Beetle-Man
Wall-crawling
Insect-themed gadgetry
"I've got something to tell you... I'm sorry dad, but I'll never let you down again. I'll save them all, just like you would have. You always told me that we had a duty to others, that you do what was right because it is the right thing to do and I understand that now. You were a hero and I won't let that end with you. Now, it's my turn. I'll remember you every step of the way. I didn't choose to have these powers, but I can choose what I do with them. And, Dad, I choose to be better!"
Part-time student, part-time intern. Full-time superhero. Richard Reilly lived an ordinary life until the fateful day that he visited his father's lab. An explosion rocked the building and, in the chaos, he was bitten by an escaped genetically modified beetle and bestowed an array of incredible insectoid gifts. In the aftermath, his dad was blamed for the explosion and locked away. Using his gifts, he waged a one-man investigation to find the real culprit - that was until his actions endangered others. He finally understood his father's belief in moral responsibility, and realised he had an obligation to use his gifts responsibly all his own. From that moment on, he dedicated his life to the service of others and became Beetle-Man, the crime-fighting vigilante.
HISTORY
Early Life
Ritchie Reilly was born 19 years ago to Roman and Mary Reilly, his father a scientist and his mother working at a bank.
Ritchie wasn't their first child, he had an old sister, Sarah, a role model he'd always looked up to growing up. Well-off but never rich, his parents always strove to teach their children the value of hard work and integrity, often espousing homilies and lectures when they got into trouble. Sarah took to them quite well, even growing up to study philosophy and becoming involved in social activism. With Ritchie, it seemed as though it would take a while to sink in.
That isn't to say Ritchie was a bad child. In fact, it was quite the contrary, Ritchie was a good natured kid, never intentionally spiteful or cruel, but at the same time easy to upset under the right circumstances. Inheriting his father's genius, he grew up to be quite the academically gifted child throughout his adolescence. As a result, he never managed to become as popular as his sister, who effortlessly managed to flit between social circles in a way that Ritchie never could.
Responsibility
Ritchie's life changed forever when he dad invited him to see his lab. On the eve of a grand project unveiling, a 16 year-old Ritchie Reilly was able to see first hand the leaps in mutagenic science that his father had been responsible for over the years. The missed birthdays and milestones feeling small in comparison. It was awe inspiring, to say the least. And then, without warning, an explosion rocked the building, knocking the young boy unconscious. When he awoke a few minutes later, the building was in chaos. And in that chaos, no one noticed a single mutagenic research sample, the beetle B-862, escaping its enclosure and crawling towards Ritchie. Eager to escape, he was oblivious as it crawled onto his leg. Oblivious, that was, until it bit him on the hand.
The genetic code of the Beetle had been altered and so, when the enzymes in its body made contact with Ritchie's bloodstream, a mutagenic reaction occurred. Ritchie was gifted with the proportional abilities of several different species of beetle. He gained superhuman strength, agility, stamina and even the ability to stick to virtually any surface. However, after that fateful day in the lab, NakanoCorp, the owner of the laboratory, was eager for a scapegoat to blame the explosion on. They settled on Ritchie's own father, the lead scientist in the facility. His father was arrested and sentenced to a life in prison. Determined to find the truth behind the accident in the laboratory, Ritchie and his sister launched investigations.
Ritchie donned a homemade costume to conceal his identity, using his powers to track, fight and interrogate whoever he could find connected to the sentencing of his father from police, to judges, to criminals, slowly but surely unravelling the threads as he followed his hunches with an unparalleled tenacity. Eventually, he tracked down the man he believed to be responsible for the bombing and confronted him. A fight broke out, and then another explosion in an underfunded tenement block. Ritchie was faced with a choice, catch the man responsible for his father's imprisonment, or save lives. In that moment, he remembered why he was investigating in the first place: for his father. The man he was, the reasons he dedicated his life to science. And in that moment, the choice was made for him - it was his duty to help others. As his father had once said to him: "You can't do everything, but if you have the ability to help others, then you have the obligation to so."
And so, Beetle-Man was born. Ritchie redesigned his costume from the ground up, crafting out an identity as a hero. No longer searching solely for his own justice, he instead sought to help anyone he could.
