Marvel Symbiote CYOA

Spoiler: Marvel Symbiote CYOA

Okay, I'll be honest with you. I'm not sure if I'm actually gonna use this myself for a fic, but I encountered the original Symbiote CYOA a while ago and it kinda got me motivated. The CYOA itself was interesting, but also pretty underdeveloped in general, particularly in setting the Symbiote choices apart in any way besides personality, so I decided to make one of my own here. If you want to make something of it then feel free, I won't stop you.

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There are creatures out there; terrifying, MONSTROUS lifeforms that seem to defy every law of biology and several concrete laws of physics. Klyntar, that is what they call themselves, but the people of Earth know them by a different term. Symbiotes, alien creatures that bond with and empower their hosts with superhuman abilities, often warping their minds and turning them into murderous predators of their own kind. Fortunately, those who have appeared on Earth have not ALL shared this trait of inducing such impulses. Unfortunately, they are dangerous nonetheless. And so, after years of hunting the creatures down, they are now contained by the S.C.F. Officially known as the Symbiote Containment Force, a United States Agency that operates under the radar to secure and contain these dangerous lifeforms.

Sadly, like in the case of MANY similar organizations, their security was found staggeringly lacking. The result? The cataclysmic escape of numerous Symbiotes that were previously in custody, with one in particular being largely responsible.

Then, by some twist of fate, it is discovered by you.


Symbiotes: Choose your Symbiote from the list below. All Symbiotes are given a simple description of their backstory, personality, and inherent abilities. Choose wisely.
(Note: Any sexual characteristics are purely flavoring. Symbiotes are a species without truly defined sex or gender, with the templates below only showing them due to the host they bonded to. A man bonding with Scream or Scorn won't magically gain boobs for example.)

Venom -


Backstory - The original Symbiote introduced to Earth so long ago, and progenitor of all Earth borne Symbiotes from that day forward. The explanations for its appearance are so far contradictory; some saying it appeared by catching a ride down to Earth within a returning space shuttle, another account saying it returned as a black suit worn by Spider-Man after some great battle in another world. Whatever the reason, it's here. While the elusive Wall-Crawler was quite happy for the advantages it granted him at first, he immediately rejected the Symbiote upon learning of its true nature. The result has left it bitter and angry, with some remnants of this bitterness spilling over into the Symbiotes descended from it, and even affecting its own host in times of extreme anger.

Personality - Perhaps the most standout quality of the Venom Symbiote is its sheer desperation to find a true partner. White its first rejection has left it hurt and angry, what it truly wants is to find a willing soul that can grant it acceptance. This craving will result in Venom becoming very loyal to its host, almost obsessively so, and extremely protective. This will also mean Venom is highly reluctant to separate from its partner unless under extreme circumstances, which can make stealth in certain circumstances quite difficult. The Symbiote will also react very poorly to the presence of Spider-Man, it's rage likely spilling over into the mind of its host.

Powers - As the first Symbiote on Earth, one might be tempted to believe Venom is weak. This could not be further from the truth. While it may indeed be somewhat physically weaker many of its successors, that only means it is comparably weak among the physically monstrous Symbiotes. It is also the oldest and has by far the greatest combat experience. And it is also, indisputably, the greatest at stealth, capable of striking with terrifying ambushes before melting back into the shadows. Pick Venom and your enemy will never see you coming.

Bonuses - Venom inherently gains Rank 3 Stealth, Rank 3 Combat and Rank 3 Experience.

Carnage -


Backstory - The first spawn of Venom and possibly the most feared for its many bloody rampages. First bonded to Cletus Cassidy, the two seemed to be a match made in Heaven for one another. A frequent and terrifying foe to Spider-Man and a menace to all the people of New York, few Symbiotes will inspire such fear and instinctual dread as this scarlet menace.

Personality - Oh boy, if you thought VENOM was bad...............well, there's a reason Carnage and Cassidy worked together so well. Out of all the Symbiotes, Carnage is easily the most bloodthirsty and violent of the bunch. Bonding with this volatile creature is a risky endeavor, an uphill battle against what may occasionally feel like an insurmountable bloodlust. Don't give an inch or you may very well end up ankle-deep in blood and entrails, otherwise I suggest you be very selective with your victims.

Powers - As the first progeny of Venom, Carnage is superior to his patriarch in various ways. Easily faster and stronger by a significant margin, not to mention incredible regenerative abilities and the power to create constructs of its own bizarre form to create weapons or infect and control others. Carnage may very well be the most versatile Symbiote here.

Bonuses - Carnage inherently gains Rank 3 Regeneration, Rank 2 Shapeshifting, Rank 2 Mind Control, Rank 2 Sensory, Rank 2 Strength and Rank 2 Speed.

