Tow-line

F In 40

A Ex 20

S Rm 30

E Am 50

R Rm 30

I Rm 30

P In 40

Res Ex 20

Pop Gd +10 *

Health: Karma:

140 100

* Amongst humans, at least. In +40 among the Autobots, In -40 among Predacons / Decepticons / Vehicons.

Origin:

As is his fellow 'late arrival' on earth, Skid-Z, Tow-line 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 the planet earth.

Known Powers:

Cybertronian Physique: like his fellow Autobots, Tow-line is a robotic entity of Cybertronian origin. As such, this ponderous public servant has, by his very nature, the use of a large variety of abilities that reflect this. His very body gives Tow-line these super-human powers:

* Body Armor: made (or formed) from primarily metallic materials, Tow-line is considerably durable. His sturdy, inorganic composition affords him Excellent (20) protection from attack, enough to shrug off most basic human assaults. Tow-line's armor breaks down as follows:

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

* Growth: Cybertronians come in all manner of sizes, few of which align with the human norm. Tow-line, for instance, generally stands at around fifteen feet tall in his humanoid mode, which grants him this power at Typical (6) rank as a general matter of course.

As such, this slow, steady soldier possesses a +1 size factor. He thus suffers a -1 CS when targeting human-sized foes, but gains a +1 CS on any damage he inflicts against them, as well as 1 CS of damage reduction against any attacks they, in turn, launch against him.

* Microscopic / Telescopic Vision: all Transformers have the ability to alter their visual sensitivity where distance is concerned. Functioning at Feeble (2) rank, these powers let Tow-line see objects up to a mile distant with ease, as well as allowing him to read items on microfiche.

* Radio Transceiver: as are most Transformers on earth, Tow-line is equipped with an audio / video transmission system. This communications rig allows him instant contact with any other nearby Cybertronians, having Excellent (20) range (100 miles).

* Resistance / Invulnerability to Disease and Poison: as an inorganic life form, Tow-line possesses complete immunity to poisons and organic diseases. He also possesses Unearthly (100) resistance to more chemically creative forms of disease.

Headlights: to better emulate earthen vehicles (and since they come in handy in the dark), Tow-line is equipped with a set of convenient headlights. These twin lamps can be used to generate Excellent (20) intensity illumination, which make driving at night no problem.

Kinetic Blast: in addition to having his handy wrecker gun, Tow-line apparently has something akin to a telekinetic power, in that he can topple enemies with an apparently unseen force. He can use this power to inflict Remarkable (30) Force damage with every attack.

Shape Change: whenever he desires, Tow-line can transform between his humanoid and tow truck mode, and often does so quickly in battle for tactical purposes. This power is voice-activated, however ('Tow-line, Transform!'). Tow-line's tow truck mode has these vehicular statistics:

C In 40

S Ex 20

B Am 50

P Ex 20

Wrecker Gun: inherent to his form, this gun makes up Tow-line's grill and a part of his under-carriage in his vehicle mode. When firing this blaster at an opponent, Tow-line can inflict Remarkable (30) Force damage per shot - though he usually prefers to use his wrecker hook in combat.

Wrecker Hook: Tow-line can use this weapon in either his humanoid or vehicular mode, this is a powerful, nigh-indestructible cable attached to a rather large hook. Tow-line can use this hook to inflict Blunt or Grapple attacks, or to just tow vehicles, at his Strength rank +1 CS.

Limitations / Enhancements:

(none)

Equipment:

(none)

Quirks:

Alien Culture: a smart yet simple Cybertronian, Tow-line is confounded by the various nuances of Tokyo's culture. As such, whenever somebody's parking in what appears to be an illegal fashion (even if they aren't), Tow-line is at a -2 CS to resist towing their vehicle!

This penalty also applies to circumstances that would rely on even a basic understanding of terran culture and behavior.

Talents:

Law Enforcement: Tow-line works to support Tokyo law enforcement as a part of his effort to 'blend in' on earth, when not fighting Predacons or Decepticons. Learned through trial and (much) error, this skill also grants him the Advanced Guns and Law talents.

Skill / Hooks: while he wields his wrecker gun well, Tow-line truly prefers wielding his notorious hook in battle, as it's less deadly - and more effective overall. When wielding his wrecker hook - or any other weight on a rope, Tow-line may do so at a +1 CS.

Contacts:

Although he showed up on the planet later than his fellows, Tow-line can naturally rely upon the Autobots for assistance should he need it, even if he got off to a bad start with them. This is because, despite his initial failure, Tow-line has shown his usefulness several times since then.

Likeness:

In his vehicle mode, Tow-line resembles a large, two-tone green tow truck, with orange trim and windows, and a large, purple tow hook. When he transforms into his humanoid configuration, Tow-line appears to be a rather stocky robot built from assorted green, purple, and orange truck bits.

Personality:

While he's not dim, per se, Tow-line has had a difficult time adjusting to the traffic laws on earth, which he dedicated himself to supporting in his 'down time'. This tends to cause the slow-talking Autobot to make several inexplicable mistakes, and almost as many problems as he solves.

Real Name: Tow-line
Occupation: warrior, parking law enforcer
Legal Status: citizen of Cybertron with no known criminal record on earth
Marital Status: inapplicable
Alias(es), if any: none
Group Affiliation: the Autobots

Height: approximately 15'
Hair: inapplicable
Eyes: orange
Weight: several tons
Other Distinguishing Characteristics: Tow-line is composed of a strong alien metal that is primarily lime green and sea green in hue (with orange and purple highlights), regardless of his form.

Story:

As opposed to most other Autobots on earth, Tow-line is something of a late arrival, having showed up shortly after Megatron and his cronies started tearing the planet up. Apparently sent to reinforce the Autobots, Tow-line quickly assumed a terran form to help them do their jobs.

His stasis pod scanned in a tow truck, a form that would better represent his own strengths and abilities, and once he got in touch with the Autobots already working to 'blend in' as earth vehicles of various stripes, he started assisting Prowl in his law enforcement duties.

Of course, Tow-line experienced some difficulties adjusting to the peculiarities of earth culture, and as a result he towed several vehicles that he shouldn't have; nothing critical, mind you, but definitely enough to disrupt life in the city he'd vowed to protect from the Predacons.

Seeing him in action, Sky-Byte and Megatron's other cronies noted that he seemed quite inexperienced, and resolved to take advantage of this. To this end, they abducted poor Tow-line, and used a special disc to reprogram the newly arrived Autobot, confusing his priorities.

He came to believe that the Autobots were the villains he came to earth to fight, and began to capture all of them he could. However, when collecting X-Brawn, Tow-line suffered a 'head' injury which confused his new programming, causing him to dump X in an unforeseen location.

While he collected several other Autobots, including Side Burn and Rapid Run, the Predacons sought out Tow-line and his prey. Optimus Prime and Prowl did as well, and once they found Sky-Byte's mind control disc, they removed it from Tow-line's CD player - returning him to normal!

Tow-line then led his two fellows to where he'd dumped the others. This naturally led to a brawl once the Predacons arrived on the scene, though the villains were beaten in the end. Once this mess had been resolved, Tow-line continued his education in the ways of earth culture.

He didn't participate in too many (publicized) battles after this, as his skills were put to use helping humans in a less combative capacity. However, Optimus Prime summoned him, along with every other Autobot on earth, to assist in his final battle with an evolved Megatron and his minions.

Though this was a nasty fight thanks to Galvatron's energy vampirism powers and augmented fighting abilities, the Autobots ultimately won out in the end, transporting all the villains home in captivity. After a short vacation, Tow-line and his allies then left the earth once and for all...!

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