John Henry Was A Steel Drivin' Man

This morning I decided I wanted to stat out some African American supers characters in honor of Black History Month. Some of the posts will be new 5e stat blocks, whole others will be updates to some that I've already done. 

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John Henry Irons was one of the four new Supermen released during DC's Reign of the Supermen storyline post Death of Superman/Funeral For A Friend. John was a brilliant engineer buried in rubble during Doomsday's attack on Metropolis. With Superman dead, John used his strength and brilliance to build a suit of armor and fight the weapons dealers and criminals causing chaos in his neighborhood. After Superman returned he took on the name Steel (coined by Superman) and continued to be his ally. He's been a member of the Justice League and and briefly served on the Suicide Squad. Steel is a respected member of the superhero community. His niece, Natasha, has also taken up the mantle of Steel.

Steel has appeared in other DC media several times. Michael Dorn and Phil LeMarr voiced him in Superman: The Animated Series and Justice League Unlimited. In addition to several DC animated movies, he's been a supporting character in Young Justice and My Adventures with Superman. An alternate universe version of him appeared in Superman & Lois. His most notable live action appearance was in the Steel movie, starring Shaq. While the movie used elements of his background from the comics, he had no connections to Superman (other than a tattoo) and the flick just wasn't good.

Conner Kent was my favorite character to come from Reign of the Supermen, but Steel was a close second. I just think he is an interesting character. You can probably guess, but he was loosely based on and inspired by the folk tale of John Henry, the steel driving man. He also has a lot in common with Tony Stark. The obvious comparison is that they both use powered armor. Additionally John was a brilliant weapons engineer prior to becoming a hero. However, unlike Stark he became disgusted with the business without having a traumatic experience. I'd say one of the biggest differences is John is well liked by other heroes and Tony has a (deserved) reputation of being an arrogant bastard.

Code Name: Steel I

Real Name: John Henry Irons

Pronouns: He/Him

Team Affiliation: Superman Family, Suicide Squad, Justice League, Steelworks

Medium Humanoid (Human), Lawful Good 

Armor Class: 18 (Armor)

Hit Points: 90 (12d8+36)

Speed: 30 ft., fly 50 ft.

Challenge: 5 (1,800 XP)

Str 20 (+5) Dex 10 (+0) Con 16 (+3) Int 18 (+4) Wis 16 (+3) Cha 12 (+1)

Saving Throws: Str +9, Con +7

Skills: Advanced Tech +8, Athletics +9, Insight +7, Investigation +8

Senses: passive Perception 13

Languages: English

Actions

Mutliattack: Steel can make two attacks.

Kinetic Hammer: Melee Weapon Attack. +9 to hit, reach 5 ft., one target. Hit: 12 (2d6+5) bludgeoning damage, does double damage to objects and structures. 

or

Ranged Weapon Attack. +5 to hit,  range 60 ft., one target. Hit: 8 (2d6+1) bludgeoning damage, it deals an addition 3 (1d6) bludgeoning damage for every 10 ft. it flies, does double damage to objects and structures.

Pinning Shot:  Ranged Weapon Attack. +4 to hit, range 60 ft., one target. Hit: Target is restrained. Any creature can make a Strength (Athletics) check (DC 12) to end this condition. At the beginning of the restrained creature's turn they may make this check as a bonus action. 

Wrist-Mounted Rivet Gun:  Ranged Weapon Attack. +4 to hit, range 60 ft., one target. Hit: 7 (2d6) piercing damage, does double damage to objects and structures.

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The Kinetic Hammer acts as a magic item, but is an advanced technological item (using the rules presented in Carbide City #2).

Kinetic Hammer

Weapon (Maul), legendary, require attunement

You gain a +1 to attack and damage rolls with this weapon. This maul can be thrown like a light hammer. It does double damage to objects and structures. It builds up a kinetic charge as it flies. For every 10 feet the hammer moves it deals it an extra 1d6 damage. You can stop the hammer mid-air by saying "STOP" letting it hover and have it return to your hand by saying "RETURN."