click here to return to the VandV Emporium

Identity:  X-51, Aaron Stack
Group Affiliation:  None
Base of Operations:  Garvin's Garage, an automotive repair shop in Queens, New York
First Appearance:  2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY #8
Side:  Good
Sex:  "Male"
Age:  6
Height:  6'
Hair:  Black (artificial)
Eyes:  Red
Level:  5th
Experience:  14,000
Training:  +1 Accuracy with "Automatic Pistol" Finger
1. Robotic Body:  Human Appearance 50%; Heightened Strength +14; Machine man's robotic body also has the following devices built-in:
        a. Body Power (Variable Payload Fingers): He is equipped with variable fingers that he can tailor to suit his missions. When inactive, they are normally stored in his torso/belt. Various fingers are listed below:
                a. Gas Chromatograph
                b. Laser Interferometer
                c. Micro-Pulse Radar: +20 Initiative.
                d. Audimeter: x2 Detect Hidden/Danger.
                e. Seisometer
                f. Gravity Wave Detector
                g. Pulse-Code Modulator
                h. Standard Computer Inputs/Outputs: computer access.
                i. Radio Beacon
                j. All-wave Radio Tranceiver
                k. Laser Cutter: Range 1", 2d8 damage, PR 2 per use.
                l. Automatic Pistol: Range 144", 1d8 damage, 9 shots.
                m. Solar Heat Discharge: Acts as a flamethrower of sorts (attacks as Flame Powers). Range 3", +1 to Hit (includes Training Bonuses), 1d20 damage, PR 4 per use.
        b. Flight: Maximum speed is 75 mph (includes Training Bonus); PR 1 per hour.
        c. Heightened Agility A +10
        d. Heightened Endurance A +10
        e. Heightened Intelligence A +8
        f. Heightened Senses: His eyes can see along the whole light spectrum allowing infrared and ultra-violet vision (i.e. he can see in the dark), and he has Zoom lenses that allows 40x better line of sight (he also suffers no to-hit penalties for range until after 60").
        g. Invulnerability: 14 points of damage (normal damage from Magic-based attacks).
        h. Regeneration (Solar): Heal all damage, but only in presence of sunlight.
        i. Stretching Powers (Limbs Only): Maximum arm/leg length is 213"; No Stretching Defense. Machine Man's arms are also equiped with retractable side bars that can pop out and form a ladder-like effect along his extended arm.
2. Natural Weaponry (Body of Metal):  +3 to Hit (includes Training Bonus), +5 Damage (includes Training Bonus).
3. Weakness (Prejudice):  The world at large, especially the US Military, are skeptical of Machine Man's intentions/actions. After all, he is only a robot and like any machine, something can go wrong.
Weight:  850 lbs. Basic Hits:  17 Agility Mod:  -4
Strength:  26 Endurance:  25
Agility:  20 Intelligence:  20
Charisma:  12 Reactions from:   Good:  +1     Evil:  -1
Hit Mod. (2) (3) (1.9) (1.3) =  14.82 Hit Points:  252
Damage Mod.:  +4 Healing Rate:  11.9
Accuracy:  +4 Power:  91
Carrying Capacity:  8532 lbs. Basic HTH Damage:  2d10
Movement Rates:  71" ground; 220" air.
Det. Hidden:  14% Det. Danger:  18%
Inventing Points:  10.0 Inventing (60%): 
Knowledge Areas:  Communications, Computers, Military (American) & Research/Technology.
Origin and Background: (American)  Machine Man is the product of a top-secret U.S. military project which was funded to perfect a highly sophisticated mobile weapons system, capable of independent action and decision-making: a robot soldier that could think like a man.
        A team composed of the most prestigious computer-engineering specialists in the nation designed, built, and began programming the 51 experimental robots under the direction of Dr. Oliver Broadhurst. Dr. Able Stack, a brilliant computer heuristics programming specialist, reasoned that a robot could only think like a man if he was treated like one. Ignoring the personal risk, Dr. Stack took one of the robots, X-51, into his own home, and instructed him as if he were Stack's own son. Stack believed that robot and man could live in harmony, and work together to realize a better world. Stack even went so far as to have an artificial face, made out of low-density foam to simulate flesh, and a realistic wig fabricated for X-51, alias Machine Man.
        During Machine Man's "adolescence" with Dr. Stack, the other 50 robots were developing major personality defects, which were due to insufficient programming. The regions of their artificial brains devoted to memory and personality programming were intermingled, as in human brains, and they were developing self-awareness, original thought, emotions, and a conscience. Since they were forced to mature in a matter of weeks they developed unusual psychoses, mostly unlike anything found in humans. Ordinarily, the psychologists would welcome such new avenues of research, but these severe depressions, schizophrenia, delusions of grandeur, and emotional imbalances were being experienced by potentially dangerous robots. Eventually three-quarters of the robots experienced a nervous breakdown and the program was determined to be a failure, causing Dr. Broadhurst to order the robots' destruction. Each of the robots had been equipped with an auto-destruct device that could be triggered remotely. As Dr. Stack was removing the firing mechanism from Machine Man, the destruct signal was sent out, setting off the primer charge, killing Stack instantly.
        Vowing to fulfill Dr. Stack's dream, Machine Man adopted a human identity, Aaron Stack, and tried to find his place in the world of human beings. He eventually met psychiatrist Peter Spaulding and mechanic "Gears" Garvin, who would become his friends. He worked for a time as an insurance investigator for the Delmar Insurance Company. His employer and fellow employees were unaware he was a robot.
        Note: Origin and Background text is from "The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe #7" (Deluxe Edition) and is used without permission.
Legal Status:  Undetermined.
Training Bonuses:
 
2nd Level:   +1 Accuracy with "Solar Heat Discharge" Finger
3rd Level:   +1 Accuracy with HTH Combat
4th Level:   +1 Damage with HTH Combat
5th Level:   Increased Flight Speed (+25 mph)
Notes: 
        Initial Skill Points at 1st level = I + 1d10.
        Education Training gives the character an additional 1d10 + I/10 (round up) Skill Points.
 

[Click here, or on logo, to return to the main page]