p. 89 mentions a "brick" (game's term for a superstrong character) called Blockhead, who's an auxiliary member of the Champions in Millennium City. Although not officially identified, popular fan opinion is that Blockhead is the stony-looking fellow in a suit on the bottom left corner of the cover to the CU book: http://static4.paizo.com/image/product/catalog/HER/HERDOJHERO1102AE_500.jpeg

    Hmm, that visual gave me some ideas... thanks!
  • bulgarexbulgarex Posts: 2,310 Arc User
    edited March 2018
    The Champions Universe actually has a close analogue to the Thing, John "Whit" Whitley aka Diamond. His appearance is evocative of the Thing -- massive, with a brick-red stone-like surface, but more crystalline and faceted than the Thing. Diamond isn't the strongest "brick" in the setting, but he's a very experienced fighter, having been an active superhero for over half a century (he doesn't appear to age); first as a founding member of the legendary Fabulous Five ;) ; then after the Five disbanded, joining the equally-prestigious Sentinels superhero team.

    Whitley has something of Ben Grimm's gruff personality, but he's more cerebral than Grimm, and in fact is an accomplished scientist and engineer, specializing in geology and demolitions. Over his long career he's been nearly everywhere, seen and done almost everything, and at this point is rarely impressed or intimidated by anything. He's world-famous and enormously respected in the superhero community, having mentored generations of younger heroes. The Sentinels have offered him team leadership more than once, but he prefers the role of advisor and "elder statesman."

    Diamond's most recent PnP write-up is in Champions Universe: News Of The World.
  • brfabeirasbrfabeiras Posts: 182 Arc User
    bulgarex said:

    The Champions Universe actually has a close analogue to the Thing, John "Whit" Whitley aka Diamond. His appearance is evocative of the Thing -- massive, with a brick-red stone-like surface, but more crystalline and faceted than the Thing. Diamond isn't the strongest "brick" in the setting, but he's a very experienced fighter, having been an active superhero for over half a century (he doesn't appear to age); first as a founding member of the legendary Fabulous Five ;) ; then after the Five disbanded, joining the equally-prestigious Sentinels superhero team.

    Whitley has something of Ben Grimm's gruff personality, but he's more cerebral than Grimm, and in fact is an accomplished scientist and engineer, specializing in geology and demolitions. Over his long career he's been nearly everywhere, seen and done almost everything, and at this point is rarely impressed or intimidated by anything. He's world-famous and enormously respected in the superhero community, having mentored generations of younger heroes. The Sentinels have offered him team leadership more than once, but he prefers the role of advisor and "elder statesman."

    Diamond's most recent PnP write-up is in Champions Universe: News Of The World.

    I'll take a look into this Diamond fella, really looks like Thing :D
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