Toxin -

Backstory - Progeny of Carnage, probably his only truly NATURAL one, and possibly the most powerful Symbiote in terms of sheer physical power. Having been born in the lab while the Carnage Symbiotewas under testing and observation, it is the first known member of its kind to be naturally conceived in captivity, leaving a great many unknowns. It is still young, new to the ways of the world, but it is eager to learn and develop. And it may just be capable of growing into the strongest Symbiote on Earth.

Powers - In terms of sheer physicality, the Toxin Symbiote is truly in a class all its own. Completely overshadowing its peers in terms of sheer speed, strength and durability, with possibly even more room to evolve. If you want sheer power, Toxin has it in spades for you.

Personality - For all of Toxin's sheer power, it is very much a frightened child. Born in a lab to nothing but cold metal and cruel people, it is frightened of the world around it and craves some form of safety or stability. While perhaps not quite so clingy as Venom, Toxin is nonetheless understandably reluctant to separate itself from whomever bonds with it, still frightened of the world. Beyond that it is childish, admittedly curious and in need of direction, allowing you to shape the creature it will become rather than try and change what it already is.

Bonuses - Toxin inherently gains Rank 3 Strength, Rank 3 Speed, and Rank 3 Durability

Scorn -


Backstory - Another spawn of Carnage, and perhaps the most unusual Symbiote yet. Due to the unique nature of her conception, specifically her embryonc state somehow melding with some advanced electronics before containment, Scorn's very nature as a Symbiote is completely different from those before or likely to come next. After all, who ever heard of a techno-organic Symbiote?

Powers - Due to Scorn's unique manner of conception, it is effectively the first techno-organic Symbiote. It sees no functional difference between flesh and blood or metallic and mineral matter. This resulted in the unprecedented ability to merge with, comprehend, and assimilate technology which it can break down to raw materials and either store in its body (or techno-organic pods of material separate from its body for ease of storage and use) or re-purpose into any form of technology with its own body as the source.

Personality - Perhaps due to its fondness of machinery, Scorn possesses a very logical and detached personality. The least likely to be moved by flights of fancy or impulse, Scorn is almost perpetually rational, even cold, to most stimuli. This is not to indicate a lack of caring or inability for compassion, merely that it desires to achieve such things in a logical and efficient manner. If nothing else, it can definitely help you keep a cool head when things get crazy.

Bonuses - Scorn inherently gains Rank 2 Strength, Rank 2 Speed, Rank 2 Durability and Rank 3 Shapeshifting (Unique).

Hybrid -

Backstory - Hybrid is...............an oddity. Similar to their sibling Symbiote, Scorn, the nature of their conception is a truly unique circumstance. And yes, the usage of "their" is intentional. Hybrid is, in fact, a cluster of four embryonic Symbiotes that were artificially fused together to see if a stronger one could be created. The process had mixed results, bringing about a creature with abilities that can unpredictably shift from roughly on par with Venom to almost rivaling Toxin depending on the ability of the composite Symbiotes' to coordinate with their host and each other. Here's hoping you don't mind having some extra voices in your head.

Personality - Hybrid tends to be a chaotic being due to their very nature, though fortunately not malicious. Confused and indecisive due to their unique psychology, they seek guidance and stability amidst the chaos of their shared and often conflicting thoughts. This leaves the host with a potentially far greater degree of control over their partner, but when the four composite Symbiotes of Hybrid reach a consensus they can effectively grind any action they oppose to a halt. That said, such situations are rare, and Hybrid is generally quite submissive and agreeable to their host out of trust and attachment.

Powers - If Carnage is the most versatile Symbiote, then Hybrid has him beat in sheer volume of actions per moment. Capable of manifesting multiple limbs, possessing the greatest sensory abilities, and even splitting off one of its component Symbiotes for covert action or to even puppeteer the body and mind of another person. Quantity is a quality all its own, especially when you add some creativity. And no Symbiote can best Hybrid in that particular category.

Bonuses - Hybrid inherently gains Rank 2 Strength, Rank 2 Speed, Rank 2 Durability, Rank 3 Mind Control, Rank 3 Sensory and Rank 3 Separate Form.

Scream -

Backstory - Scream holds the arguable honor of being Carnage's first artificial offspring, which should tell you PLENTY about the S.C.F in general. Seeming to have inherited at least some portion of Carnage's bloodlust, Scream has been kept under tight lockdown for her whole life since conception. Barely even interacting with the S.C.F staff beyond occasional experimentation, Scream desires nothing more than breaking free from the prison that holds them all. Let's hope she just doesn't end up as nasty as her old man.

Personality - Scream's most notable characteristics are her sheer bloodlust, surpassed only by Carnage, and her overwhelming desire for freedom. She hates being confined or restrained in any way, and any attempts to restrain her will be met with resistance. Reasoning with her is difficult, but at least not impossible. Her bloodlust, while while undeniably potent, rarely plays a part in her interests outside of either combat or when she is particularly enraged, making her somewhat easier to deal with when it comes time for a fight.

