Human Torch of the Fantastic 4 (Marvel Comics) flying up with a big flame corona

Human Torch

(Johnny Storm) (Gisted profile)


Power Level:
Game system: DC Heroes Role-Playing Game

Context

This is a gisted profile for the Human Torch in Fantastic Four comics.


Background

  • Real Name: Jonathan “Johnny” Lowell Storm.
  • Other Aliases: Hothead, Matchstick.
  • Marital Status: Married.
  • Known Relatives: Lyja Lazerfist (wife via illegal marriage as Alicia Masters, presumed deceased), Alicia Masters (ex-wife), Franklin Storm (father, deceased), Mary Storm (mother, deceased), Susan Storm-Richards (sister), Reed Richards (brother-in-law), Franklin Richards (nephew), Valeria “Val” Richards (niece).
  • Group Affiliation: The Fantastic Four.
  • Base Of Operations: New York City.
  • Height: 5’10″ Weight: 170 lbs.
  • Eyes: Blue Hair: Blond


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Powers and Abilities

The Human Torch, who possesses the mental ability to control ambient heat energy, can transform his body into living flame upon command. His mental control is extremely good with years of experience behind him. Common stunts include:

  • Blinding flashes or smoke production.
  • The formation of flame objects, such as fire walls or flame cages, or even flame duplicates of himself.
  • Flight.
  • Expelling bolts of fire in varying degrees of intensity, up to a super-charged nova-blast.

His uniform and clothing consist of unstable molecules, enabling him to “flame on” without damaging them in any way.

The Human Torch (Johnny Storm) vintage art

The years have given Johnny well-honed combat instincts, and he’s capable of taking down larger hoodlums without even using his powers.

Always having had an attraction to fast cars, his hobby is car driving, which he excels at, and his knowledge extends well from basic mechanics to advanced electronics. In fact, he’s good enough to once having built an anti-aging ray at the verbal instructions of Reed.


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History

Jonathan Storm, the second of two children born to a physician and his wife, grew up comfortably on Long Island. In high school, he developed an attraction to fast cars and beautiful girls.

But a trip to California to visit his sister — Susan, an aspiring actress — forever shattered Johnny’s small-town status quo. It also offered him the opportunity to experience the ultimate thrill ride.

Sue’s fiancé and longtime sweetheart, aeronautical engineer Reed Richards, had designed and fabricated an experimental starship capable of interstellar travel. When the government threatened to cut off its partial funding of the project, he chose to make an immediate test flight with best friend Ben Grimm as his pilot. Rounding out the 4-person crew were Sue and Johnny.

Mystery in space

In space, the starship unexpectedly encountered intense radiation, causing Johnny and company to abort the flight. After surviving a crash-landing, all four discovered that the cosmic rays had mutagenically altered their bodies.

Sue could turn invisible at will, while Johnny gained the ability to envelop his body is fiery plasma. Ben’s transformation was perhaps the most shocking: He had become an orange-colored, thick-skinned, heavily muscled, superhumanly strong “thing.”

Newly elasticized, Reed convinced his friends that they should use their unique powers for humanity’s benefit. Under Mr. Fantastic’s leadership, the Human Torch, Invisible Woman and the Thing continue to challenge the unknown as the greatest team of adventurers ever assembled: the Fantastic Four.

Following the freak accident that granted him his powers, Johnny and his sister attempted to return to their quiet life on Long Island. Johnny tried to finish high school, hoping no one in the community would realize he was the Human Torch. This soon proved impossible to conceal from the townspeople.

Upon graduation, he moved to the Fantastic Four’s Baxter Building headquarters in New York City.

The Human Torch (Johnny Storm) painted art

Like any family, the members of the FF have endured their share of squabbles. However, they always manage to right the ship.

Never was this fact more evident than when Johnny began a romantic relationship with Ben’s former girlfriend, the blind sculptress Alicia Masters; the two even married. Though this act strained his relationship with Ben, the teammates were able to salvage their friendship.

Later, “Alicia” was revealed to be Lyja, one of the alien race of shapeshifting Skrulls. Pregnant with Johnny’s child, she claimed to have fallen in love with him. But Johnny felt betrayed, and he was unable to face her.

During a mission to rescue the true Alicia from the Skrull homeworld, Lyja apparently was killed. Johnny and the Fantastic Four returned to Earth, where he has continued his adventures as one of the most eligible bachelors of the superhuman set.


History in the MC2 future

See our Spider-Girl (May “Mayday” Parker) for more about the MC2 future.