Beetle-Man
Beetle-Man made his first appearance on the scene in dramatic fashion. When a car ran out of control in the middle of a busy parade, it seemed like casualties were inevitable. And they would've been, had Ritchie not been in the crowd. Changing into his costume, he caught the car in his hands as it flew through the air, in front of a crowd of stunned onlookers. There was a new hero in town.
Life is Complicated
Beetle-Man's heroics continued for several weeks, and all the while his father stayed in prison. Sacrificing the chance to capture that bomber had dried up all the leads that Ritchie had in exposing the frame-job that landed his father in jail. Jail was hard on Roman, and visits from family only seemed to make it harder. One day, when Ritchie visited his father, an argument broke out. Tired of the lack of freedom, and the heartbreak of seeing his family leave every single time, Roman had them struck off from his visitation list, effectively isolating himself; telling his son to stay away.
Angry and hurt, Beetle-Man took his rage out on criminals, encountering the career criminal, Dynamo, for the first time. Meanwhile, Roman's grip on his sanity continued to slip, isolation wearing him down further until one day a mysterious benefactor offered him a chance for early release, for someone else to suffer in prison in his place on one condition: He volunteer to test his own mutagenic formulas on himself. He accepted, and the supervillain known as Hyde was born. The mutagenic formula he had injected into himself was a purer form of the formula that the beetle which had bitten Ritchie had been exposed to. As a result, the mutations that Dr Reilly's body went through were rampant and uncontrolled and without the focus of a singular animal species, his mutations triggered a variety of atavistic responses, turning him into the ultimate adapting creature, spontaneously generating features from any number of species to further his survival.
The monster went on a rampage, breaking free from prison and carving a trail of destruction across the city until he caught the attention of Beetle-Man. Still rageful and heart-broken, Beetle-Man launched into a vicious assault against the monster, a pitched battle ensuing on both sides which nearly claimed the life of Beetle-Man. Driven by anger and hurt, Ritchie held nothing back, delivering a no-holds barred beatdown to the monster culminating with a final, decisive blow. He had killed the monster. And then, to his horror, the monster transformed, revealing the broken form of his father, dead at his feet.
Beetle-Man ran home, terrified. He swore never to be Beetle-Man again. When news broke that Roman Reilly had been killed, murdered by Beetle-Man, his family was distraught, his mother heartbroken and his sister filled with righteous rage, swearing to find out the true identity of Beetle-Man. Ritchie, meanwhile, was torn up by the guilt of knowing he had killed his father, that he had given into his anger and murdered the man he looked up to.
After the funeral, Ritchie tried to lead an ordinary life. He tried to focus back on his schoolwork and put the craziness of the past few weeks of his life behind him. But everywhere he looked, he saw people in danger, he remembered how it felt to be a hero and, most importantly, he remembered his father's lessons to him. Unable to ignore the suffering he had the power to stop, he donned the Beetle-Man costume once more, visiting his father's grave and swearing to uphold his beliefs, his legacy and become a true hero.
POWERS & ABILITIES
Powers
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"Look, I can't fly because I was bitten by a ground beetle, please stop asking me!"
- Super-beetle physiology: Richard developed the proportional abilities of a beetle after being bitten by the test subject B-862, a genetically modified Ground Beetle designed to display as many desirable traits as possible. As a result, he developed abilities such as:
- Wall-crawling: Exposure to the venom of the mutated beetle changed the way in which Richard's body interacts with other molecules, he likens it to a sort of Van der Waals force. The result of which is his ability to adhere to almost any surface with any part of his body, though the majority of the effect seems concentrated on his hands and feet. The amount of force required to forcibly separate him from a surface he chooses to adhere to has yet to be discovered.
- Superhuman strength: Beetle-Man also possesses superhuman strength. Much like the average beetle, he is capable of lifting at least 300x his own weight if necessary. He has been shown to be capable of lifting and throwing cars overhead, and wielding improvised weapons out of wrecking balls with remarkable ease. As a result, he has to pull his punches around foes with less durability than him, lest he risk causing severe injury or even death. A side effect of his superhuman strength extends to his legs, where he is capable of leaping up 60 feet into the air.
- Superhuman speed: Whilst in no way comparable to true speedsters, Richard's enhanced musculature enables him to run at speeds which vastly outpace even the greatest human athletes, capable of keeping pace with a car travelling at roughly 80MPH.