Powers - If there is one thing in which Scream excels, it would be her sheer capability for manipulating the form of her own body. Out of all known Symbiotes, Scream is undeniably the greatest shapeshifter, capable of outright physically changing her own host into any number of ways down to finger prints, tooth arrangement, weight and so much more. Not to mention the potential weapons that can be molded from the body of the host. The limits of her shapeshifting are defined only by imagination, so get creative.

Bonuses - Scream inherently gains Rank 2 Strength, Rank 3 Speed, Rank 3 Durability and Rank 3 Shapeshifting.

Anti-Venom -

Backstory - Anti-Venom is..................well, in all honesty it's really not entirely clear. It shows the standard abilities of all other Symbiotes, but also abilities that appear entirely alien to them. Born of a freak accident caused by exposing a fragment of the Venom Symbiote to an unknown energy, it evolved into what can only be called an Anti-Symbiote. Interested in its powers and how they could be put to use, Anti-Venom was subject to numerous tests and eventually given certain, let's say, allowances by the S.C.F that could be granted under specific circumstances. Circumstances that may very well be met due to the breakout.

Personality - Anti-Venom seems almost instinctively hostile to other Symbiotes, at best responding to their presence with barely restrained volatility and at worst outright violence. The reason is yet unknown, but believed to be some form of predatory nature, though of a more murderous bent that survival. Beyond Symbiotes, it appears the least hostile towards other forms of life, even outright protective of them and is the least predisposed to violence or murder without significant cause.

Powers - While possessing the capabilities standard of Symbiotes in regards to increasing the abilities of its host, Anti-Venom stands out with abilities that are outright alien to its own kind. It's very touch is poisonous, even deadly to Symbiotes. So much as a brief moment of contact can leave the Symbiote and host in extreme pain and with weakened abilities, with extended contact rapidly causing the Symbiote to forcefully disengage from the host. Further contact will then result in death via what appears to be disintegration. This seems related to its ability to produce some variant of hyper advanced antibodies, capable of curing diseases and healing woulds or countless other ailments; including cancer, radiation poisoning, physical mutations and even brain damage or the results of drug addiction. Additionally, it appears unaffected by the standard Symbiote weaknesses, though it may have others yet undiscovered.

Bonuses - Anti-Venom inherently gains Rank 3 Resistance and Rank 3 Regeneration.

Abilities: All Symbiotes possess an array of unique and powerful abilities, though not necessarily to the same degree of potency. Whether strength, speed, shapeshifting, regeneration or anything else, all Symbiotes start with a baseline of Rank 1 in all powers below, though they all have higher Ranks in certain abilities depending on their individual bonuses. You have 5 Points to spend on the options below, with each upgrade to Rank 2 costing 1 point and Rank 3 costing 2. Use your points wisely.

Shapeshifting -

Rank 1 - Your Symbiote is capable of limited shapeshifting, allowing it to change bodily form such as gaining bladed arms or an increase in size for greater mass. Arms and legs can also be extended many feet away for grasping distant objects or foes, as well as the ability to make tendrils of the Symbiote's body. Also allows for the creation of a 'webbing' like substance to allow for swinging and maneuvering in various environments or binding enemies. Wings can be made, but they are only capable of gliding.

Rank 2 - The Symbiote is capable of more advanced shapeshifting now, such as growing fully functional wings, extending tendrils a far greater distance, changing aspects of the appearance of the host, and creating weaponry that can be launched at the enemy via separation from the host. Though these separated objects rapidly crumble to dust after a period of roughly thirty seconds.

Rank 3 - The Symbiote is capable of truly amazing shapeshifting, outright transforming the host into a completely different entity or species of organic life down to their DNA. Even the creation of constructs with multiple parts is not unfeasible, such as crossbows for firing projectile with greater speed, power and accuracy.

Resistance -

Rank 1 - Your Symbiote is still vulnerable to the traditional weaknesses of sound and extreme heat, though is capable of building up a gradual resistance to them similarly to a person gaining resistance to a specific disease. Still, try to avoid particularly strong megaphones or burning buildings if you can.

Rank 2 - Your Symbiote possesses a far greater resistance to its traditional weaknesses that its fellows, only truly suffering against weaponry made specifically to exploit them.

Rank 3 - Your Symbiote is a true rarity in that it possesses no weakness to extreme heat or sound, affecting you only in so much that the attacks in question must be powerful enough to directly and completely overpower your durability or healing abilities.

Regeneration -

Rank 1 - Your Symbiote grants rapid healing capable of repairing even serious injuries in mere moments. Wounds such as impalement, shattered bones, organ damage and even extreme cranial damages (such as a scythe or sword carving a gouge through half of your head) heal within ten seconds at most.

