Firefly
(Nova enemy)
Context
Marvel’s Firefly is a painfully minor character, with but a handful of panels to his name. But :
- We were working our way through Nova’s early villains anyway.
- He has a fairly good early 1960s, colourful themed costume (even though he first appeared in 1977).
- Gamemasters often need no-name characters for bit parts, or to customise for their campaign with little risk of being contradicted by future comics.
Advertisement
Background
- Real Name: Unrevealed.
- Marital Status: Unrevealed.
- Known Relatives: None.
- Group Affiliation: None.
- Base Of Operations: New York.
- Height: 5’10” Weight: 165 lbs.
- Eyes: Unrevealed Hair: Unrevealed
Powers and Abilities
Firefly seems to be a normal, if athletic, human in a superpowered suit. The suit is fireproof, padded and insulated, and can ignite objects with a touch. It also has flaps which allow him to glide on the updrafts from the fires he starts.
The suit does not appear to be waterproof, and exposure to water shorts out its circuits. The same is true of fire-extinguishing foam.
A second version of the suit could project heat and flame blasts from the gloves, though the range seemed modest.
Advertisement
History
It is unrevealed whether the Firefly created the suit he wears, or whether he acquired it from another source (possibly Justin Hammer). He appeared starting blazes at energy plants in the New York area.
This drew the attention of Nova, who eventually caught up with him in the Westhaven nuclear generating station. The two fought, Firefly managing to set Nova on fire. But it ended quickly, when Nova flew Firefly into a nearby pond.
The Firefly suit proved not to be waterproof, and the arsonist was easily subdued.
I shall return!
Firefly spent seven years in prison, but he broke out in 1984. He almost immediately returned to his old trade, attempting to torch a grimy building in Manhattan’s Lower West Side. Iron Fist (Daniel Rand-K’ai) and Power Man (Luke Cage) intervened, but were stalemated for a short while by Firefly’s flame blasts.
Seconds later, Firefly was neutralised and arrested by Crime-Buster (Eugene Mason), a ruthless bounty hunter. He ain’t been seen since.
Personality
Depending on his motives (which weren’t stated) he’s either:
- An extortionist, threatening to destroy energy plants.
- Or a very dangerous arsonist, who targets places that could cause a lot of damage when set alight.
Either way, he’s overly confident in his ability to handle any threat.
Quotes
“So you caught up with me, kid — only… who cares ? Certainly not the FIREFLY ! Or did you actually forget I’ve got heat circuits built into my uniform. All I have to do is touch you, and you’ll go to blazes !”
Game Stats — DC Heroes RPG
Tell me more about the game stats
Firefly
| Dex: 05 | Str: 02 | Bod: 03 | Motivation: Mercenary or Psychopath |
| Int: 04 | Wil: 03 | Min: 02 | Occupation: Criminal |
| Inf: 03 | Aur: 02 | Spi: 02 | Resources {or Wealth}: 004 |
| Init: 012 | HP: 015 |
Skills:
None demonstrated
Advantages:
Familiarity (Arson work).
Connections:
None demonstrated.
Drawbacks:
None demonstrated.
Equipment:
FIREFLY SUIT [/BODY/ 06, Flame Project (Touch): 08, Gliding: 02, Power Loss (all powers lost if suit is submerged in water or fire-fighting foam)].
The second version of the suit had Flame project: 07 with the Diminishing Limitation and a Range of 03. This Power was its own AV (+1), though that also was Diminishing.
Game Stats — DC Adventures RPG
Tell me more about the game stats
Firefly — Averaged PL7.0
| STR | STA | AGL | DEX | FGT | INT | AWE | PRE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
Devices
Firefly Suit ● 20 points, Removable ● Descriptor: Technology
– Flaming Touch — Fire Damage 8.
– Backdrafting — Flight 1, Gliding, Wings.
– Armor — Protection 6; Enhanced Fortitude 7, Quirk (not versus fatigue or exhaustion); Impervious Toughness and Fortitude 7, both Limited 3 (fire/heat).
Combat Advantages
Move-by Action.
Other Advantages
None demonstrated.
Skills
Athletics 3 (+3), Close Combat: Unarmed 5 (+8), Expertise: Criminal 4 (+5), Insight 1 (+2), Perception 3 (+4).
Offense
| Initiative +2 |
| Unarmed +8, Close, Damage 0 |
| Flaming touch +8, Close, Fire Damage 8 |
Defence
| Dodge | 7 | Fortitude | 3 (9) |
| Parry | 9 | Toughness | 2 (8) |
| Will | 1 |
* Without Defensive Roll
Complications
- Twisted Firestarter Firefly is some kind of arsonist or extortionist.
- Power Loss While seemingly resistant to fumes of various sorts, the suit is not waterproof. Submersion causes the suit to immediately fail.
Powers Levels
- Trade-off areas. Attack/Effect PL 8, Dodge/Toughness PL 8, Parry/Toughness PL 9, Fort/Will PL 5.
- Points total 63. Abilities 22, Defences 12, Skills 8, Powers 0, Devices 20, Advantages 1. Equiv. PL 5.
Notes
In his second appearance, his suit has the ability to project blasts:
– Burn:
- Heat Blast — Damage 6, Area (line).
- Fiery Blast — Ranged Damage 6, Accurate, Diminished Range.
- Flaming Touch — see above.
Assuming an appropriate background, he might have Ranged Attack 2, giving his fiery blast an attack bonus of +5.
This raises his points total by 7 (to 70).
Source of Character: Marvel Comics (Nova vol. 1 #10, pages 1-3, plus a few pages in Power Man and Iron Fist vol. 1 #105).
Helper(s): Sébastien Andrivet. M&M stats by Pawsplay.