Optimus Primal F A S E R I P Res Pop Am 50 Mn 75 Mn 75 Un 100 Am 50 Am 50 Un 100 Sh 0 Gd +10* Health: 300 Karma: 200 * Amongst humans, at least. Un +90 to Maximals / Autobots, Un -90 regarding Predacons / Decepticons Origin: Optimus Primal is (or rather, was) a Maximal, an electromechanical entity from Cybertron who originally had organic components, but was 'reformatted' into a true techno-organic being. This alien from the future is technically deceased, but his Spark lives on in the modern-day era as a ghostly spiritual advisor! Known Powers: Cybertronian 'Beast Machine' Physique: as are his fellow Maximals, Optimus Primal is a 'reformatted' Cybertronian, one who is a perfect mesh of both organic and inorganic componentry. While he's in a tangible state, he receives the benefit of the following super-human powers: * Armor Skin: like most Cybertronians, Optimus Primal 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 height in his humanoid mode, Optimus Primal 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, Optimus Primal has this power at Feeble (2) rank, making him stand approximately eight feet tall. Since his Strength rank is (much) higher, this offers him no combat benefit, but on the other hand, human-sized folks targeting Optimus receive a +1 CS to hit him in battle. The Ultimate Powers Book concurs with this assessment, giving him growth at a like rank (and a size that is approximately 150 per cent of a normal human's). As such, he receives no enhancement to his Strength due to his size, and thus no extra Health boost while using this set of Growth rules. According to the Transformers MSH Sourcebook, on the other hand, Optimus Primal'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, Optimus Primal 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 Vehicons... * 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, Optimus Primal 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). * Resistance to Disease and Toxins: unlike most Cybertronians on earth, Optimus Primal is a techno-organic being, possessing both organic and inorganic components meshed into a perfect whole. As such, he is not invulnerable to organic pathogens, but still has Unearthly (100) resistance to these threats. Concussive Strike: while he's already considerably strong, Optimus Primal can enhance the effect of his melee combat when he strikes with his right hand. This 'blast punch' power allows him to inflict +1 CS Force damage whenever he feels the need to in melee, and few foes can stand before its power. Energy Strike: in addition to his considerable melee power, Optimus Primal also has the ability to fire a burst of energy from his chest while in his humanoid form. He can fire off this blast at will, in order to inflict Monstrous (75) Energy damage to any foe he cannot connect with in mere hand to hand combat. Flight: in his humanoid form, Optimus Primal has a rather large jet pack mounted on his back, one that allows him the ability to fight in both the air and on the ground. He can use this flight pack to fly about at Monstrous (75) speeds, or about 450 miles per hour, whenever he feels the need. Materialization: it should be noted again that Optimus Primal is, in fact, deceased. While his spark lives on, it currently has no body to call home, and as such, this former Maximal leader is something of a wandering spirit. On his journeys, Optimus is primarily unaffected by the vagaries of space and time. As such, his physical statistics (and most of the powers listed above) are essentially useless... for the most part. For, you see, he has the ability to materialize his ectoplasmic form for a short period of time (1d10 turns), which can come as quite a surprise to those who are used to him being dead and intangible... Reflection: Optimus Primal has the potent ability to reflect energy directed against his person. With a Typical power FEAT, he can bounce it in a random direction, an Amazing FEAT can reflect it back at his attacker -3 CS, and an Unearthly FEAT can shoot it back to its source at full strength. This is a Monstrous (75) ranked power. Shapechange: Optimus Primal's most notorious power is his ability to transform between his humanoid and gorilla forms. He can perform this transformation at will, at any time, though this power is voice-activated ("Optimus Primal, Maximize!"). He need not roll a FEAT to make this change - it just 'happens'. Equipment: the Matrix: Optimus Primal has been entrusted with the power of the Matrix itself, a potent meta-program that has been around as long as, if not longer, than the Autobots and Maximals of Cybertron. This quasi-device has several incredible powers that can be used to fight the forces of evil and tyranny. One power that Optimus Primal can make use of is the reformatting of Cybertronians from electromechanical or cybernetic life forms into true techno-organic beings. This is exceptionally taxing on Optimus Primal, however, and leaves him exhausted and drained for quite a while. The Matrix has several additional powers, though their exact nature is something of a mystery. While it has done everything from manipulating mechanical devices to creating life in otherwise inanimate objects, Optimus Primal himself has not been witnessed tapping the nigh-infinite potential of the Matrix. Of course, since his death, he has not been the bearer of the mighty Matrix, but his continued existence on the material plane may very well be an extension of its power. After all, he merged with the Matrix after finally defeating Megatron, so he may be active for reasons only the Matrix can answer... Quirks: (none) Talents: Acrobatics: though physically imposing, Optimus Primal's form is also built with exceptional mobility in mind. As such, he naturally has the benefits of this talent, which allow him a +1 CS to any dodging, escaping, or evading FEAT he attempts in battle, even if this skill is primarily useless to him now... Aerial Combat: in addition to being rather nimble, Optimus Primal has had years to perfect his airborne combat style, making the maximum use of his flight capabilities. As such, whenever he's fighting an opponent while in the air (whether or not his foe is also in flight), Optimus makes combat FEATs at +1 CS. Leadership: though he's incredibly powerful, Optimus Primal is also exceedingly wise, having become so after years of hardship. As such, he's looked upon as quite the leader, and any group he is in charge of may add 50 points to its Karma Pool for the duration of his leadership in said group. Pilot / Space: Optimus Primal is an accomplished space pilot, and can fly most any spacecraft with ease. He can attempt any Control