- Superhuman stamina: Perhaps a mechanism to help his body cope with the strain of being able to perform far beyond mortal limits, Beetle-Man's body has adapted to produce less fatigue toxins over time, as a result he is able to exert himself at optimum levels for far longer before exhaustion starts to set in. Under ideal conditions, Beetle-Man can perform at his peak for several hours before the build-up of fatigue toxins starts to impair his physical activity.
- Superhuman durability: Beetles are renowned for their hardened skin and carapaces, so it stands to reason that Beetle-Man was endowed with a form of enhanced durability. His body has grown resistant to most forms of injury, shown to be capable of withstanding impact forces that would kill a normal man, such as being thrown from the top of a building, or taking blows from superhumanly strong opponents. His pain tolerance is also increased, demonstrated by his ability to continue fighting even after sustaining gunshot wounds.
- Superhuman agility: Beetle-Man's agility, balance and bodily coordination have all been enhanced to levels beyond the finest Olympic athlete. His body is exceptionally flexible and limber, despite his enhanced strength. His agility functions on a mostly instinctual level, and without practice he is capable of acrobatic demonstrations which vastly overshadow the combined efforts of circus aerialists and acrobats.
- Superhuman equilibrium: A subtle offshoot from his agility, Beetle-Man is able to instinctively balance on virtually any object, his body adjusting automatically to shifts in circumstance granting him perfect equilibrium in virtual any position.
- Superhuman reflexes: Beetle-Man's reflexes are enhanced in line with his superior acrobatic prowess. His reaction speed is theorised to be between 20-40 times faster than the average human, granting him the ability to dodge virtually any attack, even gunfire if he is sufficiently aware of it.
- Enhanced Senses: In tandem with Beetle-Man's reflexes, he benefits from enhanced senses, able to feel vibrations around him and hear ordinarily imperceptible auditory input among other things. These two abilities in tandem with his reflexes provide a sort of danger sense for Beetle-Man, who is able to pinpoint the direction a threat is coming from by way of his sensory processing and react faster than any human could possibly do so. With focus, he can even smell a potential threat before it acts, similar to an anti-predator adaptation found in beetles.
- Healing Factor: Whilst not as dramatic as other heroes, Beetle-Man benefits from a regenerative healing factor which enables him to heal otherwise severe wounds rapidly. What once took hours to heal takes minutes, and what took days takes hours, and so on.
Abilities
Gifted Intellect: Like his father, Richard has a keen scientific interest and mind, even from a young age. Whilst not at the level of the various super-geniuses the world over, his scientific ability cannot be denied, evidenced by his ability to synthesise an artificial variant of beetle venom in a High School Lab at the age of 16, or the development of his homemade wrist launcher with his engineering capabilities. Even at the age of 19, his intellect has enabled him to attend college with an academic scholarship (though he personally believes nepotism played a role, as he attends his father's alma mater). Whatever the truth of the situation, he remains an academically gifted individual.
Internet & Computing Expert: Not only did he manage to create his own Heads-up Display in his mask through piggybacking a variety of operating systems and forcing them together, but he has also managed the website of his part-time job - a small local coffee shop called Squire's. His approach to web design and social media enabled them to face the difficulties arising from being an independent shop in a busy city.
Expert Barista: The jury is out on this one, though Richard insists on his talent as a coffee connoisseur. His coffee-art leaves little to be desired, but the taste of the coffee he manages to make is certainly better than average. At least according to his friends.
Weaknesses
Insecticides: A byproduct of his mutations, Beetle-Man has inherited an insect's vulnerability to insecticides, leaving him more vulnerable to them than the average human. Prolonged exposure to them renders him violently ill, a weakness that one of his enemies, the Exterminator, takes great advantage of.
Sensory Overstimulation: As a result of having supremely honed senses loud noises, powerful smells and an overabundance of sensory information can overload him. In extreme circumstances, this can leave him immobilised, in great pain or disoriented. And, in quite the inverse, his advanced senses can also be fooled by those that are aware of how to do so.
Over-protective: Beetle-Man has suffered betrayal and loss more than most since he gained his powers. As a result, he is fiercely protective of those close to him, to the point of blind rage or foolishness when they are endangered. The villain that manages to endanger those close to him can almost always bait him into an obvious trap.
