Bludgeon Threat Build (Transformers Essence20 rpg)

As of this posting, last night I ran a short session of the GIJoe Roleplaying Game for some folks on the BAMF Podcast.

You can find the video for that game here.

If you dont want to watch the full thing, tl/dr is that they are undercover GIJoe agents in Cobra who discover that Cobra's new weapons supplier are actually a faction of alien robots (Decepticons).

In the session, their Decepticon contact is the Pretender Bludgeon, who is just a cool character.

I was introduced to Bludgeon through the Marvel Comics, where he first appeared as the leader of the Mayhem Attack Squad. In this story, they hunted down a bunch of Autobots unto the Cybertron underworld and discovered the hidden chamber of Primus himself. The events of this story led to the big Unicron battle of the comics... so, highly memorable!

Bludgeon would go on to become a major character in the series from this point on. When Thunderwing, Scorponok, and Shockwave -- all the Decepticon leaders who came before him -- had been killed, Bludgeon stepped up as the new leader of the Decepticons. He continued in this capacity through the end of the series and even into the Regeneration One comics that Simon Furman would later write to close up the official Marvel Transformers Continuity.

The next time I saw Bludegon would be in the Transformers Cyberverse animated series, where he was the silent assassin type.

For my personal campaign, Bludgeon is a Pretender; a Decepticon assuming a human guise. In this particular instance, he is posing as an illegal arms dealer working for an undisclosed Japanese criminal organization. Under his helmet, I personally perceive him as looking like Ken Watanabe.

I am a little disappointing at his function in this game session. The Essence20 action economy worked against him, so he didnt really get a chance to show off how cool he was... alas! But, for those interested, here is the build I was using.

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BLUDGEON

“To know your own limits, you must first know your foe’s limits.”

Bludgeon is a ferocious warrior, skilled in the ancient Cybertronian martial art of Metallikato. He and his blade can cut through the battlefield as if everyone else is operating at a minimal speed setting. Bludgeon's feats in battle seem nearly supernatural, which is probably the effect he's going for, if he doesn't believe his own hype. Utterly vicious and aloof, Bludgeon is also highly religious, adhering to an arcane code of honor. Though his beliefs fuel his single-minded bloodthirstiness with dogmatic precision, they also cause him to be rather superstitious.

Bludgeon's confidence, skill, and grand words have often catapulted him to the upper ranks of the Decepticons. Who wouldn't fall in line behind him? He's charismatic! The Mayhem Attack Squad is his usual host of cronies, but he's also been known to fill in as Decepticon leader if a power vacuum presents itself.

Bludgeon is (obviously) a Pretender who has adopted a shell which takes the appearance of a skeletal samurai. His signature weapon is an energo-sword, though he also carries a shield and a high-voltage electric cannon. In accordance with his martial arts motif, generators in his shell's legs can create disorienting clouds of smoke, and he can generate electric fireballs from the torso of either his body or his shell.

Threat Level 9

Size: Common Health: 8

Movement: 30 ft. Ground / 30 ft. Aerial (Bot-Mode); 45 ft. Ground (Alt-Mode)

Strength 6: Athletics +d4, Brawn +d4, Intimidation +d4

Speed 4: Finesse (Martial Arts) +d6*

Smarts 5: Alertness +d4, Culture +d4, Technology +d2

Social 8: Deception +d6, Performance +d4, Persuasion +d6

Toughness: 19 Evasion: 14

Willpower: 15 Cleverness: 18

PERKS

Lifelike Pretender: Because Bludgeon’s Bot-Mode is his disguise, abilities that give benefits for hiding while in Alt-Mode apply to his Bot Mode instead. When in Bot-Mode, Bludgeon gains an Edge on Skill Tests to pass as an organic lifeform. To pass as an organic lifeform, he can only choose hidden Integrated Hardpoints.

Mode Conversion: Cybertronians spend a Standard Action to convert between Bot Mode and Alt-Mode.

Position of Power: When Bludgeon successfully makes a melee attack against a target currently suffering from a Condition, he deals 1 additional damage.

ATTACKS

Directed Element Rifle (Targeting): Range 75ft (1 Electrical damage)

Hands: 2

Traits: Computerized, Element (electrical)

Energo-Sword (Finesse): +d6*, Reach (1 Energy Damage)

Alternate Effect: 1 Energy Damage - Multiple Targets (2 Reach, ↓1), 1 Energy Damage - Multiple Targets (3, Reach, ↓3), Intimidating

Hands: 1

Modifications: Energized, Lead-Lined

Traits: Computerized, Elemental (Energy), Martial Arts, Reload, Sharp, Silent

Smoke Generator (Finesse): +d6, Range 20 ft/50 ft (1 Cover Blast [20 ft. radius])

Alternate Effects: 1 Stun (↓2)

Traits: Consumable, Silent

POWERS

Metallikato (Bot-Mode Only; Free Action): Use a Free Action to activate any one of the following benefits to melee attacks Bludgeon makes on the same turn:

Ignore up to Bludgeon’s Smarts Essence in Armor bonus to Defense;

Reroll all Skill Die results of 1;

Shove or trip the target on a Critical Success;

Gain Multiple (2) Targets (↓1)

Terrifying (Free Action): Bludgeon gives himself a ↑1 on Intimidation Skill Tests until the end of his turn. This is an Armor Upgrade

GEAR

Armor: Terrifying Heavy Armor Plating (+3 plating to Toughness)

Weapons: Electric Cannon (Directed Element Rifle), Energo-Sword (Medium Blade), Smoke Generators (Cover Grenades) x2

HANGUPS

Perfectionist: Bludgeon can’t help but be a show-off, and attempts to goad him into action with Social abilities gain an Edge against him.

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Till All Are One!