Terrex
Context
Terrex is a humanoid, alien doomsday weapon. It appeared in a strange Daredevil story arc in 1973/74, also involving Thanos and the debut of Moondragon (memorably dubbed “Madame McEvil”).
Powers & Abilities
Terrex is a doomsday weapon in the form of a chthonian giant. It can manipulate the very life energy within a biosphere, either to :
- Supercharge living things or, more commonly…
- … to drain them and turn them into desiccated husks.
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In practice, Terrex’s assets are :
- Great strength (about “Class 40”), and sufficient durability to ignore most weaponry and low-powered superhumans.
- Draining ambient life energy to heal itself, unless the damage was inflicted by “un-life energy”.
- Making flora suddenly grow to gigantic proportions.
- Draining life force in a radius around him. This kills most plants, small animals and ordinary people – and allegedly strengthens him. This drain seemed necessary for it to attain its full size after being deployed.
- Draining life force as a ranged attack, which can even be targeted at a specific limb. This potent attack can also be used against something touching Terrex.
Terrex possesses a consciousness and intelligence of his own. He was even programmed to speak in English.
However, its intended method of use is for a rider to fuse with Terrex and take over. Terrex will then remould its feature to resemble the rider. Terrex can generate a portal between his hands for its designated master to enter and fuse with Terrex’s form.
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History
Terrex was one of the weapons built by the Eternals of Titan when they realised the threat Thanos posed. It was intended to destroy all life on Titan if Thanos won – and thus deny him resources. However, Thanos’s attack came sooner and with greater force than anticipated. The scientist who created Terrex never got a chance to activate it.
One of the survivors of the attack, Moondragon (Heather Douglas) scavenged the still-inert Terrex. She then left for Earth, where she intended to counter Thanos. However, she was misled by an ally she made there, the lawyer Kerwin J. Broderick.
Broderick
Though he had a sterling reputation, Broderick was a manipulative megalomaniac. He craved absolute rulership over San Francisco. He convinced Moondragon that Thanos was secretly ruling San Francisco. He then arranged to betray her and take control of her weapons once they’d be deployed.
Such agents included the Dark Messiah (Mordecai Jones), the cyborg Ramrod and Angar the Screamer – but the keystone was Terrex. Broderick had Terrex demonstrate its power, and demanded that San Francisco surrender to him or be destroyed. The power-mad lawyer merged with Terrex so as to be beyond his foes’ ability to harm him.
Daredevil (Matt Murdock), the Black Widow (Natalya Romanova), Moondragon and Captain Mar-Vell responded. Though they couldn’t stop Terrex/Broderick, Angar turned against his master.
Mar-Vell and Moondragon then used Angar’s illusion power to destroy Terrex and kill Broderick, using hallucinatory un-life energy.
Description
See illustrations.
Personality
A murderous, contemptuous soldier who lives to serve its master.
Terrex is a destroyer, and likes slaying everything around itself to reinforce its power and accomplish its mission of annihilation.
DCU History
Terrex is a derivative of Darkseid’s Entropy Aegis armor. Lex Luthor acquired the technology through his secret pact with Darkseid while he was president of the United States.
The Terrex armor was deployed in Metropolis when Luthor was removed from office, with one of Luthor’s more ambitious personal cronies inside. But it was defeated by Metropolis’ other crimefighters while Batman and Superman were battling Luthor.
Quotes
“Is your understanding truly so pitifully meager, human ? I am Terrex — he who is of the earth ! At my whim, living things grow… or die !”
“One friend, one foe. I shall act accordingly, for the hour of joining grows high.”
“It is time, master. I am entering… melding phase.”
Game Stats — DC Heroes RPG
Tell me more about the game stats
Terrex
| Dex: 04 | Str: 11 | Bod: 14 | Motivation: Nihilist |
| Int: 03 | Wil: 02 | Min: 04 | Occupation: Doomsday weapon |
| Inf: 05 | Aur: 02 | Spi: 04 | Resources {or Wealth}: N.A. |
| Init: 012 | HP: 020 |
Powers:
Cell rot: 14, Growth: 08, Personality transfer: 04, Plant growth: 15, Regeneration: 08, Vampirism: 09
Bonuses and Limitations:
- Growth is Always On and Already Factored In, but requires prolonged use if Vampirism on numerous targets of opportunity to reach its full APs.
