Black Widow
(Marvel Heroes 2015 video game version)
Context
Marvel Heroes 201X is a free-to-play, Marvel-themed, Diablo-like MMORPG. It is based on the Marvel Universe, though it pushes elements from movies, cartoons and other video games for the non-hardcore comics readers.
This profile describes a possible build for the Black Widow in this game – without in-game details since builds may have changed by the time you read this.
EDIT — the game abruptly shut down in 2017.
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- This profile features tabletop RPG mechanics about the video game’s gameplay – see our video games writeups FAQ for more.
- This profile features non-canon hypotheses about in-game events and mechanics – see our video games writeups FAQ for more.
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Background
- Real Name: Natasha Romanoff.
- Marital Status: Unrevealed.
- Known Relatives: None.
- Group Affiliation: Avengers, S.H.I.E.L.D., former member of the Marvel Knights.
- Base Of Operations: Mobile.
- Height: 5’7” Weight: 131 lbs.
- Eyes: Green Hair: Red
Powers & Abilities
The Black Widow is a superlative spy and covert agent. Howbeit those skills are not seen in the game, where she acts as a field operative and a stealthy fighter.
Her command of the martial arts is world-class. She particularly excels with leg-sweeping moves to take her opponents to the floor, and precise roundhouse kicks that can kill a man in one blow.
Her general style (at least in this build) is that of a high-tech super-ninja agent. She packs the very best intrusion and murder technology. She makes the hardest missions seem effortless.
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Thanks to her connections and seniority with S.H.I.E.L.D., the Widow can arrange for considerable backup at key points of difficult missions. This goes up to a mini-cruise-missiles strike followed by a squad of armoured, heavily armed agents swooping in using jet packs.
Gear
Natasha Romanoff gets all the latest comic book field prototypes, in the version that actually works. Her arsenal includes :
- Electronics-laden Raiden-class body armor that conserves her full acuity, precision and mobility while providing remarkable protection.
- Stout fighting batons that emit a very powerful electric shock on impact.
- A high-performance light motorbike whose electric engine runs with very little noise.
- Endless amounts of incendiary explosive grenades that she throws on the floor to roll among her enemies then explode – while she sidesteps incoming attacks.
- Field medikits.
- A pair of Glock 26 (the same pistols used by Scarlett Johansson in the movies) is readily visible in thigh holsters, though it’s not used in this build.
- A black Korshun combat knife from Кизля́р, used for assassinations.
- A swarm of micro-drones accompanying her, which can form up, conduct a diving energy bombardment against one or more persons, disperse to evade retaliation then re-form anew. The swarm is less effective when attacking multiple targets simultaneously.
Her master weapon is the Twilight cloaking device. This is a comic book super-science device that can make her semi-invisible for 10-15 seconds. From its in-game effect it appears to distort space (diffracting light away, and thus making the Widow a shimmering transparent presence) and time (slowing those around her).
During the brief distortion effect, the Widow is nigh-impossible to hit. Furthermore, her killing strokes become nigh-impossible to counter, allowing her to murderize superhumans that should be well out of her league.
In this world, S.H.I.E.LD. clearly has an excellent command of using Pym particles. They use these to shrink equipment for storage and restore it to working size within seconds. This seems to be the case for Black Widow’s crotch rocket. Thus she can carry her bike in her pack (or perhaps even a vest pouch) when she’s not riding it.
The Widow has other weapons, but they’re not used in this build.
Notes
Our game stats assume that the “roll forward and become invisible” move in the video game is simplified and action-ified from the purposes of an Action/Adventure Computer RPG. The hypothesis is that she’s actually sneaking around and progressing stealthily along walls and ceilings (using micro-suction cups in the costume) to evade opponents and deliver attacks from stealth.
History
This version of the Black Widow is a mish-mash of comic book versions of the Widow and her Scarlett Johansson incarnation on the big screen. Her past is unrevealed, but probably resembles the movie version’s more.
Description
The Widow usually speaks with a smouldering “Hollywood Slavic” accent, though she can presumably change it as desired.
Personality
The Widow is a superior, stone-cold professional with an impressive track record and tonnes of experience. And she knows it.
She tends to come across as haughty and mockingly sarcastic, often deriding her opponents’ performance.
