Brick
(Borderlands)
Context
Brick is one of the Player Characters from the first Borderlands video game.
If you’re not familiar with this setting, you should first read our profile for his colleague Lilith. It has everything you need.
For now, this profile only covers the Borderlands events.
- This assumes a Brick build emphasising the berserker power, and life/shield enhancements.
- See our video games writeups FAQ for more about video game character profiles.
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Background
- Real Name: Possibly “Brick”.
- Marital Status: Presumed single.
- Known Relatives: None.
- Group Affiliation: None.
- Base Of Operations: Mobile on Pandora.
- Height: 7’3” Weight: 460 lbs. Age: 36
- Eyes: Blue Hair: Brown
Powers & Abilities
Brick is enormous. He possesses literally bone-crunching strength.
When he flies into one of his psychotic, berserker rages Brick can beat up practically anything into a lifeless pulp, including a half-dozen adult skags.
This is manifestly superhuman. Furthermore, he possesses enhanced human regenerative durability. Brick is presumably some sort of mutant, similar to the huge “bruiser” mutated bandits on Pandora.
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Ordnance
Brick usually fights with a shotgun, a rocket launcher and either a large steel pipe or a small steel I-beam. Though impressive, the weaponry is mostly there to handle the small fry and as a palate cleanser.
In a serious fight, Brick will drop the ordnance and engage the enemy with his fists. He wears some sort of cesti using construction screws as spikes to inflict even more damage.
History
Brick was once stated to be from the planet Menœtius. Whether this is still in continuity is unrevealed.
Either there or on Pandora, he used to be part of a wasteland bandit gang led by one Crush.
Crush came up with a plan to raid a hamlet, and kidnap all the kids there. Then they would ransom the villagers for everything they had to get the kids back.
Brick was part of the raid, which encountered little resistance thanks to the heavily-armed gang’s attack vehicles.
A moment of wavering
However, when the time came to scoop the kids, Brick realised he didn’t want to do that. He threw his guns to the ground and sat there. The gangs hesitantly left with the children, and the villagers took Brick to a prison.
After pondering the situation for a few hours, Brick got up, punched a large breach into the prison’s wall and left. He :
- Returned to the gang’s camp on foot.
- Announced that he forbade harming children.
- Killed his old gang with his bare hands.
- Returned with the kids to the village, and left.
(One scene depicts one of the children giving a dog named Priscilla to Brick as a present. This might be a continuity mistake since the game’s intro sequence depicts Brick with Priscilla when he was just a boy).
Brick eventually found himself alone and aimless on Pandora. Until a mysterious woman contacted him with information about the mythical Vault.
Video
Here’s IGN’s 5 minute summary of (most of) the plot in Borderlands and Borderlands 2. It’s full of S P O I L E R S, obvs.
Description
Brick inside any sort of vehicle is comical, assuming he can even fit in in the first place. He’s really big.
Brick carries one of Priscilla’s paws as a memorial pendant, and has a big belt buckle with the letters “TCB” and a lightning bolt.
This presumably stands for “Takin’ Care of Business” since the design is reportedly similar to a belt worn by Elvis Presley and inspired by the Bachman Turner Overdrive rock anthem .
Brick is voiced by Marcus Mauldin .
Personality
Brick doesn’t seem to be a bad guy per se, but he has a weapon-grade temper problem. He does what he can to keep it under control, but if he’s provoked carnage will ensue as he’ll soon lose control.
Since Pandora is a lawless hellhole full of psychos and macho killers, carnage happens a *lot*. But Brick doesn’t seem dangerous for his friends and allies, or for harmless persons and animals.
Though he doesn’t like his temper, he likes fighting and brawling. He behaves a bit like a very competitive boxer. That fights end up with dead people doesn’t seem to really be the goal, but life is real cheap on Pandora.
He comes across as a simple guy with a one-track mind, but doesn’t seem to be really stupid.
Brick likes cute dogs. His best friend when he was a boy was Priscilla, an adorable mutt bitch who is long since deceased. Brick would like to adopt a puppy, though on Pandora this is difficult.
In the Borderlands: Origins comic, Brick avoids talking when possible. This is possibly to minimize the chance of triggering his catastrophic temper.
Quotes
“Show me some blood ! Ahahahaha !”
(In a psychotic rage) “UWULR ? HUWURR UWAARRRLARLRRLWAAA ! HA HA HA HA HA !!”
