PK's customs MK. III - 3/20 - Empyrean Issue 2: Imperiled

[superfrog]

Originally Posted by Pumpkin_King

Huh, I wouldn't have thought the math would work out that way. Would it be cheaper if I gave him 5 attack and made Pride only effect defense rolls?

I think I'd leave the stats and powers as-is, and just see if testing requires a price change.

[Pumpkin_King]

Yeah, I can't imagine his somewhat mid-range attack really being that big of a problem if it hits more consistently.

[Pumpkin_King]

My TerraGov customs are some of my favorite units I've made theme-wise, and over time the way I did the first few never seemed like my best work. I've gone over the ones I made originally and added a few more, attempting to simplify where I could and make them a bit more Scapey. Let me know if I succeeded.


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The year is 2150. After conquering climate change, eliminating poverty and hunger, and almost eradicating war, humanity is at an easy peace. The world's nations have united into the global entity known as Terra.

Terra set its sights on space, creating a system of suborbital space stations that generations of humans would live on, die on, and be born on - new generation of humans bred for conquering space. The future looked bright. This was a bold new age for science and discovery.

Sixty years later, Terra would be dissolved. Much of the Earth would be an irradiated wasteland, the remainder ruled over by several totalitarian megacorporations. Those who remember the age of Terra remember it as a golden era of freedom and justice - an era that Jandar himself has taken a keen interest in.

Edited Units:
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TerraGov Troopers

Figures: Star Wars Miniatures - Clone Trooper 9, Felucian Stormtrooper Officer, Clone Trooper 6 (painted), Clone Trooper 7 (painted)

The finest soldiers produced by Terra, the TerraGov Troopers were a force for good on Earth. Dedicated to keeping the peace, justice, and defending the less fortunate, TerraGov Troopers were a versatile fighting force, whose tactics changed when accompanied by one of their famous Commanders. Equipped with specialized Ferroplastic Armor (a technology mostly lost after the fall of Terra) the Troopers were more than ready to shrug off many specialized and exotic attacks.


[Notes: Renamed their bonding and removed the ability for them to activate Soldier heroes. Bonding with Drake seems like a bit much. Simplified and narrowed the scope of Cover Retreat, removing the d20 roll and simply allowing them to cover Commanders.]





Commander Victoria Danvers

Figure: Star Wars Miniatures - ARC Trooper

Born in London to a military family, Danvers was destined for greatness. Her line could trace their history of valiant combat all the way back to World War 1, and it is a lineage she more than lived up to. She served with distinction in TerraGov's military, becoming a famous face during the Brazilian civil war and subsequent peace talks of 2146. With a reputation for her charismatic leadership, she serves with honor, justice, and self-sacrifice, unafraid to put her life on the line to help the innocent or her soldiers.

For her distinguished service, TerraGov awarded her an experimental technology - the High Altitude Magnetic Rail. This firing platform is capable of sending a solid rod of high density metal in a pinpoint arc from dozens of miles away, allowing her to unleash a concentrated barrage of heavy artillery, with the platform easily retrieving its ammunition later by use of super powerful magnets. Luckily, this platform was summoned with her when Jandar called her to Valhalla, after her supposed death in the Ukrainian Incident.



[Notes: Simplified H.A.M.R. Drop by removing the reduced-skulls mechanic. I still think it's an interesting mechanic, and I'll figure out how to use it later. Also lowered the power level by making it a short line instead of an explosion, also differentiating it from Explosion. Lowered the power of Last Stand by making it only effect TerraGovs. 4-defense 4th Mass is scary.]




Commander Alan Bennett

Figure: Star Wars Miniatures - Republic Commando: Fixer

The Age of Terra was an age of scientific advancement, and that advancement was nowhere more noticeable than in the medical field. Doctors employed gene therapies and nanobots to work miracles, eliminating most disease and conducting most surgeries in minutes. Alan Bennett was a pioneer of these techniques, a brilliant doctor who signed up for TerraGov's field medic program and against all odds surpassed the requirements for higher rank, his cool head and merciful nature propelling him to an almost celebrity status.

