The Squirrel King

When you get right down to it, Dr. Cyrus Gallagher was always considered a little "off center," to put it charitably. Even during his youth in Washington, DC, he seemed to have an interest in squirrels that bordered on an obsession. While his teachers appreciated his mechanical and scientific genius, his less kind classmates teased him relentlessly and nicknamed him "Squirrel Boy." (Even this wouldn't have been so bad if Cyrus hadn't had bucked teeth that even braces had limited success in correcting.)

Lonely except for his teachers and his beloved squirrels, Cyrus buried himself in his work. He proved to be not quite a prodigy, but certainly an advanced student; he graduated from high school a year early through an accellerated program, graduated from MIT with honors, and went straight from that into his Master's program at the Clackamas campus of the Oregon Institute of Technology. It was while he was working on his thesis, in fact, that his life fell apart.

His problem was that only certain animals were approved for the kind of cybernetic research he was doing. Rats, rabbits, dogs, and chimpanzees were all approved for testing, with the use being in that order before anything could be tried out on humans. However, with the advent of a new cybernetic-implant communications system, he saw an opportunity to finally connect himself to his beloved squirrels. Secretly, he took a few of the systems home (one intended for a chimpanzee along with some older models used in rats), captured some squirrels that roamed around a neighborhood park, installed the smaller devices into the squirrels' heads, and attached the larger one to his own.

He could hear the squirrels' thoughts! He, Cyrus Gallagher, had made contact with the grand and wonderful world of squirrels!

He returned to the Institute and told his professors what had happened. While they were interested in his results, they were more interested in his methods. Before he knew what was happening, Cyrus found himself not only expelled from OIT, but under arrest for crimes ranging from pilfering to unethical scientific research.

They just didn't understand the significance of his breakthrough. He knew, though, that the others thought he was insane, and he stood no chance at getting them to see things from his point of view. He doubted that they'd understand even if he convinced one of them to let him hook them up to the squirrels so they could see it for themselves. They just didn't appreciate the beauty and power of the squirrel like he did.

His break came when a great hubbub happened at the station. Even the guards in the cellblock had to be called away to assist. To his surprise, the squirrels that he'd linked himself to, which had been taken to Clackamas County Evidence Control, had gone ballistic and were desperately making their way to him. Two of them had even teamed up to carry the device he'd used to communicate with them. Somehow the link had forged a bond between Cyrus and the squirrels that mere electronics could not account for; they felt the same affection toward him that he felt toward them. Somehow figuring out on their own that this device had created the mental link, they'd brought it along. Once again connecting himself to it, he mentally coordinated the most fantastic (and embarassing) jailbreak in Oregon history.

Since then he's built up his repertoire considerably. Calling himself the Squirrel King, he's built himself a battlesuit with powers surrounding a squirrel theme, and has collected over 100 of what he calls "CyberSquirrels," with his army ever growing. Though clearly a loon, he's considered a very dangerous criminal, as he wanders the country following one harebrained scheme after another (while never staying far from his squirrels' home of Oregon for long).

He has, in his time out and about, made several enemies. Of course, Doc Digital (the leader of Cy-Force), Master Control, and the Supreme Serpent (of VIPER) are interested in this innovative technology of Cyrus', and each would like to have it to serve their own purposes. They would also like to be the only force with this technology, meaning that once it's stolen they'd have to kill Cyrus and destroy both his notes and his squirrels -- and those are three things that he'd very much rather didn't happen. Besides this, his activities have attracted the attention of PRIMUS and UNTIL, and both agencies have placed him on their "Wanted" lists (though their respective brass understandably feel rather silly about it).

Personality

Basically, Cyrus is a nut about squirrels. His virtually constant connection with the minds of squirrels has warped his own mind, and he believes that squirrels are evolving into the dominant species on Earth, destined to take over from humanity just as humanity took over dominance of the planet from the dinosaurs. It's his duty, or so he believes, to pave the way for eventual total domination of the planet by squirrels, using these progenitors of the eventual New Master Race as his foot soldiers.

Note that, while he is an American, he speaks with an affected (read: fake) English accent. He is, after all, a King, and Kings are English, so...

Quotes

"March forth, my legions! Arise against the human oppressors of your kind! Rise up and take your rightful place of leadership over the whole Earth!"

"Squirrels are truly the most beautiful creatures on Earth. One day they will become the dominant species on the planet, supplanting humans in the same way that humans once supplanted the dinosaurs. They will turn the Earth into a paradise of perfect ecological and technological balance. Until then, I, the Squirrel King, shall lead and guide them."

"No! You cannot rule the world! I shall rule the world!" (Note: Clicking the icon at right will also get a reaction from a "special guest star.")

"The day of mankind as masters of the world has come to an end. Prepare for the new masters of the world -- squirrelkind!"

"Hear me, mankind! Prepare to feel the true power of the squirrel!"

