The Black Bat is a classic "Shadow Archetype" hero—a peak-human vigilante who relies on fear, investigation, and high-tech gadgetry rather than metahuman powers. In the Ascendant RPG system, he functions as a high-SP (Survival Points) character with a heavy emphasis on Perception, Agility, and Stealth.
Here is a breakdown of the Black Bat as an NPC for your campaign.
Character Profile: The Black Bat
Role: Urban Vigilante / Master Detective
Aura: Fear / Shadow
Attributes
| Attribute | Score | Description |
| Might | 4 | Peak human strength. |
| Agility | 7 | World-class acrobat and martial artist. |
| Resilience | 5 | Incredible pain tolerance and conditioning. |
| Perception | 8 | "The World's Greatest Detective." |
| Intelligence | 7 | Master tactician and engineer. |
| Willpower | 8 | Indomitable resolve; immune to most intimidation. |
Powers & Skills
Martial Arts Mastery: The Black Bat treats his unarmed strikes as having a Color Code modifier, allowing him to bypass the AV (Armor Value) of street-level thugs easily.
Stealth (Invisibility Variant): He doesn't actually turn invisible, but his Shadow Melding skill functions as a passive power that requires a high-difficulty Perception check for enemies to locate him in low light.
The Utility Belt (Variable Power Pool): He carries a limited array of "gadgets" that function as short-term powers:
Smoke Pellets: (Obscurement)
Batarangs: (Ranged Damage / Entangle)
Grapnel Gun: (Super-Movement: Swinging)
Intimidation (Mental Attack): He can use his Willpower to inflict the Shaken or Terrified condition on NPCs before a physical fight even begins.
Combat Tactics
Stalk from Above: The Black Bat rarely starts a fight on level ground. He uses Ambush mechanics to gain a Surprise Round, usually picking off the strongest opponent first.
Vanish and Reset: If outnumbered, he uses a smoke pellet and a Stealth check to "disappear," resetting the engagement and forcing the enemies to waste actions searching for him.
Target Weakness: Using his high Intelligence, he can spend an action to analyze a metahuman's Weakness, granting him a bonus to his next attack's Damage Multiplier.
Plot Hooks for the GM
The Unexpected Mentor: The players are tracking a villain, but the Black Bat is already there. He doesn't trust them and tests their morality before sharing his intel.
The Crime Scene: The players find a crime scene where the "official" police report is wrong. The Black Bat leaves a cryptic clue (a "calling card") specifically for the party's smartest member.
The Hunted Hunter: The Black Bat has been captured by a high-tier Metahuman. The players must infiltrate a deathtrap-filled lair to rescue the man who usually rescues everyone else.
GM Tip: In Ascendant, the Black Bat survives not by trading blows, but by managing Range and Visibility. If he is caught in an open field against a "Brick" (high Might/Resilience), he will lose. Play him as a character who only fights on his own terms.
Given the Black Bat’s preference for urban operations and high-tech utility, his signature vehicle—the Ebony Interceptor—is designed for high-speed pursuit and stealth, while his headquarters, The Belfry, serves as a high-complexity command center.
Here are the Ascendant stat blocks for both.
The Ebony Interceptor (Signature Vehicle)
The Interceptor is a masterpiece of kinetic engineering, designed to navigate narrow alleys at speeds that defy physics.
| Attribute | Score | Notes |
| Speed | 10 | Roughly 600 mph (Max Burst). |
| Handling | 8 | Incredible maneuverability in urban "canyons." |
| Armor Value (AV) | 6 | Reinforced composite plating; resistant to small arms. |
| Structure (HP) | 40 | Durable, but relies on evasion over tanking. |
Vehicle Systems
Shadow-Cloak (Passive): The vehicle is coated in light-absorbent material. It grants a +3 Bonus to Stealth checks in low-light conditions and is invisible to radar.
Thermal Caltrops (Area Effect): Can drop heat-flaring caltrops to foil pursuers, forcing an Agility check to avoid a "Spin-Out" condition.