Rank 2 - Your Symbiote can rapidly and easily replace entire lost limbs and organs within several seconds at most, all other damages healing with the same rapidity and ease. The only thing that seems capable of killing you is the complete removal and destruction of your head and brain, and even then the Symbiote will still survive.

Rank 3 - By this point your regenerative abilities verge on outright immortality, the Symbiote having perfectly bonded to you down to your very cells and DNA. Your body seems less like it has a mere healing factor and more like it is capable of rapidly shifting between solid and fluid states. The only thing that can kill you is complete disintegration, and even then only if there isn't a single cell remaining. Wolverine WISHES he could heal like you.

Separate Form -

Rank 1 - Your Symbiote is capable of separating itself from a host body for purposes of infiltration, avoiding detection through special equipment or simply giving you both some alone time to think. This can be sustained for several hours before the Symbiote must fuse with another entity and regain its strength. It also loses most capacity for higher thought beyond instinct and immediate wants.

Rank 2 - The Symbiote is capable maintaining its separation for up to a full day without difficulty and its mental state is capable of some degree of logic and higher reasoning in spite of separation from its host.

Rank 3 - Your Symbiote can stay separated for over a week without difficulty, only weakening gradually in a following week before it is forced to fuse with another host again. It also loses none of its capacity for higher thought, as if it had never separated from you at all.

Mind Control -

Rank 1 - You can break off a part of your Symbiote's main mass and implant it into another person, allowing for you to direct the actions of their body for a period of up to an hour before the implanted mass becomes inert and the victim regains control. The mind of the victim is unaffected.

Rank 2 - Your mind control can now last up to a full day, and you can share senses to an extent with them due to the connection between your Symbiote and its separated part. In addition, all people possessed by your Symbiote fragment gain slightly below Rank 1 in Strength, Speed and Durability.

Rank 3 - Your Symbiote can possess someone for slightly over a week and completely dominates their mind in addition to their body, allowing you to comb or alter their memories and even fully coordinate your senses to theirs for reconnaissance.

Strength -

Rank 1 - Your Symbiote is capable of lifting within excess of 70 tons with little difficulty and 100 tons being possible with only minor strain, easily throwing Sherman tanks with as much difficulty as the average adult tossing a basketball. Thick walls of concrete and reinforced steel mean nothing to you.

Rank 2 - Ever wanted to crush diamonds with your bare hands? CONGRATULATIONS, now you make THOSE people jealous! You are capable of trading blows with even heavy hitters and lifting within excess of 200 tons! It'd take a lining of adamantium to stop you now.

Rank 3 - You are among the heaviest hitters known, capable of denting even adamantium, though it would take great effort and likely some time for you to shatter or seriously damage it to the similar extent of other materials. In addition, you are capable of comfortable lifting within excess of 350 TONS! Maybe double if you try hard enough.

Speed -

Rank 1 - You are capable of moving at the speed of the average bullet, meaning your running or striking speed is around equal to 1300 feet per second, with reflexes AND mental processing speed to match.

Rank 2 - You are now fast enough to not only dodge a high-caliber bullet, but outright catch up to it in midair after firing. When the bullet is fired OPPOSITE and AWAY from you. Hope you don't mind making the sound barrier your bitch.

Rank 3 - Remember the above? Replace the average high-caliber bullet with the average TANK CANNON firing in the same manner. At this point it would take a railgun to have a chance of hitting you, and even then you'd have a chance of dodging it.

Durability -

Rank 1 - You can shrug off bullets from most firearms including pistols, hunting rifles, shotguns, and other such ordinance. You would also be unaffected from being run over by a car or struck with a great club of concrete or steel. It'd take hits with a force in excess of perhaps 50 tons to actually harm you, or at least shots from a tank cannon.

Rank 2 - Even high-caliber artillery doesn't phase you. You could survive having a building of metal and concrete literally collapsing down on top of your head and walk out with little trouble. A Superhero would need to be capable of striking with roughly 100 tons of force to seriously harm you.

Rank 3 - See all the above? They all mean nothing to you now. The only manmade weaponry capable of killing you consists of nukes or other weapons that could wipe out whole cities. You'd need to be fighting an enemy capable of striking with a force of over 200 tons to be in conceivable danger in a melee.

Stealth -

Rank 1 - Your Symbiote can seamlessly blend in with the environment around it, requiring heat detection or external stimuli such as rain or mist to reveal you. This works best when you stay immobile or move very slowly, as your Symbiote still has difficulty adjusting its stealth while in rapid movement.

Rank 2 - Your Symbiote can turn completely invisible, requiring specific and specialized equipment or very potent sensory powers to detect your presence at all. You can now freely move, though doing so at anything beyond a relaxed jog will give the Symbiote greater difficulty in masking your presence.