His nanobiotic technologies allow him to heal wounded comrades easily, and by inoculating TerraGov Troopers with reactive nanobots prior to battle, he can pull them back from the brink of death.


[Notes: Simplified and renamed his heal. Gave him Neurostim Booster to encourage taking turns with him and keeping him in combat.]





Patient 7B

Figure: Star Wars Miniatures - Galactic Marine

The road to progress is littered with failed experiments, and sometimes human wreckage. No one knows this more than Commander Mikhail Solokov...if he is indeed still alive.

In TerraGov's super-soldier program, an experiment with nanobot enhancement went awry. Commander Solokov volunteered for this project, hoping that it would repair the nerve damage that so far remained untreatable with even cutting edge technology. The nanobots misunderstood their programmed directives, infecting his body with a virus that was constantly tearing apart and rebuilding his cells.

Now known as Patient 7B, his whereabouts are unknown...it's not even known if Commander Solokov is still in control of himself, or if the swarm has taken over his mind completely. All that is known about Patient 7B is that it leaves a trail of destruction and corrosion in a seemingly random pattern.


[Notes: Made Nanoswarm clear that it was required. Removed Corruption Pulse, which was my attempt to be cute with Ferroplastic Armor on the Troopers, being that they'd be immune.]




Commander Raphael Marchand

Figure: Star Wars - Republic Commando - Sev

Even in a utopia, not everyone is satisfied. Although Commander Marchand was an undeniably effective soldier and commander, his taste for conflict was defined in a sociopathic, might-makes-right philosophy: humanity needed conflict to evolve. Under the Terran dominion, humanity would stagnate, and never be worthy of its starbound aspirations.

Working from within, his cold and emotionless demeanor allowing him to hide his true plans from TerraGov, Commander Marchand accepted cutting edge psychic implants. They allowed him to enforce his will both on the battlefield and in peacetime, eventually working himself into the center of a massive conspiracy that would bring down TerraGov for good - a conspiracy that pitted him against his former comrade Victoria Danvers. A conflict he reveled in, a final battle in Ukraine that ended in nuclear fire...and truly ended when they were both called to Valhalla. Utgar offered Marchand infinite conflict, and thus infinite evolution - a concept quite amenable to Raphael.


[Notes: Made Psychic Blades a little more useful by allowing him to attack with PB and then normal attack. Renamed and extended his Attack bonus to TerraGovs.]


New units:
==================================


Commander Miyako Tojo

Figure: Star Wars minis - Boss

IT was a long while before Japan joined TerraGov, but when it did it brought with it advancements in quantum communication technology, wielded in combat by such commanders as Miyako Tojo. Her calculating and bold strategy keeps her troopers safe on the front lines, while directing reinforcements more efficiently.



Commander Graham Crowchild

Figure: Star Wars Minis - Clone Trooper Commander

An Alberta, Canada native, Crowchild grew up on a reservation, and learned from his family the skills and art of traversing difficult terrain. To that end, Cdr. Crowchild carried with him a TerraGov-designed quick-deploy zipline system, allowing him to set up an alternate traversal system in a combat situation.



Commander Amina Abiola

Figure: Star Wars Minis - Scorch

Cdr. Abiola's records are sealed by TerraGov. The reasons why are obvious - with a flick of her hand, she is capable of harnessing and loosening the power of gravity, allowing her to lift heavy weights. Whether the source is experimental psychic implants or cutting-edge technology, the results are undeniable. There is, however, side effects....the woman never seems to display any emotion or falter in her actions. Rumors abound that she was witness to a singularity and what laid beyond, or perhaps the psychic implants lobotomized her. Either way, TerraGov Troopers find her impassiveness alternately chilling and bracing.

[Pumpkin_King]

This is a remake of my first set of Western customs; simplifying, redoing powers, and using more easily-accessible minis. All minis pictured I painted and/or modified.


Think of it as a remake of a classic movie.


=================================
LEAD VENGEANCE: MULRONEY MUST DIE

Four outcasts. Four broken lawmen. Four people, drawn together by one single goal: the death of the crooked sheriff Jedidiah Mulroney. Mulroney was powerful - officially the sheriff of Lost Springs, Wyoming, he was in reality the head of a massive gang of outlaws, drug runners, prostitution rings, and merchants of death and destruction that spanned from Missouri to California. No one questioned his judgement. No one spoke out against him. No one dared challenge his authority....until, that is, the four misfits who banded together - for LEAD VENGEANCE.



