FREEDOM FORCE

MINUTEMAN

Val	CHA	Cost	Roll	Notes
30	STR	20	15-	Lift 1,600 kg; 6d6 HTH Damage
23	DEX	39	14-	OCV:  8/DCV:  8
23	CON	26	14-
15	BODY	10	12-
13	INT	3	12-	INT Roll:  12-
14	EGO	8	12-	ECV:  5
20	PRE	10	13-	PRE Attack:  4d6
18	COM	4	13-

12	PD	6		Total:  15 PD (3 rPD)
8	ED	3		Total:  11 ED (3 rED)
5	SPD	17		Phases:  3, 5, 8, 10, 12
11	REC	0
46	END	0
45 	STUN	2		Total Characteristics Cost:  148

Movement:	Running:	6"/12"
		Leaping:	10"/20"
		Swimming:	2"/4"

Cost	Powers & Skills
4	Mighty Leaps:  Leaping +4" (10" forward/5" upwards), END 1
16	Staff of Patriotism:  HA +4d6, Reduced Endurance (0 END, +1/2); OAF (-1), Hand-To-
	Hand Attack (-1/2), Two-Handed Weapon (-1/2) plus Stretching +1", Reduced 
	Endurance (0 END, +1/2); Always Direct (-1/4), No Noncombat Stretching (-1/4), Only 
	To Do damage (-1/4), No Velocity Damage (-1/4), Two-Handed Weapon (-1/2) plus 
	+1 OCV; OAF (-1)
14	Strike for Freedom:  HA +4d6, Double Knockback (+3/4); OAF (-1), Hand-To-
	Hand Attack (-1/2), END 3
	[+10d6 for STR and Staff damage, figured for +3/4 Advantage equals +4d6 bonus or 8d6 
	Double Knockback for 6 END with STR]
19	National Guard:  Missile Deflection (up to bullets), Reflection, +2 OCV; OAF (-1)
15	HeroÕs Luck:  Luck 3d6

	Talents
6	Combat Luck (Armor 3 PD/ED)

	Skills
10	Combat Skill Levels:  +2 with HTH
4	Combat Skill Levels:  +2 OCV with Sweep

3	Demolitions 12-
3	Oratory 13-
3	Scientist 
2	1) SS:  Atomic Physics 12-
1	2) SS:  Chemistry 11-
1	3) SS:  Physics 11-
1	WF:  Staff
102	Total Powers & Skills Cost
250	Total Character Cost

150+	Disadvantages
5	DNPC:  Nick Craft (normal) 8-
10	Enraged:  versus Commies, (common), Go 11-, recover 11-
15	Hunted:  Nuclear Winter (More Powerful, Kill), 8-
20	Psychological Limitation:  Superpatriot (Common, Total)
15	Psychological Limitation:  Likes to Fight (Common, Strong)
15	Social Limitation:  Secret Identity (Frank Stiles)
10	Vulnerability:  x2 STUN from Acid Attacks (Uncommon)
10	Vulnerability:  x2 STUN from Radiation Attacks (Uncommon)
250	Total Disadvantage Points

Background/History: In 1962, Frank Stiles was just an embittered old man. But in World War II, he was one of the assistant scientists on the Manhattan Project. During that period, he discovered that one of his coworkers, a man named O'Connor, was actually a Communist spy. Stiles tried telling his superiors, but with no hard evidence, he only succeeded in ruining his own reputation, and eventually his career. He spent over a decade doing odd jobs, and by 1962 was retired, spending his days feeding pigeons in the Patriot City Park.

But one day in the Park, he actually saw O'Connor, and Stiles tailed him to a spot where he saw O'Connor speaking to a Russian agent! Unfortunately, Frank slipped and exposed himself, and O'Connor took advantage of the opportunity to rid himself of his old foe once and for all. He shot Stiles once through the heart, and then he and his contact fled.

At death's door, Stiles crawled to the Minuteman statue in the center of the park. The patriotic symbol seemed to call to him, and in his delirium he actually thought it gave off a purple glow. Reaching for its base, Stiles touched the statue and felt life return to him, with a power that not only cured his wound but revitalized him and made him stronger than ever before! Stiles deduced that the Minuteman statue must have been exposed to some unknown 'Energy X' and that touching it somehow transferred all of that power into him.

To conceal his identity, Stiles fashioned a patriotic costume in honor of his spiritual symbol, and then set out to find O'Connor and expose the Communist plot as... The MINUTEMAN!!!

Personality/Motivation: Minuteman is a True-Blue American Hero, to such an extent that he comes off as a parody of the type. His primary motives are superpatriotism and a desire for vengeance against Communists. Whereas other 'true-blue' heroes would be just as happy to rescue kids and animals, Minuteman is most concerned with bringing Commies and other threats to justice, which usually involves beating them up.

Generally, Minuteman is very melodramatic and prone to see the world in Black and White terms. In the Freedom Force computer game storyline, his fanatic zeal was tempered only when Nick Craft (a Freedom Force fan) almost got himself killed trying to save Minuteman from a supervillain. Minuteman's sense of responsibility for Nick made him somewhat less reckless afterward, but even then, his remorse was suffused with melodrama.

Quote: "FOR PATRIOT CITY!!!" [SMASH!]

Powers/Tactics: Energy X revitalized Frank Stiles, not only restoring him to the prime of life but giving him superhuman strength and speed, enabling him to throw small cars and leap to the top of second-story buildings. He has no other obvious mutations, but the transformation into Minuteman for some reason also transformed his walking cane into an eagle-tipped quarterstaff, which Minuteman uses to great effect in melee combat. In the progress of the game, he is also able to use it for certain power stunts like the 'Minute Missile' (a 'chain' NND attack that can reach at least two targets and stun them). Note that the characters are never seen out of Hero ID during the game, and the icons never show Minuteman actually losing his Staff of Patriotism, so I'm being generous in assigning it a full OAF value. Also, in order to save Nick Craft, Minuteman gives him a blood transfusion, which results in Nick becoming the sidekick Liberty Lad (meaning that Minuteman has to spend XP buying off the DNPC and building Nick as a Follower).

NOTE: Minuteman is a signature character in Freedom Force, a superhero computer game from Irrational Games LLC. Freedom Force is a 'Silver Age' setting, one which borrows so blatantly from Jack Kirby's art style and concepts that he could easily sue if he were still alive. In terms of the setting, then, Minuteman is the equivalent of Captain America. Most of the characters are relatively low-powered, not only in keeping with the era (early '60s) but the way the game works; it's quite possible for characters to get waylaid and beaten unconscious by common crooks.

Appearance: Frank Stiles was not only restored to health by Energy X but made into a superhuman specimen in the prime of life, his aging effectively reversed. He has blue eyes, and long black hair, tied back in a ponytail. His costume is a stylized Minuteman/Revolutionary War outfit, with a blue coat, crossed with a bandolier-type accessory in red with white stripes on it. He has a blue tricorner hat, a dark blue mask over his eyes, and white breeches and stockings with black shoes. He always carries the Staff of Patriotism, a tall quarterstaff made of an apparently unbreakable material, topped with a golden eagle.

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