Guilt: Beetle-Man carries a guilt-shaped chip on his shoulder. This sense of guilt and responsibility has only grown over the years with every loss, first his sister, than his father and then countless more in the years that followed. Guilt, especially misplaced guilt, can often be easily exploited.
PARAPHERNALIA
Equipment
"Making a gravity defying cloak with leftover tech is nothing, someone needs to invent self-cleaning spandex... This never happens to the Freedom Phalanx!"
- Beetle-Man's Costume: Beetle-Man's costume is a simple spandex costume coloured with a variety of blue and white hues. The deceptively simple design hides some advanced functionality, including:
- Mask Interfacing: An avid programmer, Beetle-Man constructed the mask of his suit to connect to a sophisticated heads-up display which keeps track of various gadget functionalities, including the current charge of his Beetle-launcher's venom blasts.
- Glider Cape: In lieu of his inability to fly, Beetle-Man designed a cloak patterned after beetle wings out of a material with gravity defying properties. The cape provides him with a limited gliding capability over short distances, or the ability to break his fall - both of which greatly enhance his traversal.
- Beetle-launchers: Despite their name, they do not shoot beetles. These wrist-mounted projectile launchers are a unique invention of Reilly's own design. Compact enough to slide onto his wrist with enough utility to serve a variety of functions. The launchers themselves operate off of twisting motions, the direction twisted deciding which function of the launcher is used. To date, he has two primary uses configured into his launchers:
- Grappling Hooks: Each wrist mount contains a compact yet highly durable grappling hook and capable which he uses to aid in his traversal across the city. The cables are not of his own design, but rather a material he appropriated from NakanoCorp when he first started out as Beetle-Man.
- Venom Blast: A marvel of Reilly's scientific ability, whereas his other inventions were helped by access to pre-existing technology, this was synthesised by his own mind. Dismayed at his own inability to generate venom, Reilly put his scientific mind to the test to create his own solution. As a result, Beetle-Man has created a substance which emulates the paralytic effects of the venom of certain Beetle subspecies, which he fires in a focused blast from his wrist launcher. Over the years, he has toyed with taking the venom blast a step further by introducing other venom types, such as the incendiary venom of the bombardier beetle.
ROGUES GALLERY
HYDE
Real Name: Roman Reilly
Powers/Abilities: Superhuman strength, durability and stamina. Mutagenic form.
Occupation: Scientist
Origin: Mutagenic serum
Background: Roman Reilly was an ordinary, if absent, father to his two children: Richard and Sarah. That all changed after an explosion at the lab in which he worked. Framed for a bombing he didn't commit, his sanity frayed. Despite almost daily visits by his family, helplessness set in. So, when he was offered a chance at freedom of only to test one of his old formulas, he jumped at the chance. He tested the formula and rapidly mutated into the monster known as Hyde rampaging across the city, even fighting the vigilante Beetle-Man, not knowing it was his own son. It all came to a head when, no longer holding back, Ritchie throw a punch that could've levelled a small building. It took down Hyde, at the cost of Roman Reilly's life. The incident shook Ritchie to his core, reinforcing the lessons he had to rapidly learn.
STATUS: DECEASED
DYNAMO
Real Name: Alexander Shultz
Powers/Abilities: Power Armour. Capabilities enhanced by generation of kinetic energy.
Occupation: Supervillain
Origin: Power Armour
Background: Alexander Shultz started out as a petty criminal. In fact, he was one of the first criminals that Beetle-Man had the pleasure of fighting. His bail was paid by an elusive benefactor who supplied him with a set of advanced power armour in exchange for his loyalty. The power armour made him more than a match for the insectoid avenger, he even managed to defeat him in their first fight, caught in the midst of robbing a museum. It was only when Beetle-Man deduced the kinetic nature of his power armour that he was able to level the playing field and defeat him. Between periods in prison, Dynamo is now often found in the employ of more ambitious supervillains or crime lords, often acting as superpowered muscle.
STATUS: IMPRISONED
PRIME-APE
Real Name: Harrison O'Hirn
Powers/Abilities: Superhuman strength and durability granted by a gorilla-themed mech-suit.
