Hercules Hero
Real Name: Herakles ("Hercules" is his Roman name).
Occupation: Adventurer, former shepherd, former indentured slave, former actor.
Identity: Publicly known, although the general public does not believe that Hercules is the same man from the myths.
Legal Status: Citizen of Mount Olympus, former citizen of the Kingdoms of Mycenae and Thebes (now part of Greece) with a criminal record (pardoned). Technically, he could claim to be a citizen of modern-day Greece by birth, but he prefers not to do so.
Other Aliases: God of Might, God of Heroes, Alcaeus (birth name), Paul Bunyan (alleged), Kevin Hunt (his television "stage name").
Place of Birth: Thebes, Boeotia, Greece.
Marital Status: Married.
Known Relatives: Zeus (father), Alcmene (mother, deceased), Amphitryon (step-father, deceased), Iphicles (mortal half-brother, deceased), Iolaus (mortal nephew, deceased) Megara (first wife, deceased), Omphale (second wife, deceased), Deianira (third wife, deceased), Hebe (half-sister, current wife), Nyssa Savakis (mortal half-sister), Hera (stepmother), Perseus (maternal great-grandfather, half-brother, deceased), Andromeda (maternal great-grandmother, deceased), Eurystheus (cousin, deceased), Hyllus (son by Deianira, deceased), Telephus (son by Auge, deceased), Lamos (son by Omphale, deceased), Macaria (daughter by Deianira, deceased), Manto (daughter, mother unrevealed, but probably Deianira, deceased), Tlepolemus (son by Astyocheia, deceased), Alexiares, Anicetus (sons by Hebe), children by Megara (names unrevealed, deceased). For more details on his extended family tree, which includes all of the major gods and many of the ancient Greek heroes, consult Hesiod's Theogeny and other works.
Group Affiliation: Gods of Olympus, former member of the Argonauts..
Base of Operations: Los Angeles, California.
First Post-Reboot Appearance: HERCULES: THE LEGEND CONTINUES #1.
History: Hercules's history prior to his ascension to godhood is well-documented.
At some point after the worship of the ancient Greco-Roman gods had faded, after the rise of Christianity, Hercules grew bored just watching humanity. From time to time, he traveled to Earth to engage in various adventures. During the 1800s, tales of his exploits in the American Old West grew; he is said to have inspired the tales of legendary frontiersman Paul Bunyan.
Several years back, Herc decided to try to find new adventures on Earth. He started by crashing a fabulous Hollywood party dressed in his ancient Greek attire; he was immediately noticed by a talent scout. For several years, he wound up playing himself on television, first in made-for-TV movies and later in a regular series based on them. After that, he tried his hand at playing a starship captain in a science fiction series, which he claims to have found refreshingly invigorating. However, scripted adventures began to wear on him, and he retired from Hollywood seeking further adventures.
He found it in thwarting the machinations of his ancient nemesis, his stepmother Hera, who was causing trouble for yet another of Herc's many half-siblings, his half-sister Nyssa Savakis. Nyssa at the time was having trouble adjusting to the fact that she was the daughter of Zeus, and having her four thousand years older brother show up didn't help her mental state at first.
Herc is currently splitting his time between protecting Nyssa from Hera's many plots and training her in the use of the lightning powers she has inherited from their father.
Age: 3,296.
Height: 6' 5".
Weight: 750 lbs.
Eyes: Brown.
Hair: Brown.
Uniform: Classic Greek attire.
Strength Level: Hercules possesses superhuman strength enabling him to lift (press) in excess of 100 tons.
Known Superhuman Powers: In addition to his prodigious strength, Hercules possesses the typical attributes of an Olympian god. He is extremely durable, immune to terrestrial diseases, and immortal. He has not aged since achieving godhood. His body is now three times as dense as it was when he was mortal.
Other Abilities: Hercules is a skilled warrior and strategist. He is skilled in all armed and unarmed martial arts of the ancient Greeks and Romans, as well as his large two-handed club.
Weapons: Hercules's favorite weapon is the large two-handed orichalcum club forged for him by Hephaestus.
1,675 points
| ST: 33/355 [10*] | HP: 33 [0] | Speed: 7.00 [0] |
| DX: 14 [80] | Will: 13 [0] | Move: 7 [0] |
| IQ: 13 [60] | Per: 13 [0] | |
| HT: 14 [40] | FP: 14 [0] | SM: 0 |
| Dmg: 3d+2/6d (33d/35d) | BL: 218 lbs. (25,025 lbs./12.6 tons) | |
| Dodge: 11 | Parry: 12 | DR: 30* |
| T:DR: /100 | ||
Languages: Ancient Greek (Native) (Native Language) [0]; English (Accented) [4]; Latin (Native) [6].
Cultures: Ancient Greece (Native) [0]; Eastern European [1]; Western [1].
Advantages: Appearance (Handsome) [8†]; Born Tactician 4 [40]; Combat Reflexes [15]; Cultural Adaptability [10]; Damage Resistance 30 (No Signature, +20%; Tough Skin, -40%) [120]; Enhanced ST +35 (Accessibility: Only When Using Super ST, -10%) [253]; Hard to Kill 2 [4]; Hard to Subdue 2 [4]; High Pain Threshold [10]; Indomitable [15]; Injury Tolerance (Damage Reduction /100) [150]; Mariner 2 [20]; Olympian God [605]; Regeneration (Regular: 1HP/hr) [25]; Sensitive [5]; Social Chameleon [5]; Status 1 [0‡]; Super ST +13/+300 [80§]; Super Throw 1 [10]; Trained By A Master [30]; Unfazeable [15]; Very Fit [15]; Wealth (Wealthy) [20].
