F Rm 30

A Ex 20

S Am 50

E Am 50

R Am 50

I Rm 30

P In 40

Res Ex 20

Pop Gd +10*

Health: Karma:

150 120

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

Origin:

Like his fellow Spychangers, as well as the rest of the Autobots on earth, Ironhide is an electromechanical being 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, Ironhide is a robotic entity of Cybertronian design and origin. As such, this amazingly strong warrior has, by his very nature, the use of a large variety of abilities that reflect this. His very body gives Ironhide these super human powers:

* Armor Skin: like most Cybertronians, Ironhide was built (or formed) with a reinforced steel frame, one that offers him Good (10) resistance to injury. This makes him resistant to most basic human attack forms, and moderately resistant to his fellow robots. His defense breaks down as follows:

Gd 10 / Pr 4 / Sh 0 / Sh 0 / Sh 0

* Growth: most Cybertronians have some degree of control over their size, no matter what form they take. Due to his considerable height in his humanoid mode, Ironhide 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, Ironhide has this power at Poor (4) rank, making him stand approximately eleven foot tall. Since his Strength rank is higher, this offers him no combat benefit, but on the other hand, human-sized folks targeting Ironhide receive a +1 CS to hit him in battle.

The Ultimate Powers Book, however, gives Ironhide this power at Feeble (2) rank, making him out to be just over 1.5 times a normal human's size. Unlike some of the other Autobots on earth, his size and mass alone do not grant Ironhide a Strength bonus, making him better suited for stealth work...

According to the Transformers MSH Sourcebook, on the other hand, Ironhide'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, Ironhide has a size factor of zero (0). As such, he receives no special bonuses or penalties when combating human-sized opponents thanks to his size alone. However, this does put him at a slight disadvantage against the larger Predacons...

* Invulnerability to Disease and Toxins: like all robots, Ironhide 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.

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

C In 40

S Ex 20

B Rm 30

P Gd 10

Spychanger Powers: as a member of the elite Autobot Spychangers squad, Ironhide has acquired access to a series of special abilities that most Autobots - heck, most Transformers, really - lack. These rather handy, versatile abilities include the following super human powers:

* Blending: important to their roles as the Autobot spies, this power augments the Spychangers' disguise abilities considerably, allowing them to disappear into their surroundings with little or no assistance from any props or other accessories, and they can do so with Remarkable (30) skill.

* Inferno Blast: when acting in concert, the Spychangers have the ability to shape their collective energies. One such use allows them to generate Unearthly (100) rank heat, inflicting like Energy damage to whatever they drive into / through - this is great against very large foes, or when making their own roads...

* Phasing: an interesting power that the Spychangers have demonstrated here and there is their ability to pass through solid matter as if it wasn't there. They use this ability rarely, suggesting that it requires a lot of power to work. Regardless, this is a Remarkable (30) ranked power.

* Wall-Crawling: curiously, the Spychangers have the ability to defy gravity. While they cannot fly, per se, they can drive along any surface in their vicinity, regardless of either its horizontal or vertical relation to the local plane of gravity, doing so with Remarkable (30) skill.

* Water Walking: this power allows Ironhide to temporarily solidify the surface of any liquid beneath him, giving him the ability to drive on water with Remarkable (30) intensity. This primarily works in his vehicle mode, but if he transforms at high speed, Ironhide can 'skid' on water for some time.

Equipment:

Shockwave Rifle: Ironhide's trademark weapon, this device can fire a beam of electrons at a target that inflicts Excellent (20) Stunning Energy damage per blast. Of course, Ironhide would usually just rather punch a 'bot than blast him, but this weapon acts as a great 'softener' against much larger villains...

Quirks:

(none)

Talents:

Advanced Guns: allowing him to use his weapon of choice, this talent gives Ironhide a +1 CS to his Agility score whenever he uses any advanced guns, from lasers to mass drivers to, well, his shockwave rifle. He hasn't shown any skill with standard projectile weapons, but then, they're rather primitive to him.

Detective / Espionage: a skill common to all the Spychangers, this talent represents their ability to blend into their surroundings, collect information, and even solve mysteries if they find it necessary. This talent grants them a +1 CS to the applicable ability score in FEATs of these kinds.

Contacts:

As a member of the elite Spychangers team, Ironhide can naturally rely on his close-knit teammates for assistance should he need it, not to mention that of the other Autobots. After all, the Autobots have to stick together, lest they be ripped to shreds by their Predacon / Decepticon foes.

Likeness:

In his vehicle mode, Ironhide resembles a pickup truck, one that's primarily white in color, though adorned with black 'cow pattern' blotches and a large, red bull's head on his hood. In his humanoid form, Ironhide looks like a black, white, and yellow robot built from spare pickup truck parts.

Personality:

The strongest of the Spychangers, Ironhide is normally peaceful and intellectual, but once he gets mad, no one can lay a manipulator on him. He is also a transport expert, and comes equipped with a shockwave rifle. Of course, he'd rather just pummel a body senseless than shoot them...!

Real Name: Ironhide
Occupation: warrior, spy
Legal Status: citizen of Cybertron with no known criminal record on earth
Marital Status: inapplicable
Alias(es), if any: none
Group Affiliation: the Spychangers, the Autobots

Height: 11'
Hair: inapplicable
Eyes: red
Weight: 1.5 tons
Other Distinguishing Characteristics: Ironhide is composed of a strong alien metal that is black and white in color, though he sports a large red bull's head on his hood in both forms.

Story:

The exact origin of the Autobot called Ironhide isn't exactly known. You see, it is known that he comes from Cybertron, as does his fellows, but it isn't known if this is the Cybertron of a parallel earth, or the Cybertron of the future; this makes things regarding his background rather complicated.

However, it is known that he and his Autobot allies learned of the evil Megatron's designs for the planet earth, and as such, they hoofed it to beat the vile Predacon to that world. Arriving literally years before the would-be master of the universe, Ironhide and company had plenty of time to prepare.

Blending into human society by taking on the forms of earthen vehicles, the Autobots acted to help humanity in general as they prepared for the Predacon onslaught, at the same time building a powerful, global space bridge network that would allow them to drive anywhere on earth within minutes.

In addition to this, though, a team of Autobots trained relentlessly in order to become an elite intelligence-gathering force for Optimus Prime. This team, led by Prime's own cousin, Hot Shot, is known as the Spychangers, though most of the Autobots didn't even know who they were at first.

After all, they began training together the instant they arrived on earth. This training has paid off, though, as Ironhide and the Spychangers have helped their fellow Autobots turn defeat into victory on numerous occasions when they weren't busy with their intelligence-gathering missions.

In time, all of this training eventually paid off, and thanks to the efforts of the Spychangers (along with the rest of the Autobots), the menace of the Predacons (and the Decepticons, as well) has been eliminated on earth. Taking a short vacation after this arduous battle, Ironhide and company then returned to Cybertron.

Though nothing's keeping them from coming back now and then...