Grapple-Harpoon: Can be used to make sharp 90-degree turns at high speed or to snare target vehicles (Might 7 for towing).
Remote Link: The Black Bat can pilot the car remotely or summon it to his location via his cowl's HUD.
The Belfry (Secret Headquarters)
Unlike a massive cave, the Belfry is a modular, high-tech sanctum located within a "hollow" floor of a downtown skyscraper. It is optimized for information warfare.
| Feature | Level | Description |
| Security/Secrecy | 9 | Hidden behind biometric "ghost" elevators; shielded from all scanning. |
| Information Network | 10 | Global surveillance access; grants a +4 Bonus to Investigation. |
| Medical Suite | 6 | Automated surgery and toxin-neutralization tanks. |
| Workshop | 7 | High-complexity tools for repairing gadgets and the Interceptor. |
Unique Facility Mechanics
The Shadow-Grid: While within the city limits, the Black Bat can use the Belfry’s processing power to "hack" the city’s infrastructure (traffic lights, power grids, security cams) as a Free Action once per round.
Rapid Deployment: The Belfry features a pressurized launch tube that can fire the Ebony Interceptor onto the street level or a rooftop track in under 5 seconds.
The Trophy Room: A D100 "Legacy Table" exists here. If the Black Bat is facing a recurring villain, he can roll to see if he has a specific "counter-gadget" in storage that grants a temporary +2 Damage Multiplier against that foe.
GM Scenario: "The Breach"
If the players are invited to the Belfry, emphasize the sensory deprivation: the lack of windows, the hum of high-end servers, and the clinical, industrial aesthetic. It shouldn't feel like a home; it should feel like a weapon.
Note on Mechanics: If you are running a high-lethality game, the Belfry’s Medical Suite can allow characters to recover Survival Points (SP) at double the normal rate.
This D100 Legacy Table represents the strange, high-tech, and occasionally supernatural trophies the Black Bat has confiscated over his career. Each item is stored in a pressurized glass case within The Belfry.
When a player investigates the Trophy Room or the Black Bat needs a "special solution" for a specific threat, roll $1d100$.
The Belfry: Legacy & Trophy Table
| Roll (d100) | Item Name | Power/Effect (Ascendant Mechanics) |
| 01–10 | The Cryo-Grenade | One-use Cold Blast. Targets must pass a Resilience check (7) or be Entangled in flash-frozen ice. |
| 11–20 | Monofilament Cape | A prototype cape from a rival ninja. Grants Armor Value (AV) +2 against slashing/piercing but is vulnerable to fire. |
| 21–30 | The Neural Scrambler | A handheld dish. Forces a Willpower check (8). Failure causes the Confused status for $1d4$ rounds. |
| 31–40 | Gravity-Boots | Experimental tech. Grants Super-Movement: Wall-Walking at half normal Speed for 10 minutes. |
| 41–50 | Spectral Goggles | Allows the wearer to see invisible targets and heat signatures. Negates all Darkness/Obscurement penalties. |
| 51–60 | The Liquid-Oxygen Sprayer | Designed for "Bricks." Reduces a target's Resilience by 2 points for $1d6$ rounds as their armor becomes brittle. |
| 61–70 | Tungsten Bolas | Ranged capture device. Uses Might 8 for the Grapple calculation. Extremely heavy to carry. |
| 71–80 | Adrenaline Autoinjector | Instantly restores $2d10$ Survival Points (SP) but causes $1d4$ levels of Exhaustion after the encounter. |
| 81–90 | EM Pulse Emitter | A one-shot burst that disables all electronics (including vehicles) within a Range of 4 for $1d10$ rounds. |
| 91–95 | The "Shadow-Double" Projector | Creates 3 holographic duplicates. Enemies have a 75% chance to miss their first attack each round. |
| 96–99 | Experimental Jet-Pack | Grants Flight (Speed 6) for 5 rounds before the fuel cells overheat and melt. |
| 100 | The Omega-Protocol Key | A master override for the city’s power grid. Can plunge the entire metropolis into total darkness for 1 hour. |
Using the Table in Your Session
The Desperate Measure: If the heroes are cornered in the Belfry by a superior Metahuman, the Black Bat might break the glass on a high-roll item (91–100) to even the odds.
