The Machinist

Random brainstorming for a superhero RPG

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misfit
Raving Mad
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Joined: Sun Sep 02, 2012 5:13 pm

The Machinist

Post by misfit »

Gustav Hauser was a brilliant Nazi inventor during WW II. He built many formidable weapons to aid the Nazi cause and was routinely opposed by the superheroes of the day. When defeat was inevitable he disappeared. The Allies found his workshop, but it had stripped of most of his weapons.

He resurfaced in 1951 when his mechanized army seized control of Ecuador. His reign was short-lived as superheroes descended in force to liberate the country. Over the next two decades he made periodic attempts to battle the forces of good with his advanced technology. He met his end in 1973 when his latest weapon, a super tank called the Doom Bringer, exploded in battle.

Five years later, rumors began to stir of another claiming the name of the Machinist. This one preferred to stay in the shadows and sell advanced weapons to anyone who had the money to buy them. He sold to supervillians, terrorists, the Soviet Union, and rumor has it even the US government (although that is vehemently denied to this day). For three decades he played a cat and mouse game with <insert name of SHIELD counterpart> and various superheroes. Every time his workshop was discovered he would fight if forced, but fled time and again. The speed with which he was back in production implied that he had several hidden workshops prepared in advance for just such contingencies. His was eventually identified as Egon Hauser, the son of the original Machinist.

In 2005 he was presumably killed in a raid when his workshop exploded. No body was ever recovered, but there was no evidence of an escape either. Internet conspiracy theorists believe that he decided it was time to retire and is living a life of luxury under an assumed name.

But again, a new Machinist arose. This one was quickly identified as Rolf Hauser, son of Egon. Sadly for him, genetics failed him. The new Machinist was a bumbling idiot. He is armed with advanced equipment, but clearly isn't bright enough to invent it himself. Destroyed equipment is replaced, so either he was large stockpiles of the same gear or has access to machines that can reproduce them.

Most of his crimes have been either theft or extortion attempts. From time to time he goes completely off the rails like the time he took over a television station and tried to force them to give him his own reality show. The clip of the six minutes it was on the air before a superhero ended it has spawned more internet memes than anything else in history. He is still trying to live down the time he robbed a 7-11 for a Slurpee. His one attempt at pure invention, the Machinist Mobile, was so cringeworthy that it undoubtedly had his father spinning in his grave (or the Caymans depending on what you believe). He is so inept that he has been known to take himself out before a superhero can even arrive.

While it's easy to dismiss him as a harmless nut, he does surprise people with a new weapon from time to time (presumably from his father's hidden caches). He was even managed to almost destroy the world three times (granted, they were all accidents but still...).

His usual gear includes:
A blaster pistol with stun, cutting beam and autofire settings (can only do one of the three at time)
Cold grenades
Smoke grenades
Helmet which is known to include sight enhancers and communications gear
A reinforced body suit (a bit better than kevlar)
A jet pack
A utility belt that presumable has some interesting gadgets, but he has never been known to use any (probably because he lacks the skill and/or know how)
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