Ginnie "Gravestone" McCaskil

Figure: Reaper - Ellen Stone (modified)

Ginnie McCaskil was once an every day housewife on a farm in the Wyomg territory. Although unable to have children, she and her husband James McCaskil eeked out a small but happy life...until James spoke out against the the slaughter of a Native settlement, rumored to be perpetrated by Jedidiah Mulroney. Retribution was swift - Sheriff Mulroney doesn't take kindly to those who question his authority. James McCaskil was arrested for a murder he didn't commit, tried in a kangaroo court, and hung at sunrise not two days later. Lesser women would have drowned in sorrow, but it wasn't long before Ginnie McCaskil sold her farm, packed up her belongings, and started to hunt down the men who killed her husband - most of all, the murderer Jedidiah Mulroney.




Chief Black Bear

Figure: Black Scorpion - Natives Chief

Black Bear looked forward to spending the last of his twilight years as chief of a Shoshone settlement in eastern Wyoming. The preparations to pass leadership to his eldest son were almost done. Relations with the nearby white men were...uneasy, as they always were, but with no signs of violence. It seemed as though Black Bear would live out his days in peace. Gold, as it always does, got in the way. Gold was found on native territory. Tensions rose. War seemed inevitable. But war wouldn't come - instead, a night attack by masked men. Hired goons from Texas, under orders from Jedidiah Mulroney, slaughtered half of the Shoshone camp before they could react. Black Bear's son was killed - his people scattered. After the attack, the survivors were forced to flee to neighboring tribes. Except for Black Bear. He resolved to spend the rest of his life seeking honor - seeking the death of the treacherous Jedidiah Mulroney.




El Santo

Figure: Reaper - Texas Ranger Male (modified)

Gerardo Reyes was the son of a catholic minister in the outskirts of El Paso, Texas. Life was good - the church looked after the sick and needy, served the public good, was a respite from the violence of El Paso. That was, until, Father Reyes felt the influence of a new, altogether more violent group trying to seek power in Texas. Father Reyes preached, as he always did, against violence and fear and the abuse of power. Unfortunately, this was seen as an attack on Mulroney's new power grab. Gerardo awoke one night to find the church in flames - and it was far too late to save his father or mother. In his haste to escape, the heated metal cross that hung on the wall above the pulpit fell on his back, pinning him long enough to burn the shape into his skin. He survived, but just barely. Giving up his old name and his old life, he took up the mantle of El Santo, The Saint - traveling Mexico and the Southwest, putting down outlaws, helping those in need, protecting the innocent. All in service of a broader goal - forcing to hell the man who deserved it most - that devil Jedidiah Mulroney.




Samantha Knight

Figure: Heroclix - Daisy Fitzroy (repainted bandana)

Samantha Knight was born a slave in South Carolina. Mistreated and tortured, the woman escaped out west, where they could eek out a life away from the former slave states, where life could still be rough for people like her. Samantha found work in a traveling show - at first, just helping with the horses. But she proved herself a remarkable talent with a rifle, making incredible shots no man could better. It was a good life, traveling the west, putting on shows and exhibitions of her skill, but it was not to last. A man who worked for a powerful sheriff wanted her spot in the show, thinking he was a better shot, and more worthy of it besides, being a white man. That man failed in his challenge to beat her in a shooting match, accused her of faking her infamous trick shots, and she was rode out of town. Destitute, desperate, and with only her rifle to her name, Ms. Knight sought out those who also had a grudge with that hateful Jedidiah Mulroney.


Together, these four represented the first resista--


--the--


--when he--


--thrilling advent--









Spurs jangled as a figure walked across a stone floor. A confident, almost haughty stride. Other shapes were gathered around the edge of the chamber, watching the figure stride towards a throne flanked by fires.

"I must thank you, Mister Utgar, for your....hospitality."

Gloved hands brushed over his clothes, straightening them despite their ragged, stained condition. Once an immaculate white, the man's clothing was black from coal dust, torn, red from blood.