Game Stats — DC Heroes RPG Print Friendly
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Brick
| Dex: 04 | Str: 06 | Bod: 06 | Motivation: Unwanted Power |
| Int: 04 | Wil: 03 | Min: 05 | Occupation: Mercenary |
| Inf: 05 | Aur: 03 | Spi: 05 | Resources {or Wealth}: 004 |
| Init: 015 | HP: 025 |
Powers:
Growth: 01, Regeneration: 04
Bonuses and Limitations:
Growth is Always On, Form Function and Already Factored In.
Skills:
Acrobatics (Climbing): 04, Martial Artist: 07, Vehicles (Land): 03, Weaponry (Firearms, Heavy): 04, Weaponry (Melee): 05
Advantages
Credentials (Free access to the Catch-A-Ride network), Lightning Reflexes, Schtick (Unfettered Fist).
Connections:
None.
Drawbacks:
Mistrust, Serious Rage.
Equipment:
- ORB SHIELD [BODY 02, Blunting: 12, Damage capacity: 10, Skin Armour: 03, Advantage: Damage Capacity regains one AP of Current Condition at the end of every Phase where Brick has not been hit by an attack, Limitation: Skin armour only vs. fall damage].
- Steel pipe or I-beam [BODY 08, Enhance (EV): 02 (cap is 09)].
- Shotgun [BODY 04, Shotgun blast (Range 02): 07, Ammo: 05].
- Rocket launcher w/corrosive payload [BODY 03, Acid touch: 06, Projectile weapons: 09, Bonus: Acid Touch is Combined With Projectile Weapons and ride its Range].
Game Stats — DC Adventures RPG Print Friendly
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Brick — Averaged PL 9
| STR | STA | AGL | DEX | FGT | INT | AWE | PRE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 05 | 05 | 01 | 01 | 07 | 00 | 01 | 01 |
Powers
Mutant toughness ● 1 point ● Descriptor: Eridium mutation
Regeneration 1.
Combat Advantages
All-out Attack, Close attack 4, Defensive Roll 3, Improved Critical (Cesti) 1, Improved Initiative, Power Attack.
Other Advantages
Benefit 1 (Catch-a-Ride account), Benefit 2 (New-U compatibility), Equipment 15, Fearless.
Skills
Expertise (Pandoran bandit) 03 (+4), Perception 3 (+4), Ranged combat (Firearms) 5 (+6), Vehicles 4 (+5) (Limited 2 to common land vehicles).
Equipment
Cesti (and/or steel pipe and I-beam) ● Strength-based blunt damage 2 ● 2 pts
High-tech shotgun ● Ranged ballistic Damage 6 ● 12 pts
Light rocket launcher w/corrosive payload ● Ranged Burst area Ballistic damage 8 Linked w/Ranged Burst area corrosive Damage 6 ● 56 pts
Orb shield ● Protection 5
Offense
| Initiative +5 |
| Unarmed +11, Close, Damage 5. |
| Cesti (and/or steel pipe and I-beam) +11, Close, Damage 7, Crit 19-20 |
| Firearms +6, Ranged, Damage by type. |
Defence
| Dodge | 06 | Fortitude | 09 |
| Parry | 10 | Toughness | 05*/08/13** |
| Will | 06 |
* Without Defensive Roll.
** With orb shield.
Complications
- Appearance Brick is readily noticeable.
- Outlaw Brick and his allies oppose the dominant powers on Pandora. Such as Atlas, Hyperion or the larger bandit gangs.
- Temper Brick’s temper is abominable. He can sink into lethal violence at the drop of a hat.
Powers Levels
- Trade-off areas. Attack/Effect PL 8, Dodge/Toughness PL 10, Parry/Toughness PL 12, Fort/Will PL 8.
- Points total 96. Abilities 42, Defences 17, Skills 6, Powers 1, Devices 0, Advantages 30. Equiv. PL 7.
Notes
The pipe/I-beam is just considered cosmetic, with the cesti being the modelised entity. Simpler, especially since much of Brick’s tactics end up being Advantages such as Power Attack.
Kept the orb shield very simple. Defensive modelisation can be difficult in the M&M system, and anything more complex than Protection would require extensive playtesting.
Source of Character: Borderlands – this entry only covers the first game in the series.
Helper(s): Darci, Coyote’s Own.
Writeup completed on the 7th of August, 2014.