Perks: Ground Guard [1]; Huge Weapons (SM) 1 [1]; Neck Control (Boxing) [1]; Neck Control (Brawling) [1]; Patience of Job [1]; Power Grappling [1]; Style Familiarity (Ancient Greek Boxing) [1]; Style Familiarity (Armatura) [1]; Style Familiarity (Greco-Roman Wrestling) [1]; Style Familiarity (Heroic Spear Fighting) [1]; Style Familiarity (Hoplomachia) [1]; Style Familiarity (Pankration) [1].
Disadvantages: Code of Honor (Hero's) [-10]; Compulsive Carousing (12) [-5]; Dependent (Nyssa Savakis, half-sister) (No more than 100%; Loved One) (15) [-6]; Enemy (Hera) (Equal in Power, Rival) (12) [-10]; Guilt Complex [-5]; Impulsiveness (12) [-10]; Lecherousness (12) [-15]; No Injury Tolerance (Damage Reduction /3; Limited Defense: Crushing Attacks, -40%) [-45]; Overconfidence (9) [-7]; Stubbornness [-5]; Truthfulness (9) [-7].
Quirks: Alcohol Intolerance [-1]; Openly Bisexual [-1]; Personality Change (Bad Temper When Drunk) [-1]; Storyteller [-1].
Skills: Bow (A) DX+1 [4] – 15; Boxing (A) DX+2 [8] – 16; Brawling (E) DX+3 [8] – 17; Broadsword (A) DX+1 [4] – 15; Games (Boxing) (E) IQ+1 [2] – 12; Games (Pankration) (E) IQ+1 [2] – 12; Games (Wrestling) (E) IQ+1 [2] – 12; Hiking (A) HT+0 [2] – 14; Hobby Skill (Feats of Strength) (E) DX+2 [4] – 16; Immovable Stance (H) DX+2 [12] – 16; Judo (H) DX+0 [4] – 14; Karate (H) DX+2 [12] – 16; Leadership (A) IQ+5 [4] – 16#; Performance (A) IQ+1 [4] – 12; Power Blow (H) Will+3 [16] – 16; Professional Skill (Shepherd) (A) IQ+1 [4] – 12; Riding (Equines) (A) DX+0 [2] – 14; Seamanship/TL1 (E) IQ+3 [2] – 14¥; Shield (E) DX+2 [4] – 16; Shortsword (A) DX+1 [4] – 15; Soldier/TL1 (A) IQ+5 [4] – 16#; Spear (A) DX+0 [2] – 14; Stage Combat (A) DX+0 [2] – 14; Strategy (Land) (H) IQ+3 [2] - 14#; Survival (Mountain) (A) Per+1 [4] – 14; Tactics (H) IQ+5 [8] – 16#; Teamster (Equines) (A) IQ+2 [4] – 13¶; Thrown Weapon (Spear) (E) DX+2 [4] – 16; Two-Handed Axe/Mace (A) DX+2 [8] – 16; Wrestling (A) DX+1 [4] – 15.
Techniques: Dual-Weapon Attack (Thrown Weapon (Spear)) (H) def+4 [5] – 16.
Starting Spending Money: $15,200 (20% Starting Wealth, minus the cost of his Club).
* Includes +9 from Olympian God, +35 from Enhanced ST, and +13/+300 from Super ST.
† Upgraded from Appearance (Attractive), part of the Olympian God template.
‡ Includes +1 from Wealth (Wealthy).
§ Upgraded from Super ST +11/+150, part of the Olympian God template.
# Includes +4 from Born Tactician.
¥ Includes +2 from Mariner.
¶ Defaulted from Riding (Equines)
Role-Playing Notes:
Herc is boisterous, brash, and a braggart (and a bit of a lout, if a lovable one). He's well aware that he is one of the strongest out there. When faced with an equal or someone superior to him in strength, however, he shows that it wasn't just his strength he was famed for, but his intelligence and skill with a weapon. If he was to admit it to himself, he'd rather face down someone he has to out-think than someone he can just pound on.
Hercules's Club
Hercules's Club is an oversized weapon forged from orichalcum by Hephaestus.
| TWO-HANDED AXE/MACE | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| TL | Weapon | Damage | Reach | Parry | Cost | Weight | ST | Notes |
| 1^ | Hercules's Orichalcum Club | 6d+6 cr | 1, 2* | 12U | $3,600 | 24 | 20‡ | [1, 2, 3] |
Notes:
[1] Fine Quality
[2] Made for an SM +1 character (as per Dungeon Fantasy 1: Adventurers, p. 26).
[3] Made of Orichalcum; won't break, and other weapons not made of orichalcum or a similarly unbreakable metal (such as adamantium or uru) have +2 to odds of breakage when parrying it.
Design Notes:
1. I had to do some research on Herc to make sure I got his family tree correct. As can be expected, when dealing with Greek mythology (and Greek gods in particular), the family tree can resemble a double-helix DNA strand. I specifically included Perseus in the list of relatives due to the fact that he's both an ancestor and half-brother to Herc, which is a unique relationship even among the ancient Greek heroes.
2. Herc's use of the "Kevin Hunt" alias and his television career is an homage to Kevin Sorbo, who played Herc in Hercules: The Legendary Journeys on television and then went on to play Dylan Hunt in Gene Roddenberry's Starship Andromeda.
3. Herc's club is built as a Maul, scaled up using details found in Dungeon Fantasy 1: Adventurers. Technically, I probably should have listed it as Signature Gear, but should it be broken or stolen Herc can always commission a new one from Hephaestus, and it likely won't be for free.