the Human Torch (deceased)
| F Ex 20 |
A Ex 20 |
S Ex 20 |
E In 40 |
R Ty 6 |
I Ty 6 |
P Ex 20 |
Res Gd 10 |
Pop Am +50 |
| Health: Karma: |
100 32 |
Origin:
Jim Hammond, the Human Torch, is an android that was built by Phineas T. Horton - an android that wields great power over fire and heat. He possesses this power due to a flaw in his design, one which Jim has taken full advantage of to become a hero in his own right!
Known Powers:
Robotic Construction: as an android being, the original Human Torch isn't subject to the frailties of normal living humans. For instance, he has Monstrous (75) resistance to disease and toxins, as he's not completely organic - more like an imitation of an organic being.
Furthermore, the Torch doesn't age as per regular humans; as long as he maintains his various bodily systems, he can continue to function indefinitely. Finally, his android body only requires about three hours of sleep each night, as opposed to six or eight.
Fire Generation: the Torch's principal power, this ability allows him to generate an amazing amount of fire energy, which he can use to inflict Monstrous (75) SD Energy damage with each deadly strike. He has mastered the following power stunts with this ability:
* Flight: by projecting his flames behind himself, the Torch can achieve flight speeds of up to 140 miles per hour (which roughly translates into Excellent (20) rank), or ten areas per turn. He can carry up to 180 additional pounds before he is slowed down any.
* Nova Blast: this ultimate power allows the Torch to release the explosive power of a nuclear blast. This translates into a Shift Z (500) intensity SD Energy blast, affecting everything within approximately 900 feet with its deadly power. The Torch doesn't use this often, however.
This is because, well, it would kill just about anybody within the blast radius. And this would be a big ol' karma nightmare, to say the least. Furthermore, this power drains the Torch's power for about twelve full hours, during which time he is easy prey for anything that DID survive the blast...
* Heat Generation: though it's not visible, the Torch generates an astounding amount of heat energy while he's in a fiery state. This translates into an Unearthly (100) rank nimbus of infrared light around his body, which is extremely distracting to people with infravision.
In other words, people with that power (who are currently using it in the Torch's vicinity) must make an Endurance FEAT roll versus this intensity or be blinded for 1d10 turns, though folks using normal vision aren't affected by this in the slightest (not by blindness, at any rate).
Fire Manipulation: the Torch's second main power is his ability to control active fiery energies. He can do this with Unearthly (100) ability, either concerning his own flames or the fire of others. The Torch can produce the following effects with this power:
* Flame Cages: the Torch can create cages and other barriers composed of flaming energy, which are of Amazing (50) intensity. Anyone crossing these cages or barriers will suffer like SD Energy damage with each attempt.
* Energy Duplicates: the Torch can produce up to ten fiery duplicates of himself at one time. Each is considered to be an Amazing (50) intensity fire 'object', and will inflict like damage upon touch, and act with similar statistics under the Torch's control.
* Fiery Object Creation: the Torch can produce skywriting, and other 'objects' of fire that are of Amazing (50) intensity flame. Such 'objects' will last for about thirty rounds (3 minutes) before burning out, unless the Torch concentrates on maintaining them.
* Energy Control / Heat: the Torch has also demonstrated some power over raw heat energies, as well. He can lower the temperature of an object to about thirty degrees Fahrenheit, or raise it up to several hundred degrees. Alternately, he can simply absorb heat into his body, to fuel his Nova blast.
* Energy Sheath / Fire: the Torch can wrap his fire around his body, in order to provide a protective energy sheath around it. This Monstrous (75) rank sheath defends the Torch from most mortal injury, providing the following protection against the various attack forms:
Am 50 / Mn 75 / Ex 20 / Ty 6 / Fe 2
Psychic Link: having given Spitfire multiple blood transfusions (as emergencies have arose), the Human Torch has developed a sort of rapport with the lady. This psionic connection seems to work at Remarkable (30) rank, no matter how far apart the two are.
Resistance to Fire and Heat Attacks: it has been stated that the Human Torch can only be harmed by fire of an intensity greater than his own total maximum potential: his nova blast. As such, it can be assumed that he is resistant to all fire and heat attacks of less than Class 1k intensity.
Limitations:
The Human Torch's energy sheath, while quite powerful, has its weaknesses. For instances, applying five or more gallons of water to it can douse the thing, as can extremely powerful winds (say, those of Unearthly (100) intensity or higher). Dousing his sheath causes him to lack it for 1d10 turns.
Equipment:
(none)
Quirks:
(none)
Talents:
Law Enforcement: for a time, the Human Torch was a member of the N.Y.P.D., and as such, he'd be properly schooled in the ways of busting up crime, whatever form it manifests in. Consider his Reason to be +1 CS concerning Law and Order FEAT rolls.
