ORIGINAL CHAMPIONS CHARACTERS

Background/History: The Lion of Buddha claims to be a shishi—a divine being charged with guarding Buddhist shrines, temples, and holy places. While most people (especially Westerners) presume the Lion is actually a mutant (or mutate) who simply happens to look like a supernatural being, those skilled in the mystic arts and/or knowledgeable of occult matters tend to take his claims at face value. Originally hailing from the Kunlun Mountains in western China, near the Tibetan border, the Lion left his native country after discovering the Communist party had no interest in supernatural do-gooders, especially those who refused to tow the party’s official atheistic line. He now mostly travels the Pacific Rim, although he can be found anywhere evil raises its head, fighting to defend the the weak and defenseless from wrongdoing in all its shapes and forms.

Personality/Motivation: As a devout follower of Buddha and the Buddhist path, the Lion prefers not to fight and will try and negotiate if he can. While not the best mediator in the world (as a shishi he’s more suit to action, not words), his enthusiasm and honesty are often enough to win people over. If he does need to fight, he’ll do his best to hinder and restrain his foes, not harm them. However, when dealing with true evil, such as demonic beings, known psychopaths, or masters of villainy (such as Doctor Destroyer), the Lion will pull no punches, fighting to the best of his ability in an attempt to bring his foe down quickly and with as little collateral damage as possible. After the battle, he’ll do his best to help clean up and will pay special attention to those bystanders who might have been wounded by flying debris or errant attacks.

Quote: “The Buddha surrendered not to any form of evil. I can do no less.”

Powers/Tactics: Supernaturally strong, the Lion is skilled in hand-to-hand combat, and a headbutt with his (blunted) horn can dent steel plate. The Lion's roar has been known to send ghosts fleeing, and he can breathe fire, lightning, and even vast cloud of lotus petals—the latter putting people to sleep instead of harming them. The Lion has also been seeing to produce a huge golden lotus blossom from time to time—this flower can deflect attacks of all kinds, and was once seen to stop dead a powerbolt from Doctor Destroyer.

In combat the Lion paradoxically prefers not to fight and will try and negotiate a peace if he can help it. If combat ensues, he tends to fight defensively, using Blocks, Grabs, and Takedowns to restrain a foe without harming him. However, when dealing with known evils, the Lion sets aside these pacifistic ways and dedicates himself to the destruction of such unredeemable foes. He’ll often open up with a Deafening Roar, following that with Breath of Fire on a Stunned foe. If dealing with lesser foes, he might start with the Breath of Lotus Petals instead. His Golden Lotus Blossom is used to stop overwhelming attacks, as well as to prevent harm to the innocent.

Appearance: The Lion stands over six feet in height, with a broad shouldered muscular build. He wears a harness of leather straps, a thick red rope for a belt, a colorfully patterned loincloth, and armored forearm guards. His fur is blue, with a white mane and beard.

Designer's Notes: The image I used to create the Lion of Buddha is of someone cosplaying as a Ronso from Final Fantasy X. Using the feline appearance as a base, I decided to make the character a shishi and used my own notes from the to flesh out the Lion’s powers and abilities. At 745 points he’s extremely powerful, and probably doesn’t need an upgrade, although you could always make him stronger, faster, and tougher if you want him to go toe-to-toe with guys like Destroyer and Takafones. To make him weaker, remove most of his martial arts and his Multipower, and reduce his Combat Skill Levels to +2.

(Character sheet created by Michael Surbrook)

The Lion of Buddha's Hero Designer File

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