"I hear that I must also thank Mister Esenwein and his companions for my...condition. But I must admit...I can't imagine why you'd go through the trouble. Plucking some small town sheriff from his rightful demise. What's a man like you playing at, Mister Utgar?"

The vampire standing near Utgar's throne sneered a fanged smirk, but said nothing. The archkyrie himself motioned his hand, and a spidery form emerged from the deeper shadows, holding a velveted plate. The man with spurs thought it almost looked like a collection plate at a church. Inside, in the gloom, he saw one cylindrical shape. It was Utgar that spoke next.

"My visions showed me a ruthless, dominating tyrant. You ruled with an iron fist. You slew all that opposed you. You tolerated no dissent. You manipulated, murdered, extorted. You are....perfect for my purposes." Utgar motioned to the plate. "Take it."

The figure did. Holding the object in a gloved hand, it shone with a dark violence. He could feel the black metal suck the light from around it. Magic or not, it was unmistakably a bullet. The figure pulled his revolver from its holster. The chamber slid open, the bullet loaded, chamber snapped shut. The figure could not help but grin as he spun the chamber, hearing the subtle clicks slow down as it stopped. He knew right away that bullet had landed in the top, ready for the barrel. He just knew.

"Arise, Jedidiah. Arise, and your service will be rewarded. Riches, power. Whatever you desire."

The figure considered this, holstered his weapon. He stepped forward, further into the light - bone white skull under the brim of his hat, torn clothing, a tarnished badge on his chest.

Jedidiah Mulroney looked around. The vampire, the warlord from another world, figures from his own world's past and future. Doubtless he could have asked for anything from Earth - or anyone. When he spoke again, his drawl was low and wicked.

"Bring me the head of Clayton goddamned Pierce."



Figure: Reaper - Undead outlaw

[Lazy Orang]

I think I've just hit a Mandela Effect - I could have sworn Jebediah was a real name, and have never heard of Jedidiah before... but looking it up online, I can find loads of Jedidiah but no Jebediah. My sense of reality... is completely crumbling, actually. That's honestly not a joke...

The cards look great, though.

[Pumpkin_King]

Mwahaha! I had the same reaction to be honest.

[Pumpkin_King]

Hello, all. For a long time I've had drafts for unique > common ROTV conversions, so I thought I'd write these rough drafts down in case people can make use of them or are interested. I'm not making up any cards just yet, and I'm focusing on the squads for now. These are super rough drafts and feedback is accepted.

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Microcorp Rank and File


Human
Common Squad
Agents
Tricky


1/5/6/2/2


Stealth Dodge

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Tarn Viking Aspirants


Human
Common Squad
Warriors
Wild


1/4/1/3/3


Bezerker Rush


Inspiring Charge
Each time the Tarn Viking Aspirants move, you may choose a Human Champion and move it 4 spaces.


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US Infantry


Human
Common Squad
Soldiers
Disciplined


1/4/7/2/2


Hard Targets


Grenade SA
R5, A2.

One Infantry, once per turn, can use Grenade.


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Samurai Trainees


Human
Common Squad
Samurai
Disciplined


1/6/1/2/4


Counter Strike


Death Before Dishonor
?

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Marro Stock Clones (a version of one of my previous customs)


Marro
Common Squad
Stock
Wild


1/6/5/2/2


Wild Clone

At the end of every turn, roll the 20-sided die. On a roll of 17 or higher, place on previously-destroyed Stock Clone adjacent to a Stock Clon e you control.


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Zettian Entourage


Soulborg
Common Squad (2)

Guards
Precise


1/4/7/2/6


Utgar Soulborg Entourage
Each time you reveal an OM on an Utgar Soulborg hero and take a turn with them, you may move 3 Zettian Entourage up to 4 spaces.



Zettian Targeting

[Pumpkin_King]

Would love to have some volunteers to test this version. After a lot of back and forth, we think this (should) be the final.

[Pumpkin_King]

Originally Posted by Pumpkin_King

Would love to have some volunteers to test this version. After a lot of back and forth, we think this (should) be the final.

Bumping to see if we can get any help in playtesting!