Military / United States: while not an actual member of the armed forces, per se, the Human Torch worked with them for four years during World War 2, and as such, it is likely that he has an intimate knowledge of the inner workings of the American military as a whole.
Pilot / Air: even though he himself can fly unaided by technology, the Human Torch has been spotted on numerous occasions piloting the aircraft owned by the Sub-Mariner. As such, his Reason and Agility FEAT rolls concerning the flight of aircrafts should be made at +1 CS.
Skill / Fire Generation: though he lacks other combat training, the Human Torch is skilled in the use of his power, especially when using it in combat. He makes all FEAT rolls for his fiery powers at a +1 CS (except for damage, of course).
Trivia: the Torch is knowledgeable in various areas of 1930s and 1940s culture, as he was schooled via remote control by his creator while locked underground in a cement vault. His Reason FEATs concerning this era should be +1 CS for all applicable FEAT rolls.
Contacts:
The Human Torch is known to most heroes having anything to do with the 'Golden Age', and has been a member of the Invaders, the All-Winners Squad, the West Coast Avengers, Heroes for Hire, the V-Battalion, and the New Invaders. He can rely upon most heroes for aid should he only ask.
Costume:
When not wearing civilian clothes, the Human Torch is usually clothed in a red body suit, marred only by the yellow cuffs and collar. Of course, the vast majority of the time that you encounter him, he's ablaze - so you wouldn't really see anything but him inside his energy sheath.
Once he joined the V-Battalion and retired from perpetual action, Jim used two different costumes. The first included an ankle-length purple overcoat with red cuffs under a black leather belt and a large, red 'V' shaped collar, and red leather boots.
When not operating 'outside', he wore a primarily dark blue spandex body suit, which was accessorized with red buccaneer boots, red and blue gloves, red and blue boots, a red 'V' shaped belt, and a red and white 'V' shaped collar with a blue and white cape attached.
Finally, upon joining up with the New Invaders, the Torch adopted a less ornate uniform. It includes a navy blue, long sleeved shirt beneath a red vest with a torch emblem on the front, navy blue trousers, black leather boots and red leather gloves.
Personality:
The Human Torch often felt loneliness, being the first of his kind - much less an outsider in human society despite his many attempts to fit in. He's found friendship in the form of his fellow heroes, particularly the surviving members of the Invaders team from way back.
Real Name: the Human Torch
Occupation: adventurer, former police officer, legally deceased
Legal Status: unrevealed
Marital Status: single (if applicable)
Alias(es), if any: Jim Hammond
Group Affiliation: the New Invaders, the V-Battalion, former member of the Invaders, former member of the All-Winners Squad, former member of the West Coast Avengers, former leader of Heroes for Hire
Height: 6' 3"
Hair: blond
Eyes: blue
Weight: 300 lbs
Other Distinguishing Characteristics: occasionally the Torch will sport a full beard and moustache.
Story:
The Human Torch was created in the laboratory of one Phineas T. Horton. He and his assistant were pioneers in artificial intelligence and robotics - truly decades before their time. Working in secret for years, these two managed to eventually produce a working android: an artificial being that mimicked virtually all of the normal functions of the human body!
The only problem was that this android would catch fire as soon as it was exposed to oxygen! Attempting to earn back some of his investment on all his work, Horton called a press conference to show off his new creation; this irked his assistant, who subsequently made off with a second, almost complete android body - and he proved to have been correct in doing so.
This was because the press reacted quite poorly to Horton's showing of this 'Human Torch', condemning it as a 'monster' and a 'menace to society'. Cowed by the press's reaction and threats against him, Horton locked the android away in a cement chamber underground, its only link to the above world a speaker with which Horton could teach this nascent entity about humanity.
Time passed though, and Horton's air-tight tomb proved to be not as sealed as he thought. Eventually, the Human Torch managed to break free of his prison, making his way through a New York City completely unprepared to handle such a freakish event. Panic ensued as the Torch poorly interacted with his surroundings, inadvertently setting fires and causing all kinds of damage.
The Torch eventually got control of his powers, however, and declared himself independent of Horton when the man tried again to cash in on his creation. In fact, the two had a violent altercation that seemed at first to kill Horton, but the man ultimately escaped to create further androids. The Torch, meanwhile, adopted the identity of Jim Hammond, and became a police officer.
He fought crime for a time in this role, at least until some manner of villainous threat would force him to catch fire and deal with it directly. On one such occasion, the Torch found out that the Asbestos Girl had targeted the Raymond family for their secrets in fireproof technologies. Though he routed her, the Torch couldn't prevent her from killing most of the family.
