Great White Ape
Context
This is a straightforward 1960s King Kong type, though *this* kaijuJapanese term for a rampaging giant monster, like Godzilla. is benign.
But if you want to *understand* the context, it gets complicated. For such curious readers, this profile is best read after :
- The Suicide Squadron article, which explains a tonne of things about The War That Time Forgot.
- The Rick Flag, Sr. character profile.
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Powers and Abilities
A Great White Ape is a gorilla-like primate with white fur, and standing about 15 or 18 metres (50 to 60 feet) tall. It presumably weighs in the 220-to-280 tonnes (240 to 310 tons) range.
Such an ape is a skilled hand-to-hand fighter. Its immense reach, strength and mass allow him to take on giant dinosaurs and win. A pack of mega-carnosaurs can kill a Great White Ape, though.
Great White Apes have a peculiar rapport with human beings. They feel compelled to rescue endangered humans, and are skilled at reading human facial expressions and body language. They can even guess how conceptually simple human machines (such as a glider) work.
They are also at least as intelligent as a smart gorilla.
History
Two — perhaps three — Great White Apes were encountered during World War Two on Dinosaur Island.
Cave paintings there, made by unknown persons, depict these apes saving Humans from mega-dinosaurs. Why the Apes have such an affinity for Humans is unknown.
The first chronicled encounter with a Great White Ape took place during World War Two. CPT Richard Montgomery Flag’s PT boat, trapped on Dinosaur Island, was barrelling down a river to reach the ocean and sail away.
Vicious megafauna attempted to sink the boat. When the immense silverback came to help, Flag assumed that it too was hostile.
However his passenger, a US Army Ranger called Jesse the Professor, had studied the cave paintings. He thus thought that the ape was benevolent.
Jesse was right – the ape fought the mega-dinosaurs. It was critical in allowing the crew to leave the Island alive.
To formally establish…
However, it was felled by a pack of frenzied mega-dinosaurs as it covered the retreat of Flag’s PT boat.
For weeks, Flag felt guilty about the ape’s self-sacrifice. He irrationally wanted to return to Dinosaur Island to ascertain whether the silverback was dead.
He had an occasion when he and Jesse the Professor had to crash their glider here after another mission.
The two men established, to their dismay, that the colossal primate had indeed died.
But wait !
Shortly after their macabre investigation ended, they were beset by yet more giant carnosaurs. But an identical white mega-gorilla came to help.
Jesse theorised that it was the son of the dead ape.
Beating back attacking mega-carnosaurs, the second Great White Ape returned the two Americans to their gliders. It cleared the sky of attacking mega-pterosaurs, and hurled the glider like a paper plane.
As they flew to a safer area and radioed for pickup, Flag and the Professor feared that this gorilla, too, had sacrificed his own life. It was now beset by a flock of mega-pterosaurs.
Helldiver
Two Suicide Squad troopers later crashed on Dinosaur Island with their Helldiver .
They stumbled across a gorilla exactly like the ones encountered by Flag and the Professor. It likely was the younger specimen, who had survived.
Smitty, the plane’s gunner, knew that the ape was benevolent. Thus, the two men helped it fight off a mega-carnosaur. The gorilla returned the favour and helped the two soldiers to safety.
Whether the Helldiver’s crew made it back to base is unrevealed. But they chronicled the encounter in a message in a bottle.
Adνеrtisеmеnt
Description
In the last story the gorilla was mistakenly coloured like a normal ape. But the dialogue refers to it as white-furred.
Personality
The Ape really likes Humans. He will unhesitatingly fight against terrible odds to defend them.
DC Heroes RPG
Tell me more about the game stats
Great White Ape
| Dex: 05 | Str: 15 | Bod: 15 |
| Int: 02 | Wil: 02 | Min: 03 |
| Inf: 03 | Aur: 03 | Spi: 04 |
| Init: 010 | HP: 010 |
Powers:
Analytical smell/Tracking scent: 03, Density increase: 02, Growth: 10, Telescopic vision: 02
Bonuses and Limitations:
Density Increase and Growth both are Always On and Already Factored In.
Skills:
Accuracy (Eyesight): 05
Advantages:
Familiarity (Humans lore), Prehensile Feet.
Connections:
Other Giant White Apes (Low).
Drawbacks:
MIA toward Protecting humans.
Motivation:
Live, eat, reproduce.
Occupation:
Professional animal.
DC Adventures RPG
Tell me more about the game stats
Great White Ape — Averaged PL9.8
| STR | STA | AGL | DEX |
|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 14 | 02 | 01 |
| FGT | INT | AWE | PRE |
| 04 | -2 | 01 | 01 |
Powers:
King of the Kongs • 54 points • Descriptor: Growth
– Titanic — Growth 12, Permanent, Innate.
– Titanic — Ten Ranks of both Fortitude and Toughness are Impervious.
– Titanic — 2 Ranks of Lifting-only Strength.
– Ape senses — Senses 1 (Scent).
– Keen vision — Senses 1 (Extended vision 1), Enhanced Skill (Perception 4 (Limited 1 to eyesight)).
Combat Advantages:
Close attack 3, Defensive Roll 1.
Other Advantages:
None demonstrated.
Skills:
Insight 1 (+2), Perception 3 (+4)
Offence:
| Initiative +2 |
| Unarmed +7, Close, Damage 14 |
Defence:
| Dodge | 07 |
| Fortitude | 14 |
| Parry | 08 |
| Toughness | 14*/15 |
| Will | 03 |
* Without Defensive Roll.
Complications:
- Animal Though he’s remarkably bright, the Ape still seems to be a gorilla.
- Primates stick together mate The Great White Ape likes Humans, and will protect them even at great risk to himself.
Powers Levels:
- Trade-off areas. Attack/Effect PL 11, Dodge/Toughness PL 11, Parry/Toughness PL 12, Fort/Will PL 8.
- Points total 101. Abilities 22, Defences 23, Skills 2, Powers 54, Devices 00, Advantages 00. Equiv. PL 7.
Notes
The stats were spliced with the stock stats for an ape in the book, for a bit more coherence. The Impervious level was picked so bazooka fire wouldn’t hurt him.
The PL is deceptively low, in good part because of the Impervious ranks.
Source of Character: DC Universe… in a very loose sense.
Writeup completed on the 3rd of October, 2011.