[Pumpkin_King]

Been almost a year. Finally finishing these up. A note: my living/monetary situation has changed quite dramatically, so I don't have the following figures. They all seem to have decent availability, however.


The previous Empyrean set can be found here: https://www.heroscapers.com/communit...&postcount=220
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Issue 2: Empyrean Imperiled

The disappearance of Valor and some of the top Arbiters has created a power vacuum, and both sides have scrambled to fill it. On the side of order and justice, teams such as the Adjudicators have stepped up to annex the remaining Arbiter infrastructure, and the Vigilantes have taken the opportunity to decry the centralized authority Valor represented. On the side of chaos and evil, organizations such as the Malefactors, the Crystalline Brotherhood, and the Deathshead organized crime family have seized upon the vacancy to claim sectors of major Empyrean cities for themselves, taking control of entire sections of production and wealth.


In the chaos, many Supers are reported missing, presumably taken by the same weapon that took Valor, and Vanquisher is nowhere to be found. Unbeknownst to the citizens of Empyrean, a bizarre game of dimensional chess is being played with their very lives...

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Fractal

Figures: Power Girl #006 x3

Fractal is a young, fresh new Arbiter recruit, gaining the rank of full Arbiter only hours before the incident that took Valor. She has the ability to create semi-real "dupes" of herself, that can collapse back into her at will. With a headstrong demeanor and boundless enthusiasm, she leapt into defending the world once her mentor was gone.

....which made it all the more tragic when she disappeared while on the trail of Vanquisher. Could it be she got too close to the truth?

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Mini-Max

Figure: Shrinking Violet #007

Maxine found her powers in her late teen years - a slow star, as the polite Empyrean term goes. Shy, quiet, and hesitant to offer any information about her past, she avoided Valor whenever possible....but was always sneaking around the investigation into his disappearance, and the appearance of Vanquisher. Did she have some kind of connection to the two? Fractal always wondered, but there was never time to ask.

Valhalla has a habit of bringing stories into the open. Will Mini-Max finally reveal her secret, or will she shrink and sneak away?

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Knockout

Figure: Terra #20

When she heard about the incident, she had to be physically restrained. Flying off the handle at small provocations, everyone knew to tread lightly around the ferocious pugilist known as Knockout, lest their jaw be tested against her kinetic-energy-gathering fists. She was last seen charging headlong into Deathshead territory, saying she "found out something" - was she done away with by that villainous crime family, or did she really know too much?

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Big Monty

Figure: Tombstone #31

Not every person with superpowers is a hero or a villain. Sometimes it's....complicated. Big Monty has been in and out of Empyrean City's prisons all his life, breaking kneecaps when it suited him. Sometimes working with the Vigilantes, sometimes making his money standing outside Deathshead hideouts and looking tough, the only thing Monty really holds any allegiance to is himself, and his only real goal is a good scrap.

And Valhalla? A man can open the biggest can of whupass in the universe with a fight like that.

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Vanquisher

Figure: Nightwatch #21

He was told that he would be the leader of the Arbiters. He was told his role would be one of adoration, power, and authority. He was also told that the weapon would vaporize his enemies. As with many things, he was lied to.

Imagine his chagrin when his once-sponsor and ally, the villainous strategist Doctor Warlock, turned the weapon on him in the heat of battle. Imagine the surprise when he "awoke" in the citadel of a being called Utgar, and was asked to serve. All those who were vaporized by the weapon - Valor, Express, Gemchantress - were actually transported to this.....afterlife? For now, his thirst for vengeance against his brother would keep him sated, but....a man like Vanquisher can only serve another for so long. Soon, with the help of Baron Karnage and Solarstorm, he would figure out what machinations his former ally had in mind, why he was in Valhalla, and how he could find his way back home.

[Pumpkin_King]

I was asked for some details about Empyrean for the purposes of "guest writers", so I wrote this up.

Spoiler Alert!

