F Mn 75

A Un 100

S Rm30

E Am 50

R Mn 75

I Un 100

P Am 50

Res Rm 30

Pop Gd 10*

Health: Karma:

255 225

* Amongst humans, at least. Rm +30 to fellow Autobots, Rm -30 regarding Predacons / Decepticons.

Origin:

As are the other two members of Team Bullet Train, not to mention the Autobots in general, Railspike is an electromechanical entity hailing from Cybertron, a transforming robot sent to earth to protect it from evil. He may also be from another time period, making him doubly out of place here.

Known Powers:

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

* Armor Skin: like most Cybertronians, Railspike 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, Railspike 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, Railspike has this power at Amazing (50) rank, making him stand approximately 22.5 feet tall. Since his Strength is lower, Railspike can use this rank in melee combat to determine damage, but human-sized foes receive a +2 CS to hit him in battle.

The Ultimate Powers Book, however, gives Railspike this power at Good (10) rank, making him out to be just shy of four times a normal human's size. That would grant this Autobot warrior a +2 CS to the Strength score listed above (raising it to Amazing (50)), thus adding 20 points to his Health score.

According to the Transformers MSH Sourcebook, on the other hand, Railspike'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 +2 CS to the damage he inflicts upon them (+1 CS per 2 CS of growth).

Finally, per the Universal Heroes rules, Railspike 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, Railspike 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.

* Radio Transceiver: as are most all Transformers on earth, Railspike is equipped with an audio / video transmission system. This communications rig allows him instant contact with any other Autobot on earth, having Excellent (20) range (25,000 miles).

Gestalt: a very tight-knit group, Team Bullet Train has the power to combine their very bodies into a singular fighting form, the fleet-footed Rail Racer! Railspike himself possesses this power at Monstrous (75) rank, allowing him to serve as the head, arms, and upper body component of Rail Racer.

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.

Powerstroke Missiles: fired from launchers mounted in each of his shoulder pads, these weapons typically strike in a large volley, though an individual missile will inflict -3 CS to the damage listed below. Railspike's powerstroke missiles have these vehicular statistics:

C Un 100

S Am 50

B Ex 20

Damage Mn 75 Edged Attack (fragmentary)

Shapechange: as do his fellow Team Bullet Train members, Railspike has the power to transform into, well, the engine of a bullet train. He can do this at will, though the transformation requires a verbal trigger ("Railspike, Transform!"). Railspike's engine form has these vehicular characteristics:

C Fe 2

S Un 100

B Am 50

P Ex 20

Equipment:

Sonic Umbrella: this personal sidearm can be used by Railspike to down an opponent with a single shot. It can emit sound waves of Monstrous (75) intensity, tuned to inflict Stunning Force damage with each blast - foes with unprotected sound pickups may well pass out in anguish when so attacked.

Quirks:

(none)

Talents:

Leadership: wizened beyond his (admittedly considerable) years, Railspike is quite an effective leader. As such, the members of Team Bullet Train may add 50 points to their Karma Pool (and rest assured, they do utilize one) whenever following Railspike's well-practiced leadership.

Marksman: Railspike has demonstrated his uncanny skill with line of sight weapons on several occasions - particularly with his powerstroke missiles, performing trick shots that have befuddled the Predacons time and time again. He uses such weapons at his Agility score +1 CS.

Contacts:

Leader of Team Bullet Train, Railspike can naturally rely upon his fellows for help if necessary - not to mention the rest of the Autobots, who value his combat skills and wisdom, the latter of which is on a par with that of Optimus Prime himself. The good guys tend to stick together, after all.

Likeness:

In his vehicular form, Railspike resembles a streamlined bullet train engine, one that is white in hue, with a blue roof and blue trim around his silvered windows. In his humanoid configuration, Railspike resembles a well-crafted robot built from various bits of a bullet train engine - he's really quite smooth.

Personality:

Courteous, polite and intelligent, Railspike excels as the leader of Team Bullet Train because of these qualities - and a deep respect for all life. Of course, his demeanor belies these traits, for he can be stubborn on occasion, if not downright cantankerous, for he likes doing everything in an orderly fashion.

And a lot of the Autobots are (as far as he's concerned) undiscipined...

Real Name: Railspike
Occupation: Autobot 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, Team Bullet Train

Height: 22.5' (approximately)
Hair: inapplicable
Eyes: pink
Weight: several tons
Other Distinguishing Characteristics: Railspike is composed of a strong alien metal that is primarily blue and white in hue, regardless of his form.

Story:

Not a whole lot has been revealed about Railspike's history, when you get down to it, but a few things have come to light. It would appear that this fellow is an older Autobot, one with untold years of experience in protecting the innocent from Predacon (or Decepticon, or Vehicon) violence.

He's also quite a competent leader, who has the respect of not only his two fellow members of Team Bullet Train, but the Autobots as a whole. He has led the Team into battle against Megatron's earth-bound thugs several times, both before and after the Decepticon Combatrons burst onto the scene.

Though Ruination (the result of a merger between the five Combatrons) appears to be more powerful than Rail Racer (the result of a gestalt between the three Team Bullet Train Autobots), Railspike hasn't let that cow him any; in fact, this has spurred him and his team to fight even harder for the Autobots' cause.

This is most likely because, thanks to an extended period of time spent working with humans as their ride, Railspike has evolved a deep appreciation for the odd little organic beings. He goes out of his way to protect them, even going so far as to stop fighting his foes when such battle puts humans in undue danger.

This has caused him some... static where the more rambunctious Autobots (like Ultra Maguns) are concerned, but Railspike cares not - for he knows what is right for him... and the earth, as well. Now that all his evil cousins have been defeated and captured, Railspike's ultimate fate is as of yet unknown.

He is apparently returning to Cybertron along with the rest of Team Bullet Train, in order to protect other innocents across the universe from the effects of various Predacon schemes. Of course, should they - or any other evil Cybertrons - return to earth, it's likely Railspike will reappear to oppose them!