Cage, Luke Hero
Real Name: Unrevealed; it is known that "Luke Cage" is an assumed identity.
Occupation: Adventurer, escaped convict, former gang member.
Identity: Luke Cage does not use a dual identity.
Legal Status: Citizen of the United States with a criminal record, wanted by the authorities in his legal identity.
Other Aliases: None.
Place of Birth: Harlem, New York City.
Marital Status: Single.
Known Relatives: None.
Group Affiliation: Renegades.
Base of Operations: Mobile.
First Post-Reboot Appearance: RENEGADES #1.
History: The man who would later be known as Luke Cage grew up in Harlem, and while for a time was a small-time gang member he did his best to try and get out of it. He had a legitimate job and a girlfriend, and was trying to get his life turned around. However, one of his old gang, Willis Stryker, had his own designs on Cage's girlfriend. To this end, his "friend" planted heroin, cocaine, and a sheet with the names and contact numbers of suppliers and users known to the police in Cage's apartment and left the police an anonymous tip. During Cage's arrest, he spotted his former friend in the crowd already making his move on Cage's girlfriend.
Cage was sentenced to several years in prison. Angry at having been framed and unable to prove it, he ended up getting a reputation as a brawler, spending many weeks in solitary confinement. His parole hearings tended to end in violence. Ultimately, he was transferred to a prison on an island off the coast of Georgia. He became the frequent target of one of the guards there, Bob Rackham, whose brutality led to a demotion he blamed on Cage.
Cage was later recruited by Dr. Noah Burnstein, who was working on a variant of the Super-Soldier program that had produced Captain America, for an experiment involving cellular regeneration. As part of the deal, Burnstein would see about getting Cage's sentence reduced. Burnstein immersed Cage in an electrified organic chemical bath. However, Rackham struck Burnstein from behind, incapacitating the scientist, and then deliberately misused the controls, intending to kill Cage. Instead, the experiment increased his strength and durability to superhuman levels, as well as adding almost a full foot of growth and a lot of muscle mass.
Using this new strength, Cage broke out of prison and was originally presumed to have drowned in the passage between the prison and the coastline. At this point he started using the name "Luke Cage" instead of his real identity, somehow procuring documents which made it appear legal – at least legal enough to pass cursory examination. Making his way back to New York City, he became involved in a brawl between a few other unaffiliated superhumans and the Wrecking Crew. This group he fell in with decided to stick together to assist each other in achieving their individual goals; in Cage's case, this includes clearing his name. Despite some reluctance on his part, he has come to respect and even once again trust others, in particular his new teammates.
Age: 26.
Height: 6' 6".
Weight: 425 lbs.
Eyes: Brown.
Hair: Black, shaved bald.
Uniform: None.
Strength Level: Luke Cage possesses superhuman strength enabling him to lift (press) 25 tons on a regular basis.
Known Superhuman Powers: In addition to his superhuman strength, Luke's body has been altered to grant him near invulnerability. At present, he has shown to be bullet-proof against conventional and police sniper rifles with armor-piecing bullets, and AIM's laser weaponry.
Despite his near invulnerability, it is possible for Cage to be hurt, but he heals quickly. He can recover in a single day from an injury that would leave a normal man bedridden for nearly a week.
Other Abilities: Luke Cage is a skilled, if somewhat unorthodox, street fighter.
1,203 points
| ST: 26/177 [50*] | HP: 26 [0] | Speed: 6.50 [0] |
| DX: 12 [40] | Will: 11 [0] | Move: 6 [0] |
| IQ: 11 [20] | Per: 11 [10] | |
| HT: 14 [40] | FP: 14 [0] | SM: 0 |
| Dmg: 2d+2/5d (18d/20d) | BL: 135 lbs. (6,266 lbs./3.13 tons) | |
| Dodge: 10 | Parry: 11 | DR: 45* (tough skin) |
Languages: English (Native) (Native Language) [0]; Spanish (Native) [6].
Cultural Familiarities: Western (Native) [0].
