Made Men

Overview

Forged with the most advanced technology across two worlds, yet with a hint of tradition and values, what was once a small project created within the Family had given rise to a new criminal element, with impervium flesh wrapped in crisp business suits, harbouring weapons that could fell even the mightiest of champions. This small, yet vicious group of criminals have become known in the underworld as the Made Men.

The Made Men were the brain child of one Leo ‘One-Two’ Giarnelli, a Family Consigliere who conceived of them out of pettiness and a need for control more than anything else. Leo had enjoyed the comforts of his position, the right hand of one of the few Dons to sit one step beneath Frost himself. The Giarnelli’s loyalty during the takeover by Frost in the 70s had earned them a seat at the table few others could enjoy, and with it came the funding and permissions for their own private projects, being the exporters of designer Superadine variants and advanced technology adaptations pulled from the blackmarket, now flush with the plunders of an interdimensional war.

Toward the end of 2020, however things had taken a turn for the worse. An effort to push new, faster acting ‘dyne into the hands of Steel Canyon’s desperate had caught the attention of a young and aspiring hero, the Knight Warden alongside PPD detective Elaine Winterby, who had created a task force that had confiscated a large amount of supply and arrested one of the Giarnelli’s top chemists Luciano ‘Lucky Luci’ De Mallo.

After the Giarnellis retaliated, grievously wounding Detective Winterby, the Knight Warden had begun work to find the assailants. This had lead to Leo, tasked with defeating Knight Warden, to attempt to use more extreme methods in an attempt to kill him. However, after a turn of fortune, Leo had found a way to use the hero’s endeavours to his advantage, losing the need to kill him and instead control him. Marco, the Giarnelli’s Don did not see this the same way, urging Leo to do the task assigned to him. Leo took his cousin’s disapproval poorly, using the resources gained through exploiting the Knight Warden to build a mechanical army. Leo had hoped to use the thus far unknown force to murder Marco, push his influence further as the Giarnelli’s new Don and soon replace Frost at the top of an ultimately invincible mafia, capable of acting far more openly and without concern of caped heroes.

While Leo was ultimately successful in creating the Made Men, his pettiness had gotten the better of him, leading to a number of missteps that would result in his ultimate downfall. He was defeated in battle and arrested by the Knight Warden, who through the help of his friends and allies, as well as a clever use of livestreaming, had definitively ruined Leo’s credibility within the Family before he could kill Marco and elevate his status, preventing the group providing the legal and financial support necessary to keep him out of jail. Leo now resides in the Blackspire Correctional Facility, away from the Zig through special FBSA contract with Invoked Inc. Meanwhile, the Giarnelli’s standing within the Family had been ultimately tarnished, and the subsection of the Family had fallen into obscurity.

Leo’s incarceration had not put a damper on the Made Men, however. The machines, able to operate somewhat independently, work tirelessly to expand their ranks, war with the Family and aim to free their master from his prison. At this time, the acting head of the Made Men is the vainglorious Golden Boy, the gold plated and most advanced member of the Made Men.

A typical Made Man drone is comprised of an adapted Warworks frame, given a variety of weapon loadouts based in its rank and type, powered by an anti-matter micro reactor and covered in an impervium casing. The process makes the Made Men ludicrously expensive to make, but incredibly reliable. Each Made Man, with the exception of one subtype is capable of flight. The Made Men operate on a dormant neural network, one that only activates when their leader is active and nearby. The use of the neural network allows Leo instant command of the legions as well as knowledge of what is present in the vicinity of each Made Man.

With Leo in jail, the Made Men only have two directives, which are to acquire the resources to make more of themselves, and break Leo out of Jail. Given the obvious nature of their appearance, the Made Men lack the ability to make more diplomatic moves like the Family are able to, and instead have to rely on more overt ones to get the things they need. Most communication with other groups is performed through the Face subtype, as it has been given the most human-like appearance, even if they all look identical.

Using the Made Men

The Made Men are likely to be found in areas where they can acquire more impervium and resources to create the micro-antimatter reactors that power each one. Alternatively, the Made Men may work to acquire the funds to buy such resources from the black market. With Larceny and Extortion being the name of the game, it’s likely to find the Made Men in supply and trade locations like Independence Port, Port Oakes, Striga Isle and similar locations. While powerful, the group aren’t numerous enough to take on larger, more established groups like Vanguard or the Council head on in order to acquire the tech they want, and will play things safely by attacking smaller convoys or swooping in when prior conflicts have weakened either group. Golden boy may send a Face drone to negotiate and employ independent villains in order to acquire resources and help establish good relations with other criminal or mercenary types.

The Made Men have no love for the Family, and the feeling is mutual. The Family sees the Made Men as the Giarnelli’s greatest failure and walking, talking representations of Leo’s betrayal, leading the criminal group to be one of the few the Family will outright avoid doing business with. Conflicts with the two are common and without mercy. Most of those in the Family who actively hunt the Made Men are members of the Giarnellis themselves, a simple request from Frost to clean up the mess they made.