Empyrean is much like Earth - covered in an equal amount of water and land, with massive, technologically-advanced cities dotting the landscape. The Dust, a source of cosmic energy, wreathes the planet, making their night skies an impressionist's dream of swirling patterns. Study of the Dust has advanced their technology and given many Empyreans powers beyond explanation. Even those born without those powers can learn to manipulate the Dust binding all things in a form of cosmic magic. Empyreans themselves look much like humans, but will often come in different colors or shapes depending on their powers, which may effect their physical appearance. Unfortunately, the Dust is unpredictable, and is known to give rise to natural disasters at a higher rate than Earth, as well as imbuing flora and fauna with chaotic, destructive power seemingly at random. In addition, not every super-powered person has an interest in keeping the peace. Many fight for power, domination, their beliefs, wealth, or just to cause chaos and carnage. Keeping these threats under control is the main goal of Empyrean's various super-teams.

In order to organize the multitude of powers roaming Empyrean, many super-powered individuals have bonded together into teams. The largest of these is the Arbiters, their outright jurisdiction spanning much of the world. They've been known to help groups or individuals outside of their influence, often whether the people in question want it or not. Other groups include the Adjudicators, a super team whose jurisdiction borders the Arbiters', and the Vigilantes, a loose coalition of supers who answer to no one but their sense of justice. The Vigilantes have an anarchist streak, disliking the centralized authority of the Arbiters and other teams. In some areas, very small teams or even individuals keep the peace.

As a mirror to those, many groups have sprung up for the more malevolent supers, such as the Malefactors, the magical splinter-group Crystalline Brotherhood, and the Deathshead organized crime family. Many other smaller groups, some temporary alliances of convenience, form and dissolve on a frequent basis, as Villains are known to be capricious.

The most recent events in Empyrean involve a surprise attack on Arbiter headquarters by the evil Vanquisher, brother to the Arbiter leader Valor. Eyewitness reports say that Valor, along with many high-level Arbiters, were seemingly vaporized by some strange new weapon. Vanquisher himself also vanished in the chaos. With their leadership destroyed, the Empyreans in the Arbiter's jurisdiction have scrambled to recover, and some have noticed more disappearances in the aftermath. The Adjudicators and other super teams have rushed to fill the void. The villains of the world, emboldened, have launched attacks on various cities and sectors, taking control of entire areas. Little do the inhabitants of Empyrean know that their heroes, thought dead, live on in another world - the eternal conflict of Valhalla.

[Astroking112]

I like the set of Empyrean heroes overall. I think that as a whole, they also fit their generals' gameplay and mechanical themes very well, which I'm always a fan of. Here are some more specific individual thoughts:

Valor
I really like Heroic Duty here; it captures the Superman feeling very well IMO. If you wanted him to be "compatible with all dice," then you could always specify that he rolls Jandar Valkyrie Dice when attacking or defending, similar to Hatamoto Taro and Ornak, but assuming that players are using second edition dice is probably fine in terms of practicality.

I think that Heroic Duty could be cleaned up a little bit if it triggered when a friendly figure is targeted for a normal attack by a non-adjacent figure (similar to the Nakitas), and then specifying that the attacking figure must target Valor after the immediate movement instead.

Express
I love putting the speedy guy under Ullar. From a purely aesthetic standpoint, I feel like 10 move is a bit excessive; there's nothing wrong with it per se, but it feels more like the Flash to me than the power levels of the other superheroes kind of imply. I don't see the theme behind Super Speed letting him move through enemy figures, personally; I think that the ability to run on water and never take LEAs is already super thematic.

Current
I assume that Current will still take LEAs when moving with his SA? It comes across a bit weirdly (since he can technically move 1 space past a figure then punch backwards), but I think that it works well enough. I like the idea of rewarding him for moving at least 3 spaces--it feels thematic for him to "build up a charge" and increase his strength.

The 4 range does feel a bit strange to me when paired with both of his powers being melee-focused. That's not really a problem, though (and plenty of figures like Kha do something similar by rewarding a ranged figure for getting in close).

Gemchantress
The name Crystal Teleport makes me think that it should be a placement power, not a movement one, correct? That seems very powerful to be able to move any figure to a space within 8 spaces on a roll of 9 or higher: lava dunking would quickly become a big concern if a figure gets too close to Gemchantress. I'm not sure what the intended theme is, but given the focus on crystals and gemstones, I think that limiting it to land spaces (just cutting out ladders and flat tiles like shadow and water) is a thematic fix to that problem.