Occupation: Supervillain
Origin: Power Armour
Background: Harrison O'Hirn always wanted to feel big and strong. A small, diminutive man, he'd grown up being ridiculed for his lack of height, which placed him barely above 5ft tall. One day, by some strange twist of fate, a prototype battle armour developed for the US military practically landed at his feet. The GORILLA battlesuit (US officials still refuse to comment on what the acronym stands for) granted him everything he desired, strength, prowess, power and it didn't take long before he was exacting vengeance on those who had earned his ire. This brought him into conflict with the wall-crawling warrior. The suit's movements were slow and clumsy, but even the slightest hit had the power to shatter concrete. Despite taking him down, it took Beetle-Man weeks to heal, even with his enhanced healing factor.
STATUS: IMPRISONED
PROFESSOR PORTIA
Real Name: Alexander Ivanov
Powers/Abilities: Nanobot prostheses approximating spider-legs. Gifted inventor and tactician
Occupation: Supervillain/Scientist
Origin: Technology
Background: Doctor Alexander Ivanov, a brilliant Russian scientist twisted by madness. Suffering from a mutation in his brain which causes it to function like a biocomputer, he became a Russian superpowered operative in exchange for funding to develop his projects. Modifying a 8-limbed harness he used for research he became one of Russia's prized superpowered operatives. That is, until his ego became too large for the shackles of subordination. He went rogue, taking the name Professor Portia (named for what he considered the most intelligent arachnid) and became a mercenary for the highest bidder, carving out a reputation the world over; so when he was hired to kill Beetle-Man, it was expected to be a done deal. It wasn't, and Ivanov's defeat by the hero left him obsessed with defeating his self proclaimed nemesis.
STATUS: AT LARGE
CHESSMASTER
Real Name: ???
Powers/Abilities: Seemingly limitless resources and influence.
Occupation: Criminal kingpin
Origin: ???
Background: Beetle-Man first learned of the individual known as Chessmaster by acciden a few months into his crime-fighting career, when he interrupted a tech-heist being committed by a group of superpowered mercenaries in his employ. Since then, Reilly has tried his hardest to organise a profile of the criminal mastermind, but his efforts have come up for naught. All he has been able to learn for certain is that this person, or group of people, has nigh unlimited resources and influence with which to run a criminal empire. On top of this, he appears to be sufficiently fearsome that none of the criminals Beetle-Man has managed to subdue have been willing to turn on him. Chessmaster has been an enigma for three years one that, even now, Beetle-Man is no closer to solving...
STATUS: AT LARGE
ROLEPLAY HOOKS
- He's an unlicensed son of a gun! And not just in regards to his driving license!
- Subject to a very mixed set of media opinions, ranging from malicious malingering maggot to hero of the people!
- He's a Gen Z college student, try bribing him with one serotonin or something. You also might have seen him on campus at your local university™!
- His villains break out a lot, it's not his fault, he swears...
- He's been at this for a few years but still doesn't go out of his way to team up with others, but who knows, there could've been a good ol' World's Finest team-up somewhere in the past!
- His origin story made the news! Or rather, the bombing part did. Very tragic.
TROPES
I'm a TV tropes addict, so here you can enjoy the list of tropes that I think relate to Beetle-Man. If only I put this much effort into writing a "Personality" section.
- [1] Alliterative Name: This was an intentional choice, I've been a sucker for it ever since I started reading comic books.
- [2] The Atoner: He's been carrying around the responsibility for his father's death since the beginning of his career. It's why he's so dedicated to what he does.
- [3] Badass Bookworm: Much like his primary inspiration, he's a certifiably Gifted intellect.
- [4] Chronic Hero Syndrome: You bet. All that guilt he carries around pretty much keeps him in the hero game, no matter how much he suffers for it.
- [5] Cursed with Awesome: Being Beetle-Man wreaks havoc on his personal life, leading to missed opportunities, falling grades and even failing relationships. The fact that his family blames his heroic identity for his father's death doesn't help.
- [6] Deadpan Snarker: He won't stop talking, and you'd best believe half of what he's saying is snarky beyond all reason.
- [7] Stepford Snarker: This is definitely a tie-in to the above, but the Snark is definitely a defence mechanism. Half the time he's nervous, or riddled with self-doubt, or downright miserable.
- [8] Dork Knight: You bet.