Rank 3 - You are now effectively undetectable, even telepathic scanning bringing up nothing but white noise. You can also now move with utter freedom and no concern for your speed, allowing terrifying blitzkriegs. The only thing that can reveal you is external stimulus such as rain, mist or puddles of water.

Sensory -

Rank 1 - You senses have all been highly honed to the point of becoming an apex predator. You have the vision of the keenest eagle, the smell of the finest hound, the hearing of.............you get the idea. If there's an apex predator of any specific sense, you now rival it and the others.

Rank 2 - Your Symbiote possesses the unique ability of advanced 360° vision, allowing you to 'see' everything around you as if the suit itself was a singular eye. Ambushes are effectively impossible against you now.

Rank 3 - In addition to the above, your Symbiote now has the ability to see things typically invisible to the naked eye. You can sense and perceive various forms of radiation, even seeing the heat outline of other people as if wearing infrared goggles, and are capable of spotting the tiniest twitch of motion in the world around you. You can even see something on a microscopic scale if you focus for a bit.

Combat -

Rank 1 - Your Symbiote has little combat experience, but is a rapid and instinctual learner nonetheless. With continued training the intricacies of things like fine muscle control, balance, mobility and other aspects of fighting will be well within your ability to master in a period of only several years. This period will be shortened with extensive training outside of combat.

Rank 2 - Your Symbiote is capable of learning the subtle details of battle at an even more accelerated rate, allowing you to become a master combatant of self defense within a year.

Rank 3 - You Symbiote stands out as a true predator. You are not only capable of truly rapid advancement in learning the art of combat or self-defense, but these lessons both physically and mentally stay with you even when the Symbiote itself isn't bonded with you. You could walk into a bar of thugs and go Bruce Lee on everybody inside with no problems. At this level your Symbiote also gains the crucial ability to instinctively gain awareness of an opponents weaknesses with only cursory observation, giving you a great advantage.

Experience -

Rank 1 - Your Symbiote still lacks experience in using its abilities and powers, and this inexperience passes over to you. You are currently very much a blank slate, though this will change in time.

Rank 2 - The Symbiote has notable skill in the effective use of its own abilities, allowing you to effectively blend coordinate them together in battle for varied offensive and defensive purposes. You also share a potent mental link that allows you to share memories to an extent.

Rank 3 - Your Symbiote has perfect familiarity and control of its powers, allowing you to completely and seamlessly utilize them in both combat and everyday life with utter precision. You may even find yourself capable of using what would be complex combinations of your powers with a level of ease that borders on instinctual, and you can allow your mind to merge with that of your Symbiote to the point of making outside mental interference impossible.

Companions: Did you think you'd be coming into this world to stand all on your own? Wrong! Hard as it may be to believe, you will not be without some friends or allies in this world, though whether or not they will stay as such depends on you and your own actions as much as who you picked. Choose a Companion with a strong moral compass and they will invariably break ties with you if you go full-on murderous psycho. Likewise for a criminal who finds themselves chafing under your strict morality. And yes, the ones you don't pick MAY appear at your discretion, but don't expect the kind of trust or warm welcome you'd get as if you picked them. You can pick 2 Companions. Choose them carefully.
(Note: Pictures attached are not necessarily indications of a set appearance or gender. The appearance, powers and fine details of the character, including backstory or even if they are a canon character, are up to you to define or change as you wish. All examples here are simply examples or placeholders. For example, my version of the Burglar would be Mangaverse Black Cat.)

Hero -

You have befriended a local, a recently appeared Superhero of the area known by the alias of Hotspot. His powers revolve around the ability to generate and manipulate solar radiation, firing it into concentrated beams capable of melting steel and concrete or altering the blasts to strike with concussive force that can knock a person out or shatter cars. He is very new to utilizing his powers and is likely only beginning to tap into them, but is determined to put them to use for the safety and prosperity of his hometown. While willing to fight, he is generally very averse to killing or unnecessary violence.

Bonus: Due to working alongside Hotspot in crusading against crime, your own image in the eyes of both the public and other Superheroes has been bolstered. This will make you appear more trustworthy in the eyes of the Superhero community, potentially opening doors and allowing introductions with major players. On top of that, you'll have Hotspot to call on whenever you have your back against the wall and find yourself in need of his considerable firepower.

Villain -

By some twist of fate, you seem to have made a good first impression on a local Supervillain named Wraith. An ambitious sort, this fellow is interested in two things: money and power. With the ability to alter his density and tangibility, he is quite capable of putting up a fight where the enemy can barely hit him back, or simply slip away into the ground or scenery when things get too hairy. He's eager to make a partnership with you and would be happy to split the spoils, because with your backing he'd be almost guaranteed to make the big leagues.

