F Un 100

A Am 50

S In 40

E Am 50

R Am 50

I Mn 75

P Un 100

Res Ex 20

Pop Gd 10*

Health: Karma:

240 225

* Amongst humans, at least. In +40 to fellow Autobots, In -40 regarding Predacons / Decepticons.

Origin:

Like the other members of the Build Team, and as are his fellow Autobots, Hightower is an electromechanical entity from Cybertron, a robot that strives to prevent Decepticon dominion of the universe. This alien may also be from another time period, making him doubly out of place on earth.

Known Powers:

Cybertronian Physique: like his fellow Autobots, Hightower is a robotic entity of Cybertronian design and origin. As such, this dutiful sentry has, by his very nature, the use of a large variety of abilities that reflect this. His very body gives Hightower these super human powers:

* Armor Skin: like most Cybertronians, Hightower was built (or formed) with a reinforced steel frame, one that offers him Excellent (20) resistance to injury. This makes him immune to most basic human attack forms, and moderately resistant to his fellow robots. His defense breaks down as follows:

Ex 20 / Ty 6 / Fe 2 / Sh 0 / Sh 0

* Growth: most Cybertronians have some degree of control over their size, no matter what form they take. Due to his significant height in his humanoid mode, Hightower has this power via technicality; he may very well grow somewhat while transforming, but doesn't appear to do so.

According to the standard Growth rules, Hightower has this power at Good (10) rank, making him stand approximately fourteen feet tall. Since his Strength rank is (much) higher, this offers him no combat benefit, but on the other hand, human-sized folks targeting Hightower receive a +1 CS to hit him in battle.

The Ultimate Powers Book, however, gives Hightower this power at Poor (4) rank, making him out to be a bit over twice a normal human's size. This would grant this expert marksman a +1 CS to the Strength score listed above (raising it to Amazing (50)), thus adding 10 points to his Health.

According to the Transformers MSH Sourcebook, on the other hand, Hightower's statistics are geared towards mixing it up with beings of like size. As such, when fighting folks of normal human size, he should receive a +1 CS to the damage he inflicts upon them (+1 CS per 2 CS of growth).

Finally, per the Universal Heroes rules, Hightower has a +1 size factor. As such, he inflicts +1 CS damage vs normal human opponents, and has 1 CS of Damage Reduction against them. On the other hand, he is at a -1 CS to hit them in combat, while they receive a +1 CS to hit him.

* Invulnerability to Disease and Toxins: like all robots, Hightower is highly resistant to diseases and poisons that would kill organic beings. He possesses this resistance at Class 1k rank versus organic pathogens, and at Unearthly (100) versus more chemically creative substances.

* Microscopic / Telescopic Vision: all Transformers have the ability to alter their visual sensitivity as is necessary, where distance is concerned. Functioning at Feeble (2) rank, this power lets them see objects up to a mile distant with ease, as well as allowing them to read items on microfiche.

Crane Cannon: when he transforms into his humanoid mode, Hightower's crane is reborn as a deadly weapon, an oversized (even for a Transformer) flamethrower. He can use this devastating weapon to inflict Monstrous (75) SD Energy Damage with each and every terrible blast.

Gestalt: as a member of the Autobot Build Team, Hightower can merge with his fellows in order to form the mighty Landfill. This Amazing (50) ranked power allows him to join with Wedge in one of three possible configurations - serving as either of Landfill's legs or both of his arms.

Headlights: to better emulate earthen vehicles (and since they come in handy in the dark), most automotive Transformers on earth are equipped with a set of convenient headlights. These twin lamps can be used to generate Excellent (20) intensity illumination, making driving at night no problem.

Shapechange: whenever he desires, Hightower can transform between his humanoid and crane mode, and often does so quickly in battle to maximize the use of his abilities. This power is voice-activated, however ("Hightower, Transform!"). His crane mode has these vehicular statistics:

C Am 50

S Gd 10

B Am 50

P Ex 20

Tunneling: Hightower can use this power either by himself or in tandem with the rest of the Build Team. If tunneling solo, Hightower may do so at Good (10) rank, but if all four members of the Build Team work together, they can dig through the earth with Remarkable (30) ability.