- [9] Guilt Complex: Definitely related to his Chronic Hero Syndrome, he carries around the guilt for his father's death and it informs pretty much all of his decisions.
- [10] Hero with Bad Publicity: Though it is his fault, he did start his crime fighting career harassing judges and cops.
- [11] Knight in Sour Armor: Beetle-Man has lost a lot since he got his powers. Whilst he believes that people can be better, he knows better than to expect anything from the people he saves. Heck, half the time they insult him.
- [12] Small Steps Hero: Much like one of his inspirations, he definitely believes in being a friendly neighbourhood hero. Like he learned from his father, his duty as a hero is to save lives, no matter what it takes.
- [13] Superpower Lottery: Who knew being bitten by illegally modified insects came with so many powers?
- [14] You Fight Like a Cow: You'd better believe that sometimes his words hit harder than his fists.
CHARACTER SHEETS
Here is a repository of various character sheets that have been made for Beetle-Man over the years. In case you're interested in any stats!
Marvel Heroic Roleplaying
Beetle-Man
Affiliations
- Solo: D10
- Buddy: D8
- Team: D6
Distinctions
- Powers: My blessing, my responsibility!
- Neurotic Wisecracker
- Beetle-themed Brawler!
Power Sets:
| Superhuman Strength D10 | Superhuman Reflexes D10 |
| Enhanced Senses D8 | Enhanced Durability D8 |
| Wall-Crawling D6 |
SFX:
- Map the Danger: Spend 1 PP to add Enhanced Senses (or step up if already in your pool) and reroll all dice on a reaction.
- Second Wind: Before you make an action including a Everything a Beetle Can power, you may move your physical stress die to the doom pool and step up the Everything a Beetle Can power for this action.
- Multitasker: Use two or more Everything a Beetle Can powers in a single die pool at -1 step for each additional power used.
- Focus: In a pool including a Everything a Beetle Can power, replace two dice of equal steps with one die of +1 step.
Limits:
- Impact Forces only: Enhanced Durability only works against Impact forces (bludgeoning, crashing, fists and so on).
- Guilty: Earn 1PP when you step up Emotional Stress resulting from feelings of guilt or inadequacy.
- Exhausted: Shutdown any Everything a Beetle can power and earn 1PP. Recover the power by activating an opportunity or during a transition scene.
| Swingline D8 | Venom Blast D6 |
| Underarm Glider D6 |
SFX:
- Paralytic Venom: Add a d6 and step up your effect die by +1 when inflicting Venom-based complication on a target.
- All in on one guy!: Step up or double a Venom Blast die against a single target. Remove the highest rolling die and add 3 dice for your total.
Limits:
- Out of Venom mix!: Shutdown Venom Blast and gain a PP. Recover by action against the Doom Pool or in a Transition scene.
- Gear: Shutdown all Beetle-launchers powers except Underarm Glider and gain a PP. Recover by action against the Doom Pool or in a Transition scene.
- Not to Be Used as a Propulsion Device: Underam Glider can only be used to glide on air currents; it cannot fly and is only useful in the presence of a strong-enough wind to lift the wearer's body.
Specialties:
- Acrobatic Master D10
- Combat Expert D8
- Psych Expert D8
- Science Expert D8
- Tech Expert D8
TRIVIA
- Beetle-Man started life, and I suppose continues life, as an homage or expy of Spider-Man, specifically the Ultimate and Insomniac Games takes (With some Miles Morales and Spider-Gwen in there too). He was a tabletop character from a long running Cortex Dramatic (A game designed to emulate CW drama, like Smallville) campaign and even made a few appearances in Masks: A New Generation (He was the Janus playbook, naturally). His backstory is mostly unchanged, though I'm still translating some setting elements over. Paragon is quite different from his original Empire City.
- In college he plays sessions of Dungeons and Dragons with his friends in his spare time. If he weren't a Dungeon Master, he likes to think he'd probably play a Ranger (Which lines up perfectly with his grab bag of powers).
- Like most comic characters, he follows a floating timeline. Hence his apparent lack of an actual birthdate.
- His villains definitely follow the "revolving door" rule of criminality, when one goes in, another one manages to break out.
- Beetle-Man is routinely called out for having a rear that looks as though it were sculpted by the gods, like a certain DC hero.
- His secret identity is named after Dick Grayson and Ben Reilly!