Powers/Tactics

Cyrus Gallagher has no actual superpowers to speak of, other than a highly developed intellect and an unarguably overdeveloped imagination. All of his personal combat ability comes from the battlesuit he has fashioned for himself.

The Squirrel King's battlesuit has adequate protections against most attacks, even at levels typical of most superheroes. It also provides him with flight capabilities, metal claws vaguely similar to those of a squirrel, and various electronic sensory enhancements. Most recently, he's installed the cybernetic link circuitry into the suit itself, enabling him to communicate with his squirrels whenever he wants to.

What makes the Squirrel King truly dangerous, however, is his army of CyberSquirrels. These creatures come in two varieties: Crawling and Flying. The Crawling CyberSquirrels are actually capable of leaping quite a distance, and are armed with six small but deceptively powerful missiles. The Flying CyberSquirrels get around with helicopter rotors and miniature jets, and carry four bola missiles. All CyberSquirrels are more than strong enough to lift a human being, and are nearly as well-armored as the Squirrel King himself. The ratio of one to the other varies from one encounter with the Squirrel King to the next, though most often (when he doesn't have a specific reason to do otherwise) he has 3 Crawling CyberSquirrels to every Flying CyberSquirrel.

Appearance

Cyrus Gallagher is 5'4" tall, and weighs a lanky but healthy 135 lbs. He has wiry brown hair which he keeps cut short (as befits a master scientist and spokesman for the New Master Race), and pale brown eyes with just a hint of a gleam of insanity to them. Though he has a generally "nerdy" appearance, though, he does not have acne-pocked skin or thick glasses; the only clear signs of "nerdishness" are his build and his bucked teeth.

His Squirrel King battlesuit, which he now wears all the time, is pale brown with black boots, gloves, and belt, and white trunks and chest. His helmet covers his whole head, and is built to be suggestive of the head of a squirrel. He has become so used to wearing the suit and calling himself the Squirrel King that he now rarely takes it off except to sleep or bathe. When he's working in the laboratory, he wears his battlesuit with a lab coat over it; if he's working on the battlesuit, he wears the lab coat over his underwear (boxers, not briefs).

The CyberSquirrels are a more impressive story. Not only do they all have communications implants in their skulls, but they also have had their legs replaced with obviously cybernetic substitutes, and most of their bodies covered with steel armor. The flying CyberSquirrels get around by the use of helicopter rotors, with the larger rotor fitten in the center of the back and the smaller one extended from the base of the tail. Though the juxtaposition of squirrels with heavy cybernetics may seem silly at first glance, they are quite impressive when taken as a whole.

Daily Life

What kind of "Daily Life" can a megalomaniac master criminal have? Not much. He spends so much time with his squirrels and his equipment that he's virtually forgotten that there is such a thing in the world as a social life. The squirrels are his best friends, despite the fact that even the most intelligent ones are about equivalent to a slow-witted dog. He only leaves his personal lab, a one-time Raven base now long abandoned and virtually forgotten, when he has some specific mission to carry out.

He has recently managed to develop one passion that isn't directly related to his obsession with squirrels; he has become a passably talented painter of the neo-post-modern abstract impressionist school. He uses castoff canvases, and whatever he can find in the way of paints (which would technically make his work "mixed medium"). Even here, though, his passion for squirrels becomes quickly evident. A sample work (shown at right), the only one to be seen by any human other than himself, is titled "Squirrel Tracks Over the City Lights."

Associates

The Squirrel King has no friends other than his CyberSquirrels. He does occasionally do a bit of mercenary work for others just to pay the food bills. He's not picky about his employers, except that he won't work for anyone who's tried to steal from him or kill him (he's understandably touchy about that). To date, employers have ranged from Foxbat to Genocide.

Personal Tastes

Cyrus has little interest in the arts (outside his own efforts), and is not picky about his food or news sources. He keeps a small portable television in his lab, and tunes in whatever station is coming in the most clearly for news developments -- especially stuff about new cybernetic technologies, or (less often, but more importantly) about squirrels. He will occasionally buy (or steal) a copy of the Portland Oregonian or USA Today for in-depth reports of these same stories.

Foodwise, he will generally eat anything he can afford that's prepared for him, especially if he can carry it along with him. Hamburgers, pizza, tacos, and roast beef sandwiches have all been frequent staples of his diet. On rare occasions he will go to a fancy restaurant to have a meal of higher quality; this usually happens about a week after he's been paid for completing some mercenary job.

Campaign Use

The Squirrel King is an example of the saying, "It's only funny until it happens to you." Despite the fact that he and his CyberSquirrels look silly, they are very viable combat menaces. At the same time, whatever complaints they have or warnings they arise will be met with rather askance reactions. After all, even in a superhero world, a story about a man leading an army of cyborg squirrels to world domination seems rather far-fetched.

