Gearhound (MIB)

GEARHOUND
PL 9
Gearhound is the mechanical genius of the Champion City Crusaders, a licensed MIB-sponsored superhero team operating along the American West Coast. While others on the roster rely on raw powers or celebrity charisma, Gearhound wins battles through invention, preparation, battlefield control, and an army of custom-built drones. Equal parts engineer, hacker, mechanic, and tactician, he is the hero the team calls when something impossible needs to be built overnight.

Born Darius Kane in Oakland, Darius was a child prodigy who reverse-engineered military surplus electronics before he was old enough to drive. He earned multiple advanced engineering degrees, consulted for aerospace firms, then vanished after exposing illegal weapons contracts tied to private security interests. He resurfaced months later in improvised powered armor, dismantling a smuggling ring live on social media. The MIB offered sponsorship rather than prosecution for unauthorized vigilantism.

Darius is broad-shouldered, athletic, and usually grease-streaked despite access to elite laboratories. He wears a modular combat suit of matte gunmetal plating with yellow hazard markings, retractable tool ports, reinforced gauntlets, and a heavy backpack core that houses fabrication systems and drone launch bays. A multi-lens visor slides over his eyes when in combat, displaying telemetry, target data, and sarcastic reminders he programmed himself.

His callsign comes from his relentless habit of “sniffing out” mechanical weaknesses in anything from tanks to alien portals. Blunt, funny, stubborn, and deeply loyal, Gearhound distrusts bureaucracy but values teammates who earn his respect.
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STR 3 • STA 4 • AGL 2 • DEX 4 • FGT 5 • INT 8 • AWE 3 • PRE 2
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Powers
Powered Tech Armor
Protection 6, Enhanced Strength 2, Immunity 2 (Environmental Heat/Cold), Feature 2 (Built-in tools, internal comms) • 14 points
Drone Command Array • 32 points
Hunter Drones – Summon 6 (Heroic, Controlled, Multiple Minions 2; 4 drones), Mental Link
Alt Effect: Swarm Barrage – Ranged Multiattack Damage 9
Alt Effect: Repair Nanites – Healing 8, Restorative, Limited to Machines/Devices
Alt Effect: Suppression Foam – Ranged Affliction 9 (Resisted by Dodge/Fortitude; Hindered/Vulnerable, Defenseless/Immobile), Extra Condition
Alt Effect: Recon Grid – Remote Senses 8 (visual, auditory through drones)
Grav-Boot Stabilizers
Movement 2 (Wall-Crawling 1, Safe Fall), Leaping 2 • 6 points
Tactical Visor
Senses 8 (Darkvision, Infravision, Analytical Vision, Detect Energy, Radio) • 8 points
Overclock Protocol
Enhanced Trait 4 (Advantages: Improved Initiative 2, Evasion, Extraordinary Effort), Activation (Move Action) • 3 points
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Advantages
Benefit 2 (Hero License, Lab Access), Eidetic Memory, Equipment 6, Extraordinary Effort, Improvised Tools, Inventor, Jack-of-all-Trades, Skill Mastery (Technology), Teamwork, Ultimate Effort (Technology)
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Skills
Athletics 4 (+7), Close Combat: Gauntlets 4 (+9), Expertise: Engineering 10 (+18), Expertise: Business 4 (+12), Investigation 6 (+14), Perception 6 (+9), Ranged Combat: Drone Array 6 (+10), Sleight of Hand 4 (+8), Technology 12 (+20), Treatment 4 (+12), Vehicles 6 (+10)
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Offense
Initiative +6 (or +8 with Overclock)
Unarmed +5 (Damage 3)
Gauntlets +9 (Damage 5)
Swarm Barrage +10 (Damage 9, Multiattack)
Suppression Foam +10 (Affliction 9)
Hunter Drones Variable by drone loadout
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Defense
Dodge 9
Parry 9
Fortitude 9
Toughness 10 (4 STA, +6 Protection)
Will 8
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Power Points
Abilities 62
Powers 63
Advantages 16
Skills 30
Defenses 18
Total: 189 points
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Complications
Motivation – Responsibility: Technology should protect people, not exploit them.
Quirk: Cannot resist taking apart unfamiliar machines.
Enemy: Corporate arms dealers and black-market technologists want his designs.
Protective: Treats teammates’ gear and safety as personal responsibility.
Fame by Association: Public recognizes him from team appearances, though he dislikes cameras.
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Equipment
Portable fabrication kit, encrypted tablet, omni-tool gauntlets, EMP grenades, breaching charges, spare drone parts, armored utility van/mobile workshop.
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Sample Hunter Drone (Minion)
STR — • STA — • AGL 2 • DEX 3 • FGT 2 • INT — • AWE 2 • PRE —
Powers: Flight 4, Immunity 30 (Fortitude), Protection 4, Blaster Damage 5, Remote Link
Defense: Dodge 6, Parry 4, Toughness 4
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Tactics
Gearhound rarely enters combat unprepared. He scouts first, identifies vulnerabilities, then deploys the correct tool for the problem. Against brutes, he uses foam restraint and drone harassment. Against speedsters, he floods the field with sensors and obstacles. Against masterminds, he attacks infrastructure, logistics, and escape routes.
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Relationships
Victory Star: Friendly rivalry between muscle and machinery.
Silver Siren: She keeps him socially functional during media events.
Flashpoint Kid: Constantly repairs damage caused by reckless speed antics.
Night Circuit: Deep mutual respect between technologists, though methods differ.
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Campaign Use
Tech Mentor: Builds gear for the heroes.
Quest Giver: Needs rare components recovered from dangerous sites.
Government Asset: PCs must decide whether to trust his MIB ties.
Rogue Engineer Arc: If betrayed, Gearhound could become a formidable independent operator.