DC Adventures Character Sheet: Ragdoll
In DC Adventures Log 3: Bad Medicine, Part 2, Badder Medicine, Team Lex’s plans runs afoul the Secret Six. Some of the mysteriously inappropriately named Six (Bane, Catman, Deadshot and Knockout) can be found in already existing DC Adventures products. Scandal Savage doesn’t have anything really weird going on, so I just used Nightwing for her stats. Black Alice is roughly whatever character her power is currently replicating. Jeannette, in theory, could be a warrior, minus some stats plus an affliction ability when she banshee screams… and that’s assuming you plan on going Banshee with Jeanette. Otherwise the PL-10 Warrior template is probably fine for her. Since I planned to have Jeannette go full on Banshee at PL – 14, I made a character for her, but that’s for another week.
And then, there’s Ragdoll.
My first thought was to use Robin and call it a day. I like the idea of Ragdoll being a nuisance, time waster at PL 8. Well, that would be Robin if he could take a hit. I mean, drop him off a 30 story building, and he gets a little grouchy as he dusts himself off, sort of hit. And Ragdoll grapples all the time, doesn’t he? His punches should be useless, but once he has you in a hold, you should be gasping for air. And didn’t Robin have a bunch of points tied into the whole ‘utility belt’ thingy?
Clearly, Robin would not provide a good base for Ragdoll. If I was going to put Ragdoll on the field, I figured I should do it right and make his character. Some points of interest:
I mentioned before that I kind of like puzzle villains. Ragdoll is another one of them. He doesn’t take damage from bludgeoning attacks unless your opponent is specifically aiming for his head. It’s his only weak spot, really. The funny thing is, that Ragdoll goes into battle with a Harlequin Mask on. It never occurred to me that this wasn’t just an ascetic choice, but also a practical decision. The mask protects his head: On the character sheet I have it prevent 4 damage to Ragdoll. But the mask also directs combatants to take a baseball bat to something besides his face… which isn’t going to do anything to Ragdoll. To add to this layer of deception, I added the ‘subtle’ descriptor to Ragdoll’s immunity to bludgeoning attacks. After all, you’re still knocking Ragdoll off his feet when you kick him in the stomach… it just doesn’t do anything.
Ragdoll has almost every grappling feat in the book. He’s very sticky. A single slap and he’ll be tangled around you. Escaping the grab is going to require an acrobatics check of 31… not easy. Added to this is the fact that many characters will try to punch their way out of a grab, or try to pull Ragdoll apart, which, again, doesn’t do anything to him.
Ragdoll has Acrobatics at +29. It’s aburd, I know, but this was the easiest way to express that he can always slip through any opening that his head can fit though. You can shove him in a suitcase to get him past security if you wanted, and he’d still have enough room to write a nasty letter about the experience. I also gave him Acrobatics Expertise so that he isn’t bound by the stress of whatever situation he is in. If he needs to shimmy down a ventilation shaft, he doesn’t need to process that… he’s been in more ventilation shafts than you’ve been in grocery stores.
Strength – 3
Stamina – 3
Agility – 5
Dexterity – 8
Fighting – 2
Intellect – 0
Awareness – 2
Presence – (-1)
(Total Points: 44)
Defenses
Dodge – 8
Parry – 4
Will – 2
Fortitude – 3
Toughness – 13 (17 to attacks made to the head)
(total points: 15)
Offense
Initiative +5
Unnarmed +2 Close, Damage 3
Grappling +16, Close, Damage 3, (+21 against escape attempts)
Equipment
Harlequin Mask – Protection 4, +4 to Insight Checks made against Ragdoll, Noticeable, Limited: Head only, Easily Removable, 1 Point
Total Points = 1
Powers
Immunity 20 (Bludgeoning, Grappling and Falling), Subtle, Weakness: Attacks aimed at his head. 21 points
(Total Points = 21)
Advantages
Chokehold, Grabbing Finesse, Improved Disarm, Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Improved Trip, Instant Up, Prone Fighting, Skill Mastery (Sleight of Hand)
(Total Points = 9)
Skills
Acrobatics 8 (+13)
Athletics 8 (+10)
Close Combat (Grappling) 8 (+16)
Deception 7 (+6)
Intimidation 4 (+3)
Sleight of Hand 21 (+29)
Stealth 6 (+11)
(Total Points = 31)
Total Points = 121
Complications
Scarred and Deformed. Few people can see the beauty inside Ragdoll. Those that do, wish they had not.
Entangled. For some reason Black Alice has taken an intense liking to Ragdoll. He’s appreciative of her affections, but finds it awkward that this means he must occasionally not let her fall off a cliff to her death.
Incapable of procreating due to missing parts. Just throwing that out there.