Shadow Striker
This guy immediately made me think of Batman with a very classic-feeling powerset--nice job. As a super minor aesthetic quibble, I think that uses of Counter Strike that do affect Samurai should be called Counterstrike--the first wave in general had some messy naming conventions with stuff like Taelord's Stealth Flying, so even though Charos set the precedent of dropping the Samurai immunity without changing the name, that's not a precedent that I think should be propagated.

Solarstorm
I love Meteor Strike and think that it's a cool enough power to fill out the design on its own. Comparatively, Double Attack almost feels like a filler power--I think that separating out Meteor Strike's "Solarstorm does not begin on the battlefield and must be placed by Meteor Strike SA" clause into its own power would help improve the legibility of the card ever so slightly and make the design feel tighter as a whole.

Max Karnage
The name feels a bit on the nose here to me (admittedly this is entirely personal taste, but I think that it leans a bit too much on the parody scale whereas the Arbiters all have reasonable-sounding names). I like the design itself quite a bit--the SA is powerful and I think that the 50% chance of taking a wound is often going to be worth the increased attack and chance of getting to roll for Brutal (it reminds me a bit of our old argument about Tetsuo ).

If you were wanting to have an Empyrean under each general, I think that this guy would also feel pretty at home under Valkrill. The focus on an empire fits Utgar well, but the obsession and brutal nature would also feel like a good fit for Valkrill, IMO.

Fractal
I like the idea of having her as a Unique Squad, though I'm not sure how many copies of her are supposed to be in the squad. I'm assuming at least three from Pile On. Another route to explore if you wanted to let her really get nuts could be to make her a Common Hero--this fits the repeated use of a single sculpt and lets her better fill out other Empyrean forces.

Duplication seems like a very easy roll to hit, albeit that's aided by only being one roll per OM rather than per figure like the Marro Warriors (and of course, the loss of a ranged attack would make her far worse than them, which is a good thing). She could be pretty brutal against heroes in cleanup, though, especially when it gets difficult for them to outpace her regeneration with their single attack.

Mechanically, I'm not a huge fan of how Pile On makes her better at taking out heroes than squads (the multiple attacks is the coolest part about her cloning herself IMO, so gearing her more towards hero-killing, while thematic, makes her feel more like the other superheroes).

Mini-Max
This one doesn't seem super useful to me. She can be very annoying when backed by Raelin or another defense booster, but Seleena offers a better attack, a ranged option, and still has Acrobatic for a much cheaper price. I like Shrink a lot thematically, but it's a worse Phantom Walk in practice. Unless you're considering some kind of Arbiter synergy in the future, I think that dropping her points to be more in the filler status would be good here.

Knockout
I like K.O. a lot. It makes me wish that all of the "all skulls" powers worked that way, since it keeps height as a bonus and avoids weird strategies of trying to reduce your own attack.

The automatic destruction has the potential to get very swingy on a 70 point figure, though. I don't think that it'll be worse than the Retchets, but it might be worth considering using Maul's "they receive a wound for every die" mechanic rather than Lethal Sting. Also, 2 defense feels a little unthematically low for such a powerful superhero, but I get that it helps her land at a lower cost.

Pairing that with Knockback Punch makes for a fun and thematic figure. Is there a specific reason that you decided to go with a new power here rather than just reuse Shurrak's Knockback?

Big Monty
He's simple and straightforward, but I think he seems like fun. Aesthetically, the Tombstone look seems like it's out of place with all of the other brightly colored superheroes, though I suppose that there has to be normal citizens and clothing somewhere.

Vanquisher
I like the whole rivalry that is set up here between him and Valor, though I wish that they mirrored each other mechanically a bit more. Clear the Field works really well as a dark counterpoint to Heroic Duty, but Gloryseeker doesn't fit as well without the background of him wanting to lead the Arbiters. I almost feel like a reskinned Archer's Glory would fit better, rewarding him for destroying unique heroes himself and getting his vengeance.

Anyway, that's all that I have for now. Again, I really like the superhero set overall. Nice work.