GranspearZX

I think I'm getting better at this. Edits this round: Spent the 2 unspent skill ranks in Climb Changed Super-Senses to just one of the two flaws (limited it to just his past lives), and used the extra point to add Danger Sense (visual). Also added the complication of too much use of the Postcognition to give the Crusader a massive headache.

Edits! Abilities: Reduced Charisma by 2, from 16 to 14. Edited Skills accordingly. Combat: I totally missed that house rule; my apologies for that. To fix, I bought up his defense and reduced the rank of the Shield power, giving him a base defense of 2 and a dodge bonus of 4. Skills: Fixed all his skills to properly reflect their modifiers; a lot of them were wrong. @.@ Feats: As per your suggestion, I dropped Improved Block 2. I also dropped Attractive, Inspire, Leadership, and Connected, and picked up Beginner's Luck. Powers: Changed his shield to Device 5, and added Indestructible as a power feat. Also changed the Strike power to Blast, and added rank to the Ricochet power feat. The idea behind Postcognition was really interesting, so I went with that too; not entirely sure I needed Limited AND Unreliable, but if that needs to be changed, let me know.It even gave me another idea for a complication (Hostile Takeover) to add. Hopefully I didn't miss anything else; thanks again for reviewing. :)

Player Name: GranspearZX Character Name: Crusader Power Level: 7 (108/110PP) Trade-Offs: None Unspent PP: 2 Progress to Silver Status: 5/60 (Bronze Status earned with Arcturus) In Brief: A high school teacher trying to follow in the footsteps of his father. Alternate Identities: Clark Allen Noble Identity: Secret Birthplace: Freedom City Occupation: High School Teacher Affiliations: FDR High School Family: Carla Noble (mother), Benjamin Noble (brother), Regina Noble (sister) Age: 32 (DoB: May 1979) Apparent Age: 32 Gender: Male Ethnicity: Irish Height: 6'2" Weight: 231 lbs. Eyes: Blue Hair: Black Description: Clark Noble could easily be mistaken as a professional athlete; tall and muscular, Clark is a wide-shouldered and often imposing figure to most. His short, blonde hair is often hidden underneath a featureless black cap, and sunglasses usually shade his dark blue eyes. As the Crusader, his costume is white and red, with red boots and gloves. He also wears a white mask that covers his entire face. His round shield is white, as well, with a red cross dominating its center. Power Descriptions: Clark doesn't appear to have much in the way of superpowers, but he manages to hold his own with the help of extensive physical training and the help of his shield. The shield itself seems to have unusual properties of its own, virtually indestructible. History: Clark lead a fairly simple life. He was the first in a set of triplets, and for years it was speculated that being the first-born afforded him a unique advantage. He was an especially charismatic and focused young man, and while he was a fairly perceptive child, he never really noticed that his father wasn't around all that often. As a 5-year old, he was a bit too young to understand what exactly his father was doing. Eventually, Clark did find out, after finding his father sneaking into the house late one night--in costume as the Crusader. In exchange for keeping his father's secret, Brian Noble promised to teach Clark everything that he knew; with the climate as it was for superheroes in the early 80s, Brian could only hope the city would relinquish its ban on their activities. Tragedy struck in 1993; the Terminus Invasion caused widespread chaos across the city, and Brian Noble went missing during the evacuation of their neighborhood, and when it was all over, many heroes were gone--including the Crusader. Only Clark knew his father's secret, and only he knew that his father was more than just 'missing'. It forced him to grow up a bit faster, taking on the responsibilities of his family even as his twin brother and sister put an increasing strain on his grief-stricken mother. In 1998, he graduated from high school; he nearly joined the military until he started having odd, unsettling dreams of his father. Keeping the part-time job he'd found, he started recreating his father's costume from memory--memories that, he soon discovered, weren't entirely his own. Visiting his father's grave in Memorial Grove, he was suddenly flooded mentally by a vision of his father's spirit--and every Crusader before him, stretching back to the 13th century. When he awoke, nearly a week had passed, and his father's shield lay along side his gravestone. Using his newly acquired powers, he began building on the legacy his father and his ancestors left behind. Operating largely out of Hanover, Clark put himself through college and earned a B.S. in Athletic Training with a minor in biomechanics, later earning a Master's in education. By then, his sister had moved on, working for the World Health Organization; Robert, however, had developed a gambling addiction. More than once, Clark tried to bail his brother out of situations involving drugs and owing mobsters money, only to later have to take him down along with the other criminals he encountered as the Crusader. Personality & Motivation: Most people who get to know Clark find him to be very easy going, although his naturally