The Tease of Things I Don't Need

Something Quick

Overnight Wizkids added Johnny Quick's dial to the Origin Gallery.

A clever dial.

I was wondering how much Hypersonic Speed we'd get for 77 points - especially with a Probability Controlling TA thrown in. As it turns out it was much more than I'd expected.

Seth's given us a dial that nicely reflects a villainous, junkie speedster. Most of the savings appear to come from no actual damage reducers - just means of helping him evade being hit - and a buried, un-powered click in the third slot, between doses of the drug that grants him his speed.

Four of his eight clicks have Hypersonic Speed, half of those with a 3 Damage and the other with a 2. His two leading clicks have the Speed with a useful 10, Energy Shield/Deflection and a 16 Defense (making it 18 at range) to help him evade hits while he's getting into position, and a reasonable 9 Attack Value. He comes to the game already having been on his latest dose for a little while, so he's not at his peak.

After that third click where he's all too human, he doses up again and ramps up a little in intensity and sheer aggression. He doesn't immediately get his full Hypersonic back, but he's on his way and out for blood. A 10 Speed, Charge and Blades/Claws/Fangs let him rush an opponent potentially deal up to 6 clicks of damage. At this stage he's still just back to a 9 Attack, so odds are he'll be able to deal something to someone with a Defense of 16 or less much of the time. A 16 Defense and Super Senses help him dodge attacks both close up and from range.

Next, the drug fully kicks in and he regains his full Hypersonic Speed, a little less obvious bloodlust but greater control and effectiveness. His Attack Value rising to 10, his Damage to 3 and his Defense to 17, he keeps the Super Senses. This click and the next - especially the next, when his Damage has dropped to 2 and his Defense has switched to 16 with Combat Reflexes - are his best opportunity to strike an opponent using option 2 of the Hypersonic Speed attack, where he stands his ground and makes a series of attacks until he misses, adding up the Damage (at 1 per successful attack) and dealing them all at once. His CSA TA will let him get a second attempt at a failed roll along the way, at the cost of a token placed on one of his teammates.

His final two clicks continue this trend towards sticking with one opponent, as he keeps Combat Reflexes and gains Flurry. His penultimate click sees his Damage return to a 3, so he could deal up to 6 clicks of damage to an opponent. On his eighth (final) click the Damage is back down to 2. His Attack Values drop to 9 and 8, his Defense from 15 to 14, albeit as mentioned above they get the Combat Reflexes modifier so whoever he's grappling with is trying to hit a 17 and 16.

As part of a balanced team - at least one good ranged hitter and one or more others to help provide cover and distract an opponent, and someone to help nullify an Outwitter, since JQ's extremely vulnerable to having his powers cancelled - Johnny could be worth far more than his 77 points. His CSA TA also makes it a good move to spend a few extra points on a bystander or two for him to drop a token on so he can get the best use of his TA without hampering his active teammates.

Origin goes on sale March 7 -- two weeks from today.