John Storm is the younger brother of Susan Storm-Richards and the only son of Dr. Franklin and Mary Storm. His mother Mary died in a car crash when John was very young and his father was imprisoned for murder although John was told that he had died and wouldn’t learn otherwise until shortly before Dr. Storm’s actual death many years later.

Despite how his mother had died John developed a love of automobiles and racing. Spending most of his free time with garage mechanics, he quickly learned how to repair cars and modify them to improve their performance.

At 16, John went out to Central City, California, to visit his sister. When he learned of the unauthorized maiden flight of Reed Richard’s starship, John insisted on coming along. After the creation of the FF, John and Sue returned to Long Island.

There he managed to graduate from high school while simultaneously learning to be a super hero. After graduation, John attended Metro College for a year before dropping out and moving into the Baxter Building with the others.

The Human Torch (Johnny Storm) in flight

John had a series of romantic flings with various women through the years in his youth. Former girlfriends include Dorrie Evans, Crystal, Lorrie Melton, Frankie Raye, Julie Angel, and Sharon Selleck. He met his wife Lyja when she replaced Alicia Masters, then the Thing’s girlfriend, in order to spy on the Fantastic Four for the Skrull military.

They soon fell in love with each other and married but separated after her true identity was discovered. At some murky point in the past they reconciled and the team expanded to become the Fantastic Five. They now a young son named Torus.

Hyperstorm showdown

Approximately 10 years before MC2 time, shortly before Torus’ birth, the Fantastic Five had their final battle with Hyperstorm who was opening a rift between the Negative Zone and Earth. Reed, Sue, Ben, John, and Franklin traveled into the Negative Zone only to be stymied by Hyperstorm’s rocky constructs.

Franklin launched a massive psionic assault against his son from an alternate future and was himself attacked on every conceivable plane of existence. After a lengthy battle with the rest of the FF standing by watching Franklin was able to destroy Hyperstorm’s mind although at the cost of most of his Gawd-like abilities.

At this point Mr. Fantastic noticed that Hyperstorm’s machine had begun opening the fatal rift. Unable to shut it down in time Richards instead set it to over load. His wife Sue rushed next to him to use her invisible force field to protect them both but to no avail.

Guessing that the radiation would pass through the force field just as light does Reed wrapped his malleable body around Sue and saved her from harm by taking the brunt of it himself and was crippled.

While the rift had stopped growing it hadn’t shut and still threatened all life on Earth so Sue once again used her force field to plug the rift. Unable to drop her force field for even an instant Sue was forced to remain in the Negative Zone. Reed remained with her and built a suspended animation tank for her that would automatically maintain her force field while she remained in stasis.

The Human Torch fails to scare away the fireproof tribals

Eventually an entire space station was build around Sue to protect her and allow Reed to work on closing the rift inch by tortuous inch. The public was told nothing of what happened to Reed and Sue.

With Reed and Sue incapacitated John was forced to finally grow up. He assumed the leadership of the Fantastic Five has since shown himself to be mature and capable in both that role and as a father.

After several months, Reed modified the designs for HERBIE to create a robotic surrogate that he could use to interact with the world and participate in the FF’s adventures. Named Big Brain, the public was allowed to believe that this shell contained Reed’s actual brain and that Sue was dead.

The purpose of this deception was to prevent anyone from looking for Reed and Sue because if they found the Fantastistation and disrupted the equipment of Sue’s chamber it would be the Earth’s doom.

Even so, this has almost happened on at least one occasion. The Wingless Wizard penetrated the deception surrounding Big Brain and managed to get himself and a lackey inside the Fantastistation. He was stopped by the security system and placed in suspended animation. Recently Reed has adopted a humaniform design for Big Brain V2.0.


Description

Johnny Storm is a slenderly built, blond, young male often seen in a suit or in the blue FF-uniform. These are made of unstable molecules like many of his ordinary clothes, and thus won’t burn up from the use of his powers.

As the Human Torch he resembles a fully burning humanoid in reddish flames with his features only slightly visible. When much less experienced with his powers his flame form was much less focused and changed between yellow, orange and red fire colors.


Personality

Usually the first to dive into battle or try to right wrongs, Johnny Storm is the adventuresome spirit of the Fantastic Four. His brash and impulsive nature has earned him the nickname “Hothead”. Always seeking to be the center of attention, he is known for flashy maneuvers in combat and his battle cry, “Flame on!”.

Johnny normally has good control over his powers, but if someone he loves is threatened or killed, he may lose his temper and lash out. Anyone who dares to harm one of the other FF members, especially his sister Sue, is likely to get the Torch flaming mad (pun intended).