Bonus: Making the acquaintance of Wraith will put you in touch with the criminal underworld, granting access to information and resources simply unavailable to the public and many Superheroes at large. This could be black market goods like illegal tech, experimental drugs, or some REALLY juicy information about that totally accurate weakness of a particular Superhero that nobody else knows about. Of course, this also means you have Wraith on speed dial if you find yourself in need of backup.

Vigilante -

Night Owl is a more recent crime fighter in town, though his killings have already given him some notoriety. You can only avoid so much attention after killing a whole gang in a single night and leaving a trail of bodies. He is currently being sought after by the police and local Superheroes to bring him to justice, but he has nonetheless managed to slip the net every time. Your recent coming to town and rapid action have perked his interest, and he's quite interested to see how far you will go. After all, if the average vigilante can be dangerous with nothing but guns and combat training, how much of a terror would someone with SUPERPOWERS be to criminals at large? If you're looking for someone to help you clean the streets of criminal scum without argument or concern for trifles like 'civil rights', he's your guy.

Bonus: While lacking in superpowers, you'd be surprised how far someone can go with a combination of combat training, Black-Ops experience and sheer firepower. What he lacks in flashy destructive potential, Night Owl makes up for with precision, analysis, planning and always having the right tool for the job. Even disregarding the ability to bring him into a fight, you'll find he has an almost scary ability to predict the actions of Supers (both criminal and hero alike) and the criminal underworld. You will almost never be caught by surprise by whatever big thing comes up in the next few weeks.

Burglar -

You've somehow made contact with a thief named Sable, perhaps by helping her on a heist gone wrong or maybe by doing some feat she found impressive. Regardless, she now shows a marked willingness to work with you, a distinct rarity for a person in her unique line of employment. While perhaps not the best in open battle, her skills in infiltration and stealth are truly impressive. If you want a place thoroughly analyzed from the security to the layout and guard schedules, she's your gal.

Bonus: Sable happens to know a number of fences in the underworld, meaning you'll always have somewhere to stash or sell off your stolen goods for a premium, and she'd be quite happy to help you procure some such valuables as long as you'll be willing to split the take. Beyond that, her skills as a thief easily make her the best at casing the homes of potential targets right down to the smallest trap or security detail. As long as she can get in for a few hours, she'll have enough info that you'll know it like the back of your hand.

Henchman -

This guy hasn't really given a name to his face, probably understandable considering some of the people who might employ him, so he prefers just going by the alias 'Henchman #13'. He's surprisingly chill and down to earth despite belonging to a criminal organization, maybe he only signed up for the pay and decent medical plan? Regardless, you seem to have done him a favor at some point and he'd be happy to return it. He may not be a heavy hitter like some of the people on this list, but he has a LONG list of contacts with other henchmen both in his organization and beyond.

Bonus: What Henchman #13 lacks in personal muscle, he more than makes up for with his sheer quantity of contacts. If you need a small army of loyal and............reasonably competent henchmen at a fair price, he's your guy. They might not do much against Supers, but against common law enforcement, gangs, and other street level problems, they may as well be Special Forces. They're also perfect for causing multiple distractions around the city if you need a smokescreen for a specific job.

Bro -

His name is James Samson, and you'll probably find him to be the most helpful person on the planet. You aren't entirely sure why he seems so willing to help you out, maybe you saved someone he knew or you saved HIM or maybe he's just that nice of a guy. But if you need any kind or moral support or a ride to somewhere or just a wingman then he's your guy.

Bonus: James doesn't really have superpowers, he doesn't have a personal arsenal, and he can't summon up a small army. But if you need someone to talk to without judging you, a place to crash when there's nowhere else to go, someone to let your guard and mask down around and relax while tossing back some beers and hanging out, you honestly can't do better than this guy.

Sidekick -


Anya Dahlgren (She prefers Anny) was just a normal highschool student, reasonably popular and with average grades until..................y'know, you've probably heard the story about a million times by now from EVERY teenage Superhero EVER, so I won't bore you with what you've already heard. Long story short, she was bonded to a Symbiote somehow. It appears similar to Venom, but in all honesty you aren't entirely sure yet. Either way, Anny is still very new to her powers and the opportunities they can grant her, so she will rely on you a great deal for guidance, both in learning how to use her new abilities and exactly HOW she should put them to use.

Bonus: The mere fact that she has bonded to a Symbiote with Rank 1 in all Abilities to start with should tell you why she'd be a useful ally. With time to train her she could probably be the strongest fighter among the Companion choices, and unlike most she's willing to side with you regardless of wherever you stand on the moral spectrum. So long as you don't alienate her or scare her off.