The Plot Hook: An item from the 61–70 range is stolen. Since these are unique trophies, the thief is likely a former apprentice or a villain trying to replicate the technology.
Research: A player with high Intelligence can spend a Downtime Action studying a trophy to gain a permanent +1 Bonus to any skill related to that item's function (e.g., studying the Cryo-Grenade grants a bonus to Science: Chemistry).
Pro-Tip: If you roll a duplicate, it means the Black Bat has multiple versions in various states of repair. The second one found might have a "Glitch" (roll a $1d6$; on a 1, it malfunctions after the first use).
To provide a fitting antagonist for the Black Bat in the Ascendant system, we can draw on a "Pulp-Horror" infiltration threat—a villain who doesn't just fight the Black Bat, but attempts to replace him.
Meet The Pale Mimic, an evolved, humanoid variant of the Amoeba Men from the 1940s pulp comics, now adapted as a modern metahuman threat.
Villain Profile: The Pale Mimic
Real Name: Unknown (Designation: Amoeba-Alpha)
Role: Infiltrator / Identity Thief
Aura: Organic Horror / Void
Attributes
| Attribute | Score | Description |
| Might | 5 | Enhanced strength; can crush bone. |
| Agility | 6 | Rubbery, fluid movements. |
| Resilience | 8 | Incredible healing; ignores most physical trauma. |
| Perception | 7 | Can "sense" bio-electrical signatures. |
| Intelligence | 6 | Calculating and predatory. |
| Willpower | 5 | Driven by a singular, alien hunger. |
Powers & Skills
Cellular Mimicry (Shapeshift): Can perfectly replicate the appearance and voice of any human it has touched. In Ascendant, this requires a Perception check (Difficulty 9) to notice small, uncanny "tells" in its behavior.
Amorphous Physiology: The Mimic has no vital organs. It is Immune to Critical Hits and treats all incoming physical damage as if it were 1 Level lower.
The Paralyzing Touch: Instead of dealing damage, the Mimic can make a Touch Attack. If successful, the target must pass a Resilience check (7) or become Paralyzed for $1d6$ rounds as a paralytic slime enters their bloodstream.
Memory Absorption: If the Mimic consumes a portion of a victim’s DNA (a lock of hair or a drop of blood), it gains access to their Intelligence-based Skills for 24 hours.
Combat Tactics
The Trojan Horse: The Mimic rarely reveals its true form. It will often pose as a hostage, a police officer, or even one of the Black Bat’s allies to get close enough for a Paralyzing Touch.
Environmental Guerilla: It can squeeze through ventilation shafts and pipes (due to its Amorphous nature), attacking from the ceiling or floor and then vanishing.
Psychological Warfare: While in the form of a loved one or ally, it uses Social Attacks to lower a hero’s Willpower, making them easier to paralyze later.
Plot Hook: "The Shadow in the Belfry"
The Black Bat has been acting... strange. He’s missed three patrols, and the city’s most dangerous criminals are being found not just beaten, but "drained"—their bodies left as husks.
The Discovery: The players find the real Black Bat trapped in a stasis pod within his own Belfry, being slowly fed upon for his memories.
The Twist: The Mimic has already accessed the Omega-Protocol Key (Item 100 from the Legacy Table). If the players don't stop it, the Mimic will plunge the city into darkness, providing the perfect "hunting ground" for its hive-kin to begin an invasion.
The Weakness: Like all Amoeba-variants, the Mimic is vulnerable to Extreme Cold. If the players can secure the Cryo-Grenade (Item 01–10) from the Trophy Room, they can freeze the Mimic, shattering its cellular structure instantly.
GM Notes for the Reveal
When the Mimic "drops the mask," describe the sound of wet, tearing velcro as its human skin sloughs off to reveal a translucent, pulsing mass of protoplasm. This transition should trigger a Mental Attack (Fear) against any player who witnesses it for the first time.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.