Real name: Samuel Zachariah Gunthrie Other known aliases: Sam. Occupation: Full time hero, former student and coal miner. Current group affiliation: X-Force Past group affiliations: New Mutants, Hellions, Hellfire Club mercenary. Major enemies: Sauron, Magneto, Hellions III, formerly the Hellions. First appearance: Marvel Graphic Novel #4 Origin: Marvel Graphic Novel #4 Description: Sam is 6' tall and weighs 150 lbs. He has blonde hair and blue-grey eyes.
Characteristics
15/23 STR 5
18 DEX 24
14 CON 8
11 BODY 2
13 INT 3
14 EGO 8
18 PRE 8
14 COM 2
8/10 PD 5
8 ED 5
4 SPD 12
6/ 8 REC 0
28 END 0
26/30 STUN 0
Characteristics Cost: 82
Powers, Skills and Equipment
30 EC (Mutant Powers) (30),"Cannonball powers."
52a) 28" Flight,x8 Non-Combat,1/2 END(+1/4) 3
20b) 11/11 Force Field,Linked(-1/2),"to Flight",Usable Against
Others(+1 1/4),x2 Increased Mass,0 END(+1/2) 0
6 Life Support,immune to disease,immune to aging
5 8 Mental Defense
5 5 Power Defense
10 1 BODY Regen
4 8" Running 2
5 +8 STR,Linked(-1/2),"to Force Field" 1
3 Breakfall 13-
3 Flying Tackle
4 Martial Dodge
3 Stealth 13-
3 Tactics 12-
3 Takedown
2 TF,Air Vehicles
8 4/4 Armor,OIF(-1/2)
2 Radio XMIT/REC,OAF(-1)
Powers Cost: 168
Disadvantages
Base Points: 100
5 Distinctive,"Southern accent.",easily concealable,minor
10 Distinctive,"Mutant",easily concealable,major
25 Hunted,"Various mutant hating groups.",more powerful,
non-combat influence,harsh,appear 11-
15 Psych Lim,"Protector of the innocent.",common,strong
15 Psych Lim,"In love with Meltdown.",common,strong
20 Psych Lim,"Code vs. killing.",common,total
5 Rep,"Rebel mutant hero.",occur 8-
5 Rivalry,"With Sunspot, for Meltdown's affections.",romantic
15 Secret ID,"Samuel Zachariah Gunthrie"
10 Unluck,2D6
10 Watched,"by Domino II and Professor X.",as powerful,
non-combat influence,harsh,appear 11-
Disadvantages Total: 135
Experience Spent: 15
Total Points: 250
Explanation of the conversion:
History: Samuel Gunthrie is the oldest of a large coal mining family from Cumberland, Kentucky. He is the son of Zebulon and Lucinda Gunthrie. His siblings included Paige Gunthrie, who would later become the superhuman mutant known as Husk. His father died of black lung disease at an early age and Sam went to work in the mines as soon as he was old enough.
Unknown to everyone Sam was also a mutant whose latent superhuman abilities first
manifested themselves when he was trapped with co-workers in a coal mine.
The stress of trying to save his partner and himself triggered his
propulsive power and enabled them to escape. Donald Pierce, a renegade
member of the Hellfire Club's Inner Circle, recruited Guthrie as one of
his operatives and sent him into battle against the New Mutants. But
Guthrie refused to murder young mutants; in retaliation, Pierce tried to
kill him. However, Professor Charles Xavier saved Guthrie's life by
defeating Pierce. Realizing Guthrie wasn't evil, Xavier invited him to
join the New Mutants (Marvel Graphic Novel #4).
Sam traveled to Kentucky with Professor X and
the New Mutants to visit his family and aided in defeating a forest fire.
There they confronted the evil Hybrid alongside the Space Knights Rom and
Starshine II (Rom Annual #3).
After Xavier's school was blown
up, he and the other New Mutants encountered the X-Terminators II and their
ship who were under attack by a sea monster. Along with the Namor the
Submariner he helped stop the monster. He and the other New Mutants were
invited by X-Factor to live on their ship (New Mutants #76).
Sam was a
member of the New Mutants when they disbanded to form X-Force under the leadership of Cable.
On one of X-Force's first missions, Cannonball II was apparently slain in
combat by Sauron, a member of the Toad's new Brotherhood of Evil Mutants.
However, Cannonball II soon returned to life and full health. Cable theorized
that Cannonball II was one of the Externals, a small number of immortal
mutants.
Sam
eventually left X-Force to join the X-Men, but has since went back to
X-Force where he feels more at home.
Over the years Sam has had relationships with a number of women including
Firestar, Lila Chaney, and Meltdown. Most recently their has been some
attraction between him and Marrow of the X-Men, but since he left them to
rejoin X-Force this relationship hasn't been developed.
Note: Samuel is in no way connected the the first Cannonball, who was a member of the Circus of Crime.
Note: In the alternate time line depicted in New Warriors #11 to #13 Sam was a member of the mutant underground lead by Magneto.
Powers: Cannonball II possesses the ability to bodily
generate thermo-chemical energy and release it from his skin. This
energy, released by an act of will, is accompanied by smoke, flame
and condensation, much like the exhaust of a rocket engine. At his
present level of experience, he can only release this energy in one
direction, beneath him. The equal and opposite reaction to this
thrust causes his body to be propelled through the air like a human
rocket. At first, he could not stop his propulsion until his
immediate store of energy was depleted or until he hit an obstruction
of sufficient mass to stop him. However, he has since learned how to
cut off his propulsive power at will. As a side effect of forming the
thermo-chemical energies over the surface of his body, Cannonball II
becomes virtually invulnerable. Accompanying the release of energy is
a half-inch thick energy field which channels the explosion and
protects his skin from the direct effects of the blast. It also
negates momentum and related energy effects thereby cushioning his
entire body from any impact up to a half-minute from the depletion of
his energy. Not only is he protected from rough landings, but he is
also protected from nearly all types of injury while in flight. The
protective field also protects any person or object with which he is
in physical contact. He also seems to
be practically immortal, not aging and having an incredible healing
ability.
Links to other Cannonball II pages:
Character created by Marvel Comics.
Champions rules conversion by Mathew R. Ignash - mathewignash@comcast.net.
Last Updated - September, 2001
Sam traveled to Kentucky with Professor X and
the New Mutants to visit his family and aided in defeating a forest fire.
There they confronted the evil Hybrid alongside the Space Knights Rom and
Starshine II (Rom Annual #3).
