Gather Information
DC10: There's a superhero in Freedom City called "Octoman". Most people haven't heard of him, but the kids like him.
DC15: Octoman is really strong, and he has tentacles. He can stick to walls, like a bug. He has a vlog, and a big mouth.
DC20: Octoman is also superhumanly tough and agile, and he has some limited shapeshifting powers. His blood is purple, so he might be some kind of alien or mutant. He acts and sounds young. He's probably a teenager, or a very immature college student.
A character who actively uses their Gather Information skill on Octoman will not obtain any of the following information unless they make a point of searching for potentially restricted information. If they do, then they also need to make a contested Gather Information check against Octoman; with his Online Research feat, he can use his Computers skill for this check. If he wins, then he will be alerted to their inquiries. They can avoid the contested check by taking a -20 penalty to their original Gather Information checks for a Discrete Inquiry (or if the have the relevant challenge feat).
A character using the Well-Informed feat upon first meeting Octoman or hearing of him may obtain the following information with a high enough Gather Information check, but since that represents prior knowledge, it will not trigger a contested check against him.
DC25: Octoman is sighted in the West End twice as often as any other neighborhood in Freedom City. He probably lives there.
The following information cannot be obtained with a Well-Informed check. It can only be obtained with an active use of the Gather Information skill.
DC30: Close observation of his public interactions reveals that Octoman is probably severely hearing-impaired, and may be completely deaf. He doesn't react when people talk to him unless he's facing them, and even then, he seems to miss things, and not just because he won't stop talking long enough for anyone to get a word in edgewise.
DC35: Octoman's blood is radioactive. It's not dangerous, but it does set off Geiger counters.
DC40: Octoman is secretly Ben Wang, a teenager whose parents live in the West End. Ben's powers are an accidental by-product of Goanna's mad science.
An appropriate Profession sub-skill can be substituted for any of these skills.
Knowledge (Life Sciences)
DC25: Most vertebrates have red blood, because it contains hemoglobin, which contains iron. Many arthropods and mollusks (including cephalopods) have blood with hemocyanin instead, which is blue, because it contains copper. Hemocyanin works better to keep their bodies oxygenated at cold temperatures. Mollusks and arthropods who live in deep water also have thick, syrupy blood like Octoman's, because of the surrounding fluid pressure, and multiple hearts in order to keep that thicker blood pumping. Octoman's blood is purple, which suggests that it may contain both hemoglobin and hemocyanin, and his blood is both thick and under high pressure. Even his small cuts create a ridiculous spray. This adaptation could allow him to function equally well under water and on dry land. He may be a true human/cephalopod hybrid.
Knowledge (Popular Culture)
DC10: There's a superhero in Freedom City called "Octoman". Most people haven't heard of him, but the kids like him.
DC15: Octoman is really strong, and he has tentacles. He can stick to walls, like a bug. He has a vlog, and a big mouth.
DC20: Octoman is also superhumanly tough and agile, and he has some limited shapeshifting powers. His blood is purple, so he might be some kind of alien or mutant. He acts and sounds young. He's probably a teenager, or a very immature college guy.
DC25: Octoman's favorite superhero is Geckoman. He talks about "The Gecks" all the time.
Knowledge (Streetwise)
DC20: Octoman's made some enemies. Goanna and Webmaster both talk about him a lot. Webmaster will pay big bucks for information about Octoman.
DC25: Octoman helped Bombshell kick Webmaster's ass and sent him up the river. Webmaster wants payback.
DC30: Goanna claims he created both Octoman and Webmaster.
Knowledge (Theology & Philosophy)
DC20: Octoman's vlogs contain occasional references, greetings, and sentiments which indicate that he's probably Jewish.
Benicio "Ben" Wang
Gather Information
DC10: Ben Wang is a teenager living in Freedom City. He's black or Latino or something.
DC15: Ben was born in Brooklyn in 2003. He was still a small child when his family moved to Freedom City's West End. His family is Jewish. His mother is black or Latino or something. She works as a public defender. His father is white or Asian, hard to tell. He runs a bakery/deli which serves an eclectic mix of Central European and Southeast Asian food. Ben's primary interests are computer programming and superheroes.
A character who actively uses their Gather Information skill on Ben will not obtain any of the following information unless they make a point of searching for potentially restricted information. If they do, then they also need to make a contested Gather Information check against Ben; with his Online Research feat, he can use his Computers skill for this check. If he wins, then he will be alerted to their inquiries. They can avoid the contested check by taking a -20 penalty to their original Gather Information checks for a Discrete Inquiry (or if the have the relevant challenge feat).
A character using the Well-Informed feat upon first meeting Ben or hearing of him may obtain the following information with a high enough Gather Information check, but since that represents prior knowledge, it will not trigger a contested check against him.
DC20: Ben Wang went to Hebrew school twice a week until he was 16. Most of Ben's family still lives back in Brooklyn. His mother is an Afro-Latina whose family is from Puerto Rico. His father is half-Filipino, half-Ashkenazi. His whole family is Jewish, except his paternal grandmother, who's a Filipina Catholic. Ben is the world's biggest Geckoman fan. His username on every site is "Geckofan", and he runs the most exhaustively detailed Geckoman fan site on the web. Ben went to public school until his sophomore year, when he somehow transferred to the super-exclusive Claremont Academy. There are billionaires who can't get their kids into that place.
DC25: Ben is deaf, or at least, severely hearing impaired. He reads lips, he signs, and he has a smartphone and smartwatch app which uses vibrations and flashing lights to alert him to loud noises.
The following information cannot be obtained with a Well-Informed check. It can only be obtained with an active use of the Gather Information skill.
DC30: Ben's grades in public school were good, but not good enough to get into an elite prep school like Claremont. And his family doesn't have the money to buy his way in. So not only did they pass up thousands of better applicants, but they also gave him a scholarship. It doesn't add up.
DC35: Ben Wang isn't just a programming enthusiast. He's a world-class hacker. He's never harmed anyone or stolen anything, but he's broken into plenty of restricted systems.
DC40: Ben Wang is secretly the superhero Octoman. Ben's powers are an accidental by-product of Goanna's mad science.
An appropriate Profession sub-skill can be substituted for any of these skills.
Computers or Knowledge (Technology)
DC15: Ben Wang is a hobbyist programmer. He likes to talk shop, and he knows his stuff.
DC25: Ben Wang is a world-class hacking prodigy. A lesser hacker would be in prison after some of the crap he's pulled. But he never steals anything or hurts anyone.
Knowledge (Business)
DC20: Ben's father runs a bakery/deli in the West End.
DC25: Ben's father's place prepares an eclectic mix of Central European and Southeast Asian food.
Knowledge (Civics)
DC20: Ben's mother is a public defender working for the Freedom City district attorney's office.
DC25: Ben's mother is a rare thing, a Freedom City resident with anti-superhero sentiments.
Knowledge (Theology & Philosophy)
DC20: Ben Wang's family is culturally Jewish but not particularly devout.
DC25: Ben Wang went to Hebrew school in Freedom City. His paternal grandmother is Catholic, the one outlier in his family.