- Cell Rot has Range.
- Cell Rot is its own AV, but only if the target is touching Terrex ; otherwise use DEX.
- Vampirism can have an Area of Effect (3 APs) around Terrex, with 2 APs of power, but this takes a Dice Action.
- Personality transfer is reversed – it is used to have another person transfer his personality into Terrex’s body while Terrex’s personality goes dormant.
- Regeneration is Physical, Mental and Spiritual (+2).
- Regeneration cannot restore damage inflicted by un-life energy, and suffers a Power Loss if Terrex finds himself outside of a biosphere.
Skills:
None.
Advantages
Iron Nerves.
Connections:
None.
Drawbacks:
Strange Appearance, Serious Rage.
Game Stats — DC Adventures RPG
Tell me more about the game stats
Terrex — Averaged PL9.4
| STR | STA | AGL | DEX | FGT | INT | AWE | PRE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 03 (11) | 06 (14) | 00 | 00 | 02 | 00 | 00 | 00 |
Powers
Doomsday giant ● 36 points ● Descriptor: Eternal construct
– Growth 08.
– Enhanced Dodge 4, Enhanced Parry 4 (Quirk – only to compensate for Growth penalty).
– 12 Ranks of Impervious for both Fortitude and Toughness.
– Feature 1 (A programmed person can fit within, and override Terrex’s persona and facial features).
Alien luxuriance ● 6 points ● Descriptor: Eternal construct, life energy
Environment 3 (Impede movement 2, Visibility 2), Limited 1 (requires pre-existing plant life).
Life force manipulation ● 26 points ● Descriptor: Eternal construct, life energy
Array:
- Shrivelling energy drain — Ranged life force Damage 14, Limited 1 (Can only attack living stuff).
- Life drain contact — Close life force Damage 14, Accurate 5, Limited 1 as above, Limited 1 to targets currently touching Terrex.
- Restorative energy drain — Ranged Weaken Stamina 9, Linked with Healing 9 (Self Only, limited 2 – Healing can only get as many degrees of success as Terrex just Weakened Ranks of Stamina).
- Area energy drain — Burst-Area 2 Weaken Stamina 2, Linked with Healing 9 as above.
- Self-renewing — Regeneration 2, Enhanced Advantage (Great endurance).
Combat Advantages
None demonstrated.
Other Advantages
Fearless, Great endurance.
Skills
Close combat (Unarmed) 3 (+5), Intimidation 4 (+4), Perception 2 (+2), Ranged combat (Life force manipulation) 5 (+5)
Offense
| Initiative +0 |
| Unarmed +5, Close, Damage 11 |
| Life force manipulation +5, varies, See above |
Defence
| Dodge | 05 | Fortitude | 14 |
| Parry | 06 | Toughness | 14 |
| Will | 04 |
Complications
- Even the Dwarves started small Terrex needs to absorb tonnes of life energy to reach its cruising stature. If attacked during this deployment sequence, he would lack some Ranks of Growth.
- No-life Life Force Manipulation is useless outside of a planetary biosphere.
- Un-life Life Force Manipulation cannot heal damage done by un-life energy. Whatever that is.
Powers Levels
- Trade-off areas. Attack/Effect PL 10, Dodge/Toughness PL 10, Parry/Toughness PL 10, Fort/Will PL 9.
- Points total 111. Abilities 22, Defences 13, Skills 5, Powers 68, Devices 2, Advantages 1. Equiv. PL 8.
Notes
Yes, that’s one pretty cheap nigh-unstoppable doomsday weapon. OTOH, it would take a lot of time to ravage a planet – Burst-Area 2 isn’t that large.
Source of Character: Daredevil vol. 1 #105-107.
Helper(s): Roy Cowan (DCU history section).
Writeup completed on the 3rd of February, 2014.