FEAT while at the stick of a spaceship at +1 CS, and when combined with his aerial combat talent, this can be very, very effective in space-based battle... Tumbling: similar to his acrobatics skills, this talent also represents Optimus Primal's exceptional natural agility (above and beyond the Agility score listed above). Whenever he falls, he can attempt an Agility FEAT to land on his feet after any drop that would not ordinarily cause him damage. Contacts: As the former leader of the Maximals of Cybertron, Optimus Primal could easily rely upon those Beast Machines / Warriors for assistance should he need it. Furthermore, in the modern day, he has become something of a 'robot shaman' to the Autobots on earth, who deeply respect him and his counsel. Likeness: In his gorilla mode, Optimus primal resembles an elegant mix of organic and robotic components covered in brown fur and golden cabling, with gold plating and red and blue trim in places. His humanoid mode resembles a sort of 'monkey-bot', being a more human-proportioned robot with spare monkey bits in places. Personality: Courageous and wise beyond his years, Optimus Primal was transformed from an unsure captain into the Maximals' greatest leader while stranded on earth's prehistoric past. He truly enjoys the role of the Autobots' mentor, and strives to help them find their inner strength and power. Real Name: Optimus Primal Occupation: Autobot spiritual advisor, former Maximal leader Legal Status: citizen of Cybertron, legally dead (but still kicking somewhat) Marital Status: inapplicable Alias(es), if any: none Group Affiliation: the Autobots, former Maximal Height: 8' (approximately) Hair: metallic brown Eyes: green Weight: several hundred pounds Other Distinguishing Characteristics: Optimus Primal, while intangible and somewhat shimmery in his 'spirit' form, nonetheless looks like the result of a monkey and a robot blended together at the molecular level. Story: Originally the captain of the Maximal exploration vessel Axalon, Optimus Primal was in pursuit of a strange entity known as Protoform X when he was diverted to pursue the Predacon criminal known as Megatron, who had stolen one of Cybertron's most prized relics: the so-called Golden Disc. When he found Megatron, Optimus attacked with his vessel, but the end result of this battle was that both craft crashed on a bizarre, unknown world to them, one which could be anywhere in space or time (thanks to the transwarp technology that brought the Cybertronians there). Once they recovered from their crash, the Maximals found that this world had a dangerous excess of energon, and as such they adopted organic components in the form of an alt-mode, a secondary shape they could assume while wandering about in the wilds of this strange new planet. Optimus' chosen form was that of a gorilla, an animal which had exceptional strength and agility. He used this form well against the various Predacon villains that Megatron threw against him and his Maximals in the pursuit of his ultimate mission - one given to him by the original Megatron! Of course, Prime had a hard time with this, for he was not accustomed to either the mantle of leadership or such intense battle, and he in fact died on at least one occasion during this struggle - though he eventually 'got better'. His recovery involved adopting ever-more powerful forms over time. Ultimately, though, Optimus Primal and his Maximal allies stopped Megatron from altering the past, since it was determined that they'd crashed in earth's prehistory, and saved the Autobots who'd crash-landed here four million years ago from being slain by the evil Predacons. Once Megatron and his cronies were taken care of, Optimus Primal and company returned to the Cybertron of their own time, but something went wrong. You see, Megatron had escaped from their ship while they were crossing time and space, and he arrived on Cybertron a little bit before them. Wishing to purge the organic components from his body, much less the rest of Cybertron, Megatron unleashed a powerful virus on the world, one that seems to have affected all Transformers with organic bits in their makeup. This allowed him to take control of the planet itself! Not realizing what was up, Optimus and company returned home, and were rendered inoperable by this virus. However, fate was not with Megatron, for Optimus Primal was reformatted by the Oracle, a computer that can interface with the Matrix itself, and given a true techno-organic body. After collecting several of his fallen allies and in turn reformatting them with the power of the Matrix, Optimus Primal began a guerilla war against Megatron and his Vehicon cronies, a battle that would last for several years - the villain had a whole planet from which to fight him, after all. This battle came to a head when, in final combat with Megatron, Optimus Primal reformatted the evil Megatron (and himself once again) in the organic core of Cybertron, causing the world to be transformed from a dead technological shell into a true techno-organic paradise at long last. While he was in fact slain in this effort, though, the Spark of Optimus Primal lives on. Likely through the power of the Matrix itself, which he had merged with on more than one occasion, Optimus Primal's spirit is once again free to roam the cosmos, even if it essentially lacks a body to call its own. No longer needed in his era, having finally brought peace to his world, Optimus Primal's spirit has wandered through space and time once again - and he's once again found himself useful. Having arrived on modern day earth, he found the place victim to the depredations of Decepticons, Predacons, and Vehicons! As such, he has made himself available to the Autobots present on earth, offering what counsel he could to assist them in the battle against this force of villains that seek out the most powerful Autobot of all: the hidden and inactive Fortress Maximus! Of course, counsel is not all he offers the Autobots. A powerful warrior in his own right, Optimus Primal has the ability to become solid for short periods of time, allowing him to take the battle directly to the many foes of freedom and liberty that are at work on earth. He cannot retain this state for long, but his assistance is highly appreciated by his Autobot charges...! Of course, thanks to his timely assistance, the Autobots on earth have finally defeated their many foes here, and have since returned to Cybertron themselves. How this will affect Optimus Primal's spirit in the future has yet to be revealed; it is unknown if he returned with them or stayed on earth. This world is particularly special to him, after all...!