Advantages: Alternate Identity (Illegal) [15]; Appearance (Attractive) [4]; Combat Reflexes [15]; Contact (Underworld; Effective Skill 12; Somewhat Reliable) (9) [1]; Damage Resistance 45 (Hardened +1, +20%; No Signaure, +20%; Tough Skin, -40%; Passive Biological, -5%) [214]; Enhanced ST +12 (Accessibility: Only With Super ST, -10%; Passive Biological, -5%) [82]; Hard to Kill 2 [4]; Hard to Subdue 2 [4]; High Pain Threshold [10]; Imbue 3 (Limited Skill Access: Three Skills, -40%; Passive Biological, -5%) [22]; Injury Tolerance (Damage Reduction /10) (Passive Biological, -5%) [142]; Regeneration (Regular: 3 HP/hr) (Passive Biological, -5%) [24]; Single-Minded [5]; Social Regard (Feared) 2 [10]; Super ST +11/+150 (Passive Biological, -5%) [435]; Super Throw 2 (Biological, -10%) [18]; Tough Guy 3 [15].
Perks: Fearsome Stare [1]; Gangster Swagger [1]; Improvised Weapon (Kusari) [1]; Striking Surface [1].
Disadvantages: Bad Temper (9) [-15]; Code of Honor (Pirate's) [-5]; Pacifism (Cannot Kill) [-15]; Secret Identity (Imprisonment) [-20]; Sense of Duty (Comrades) [-5]; Social Stigma (Criminal Record) [-5]; Status -1 [-5]; Wealth (Poor) [-15].
Quirks: Always Meets Peoples' Eyes [-1]; Goal (Clear Name) [-1]; Rule-Breaker [-1]; Show-Off [-1].
Features: High-Pressure Lungs [0].
Skills: Body Language (Human) (A) Per+1 [2] – 12; Boxing (A) DX+2 [8] – 14; Brawling (E) DX+2 [4] – 14; Carousing (E) HT+0 [1] – 14; Climbing (A) DX+0 [2] – 12; Computer Operation/TL8 (E) IQ+0 [1] – 11; Criminology/TL8 (A) IQ+1 [4] – 12; Current Affairs/TL8 (Headline News) (E) IQ+1 [2] – 12; Forced Entry (E) DX+3 [1] – 15†; Forceful Blow (Unarmed) (VH) DX+0 [8] – 12; Intimidation (A) Will+3 [4] – 15†; Kusari (H) DX+0 [4] – 12; Lifting (A) HT+0 [2] – 14; Observation (A) Per+1 [4] – 12; Penetrating Strike (Unarmed) (VH) DX+0 [8] – 12; Savoir-Faire (Prison) (E) IQ+1 [2] – 12; Scrounging (E) Per+1 [2] – 12; Shockwave (Unarmed) (VH) DX+0 [8] – 12; Stealth (A) DX+0 [2] – 12; Streetwise (A) IQ+3 [4] – 15†; Swimming (E) HT+0 [1] – 14; Throwing (A) DX+2 [8] – 14; Wrestling (A) DX+2 [8] – 14.
Techniques: Aggressive Parry (Brawling) (H) def+1 [2] – 11; Head Butt (Brawling) (H) def+3 [4] – 16; Piledriver (Wrestling) (H) def+5 [6] – 14; Uppercut (Boxing) (A) def+1 [1] – 14.
Starting Spending Money: $2,000 (50% of Starting Wealth).
* includes +12 from Enhanced ST and +11/+150 from Super ST.
† includes +3 from Tough Guy.
Role-Playing Notes:
Luke Cage is a man who has had his whole life turned upside down by a man he once trusted, and finds it hard to trust others because of it. His temper occasionally gets the better of him, something he often regrets. He's not certain what he will do once he finally does manage to clear his name; he's accepted that he will likely need to return to prison on a jailbreaking charge.
| BOXING | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TL | Weapon | Damage | Reach | Parry | Cost | Weight | ST | Notes |
| – | Boxing Punch | 2d+5 cr | C | 11 | – | – | 26 | |
| – | Super ST | 18d+35 | C | 11 | – | – | 177 | |
| BRAWLING | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TL | Weapon | Damage | Reach | Parry | Cost | Weight | ST | Notes |
| – | Brawling Punch | 2d+3 cr | C | 11 | – | – | 26 | |
| – | Super ST | 18d+17 | C | 11 | – | – | 177 | |
| – | Brawling Kick | 2d+4 cr | C, 1 | n/a | – | – | 26 | |
| – | Super ST | 18d+18 | C, 1 | n/a | – | – | 177 | |
| – | Headbutt | 2d+1 cr | C | n/a | – | – | 26 | |
| – | Super ST | 18d-1 | C | n/a | – | – | 177 | |