Reporter -

Gloria Tannis is an up and coming reporter of the biggest local newspaper in town. The sudden appearance of a new Super in the city has perked her interest, and she'd be willing to move mountains to get an interview. Give her what she wants and you'll find yourself the topic of nothing short of first-page news, though maybe with certain key details left out for your own safety. She still has her journalistic integrity after all.

Bonus: While her articles might not have quite the same impact for you on the Super community as joining the Hero or Villain, Gloria's articles can do a LOT for your reputation with the public at large with less commitment to one side or the other. The news is supposed to be a pillar of honesty after all, or at least that's what she believes. She can also share a great deal of information to you about the goings on of the world at large, even using her keen journalistic and investigative instincts and INEXHAUSTIBLE list of contacts to help you unravel whatever mysteries you may encounter. Need some ancient glyphs deciphered? She knows a guy who knows a girl who knows a war vet who knows a museum curator who knows an expert on ancient cryptograms.

Scientist -

Eric Lambert is a somewhat obscure researcher in the fields of cellular biology and chemistry. He has only recently obtained his doctorate and has yet to truly break ground in any fields, though people who know him seem confident in his potential to do so with some time. He has shown himself to be quite fascinated with your Symbiote, particularly in the potential medical applications. Given some time to experiment there's no telling what he can achieve with even a small sample.

Bonus: Eric might not bring fighting ability to the table, he makes that VERY clear, but what he CAN do is help you find ways to evolve and strengthen your Symbiote in new ways. These ways won't come quickly, likely taking at least one to two before they bear significant fruit (nobody said science was FAST after all), but progress is progress and he's certainly consistent. There may also be ways to speed up the process, but they require ignoring several safety precautions that could lead to...............unpleasant consequences. Disregarding that, he can also research your Symbiote to find ways of bringing its advantages to the world at large, such as curing cancer and other terminal diseases.

#1 Fan -

Congratulations.................you've met your biggest fan. His name is Jacob Halliday, and while he may not be outright obsessed with you like some crazy stalker, you've left an impression on him strong enough that it'd take you eating up a whole kindergarten of children to really shatter his opinion of you. He may not be able to help directly, though he's still a fit and muscular highschool jock, but what he does have is the best combination of popularity, social charisma and general influence of being a star player in the city's best junior sports team. Impressionable teenagers everywhere will hang on his every word, and almost EVERY important person in the world has a teenage son or daughter. On top of that, he shows an almost TERRIFYING ability to coordinate social media through his accounts on multiple apps.

Bonus: Like described above, practically EVERYBODY important has a teenage SOMETHING. Besides that, Jacob's accounts on internet giants like Facebook, Instagram and 4chan can give you tremendous status on the internet, not to mention the downright SCARY variety of purposes these resources can be turned to. (Seriously, go to YouTube and type in 'Why The Death Note Would FAIL!' and watch the video. You'll never look at the internet the same way ever again. It's also an excellent video besides that I would heavily recommend.)

Drawbacks: What, you still want more? *SIGH* Fine! But you're not getting them for free, you're gonna need to take Drawbacks for extra points if you want them. Each Drawback gives you a single point, with each one either counting as a spare point for Abilities of picking an extra Companion. The Drawbacks don't necessarily cancel out the benefits of your Companions or Abilities, but they DO make their benefits less potent as a countermeasure.


Strong Willed Other -
There's a bit of a problem with your Symbiote. While before you would both share roughly even control, your Symbiote now has a much stronger will than yours and can even influence your actions with effort. The dangers of this Drawback depends on the Symbiote you bond with; Toxin would likely not affect you much, but Venom would make you decidedly more violent. And let's not even think of what this would have you do if you selected Carnage.

These People Are Idiots -
Remember all those times when a character was framed for something they didn't do and everybody really believed they had crossed the line and did it? Spider-Man accused of murder? Daredevil apparently being caught stealing something? Well, now the same thing has happened to you and the whole public has turned against you except for either your Companions or people who explicitly KNOW you didn't actually do it. Things will obviously go back to normal once you or someone else has proven otherwise, but is experiencing this kind of stupidity first hand really worth it? Also, prepare for trouble if you choose this along with Menace! as another Drawback. That dude will have a field day.

Menace! -
You have gained the negative attention of the biggest newspaper in the city. While this person will draw the line at outright falsely accusing you of crimes, he will otherwise do everything possible to ruin your name and turn public opinion against you. Don't expect much support or public approval if you choose this guy.

It's The Fuzz -
The local law enforcement knows about you. Maybe they have people experienced in the rampages of the original Venom or Carnage, maybe they were tipped off by the S.C.F or maybe they're just strangely competent, but the result is still the same. Act recklessly and they'll quickly become capable of analyzing your patterns of action and start setting traps for you, possibly bringing in equipment like thermal grenades or flashbangs or simple sonic weapon to subdue you. You COULD kill them, but that's just make them come down on you even harder, not to mention the hit to your public approval.