Quotes
“No medals, please. I’m running out of room.”
“Patience and time are the two most powerful warriors.”
(Over her fallen opponents) “I’ll be generous and call that a fight.”
“There is no ’mastery‘. Only constant improvement.”
“Too slow.” (WHACK-BASH-ZZZAP !)
Game Stats — DC Heroes RPG
Tell me more about the game stats
Black Widow (Marvel Heroes 2015)
| Dex: 07 | Str: 03 | Bod: 05 | Motivation: Responsibility of Superiority |
| Int: 07 | Wil: 06 | Min: 06 | Occupation: Agent |
| Inf: 05 | Aur: 04 | Spi: 06 | Resources {or Wealth}: 006 |
| Init: 019 | HP: 050 |
Powers:
Stagger: 07
Bonuses and Limitations:
- Stagger is a Skilled Power and is Contingent Upon Martial Artist.
- Stagger is Combined with Martial Artist, but not with a weapon.
- Stagger has No Range, but has a 0 APs Area of Effect.
Skills:
Acrobatics: 05, Artist (Actress): 08, Martial Artist (incl. Techniques): 08, Medicine (First aid): 05, Thief: 08, Vehicles: 08, Weaponry: 08
Advantages
Expertise (Espionage), Iron Nerves, Language (Russian and others), Pet (Micro-drones).
Connections:
S.H.I.E.L.D. (High), Avengers (Low).
Drawbacks:
None demonstrated.
Equipment:
- SPECIAL BODYSUIT [/BODY/ 06, Clinging: 03, Cold immunity: 02, Damage capacity: 02, Radio communications: 12, Regeneration: 02, Ultravision: 04].
- Electric batons [BODY 06, Lightning: 06, Bonus: Lightning has No Range but can be Combined with the character’s hand-to-hand EV].
- Electric motorbike [STR 03 BODY 05, Running: 06, Thief (Stealth): 01, R#2, Limitation: Thief only to muffle the engine, Miniaturization: 05, Limitation: Miniaturization is used to shrink it and carry it in her pack when she’s not riding it].
- S.H.I.E.L.D. medikits (x4) [BODY 01, Damage Transference (No Delay, No Damage Taken): 02, Grenade Drawback].
- ROLLING INCENDIARY GRENADES [BODY 02, Flame Project: 08, Acrobatics (Evasion): 12, Bonuses & Limitations:
- Flame Project has a Range of but 2 APs, and an Area of Effect of 2 APs.
- Acrobatics (Evasion) can only be used by the wielder if they spend an Automatic Action on it, and their Dice Action is to throw the GRENADES.
- Acrobatics (Evasion) cannot have more active APs than the user’s DEX plus their APs of Acrobatics (Dodging) (using linear maths, not APs maths).
Pets:
Micro-drones swarm [DEX 09 BODY 01, Dispersal (Partial): 08, Energy blast (No Range): 06, Flight: 04, Split: 02, Misc.: the Dispersal can only become Partial (thus allowing the swarm to attack every third Phase. This means that the drone will usually attack on Phase 1, 4, 7, 10, etc. The Pet is thus worth one third its normal value.].
Design notes
As a Diablo-like, Marvel Heroes 201X uses numerous bits of video game logic and framing, and features action that only makes sense in a video game. Most of these aspects aren’t particularly interesting, but the scaling does draw attention.
Though the characters have their own skills, powers and mechanisms they are all of roughly equivalent power levels, with minor deviations.
Thus, for instance, the Black Widow can beat the Juggernaut (though this represents removing his helmet so a remote telepath can take him out) or a full-scale simulation of this reality’s Hulk returning from space during the World War Hulk events.
A soft cap of 10 to EV and 08 to RV thus seems appropriate to model Player Characters. These are clearly, obviously superhuman numbers but in DC Heroes it’s not too removed from what can be achieved via world-class Martial Artist scores and using high-powered weapons with speciality ammunition.
The HPs are set to 050 – high enough for lengthy missions, but not so high that getting mobbed by tough guys isn’t a problem (in the video game these would be “elite” mobs).
Source of Character: Marvel Heroes 2015 video game. Character voiced by Julianne Buescher.
Helper(s): Darci.
Writeup completed on the 16th of September, 2015.