Riot Black

Riot Black

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Dex:   5   Str:   6   Body:    4
Int:   4   Will:  4   Mind:    4
Infl:  5   Aura:  4   Spirit:  4
Initiative: 14  Hero Points:  25

Skills:
Artist (Musician): 4
Scientist (Analysis): 3
Vehicles (Land): 3

Advantages:  Connection: Street (Low); Expansive headquarters (his club); Scholar (Online promotion, cybernetics)

Drawbacks: Serious Irrational Attraction to bullying; Strange Appearance; Uncertainty

Alter Ego: Unknown
Motivation: Mercenary
Occupation: DJ, Online Edgelord/Blackmailer
Wealth: 5

Equipment:
CYBERNETIC IMPLANTS [Body: 1, Recall: 8, Security Systems: 4, Telepathy: 4] Bonus: Recall allows images and other data to be transferred to other devices (computers, etc...); Limitation: Telepathy only works on wireless electronic devices (laptops, cell phones, etc...); Note: His Left eye is a cybernetic digital camera, that can store images in his neural implant, which is essentially a wireless computer inside his head.



Source: adapted from Writeups.org
foe of: Batgirl




Ed's Notes: I really need to check out the "Burnside" era of Batgirl. I like it when comics take a breaks from the "Nearly omnipotent gods saving the multiverse" storylines and get back down to more personal, and at times socially topical, stakes. In Fugue, for example, the writers can delve into the role that gaslighting plays in an abusive relationship. In Riot Black, you have a villain that represents the worst kind of internet troll and online bully imaginable; someone who is a pointlessly cruel, thoroughly irredeemable, narcissistic edgelord with a following of despicable subculture that can't get enough of his content. He's a DJ with #MadSkillz (and presumably enough showmanship and charisma to legitimately entertain a crowd) who pays thugs and low-lifes for compromising information on people who he then blackmails. When they don't pay-up, the pics and/or videos (or whatever else) get posted on his website, the Black Book, to be consumed by his followers. This can be anything from naked pictures, to photos of extremely sick people, to embarrassing secrets. Early on a lot of this came from from stolen cellphones and laptops, sometimes from meeting people on Tinder-like apps, going on a single date, and then just making off with their tech at the first opportunity; Or just from swiping laptops from people in cafes. He's also physically tough and imposing, so he's very much a bully IRL as well, who can handle himself against most non-hero level opposition. (It is suspected, though not confirmed, that his Strength may be low-level super-human or even cybernetically enhanced.) Between that and his online presents, it's not surprising that very few even try to stand up to him. Much like Fugue, he's not out to take over the world - just to rule his little corner off it like an absolute dickhead. But with his MO, he could make for a unique and potentially very personal caper for low-level heroes.

I changed up the Writeups entry a bit. I made his "Powers" inherent to his implants, and adapted them to fit within 3rd Edition DCH rules. I also gave his them the "Telepathy" Power to represent his later incarnation, after he went "wireless." This means he doesn't have to steal laptops or cell phone anymore, he can just connect with any that lack sufficient protection. Strange Appearance was a little bit of a stretch. They gave him "Creepy Appearance," which doesn't exits in DCH 3rd Ed. And while the robotic eye and tattoo-covered body don't necessarily make him monstrous looking, that, combined with his abhorrent personality, could reasonably have the same effect, in-game, of penalizing Persuasion attempts, while giving a bonus to Intimidation Attempts. 

First Appearance: Batgirl #35 (December, 2004)

Fugue

Fugue

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Dex:   4   Str:   3   Body:    3
Int:   5   Will:  5   Mind:    4
Infl:  3   Aura:  3   Spirit:  4
Initiative: 12  Hero Points:  25

Skills:
Gadgetry: 3
Military Science (Demolitions): 5
Vehicles (Land): 3
Weaponry (Firearms): 3

Advantages: Area Knowledge (Burnside); Connection: Street (Low), Underworld (Low)

Drawbacks: Serious Irrational Attraction to getting revenge

Alter Ego: Vinton Burwell
Motivation: Mercenary
Occupation: Bank Robber
Wealth: 6

Equipment:
SUBSONIC PROJECTOR COSTUME [Body: 4, Mind Probe: 8, Hypnotism: 9, R#3] Bonuses: Mental Powers gain -2 CS Bonus to OV/RV if the target is sleeping, or has neural, cybernetic implants. (-4 CS Bonus for both.); Limitations: Hypnotism only usable to implant false memories in the target.



Source: adapted from Writeups.org
foe of: Batgirl



Ed's Notes: This could be a tough one to run, and the stakes with him will rarely be more than "personal" but he's so cool and creepy that I just couldn't pass him up.


Basically, his suit allows him to dig through a person's memories and to implant false ones. In this way he can find out a person's secrets, benefit from their knowledge, and also GASLIGHT THE LIVING HELL OUT OF THEM, Which is what he did to Batgirl: Figured out she was Barbara Gordon, and then basically MOVED IN with her, implanting false memories of him being an old friend of hers. (In reality he was a small time thug she busted a while back.)

Writeups does note that this could be a hard villain to run in a campaign. And...  it CAN be, but I see him not so much targeting the PC's/Heroes as maybe their friends, co-workers, families, etc...  those AROUND them. He IS a *small time* villain. He's never going to take over the world, but he could be quite a nuisance on a personal level, either in the main game or in a sub-plot. One thing is apparent, to me anyway: You can't just wing it with a guy like this. You need to have a very clear idea of what he plans to do, AND it will really only work if you have PC's that are willing to play along, and roll with it, if they themselves are given false memories. In any case, while certainly challenging, it could be a lot of fun. He could also pair up nicely with a more established psychiatric-style villain like Scarecrow or Hugo Strange.

One other thing... I interpreted his suit VERY differently from Writups. They include a paragraph about why they avoided using Hypnotism as the main power. Something about how it worked in reality, and that not be Occam-legal? Meaning the simplest way to accomplish the effect I guess? Which I find HILARIOUS, that they would have a rule like that, since IMHO Writeups tends to overcomplicate the SHIT out of EVERYTHING. Plus, as I read it, Hypnotism kept striking me as EXACTLY how the suit worked. In game terms, success on the initial role would indicate that the memory had been implanted, and then whenever applicable, or if the PC tried to fight through it, and rid themselves of the false memory, the RAP's of the initial roll would kick in and that subsequent role would indicate if the memory held. The PC would of course have to willing to play ball a bit, as I mentioned before, but to me THAT is the simplest way to do this.

First Appearance: Batgirl #45 (December, 2015)