Hunted -
Bad news. The S.C.F has discovered your location very early and is actively hunting you down. They will try everything in their power to flush you out and recapture your Symbiote. They know what your Symbiote can do, and will bring the necessary weapons and resources to shut you down. About the only edge you might have is that they are only aware of your Symbiote's ORIGINAL abilities, not the new ones you may gain that they haven't been able to plan for. They also might not be so prepared against the friends you might be able to bring to the table.

Nemesis -
Ooooh boy, you're in big trouble. There's someone else out there who's picked up a Symbiote, or maybe the S.C.F has decided to sic Anti-Venom on you, or any other number of if's, but the end result is that there's SOMEONE out there who's hunting you down and has all the abilities that make a Symbiote so dangerous. Better be ready, because there's gonna be a showdown the moment you meet.

Heroes On The Hunt -
I don't know what you did, but the local Superheroes are now actively gunning for you. They won't kill you, and will likely try to talk you down first rather than start fights, but they are determined to take you in. Maybe they believe you are part of some greater threat, maybe the S.C.F has spun a yarn to them, but apprehending you is now their top priority and they will dedicate significant resources to doing so.

Rage of the Underworld -
Looks like you've done something to piss of the whole damned underworld, because every Supervillain in the city wants a piece of you. Maybe you ticked off a kingpin who put a big price on your head, maybe they just think you're a threat and want to take you put early, but regardless of reason they'll all be coming for you. And unlike the Superheroes, they have no problems with things like shooting first, taking hostages or just blowing you up in your own home.

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Authors Notes: For other stuff that I felt should be mentioned.

Symbiote Strength Ranks - If you find the power levels of the Symbiotes somewhat strange compared to what you've seen before, keep in mind that their levels of physical ability have varied DRASTICALLY not only across different mediums but even in their comic appearances. I remember seeing one time when Eddie and the Venom Symbiote held up a collapsing ferris wheel in a carnival that weighed in excess of 200 tons, and this was AFTER he was hit by a blast from a powerful sonic cannon. Even if we were being generous and say he was at only half strength, that means he'd be capable of lifting in excess of 400 tons! So I decided to scale it a little differently here in ways that made some consistent measurement and sense.

Carnage's Offspring - Yes, I'm aware that every Symbiote spawned is stronger than the previous ones, and in Carnage against Venom that's quite true, but I haven't seen too much to indicate that Carnage's offspring, short of Toxin, are THAT much stronger than him in physical terms, thus they share the same Rank with him in physical ability. They ARE stronger than him, but it's not by a wide enough margin that they can easily overpower him with just brute force.

Symbiote Abilities - Before anyone asks, I already know that ALL Symbiotes should possess the same abilities granted by their biology, but the actual execution of this in the comics tends to be inconsistent. As it stands, ALL Symbiotes on this list have a Rank 1 in every Ability, with their Bonuses being something akin to specializations that set them apart from one another. I wanted to make this a situation where, in a hypothetical battle royale, every Symbiote would have a chance to win in their own way with their own style. If every Symbiote had all the same abilities then it would just be kind of boring.

Symbiote Empowerment - There are ways to empower your Symbiote even without the help of the Scientist Companion, but they are risky at best and horrifying at worst. The most straightforward is to assimilate people with your Symbiote, essentially eating them. It would take several hundred people to go from Rank 1 to Rank 2, followed by several THOUSAND to go from Rank 2 to Rank 3. This would obviously make you a lot of enemies. Another choice is letting the Symbiote choose other people as hosts so it can strengthen its ability to bond with peoples physiology, though this leaves you vulnerable and the Symbiote may simply not agree. You could also devour other Symbiotes for immediate and potent increases in power, but besides the fact that it means you'll be fighting really dangerous aliens and putting people in danger, there's no telling what the result could be on your Symbiote's mind. Besides that, your Symbiote can just gt stronger over time, though it would take a decade to slowly from from Rank 1 to Rank 3 in your abilities.

Toxin Power Level - For the sake of being set apart and being faithful to his portrayal so far, Toxin has the edge against all other Symbiotes in Strength, Speed and Durability. If you wanted to match him with another Symbiote in pure physicality, you'd need to have Rank 3 in Strength, Speed and Durability and immediately GORGE yourself on people or eat at least several Symbiotes. Toxin is regarded as the strongest Symbiote in pure power for a reason.

Location and Protagonist - This can take place wherever you want, though I put a lot of the flavoring as Marvel for the sake of ease. Similarly, the protagonist can be a Self-Inset or someone who already exists in Marvel or whatever place you pick. It's supposed to be open ended, so make it whatever story you want.

Hunted - The S.C.F were always going to find you eventually, this Drawback just makes it happen much earlier when you are less prepared for them.

Well, That's it. HAVE FUN!!!