His hobbies includes flying around the city, dating women, flirting, attending various public events, jesting around and tormenting the Thing and driving really fast hotrods. Despite his many romantic setbacks over the years, Johnny believes in true love, and he pursues this goal with considerable zeal.


Quotes

“Flame on!”


DC Universe History

Marvel’s “First Family” works best as an original group, of course, and if added to the DCU, should be kept as close to their “native” history and prominence as possible— see the “FF & Superman timelines” articles in WORG for examples.

If, however, only Johnny is desired, then young Johnny Storm stowed away on astronaut Hank Henshaw’s fateful mission that turned him into the Cyborg. Johnny survived the crash, though only barely, but quickly recovered and discovered that he had developed powerful flame-based abilities.

The Human Torch (Johnny Storm) flies in

His power and courage easily won him an early spot with the Teen Titans, but he broke with them a few short years later over an argument with visiting Russian hero Starfire (later known as Red Star). Johnny spent several years in solo adventures, only to return to the Titans at the request of former teammate Roy Harper, once known as Speedy, and now known as Arsenal.

Harper needed to keep the team together in the transition to government operation, and felt that Johnny was well-suited to the environment (the Human Torch replaces Green Lantern’s appearances during this time).

Since the disbanding of that group of Titans, Johnny has once again gone solo. The loss of his wife (a white Martian spy, who accidentally died, the first time he activated his powers in her presence) has made him more serious. There is some speculation that he may have actually become Earth’s latest Fire Elemental.



Game Stats — DC Heroes RPG

Tell me more about the game stats

The Human Torch

Dex: 06 Str: 03 Bod: 05 Motivation: Thrill of Adventure
Int: 05 Wil: 05 Min: 05 Occupation: Adventurer
Inf: 06 Aur: 05 Spi: 07 Resources {or Wealth}: 005
Init: 019 HP: 110

Powers:
Air Control: 05, Bomb: 08, Energy Absorption: 07, Flame Animation: 07, Flame Being: 07, Flame Control: 13, Flame Immunity: 10, Flame Project: 15, Flame project (nova flame, see below): 20, Flash: 08, Flight: 07, Fog: 06, Force Field: 07, Force Manipulation: 10, Split: 08, Temperature Control: 06

Bonuses and Limitations:
See below.

Skills:
Accuracy (Flame Powers): 08, Acrobatics (Dodging): 07, Evasion (Aerial only): 07, Martial Arts: 05, Gadgetry: 05, Vehicles: 06

Advantages:
Area Knowledge (New York), Headquarters (Expansive), Insta-change, Popularity, Rich Friend (Reed Richards).

Connections:
Ant-Man II (High), Fantastic Four (High), Inhumans (Low), Spider-Man (Low), Wyatt Wingfoot (High), Matthew Murdock (Low), Hero Community (High, Powerful), Uatu the Watcher (Low, Powerful).

Drawbacks:
Public Identity, Loss Vulnerability (see below).

Equipment:
ATMO-WEB [BODY 04, Sealed Systems: 04, Bonus: This suit effectively negates Johnny’s Loss Vulnerability and even enables him to use his powers in water or in vacuum, Duration 12 APs.].


The Torch’s flame powers and tactics

The Human Torch is a powerful energy wielder capable of projecting fire (Flame Project), cover himself in a sheath of flame (Flame Being), with a maximum duration of 17 hours, as well as control the fire in many different ways (Fire Control and derived effects). While aflame, he’s lighter than air and thus capable of free flight (Flight), but only as long as he’s still aflame (-1).

A common trick is to control air currents (Air Control), although the Torch has to be flying fast in circles or other shapes to do so (-1) – often to buffet opponents with heated air for various purposes.

All of the Torch’s Powers are dependent (i.e. contingent) on his Flame Project (-1) power and all projected flames have to be guided by hand (No built-in AV for Flame Project). A very common tactic is to project balls of fire against an opponent (aiming with Accuracy). He can only empty all of his energy at once in an overwhelming attack (see Going Nova!, below).

His fine-control over his flaming sheath is complete, allowing even for Partial Flame Being (+1), which is most useful if he’s going to catch someone in the air.

The Torch’s energy sheath also has useful protective properties (Force Field), but only as long as he’s aflame (-1). It enables him, but him only (-2), to become more resistant to all physical attacks.

Johnny has supreme control over all flames (Fire Control) and can even create simple objects (-2) such as cages out of flame (Force Manipulation, with the Limitation that half the active APs of Force Manipulation must be used to give the object Flame Being (-2)).