Of course, the classic use for a character like the Squirrel King is to have the PCs intercept one of his wilder schemes. If a PC (or a DNPC) works for a cybernetics company, he could try to steal some of the company's research; he could even be successful, forcing the PCs to track him down to retrieve it. (Naturally, they'll succeed on this first encounter, though the Squirrel King himself will mysteriously escape.)

Similarly, anything you can think of that has to do with squirrels is applicable. Perhaps a pharmeceutical company is performing medical experiments on squirrels, possibly to check for possible negative environmental effects for a botanical antibiotic. Outraged, the Squirrel King launches an attack on the company, not only destroying the facility in question but launching a full-scale war.

It stands to reason that if any PC or DNPC has connections with any of the above, the Squirrel King will pick that character as a target (you might even decide to allow the the character to take him as a Hunted).

Finally, there are always those grand schemes that would accelerate the ascension of squirrels to what Cyrus sees as their rightful place of dominance. Technological devices and magical artifacts are equally likely targets for this kind of activity; in particular, the artifacts will arouse his interest if they're directly connected to squirrels in some way (say, a Native American squirrel totem of great power, or some such -- use your imagination, and be as perversely silly about it as you feel like).

In any event, you may play the Squirrel King as seriously or as over-the-top as you feel is appropriate for your campaign. Unlike Foxbat (who is the classic loon villain in the Champions Universe), the Squirrel King as a definite goal, and will stop at virtually nothing to achieve it. So his goal is a little bizarre; work with it.

Design Notes

For one thing, as with many of the high-tech characters on my site, the Squirrel King uses the Battlesuit Limitation on his battlesuit, and the CyberSquirrels use the Cybernetic variation on that Limitation. These Limitations are borrowed from Sean Patrick Fannon's Champions Campaign, and are detailed there.

There may also be some question about the CyberSquirrels being as powerful as they are with only 5 base points. Don't panic; they're not really as powerful as they probably look.

The Squirrel King
Val	Char	Cost	Roll
50**/10 28**/18 18**/10 13 23 11 18 8 12***/2 12***/2 6*/2 9*/4 40*/20 33*/23	STR DEX CON BODY INT EGO PRE COM PD ED SPD REC END STUN	20 27 8 6 16 2 8 -1 8 8 27 8 8 8	19- 13- 13- 12- 14- 11- 13- 11-
Notes: *Battlesuit **Battlesuit, No Figured Characteristics ***Non-System Battlesuit
Cost	Powers and Talents						END
36 25       7 7 37   3 2 2 2 16 3   2 3	Squirrel King Battlesuit***   Armor: 15 PD, 15 ED Armor   Claws: 2d6 RKA, ½ END, Reduced Penetration     (2×2d6 w/STR)   Battlesuit Systems:*   Clinging: Full STR   Flash Defense: 10 pts vs Sight Group   Flight Jets: 15" Flight, 16× Non-Combat Multiple, ½     END   Infrared Vision   Internal Calculator: Lightning Calculator   Internal Clock: Absolute Time Sense   Internal Compass: Bump of Direction   Lack of Weakness: -5 to Find Weakness   Mind Link: All Cybersquirrels, 128 Targets, Must     Have Mind Link   Sonic Analyzer: Perfect Pitch   Ultraviolet Vision						1+           1
Cost	Martial Arts		Adj. OCV	Adj. DCV	Base Effect		Phase
N/A	N/A		N/A	N/A	N/A		N/A
Cost	Skills and Perks						Roll
3 3 3 3 3 3 36 3 3 3 20 3 2 1 1 3 3 3 3 3 3	Bureaucratics Computer Programming Deduction Demolitions Electronics Followers: 128 CyberSquirrels (below) Forgery Inventor Mechanics Oratory Overall Skill Levels: +2 Paramedic Sci: Cybernetics (INT-based) Sci: Mechanical Engineering Sci: Veterinary Medicine Scientist Security Systems Stealth Streetwise Survival Weaponsmith (Battlesuits)						13- 14- 14- 11- 11-   11- 14- 11- 13-   14- 14- 11- 11-   14- 15- 13- 11- 11-
100+	Disadvantages
10   15 20 20 20 20 20   15 20 25 15	Enraged: When a Squirrel (Any Squirrel) is Killed, 14-/11- Hunted By:   Cy-Force (As Powerful, NCI), 8-   Master Control (More Powerful, NCI), 8-   PRIMUS (More Powerful, NCI), 8-   UNTIL (More Powerful, NCI), 8-   VIPER (More Powerful, NCI), 8- Normal Characteristic Maxima Psychological Limitations:   Arrogant (common, strong)   Megalomaniac (very common, strong)   Obsessed With Squirrels (very common, total) Secret Identity: Cyrus Gallagher
OCV: 9 DCV: 9 ECV: 4 Phases: 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12
153 Char + 253 Powers & Skills = 406 Total = 100 Base + 200 Disads + 106 Exp