Equipment:

Crane Magnum: supplementing his primary firearm, this weapon is essentially a large, chemical slugthrower. Hightower can use this hand cannon to inflict Incredible (40) Shooting damage with every blast. Hightower stores this weapon in a sub-space pocket when he's not making use of it.

Quirks:

(none)

Talents:

Advanced Guns: in addition to his capability to fire most any standard kind of gun, Hightower can also make use of advanced, energy-based firearms in battle. He should receive a +1 CS on any attack when wielding his crane cannon or any other energy-casting weapon readily available.

Engineering / Construction: as are the other members of the Build Team, Hightower is a competent engineer, able to build any item or structure he needs to, thanks to his advanced Cybertronian knowledge. He should receive a +1 CS on any FEAT required when building anything.

Guns: an expert marksman virtually without peer, Hightower can use firearms to devastating effect. When wielding his crane magnum, or any other standard, semi-automatic, or fully automatic rifle or pistol, Hightower may do so as though his Agility score was +1 CS in rank.

Contacts:

As a member of the Build Team, Hightower is naturally able to call upon his fellows for assistance at any time - though it's more likely that he will be helping them in a pinch. Furthermore, being an Autobot means that he can count on that large group of warriors for help when necessary.

Likeness:

In his vehicular configuration, Hightower appears to be a average, ordinary crane - if bright red in coloration. However, when he transforms into his humanoid mode, Hightower appears to be a large, red and silver robot built from various bits and pieces of a construction crane.

Personality:

Hightower is a very cautious, careful Autobot, constantly on guard for danger on any front. He feels it is his duty to protect the Build Team from harm, and (though Wedge's recklessness confounds him at times) he's often dispensing advice and other wisdom to his fellows when not engaged in combat.

Real Name: Hightower
Occupation: Autobot architect, warrior
Legal Status: citizen of Cybertron with no known criminal record on earth
Marital Status: inapplicable
Alias(es), if any: none
Group Affiliation: the Autobots, the Build Team

Height: 14'
Hair: inapplicable
Eyes: black
Weight: several tons
Other Distinguishing Characteristics: Hightower is composed of a strong alien metal that is primarily red in color, with bits of silver in places, regardless of his current configuration.

Story:

Not a whole lot has been revealed about the origins of the Autobot known as Hightower, but he has gained fame throughout the galaxy as both a marksman who is second to none in skill and a tireless sentry. In fact, he is rumored to have been the guardian of the one and only Vector Sigma at one point!

Hightower eventually wound up working with Wedge and the rest of the Build Team, however, and when not working on various construction projects with his fellows, he's constantly on the lookout for trouble, ceaselessly analyzing all data available to him in order to perceive threats to Wedge and his teammates.

You can imagine how distraught Hightower became, then, when Wedge started pushing Optimus Prime, leader of the Autobots, into letting him and his Build Team participate in the fight against Megatron on earth. Before this, the Build Team had simply worked on making the earth Autobot-friendly, as it were.

Though their first fight wound up being something of a disaster, the Build Team has gained experience working together in combat, and are now a capable fighting force in addition to expert architects. A large part of this success comes from Hightower's endless efforts to neutralize threats before they materialize.

Hightower didn't have to go too far out of his way to do this, though, for the Build Team entered the fight somewhat late in the game, and the Autobots ultimately proved victorious against the evil Megatron and his Predacon and Decepticon minions. With this threat defused, the Autobots were no longer needed on earth.

There's plenty of clean-up to do before they leave, however. While the other Autobots can take off at their leisure, it has fallen upon Hightower and his teammates to remove all the advanced, Cybertronian technology that they have scattered across the earth, and this may take quite some time.

As such, Hightower may be staying on earth for awhile...