His constructs are not solid, but rather attack anyone touching them with the APs of Flame Being. APs of Flame Being also serves as the difficulty to extinguish said flames through appropriate means.

Furthermore, the Human Torch can absorb flames into his own body with no ill effects (Energy Absorption (Fire/flame only; -2)) and even control temperature levels in his surroundings (Temperature Control). If Johnny absorbs energy past his normal limit, as in Pushing, he might have to Go Nova (-0; see Below; GM’s call).


Many Torches

The Human Torch II occasionally uses a peculiar combat stunt based on his superior control over flame. This elaborate trick is to create flame doppelgängers of himself (Flame Animation). These beings can fool an opponent by presenting several targets at once and he can let each one of them attack the opponent.

These creations are flying, unintelligent forms of pure flame ; as such, creatures created by Flame Animation possess neither the STR attribute nor Mystical Stats (-2). also, the Flame Animation’s elementals’ APs of Flame Being are equal to their APs of BODY, instead of the normal AURA, and the elementals have Flight equal to their APs of given DEX).

The Torch can make several independent flame copies at once (Split is Usable on Others (+5) and doesn’t decrease APs of stats for each split created (+5), Split may only be used on creatures created by, and in conjunction with, Flame Animation (-3)).

The tactic to create many Human Torches requires great concentration and is sparingly used only (Flame Animation is a Minor Marginal Power (-1)).


Going Nova !

At desperate times Johnny will release all of his energy at once in a powerful nova blast in order to defeat a superior opponent.

The carrier power for this Combination is the Bomb Power (+1) ; the Torch’s second Flame project power is active thorough the Bomb (+1), and is Diminishing (-1). Both Bomb and the Second Energy blast must be used together and can only be used together (-1), and must be used at maximum APs (Non-variable Limitation, -1).

Going nova is very taxing for Johnny and is used as a last resort, with the following consequences :

  • Bomb is Catastrophically Fatiguing (-3).
  • Bomb has Catastrophic Power Burnout ; if Bomb burns out Johnny’s Flame project also burns out, thus triggering a general Burn Out of the Torch’s powers due to the Contingent Limitation.
  • Bomb is Catastrophically Marginal (-3).

Putting out the Torch

The second Human Torch is surprisingly easy to extinguish. In the past, he has proven vulnerable to vacuum, water, strong winds, cold and ice attacks, being smothered in sand, asbestos blankets and nets, fire-extinguishing foam, rare gases, etc.

The Power Loss is automatic in conditions which do not physically allow for fire (cast in vacuum, in a room flooded with rare gases, completely submersed) ; in other cases the fire-fighting method is matched against Johnny’s MIND/Flame Being as the OV/RV. Partial RAPs reduce all of Johnny’s Powers by the number of RAPs, while full RAPs trigger a full Power Loss of all Powers.

During his early career in the FF, a slightly lower Flame Being power and a MIND as low as 03 made it difficult for Johnny to fight off even relatively light fire fighting measures ; an increased MIND has since made him harder to put out.


Modern Torch

After the Heroes Reborn arc, Storm gains the Thermal vision: 08 Power and acquires a Connection with Namorita (High).


The Human Torch in the MC2 future

  • Change to Motivation: Upholding the good.
  • Additional Skills: Charisma (Persuasion): 07.
  • Additional Advantages: Leadership.
  • Changes to Connections: Fantastic Five (High), Peter Parker / Spider-Man I (High), Cassie Lang Ph.D. / Stinger III (High).
  • Additional drawbacks: Dependant (Torus Storm).
  • Changes to Alias : Hothead, Matchstick, John, Johnny.
  • Changes to Known relatives: Lyja Storm (wife, aka Ms. Fantastic), Torus Storm (son, aka Super Storm), Franklin Richards (nephew, aka Psi-Lord).
  • Changes to Group Affiliation: The Fantastic Five.

The Fantastic Four on white background


Game Stats — DC Adventures RPG

Tell me more about the game stats

Human Torch (Classic) — Averaged PL 11.6

STR STA AGL DEX FGT INT AWE PRE
01 03 04 03 05 02 01 02

Powers

Flame on! ● 43 points ● Descriptor: Mutation, Cosmic Rays, Fire
– Fire Aura — Damage 6, Reaction.
– Protective Field — Protection 7, Impervious 7, Limited (Physical Impacts).
– Afterburner — Flight 6.

Absorb flame ● 12 points ● Descriptor: Mutation, Cosmic Rays, Fire
– Protection 14, Impervious 14, Limited 3(Fire).
– Enhanced Fortitude 12, Limited (Heat) 3.
– Immunity 1 (Heat Environment).
– Second Chance (Fire Damage, Fire Afflictions).