Save for the youngest member, Thomas - who, upon meeting the Torch, displayed fantastic fire-based powers of his own! Since the youth no longer had a family, the Torch took him under his wing, and the duo started fighting crime together. Though he was a human being, Thomas - who took to calling himself Toro - began to think of the android Torch as a father figure, and the two became best friends.
They would fight evil together wherever they could find it, whether alone or together. These feats of heroism included numerous clashes with the aquatic Sub-Mariner, who had a grudging respect for the Torch despite his opposition to assaults on the human world. Of course, the Torch would wind up working with Namor eventually, when the two were asked to join a team by Captain America.
Tasked with the opposition of fascist forces world wide, the Invaders would be the earth's premiere combat team. The Torch readily joined up with Captain America, taking Toro with him, as did Namor and the Cap's own side kick, Bucky. This team would grow over time to become as effective as planned, the individual members slowly learning how to fight alongside each other more efficiently.
And they were joined by others, including the second Union Jack and Spitfire, British siblings who both gained super-human powers; Union Jack 2 by a variant of the Super-Soldier Serum, and Spitfire by the mutagenic reaction caused by exposure to vampire ichor and a blood transfusion from the Torch himself. This team proved so mighty that no fascist threat could stop their onslaught.
In fact, it was the Human Torch who officially ended the Allied war with Germany when he personally killed Adolph Hitler. With this done, and the rest of the Axis falling like bowling pins soon after, the Invaders were no longer needed to, well, invade anything. As such, they transformed into the All-Winners Squad, continuing the fight against super villainy for several more years.
This ended for the Torch when he was abducted by American criminals who sought his destruction. Obtaining a chemical known as Solution X-R, they sprayed both the Torch and Toro with it, retarding both of their powers. They ditched Toro and buried the Torch in the Nevada desert, where he lay immobile for years, until the test detonation of a nuclear bomb on the spot where he lay.
His powers reignited, the Torch resumed crime fighting with Toro, as the All-Winners Squad had since disbanded. This continued until the Torch's powers began to grow out of his control, possibly due to the radiation that freed him from Solution X-R's influence. Returning to the desert, the Torch tried to burn his powers out, rendering himself inert for a very long time.
His body was eventually discovered by the Mad Tinkerer, who used a brainwashed Human Torch against the Fantastic Four. After this debacle, two odd things happened all at once. First, the time-traveling Immortus appeared and duplicated the Torch's inert body, and secondly, Ultron showed up to steal the Torch for his own purposes. Thanks to the duplication, both villains had their very own copy of the Torch.
While Ultron's copy was built into the android Vision, the Mad Thinker's 'original' was buried until such a time that the villain could use it again. He never got the chance though, for years later the Scarlet Witch and Ann Raymond, Toro's wife, revived the Human Torch anew. Fighting crime with the Witch and her 'West Coast Avengers' for a time, the Torch wound up saving Spitfire yet again.
Though it cost him the use of his powers, the Torch gave Jacqueline a second blood transfusion when minions of the Master Man had shot her. Though he was rendered powerless, she was reborn and empowered anew, and he left it to her to carry on the fight against evil. Deciding to live a normal life, he became the head of the Sub-Mariner's corporation, Oracle, and settled down with Ann Raymond.
A normal life was not to be for the Human Torch, however, even if he didn't have his flame powers. He was eventually recruited to lead the V-Battalion after its current boss, the Mighty Destroyer 3, decided to retire. He steered the vigilante group to a more positive end until he was also recruited into the New Invaders, due to his interest in Tara, an android built on his own design.
Making sure she was well taken care of, the Torch wound up fighting various Nazi evils alongside the New Invaders, and his own powers were reignited when he felt the intense heat Tara gave off when her secret programming, installed by the Red Skull, was activated. Though he stopped her from destroying the world by siphoning off her heat, the Human Torch couldn't contain it for long, and exploded right after.
Recovering his body, the New Invaders saw that he was buried in a proper ceremony, which most surviving heroes from both the Golden Age and the Modern Day attended. Though dead, Jim was not afforded proper rest, for his body was taken by U.N. scientists for study, and subsequently stolen by Zhang Chin, who wanted to use it to wipe out half the earth's population.
The new Captain America, himself Bucky from years past, stopped Chin from doing this (with Namor's help) and made sure the Torch's body gained a proper burial... again.
Extra Goodies:
The Human Torch entry originally written with Keith Kilburn!
View the Golden Age Human Torch!
Return to the All-Winners Squad main page!
Return to the V-Battalion main page!
Return to the New Invaders main page!
Return to the Golden Age Character Updates main page!