Numerous attempts to reach the Blackspire Correctional Facility and free Leo have all ended in failure, with the defences too robust for the group to get passed. Attempts by Golden Boy to hire villains to free Leo have been continuously outbid by the Family themselves.

Enemy Types

Minions

Associate Of other, varying models of Made Men, few were more of a greater accomplishment than the Associates, who in their own right present larger implications. Modelled with adaptations of Anti-matter's tech in mind, the Associate's onboard weaponry permits the generation and manipulation of radioactive energies. Powers Flight, Radiation Blast (Neutrino Bolt, X-Ray Beam), Radiation Emission (Radiation Aura, Radiation Infection, Accelerate Metabolism)
Face It's hard to operate in any environment without the ability to interact with others. For this reason, the uncanny Faces of the Made Men are designed to be as close to human as possible without being scrutinised too heavily. A closer look, however, and you soon notice the imperfections. Powers Dual Pistols (Pistols, Dual Wield, Empty Clips, Swap Ammo), Devices (Toxic web grenade, Field Operative)
Footman Whirring gears in shells of impervium, the basic unit of Made Men is in full control of laser based integrated weaponry and superior physical ability. Known as the 'Footman', most of these androids are charged with performing most of the leg work and basic duties. Powers Flight, Energy Blast (Power bolt, power blast), Claws (Swipe, Focus)

Lieutenants

Bruiser Sometimes there's never been a better solution to a problem than the most basic one, so the Bruisers of the Made Men are the embodiment of that philosophy, adopting a more robust frame and chasis in order to better equip themselves against those that would stand to harm the business. Powers Flight, Super Strength (Jab, punch, hurl), Invulnerability (Resist Physical Damage, Temp Invulnerability, Tough Hide)
Caretaker Maintenance is important, and repairing and adjusting an army of dedicated mechanical soldiers is a difficult task. It then becomes vitally important that an appropriate caretaker is provided. Powers Flight, Electric Blast (Charged Bolts, Lightning Bolt, Ball Lightning), Pain Domination (Nullify Pain, Soothe, World of Pain)
Gratuitous George A Prototype of the Made Men's mass production capabilities turned into his own self, Gratuitous George is rarely alone, as he keeps a most desired company: Himself. Powers Flight, Street Justice (Initial Strike, Heavy Blow, Throwing Knives), Invulnerability (Resist Physical Damage, Temp invulnerability, Invincibility, Tough Hide), Duplication (AE Mechanic, instances of Gratuitous George include a separate enemy group called 'Many Made Men', composed entirely Gratuitous George. When fighting Gratuitous George, organise a number of ambushes for the character.)

Bosses

Bodyguard The best, all round builds are saved for special occassions. Groups would often rely on the support of those from up top, and the Bodyguards of the Made Men do just that. They don't just look after their troops, but lead them on. Powers Flight, Energy Assault (Power Bolt, Bone Smasher, Power Blast, Power Burst), Force Field (Personal Force Field, Detention Field, Aid Self, Dispersion Bubble)

Eradicator Saved for those occassions when something absolutely needs to be destroyed, a Made Men Eradicator is used for situations that need to be handled with care, weilding overclocked electronic weaponry to suit any occassion. Powers Flight, Electrical Blast (Charged Bolts, Lightning Bolt, Ball Lightning), Electrical Manipulation (Electric Fence, Charged Brawl, Havoc Punch, Thunder Strike)

Elite Bosses

Toybox Creating unique and semi-independent AI can result in a great number of variations, some of which result in individuals like Toybox, a Made Man with something of a childish streak. However, the advanced systems found within Toybox makes him quite the tactician. Powers Flight, Robotics (Drones, Protector Bots, Repair, Assault Bot), Illusions (Blind, Flash, Phantom Army, Spectral Terror, Phantasm)

Archvillains

Golden Boy Designed to act as number 2, the Golden Boy is Leo Giarnelli's most powerful asset. Of the Made Men, Golden Boy is the strongest, the smartest and the most charismatic, being the sole drone to possess a fully independent AI. Golden Boy leads the Made Men in Leo's stead, and works hard to get his master out of prison. Powers Flight, Street Justice (Initial Strike, Heavy Blow, Throwing Knives, Combat Readiness, Rib Cracker, Crushing Uppercut), Willpower (High Pain Tolerance, Mind Over Body, Fast Healing, Quick Recovery, Heightened Senses, Resurgence)

Leo Giarnelli Leo 'One-Two' Giarnelli, a disgraced Consigliere of the Family, now the leader of a mechanical mafia known as the Made Men. Leo, a man who is so desperate for control, had subjected himself to countless cybernetic enhancements, all to provide him the power he needs to remain in charge, and able to face the heroes of Paragon head on should the need arise. Leo is a petty, vicious man, with no act too cruel or callous for him to sink to in order to get his way. Powers Flight, Energy Melee (Barrage, Power Blast, Bone Smasher, Build Up, Whirling Hands, Power Crash, Total Focus), Force Field (Personal Force Field, Detention Field, Aid Self, Dispersion Bubble, Force Bubble)