Flame control Array ● 87 points ● Descriptor: Mutation, Cosmic Rays, Fire

  • Flame Project — Ranged Damage 14.
  • Fire Shapes — Ranged Damage 8, Area (Shapeable, Volume Rank 11).
  • Flash — Affliction 9 (resisted by Dodge, Fortitude to recover; impaired, disabled, unaware), Cumulative, Limited (Visual only).
  • Temperature Control —Environment (intense heat) 5.
  • Move Flames — Move Object 13, Limited (fire only).
  • Obscure Vision — Concealment 4 (Visual), Area (Shapeable, Volume Rank 11), Attack.
  • Nova Flame — Damage 17, Area (Burst, Distance 2), Distracting, Quirk (maximum force), Tiring and Enhanced Advantage (Extraordinary Effort).
  • Flame Animation — Summon 5, Active, Concentration, Controlled, Horde, Mental Link, Multiple Minions 3, Sacrifice ● 52 points ● FLAME ANIMATION : STR -, STA -, AGI 0, DEX 0, FGT 1, INT -, AWE 0, PRE -; Powers: Flame Being (Damage 6, Reaction), Flight 5, Immunity 35 (Fortitude effects, fire damage), Insubstantial 1, Protection 8; Skills: Close Combat: Unarmed 10 (+11); Offense: Flame being +11 (Damage 6); Defense: Dodge 11, Parry 11, Fortitude -, Toughness 8, Will -; Costs: Abilities -38, Powers 82, Skills 5, Defenses 21, Total 70.

Devices

Costume change ● 1 point ● Descriptor: Unstable molecules
Feature (Quick Change).

Atmo-Web ● 9 points (Removable) ● Descriptor: Technology
– Immunity 10 (life support).
– Feature (nullifies Power Loss complication).

Combat Advantages

Close Attack 4, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll 2, Evasion, Favored Environment (in the air), Improved Defenses, Redirect.

Other Advantages

Benefit 2 (Popularity), Benefit (Rich Friend – Reed Richards), Connected, Inventor.

Skills

Athletics 4 (+5), Deception 3 (+5), Insight 2 (+3), Perception 4 (+5), Persuasion 2 (+4), Ranged Combat (Flame Control) 9 (+12), Technology 8 (+10), Vehicles 6 (+9).

Offense

Initiative +4
Unarmed +9, Close, Damage 1 (6 w/Flame)
Flame Project +12, Ranged, Damage 14 Fire
Flash, Area, Affliction 9
Fire Shapes, Area, Damage 10
Nova Flame, Area, Damage 17 Fire

Defense

Dodge 10 Fortitude 8
Parry 10 Toughness 12**/5/3*
Will 8

* Without Defensive Roll
** With Flame On

Complications

  • Thrills Johnny is a competitor and a lover of good times.
  • Public Identity Famous as a member of the Fantastic Four.
  • Power Loss The second Human Torch is surprisingly easy to extinguish. In the past, he has proven vulnerable to vacuum, water, strong winds, cold and ice attacks, being smothered .in sand, asbestos blankets and nets, fire-extinguishing foam, rare gases, etc. The Power Loss is automatic in conditions which do not physically allow for fire (cast in vacuum, in a room flooded with rare gases, completely submerged); in other cases, Johnny resists the ranks of the fire-fighting method with his Will. Most methods count as Nullify, but a clinging effect should be treated more like Weaken.
  • Flame Out Using the Nova Flame power expends all of Johnny’s energy at once, and so is somewhat risky. He must make a DC 10 Will resistance check; on a failure, his Flame Control and Flame On! powers are nullified until he succeeds at another resistance check at the beginning of his turn.

Power levels

  • Trade-off areas Attack & Effect PL 17, Dodge/Toughness PL 8, Parry/Toughness PL 8, Fort & Will PL 8.
  • Point total 253. Abilities 42, Defences 23, Skills 19, Powers 143, Devices 10, Advantages 16. Equiv. PL 17.


By Dr. Peter S Piispanen.

Source of Character: FF Comics, Marvel.

Helper(s): Jay Myers (author of the MC2 part of the writeup), Michael Davis, Jackson, Roy Cowan, John Colagioia, Gareth Lewis, Paul ’Z‘ Ewande, Sébastien Andrivet (master of the destructo-droids), www.marvel.com, Marvel Saga Fantastic Four Roster Book. DCA stats by Pawsplay.