competitive nature often manifests itself from the sidelines when he's coaching. As the Crusader, he tries to curb that instinct and is exceptionally well-suited to working with others. As a leader, he can be an insufferable optimist, stubborn and unrelenting when it comes to achieving his goals. Driven by the desire to honor the Crusader legacy, he presses forward, no matter what, though never at the expense of sacrificing anyone but himself. He isn't at all the single-minded simpleton that his moral code would lead one to believe, however; while strives to be the quintessential hero, he recognizes that he's human. If nothing else, he tries to conduct himself as a role model, but even he has moments of weakness where righteous indignation overtakes any pretense of taking the moral high road. Powers & Tactics: Clark has never been one to shy away from a fight, but he's surprisingly adept at team tactics, able to analyze both his allies' strengths as well as his enemies' strengths and weaknesses. He often prefers to use the Crusader Shield's ricochet effect to dispatch weaker enemies before focusing on the greatest threat, charging shield-first into foes too tough to be taken out from a distance. Complications: Hatred: Clark's dislike for organized crime borders on the irrational; he's often a little bit rougher with gangsters and mobsters than he probably should be. Mistaken Identity: Clark's twin brother, Ben, is a notorious gambler and owes a lot of people money, superpowered and not. Despite Clark's best efforts to keep his brother out of trouble, he often gets caught in the crossfire of his brother's immoral behavior. People's Champ: Clark is guided--and often bound--by his moral code, and he finds it difficult to do anything that might be perceived as 'unheroic'. He'll never willingly strike a downed opponent, and is extremely reluctant to put women or kids in jeopardy. Secret Identity: No one else knows that Clark Noble is the Crusader--a separation that Clark will go to great lengths to keep a secret. Warrior's Pride: Clark has difficulty backing down from a fight, especially a one-on-one challenge. Working Stiff: Clark Noble is a high school football coach and history teacher at FDR High School. He takes his job pretty seriously, and has been known to lose sleep over trying to keep up with his double life. Abilities: 4 + 8 + 10 + 2 + 2 + 4 = 30PP Strength: 14 (+2) Dexterity: 18 (+4) Constitution: 20 (+5) Intelligence: 12 (+1) Wisdom: 12 (+1) Charisma: 14 (+2) Combat: 14 + 4 = 16PP Initiative: +4 Attack: +7, +9 Blast Grapple: +9 Defense: +6 (+2 Base, +0 Dodge Focus, +4 Shield), +1 Flat-Footed Knockback: -2 Saving Throws: 0 + 0 + 3 = 3PP Toughness: +5 (+5 Con) Fortitude: +5 (+5 Con, +0) Reflex: +4 (+4 Dex, +0) Will: +4 (+1 Wis, +3) Skills: 84R = 21PP Acrobatics 6 (+10) Climb 5 (+7) Craft (Mechanical) 5 (+6) Diplomacy 6 (+8) Escape Artist 6 (+10) Gather Information 6 (+8) Intimidate 6 (+8) Investigate 6 (+7) Knowledge (History) 6 (+7) Knowledge (Tactics) 6 (+7) Notice 6 (+7) Sense Motive 8 (+9) Stealth 6 (+10) Swim 6 (+8) Feats: 15PP All-Out Attack Assessment Beginners Luck Defensive Attack Fearless Improved Critical (Shield) 2 Improved Disarm Improved Sunder Interpose Luck Power Attack Seize Initiative Startle Takedown Attack Powers: 18 + 1 + 1 + 1 = 21PP Device 5 (25PP Container, Extra Effort applies to user, Flaws: Easy-To-Lose 2, Feats: Indestructible, Restricted 2 [Crusader]) (Crusader Shield, Impervium) [18PP] Blast 2 (10 20ft Range Increments, 200ft Max Range, Feats: Accurate, Mighty 2, Split Attack 2) [9PP] Deflect 4 (All Ranged Attacks, Extras: Linked [shield]) [12PP] Shield 4 (+4 Dodge, Extras: Linked [Deflect]) [4PP] Leaping 1 (x2 [24ft Running Long Jump, 12ft Standing Long Jump, 6ft Verticle Jump]) (Training) [1PP] Speed 1 (10mph / 100ft per Move Action) (Training) [1PP] Super Senses 1 (Danger Sense [Auditory]) (Training) [1PP] DC Block: ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC17 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Shield Ranged DC19 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Abilities (30) + Combat (18) + Saving Throws (3) + Skills (21) + Feats (15) + Powers (21) - Drawbacks (0) = 108/110 Power Points

Marcus Irons / Arcturus

Uh... Arc is a Claremont student. o.o But no worries; I'll find something else to do, I'm sure. ^^

*also raises hand?* ^^

Just casting a line; I'm really up for anything. :)

No matter what Steven Colbert says. >.> <.< At any rate, Arcturus is very much available for a thread, if anyone's interested. :)

Arc's Grapple roll: 1d20+18=36 And the spider's going... going... gone! :D

"Sounds like a plan." Marcus nodded, smiling nervously as he fished out a ten-dollar bill of his own. "Well, if you're sure..." It's not as if this was a date or anything. Marcus had actually managed to finish all of his food; he didn't realize just how hungry he was until after everything was gone. Tapping the book at his right side with a finger, he waited until they were both ready before standing up and heading outside. "Thanks again for the help, by the way... I'm probably gonna say that a lot, but I really do appreciate it."

Arcturus was a surprisingly capable fighter; he seemed to be just fine, so long as he kept his limbs away from the spider's mandibles. He wasn't sure if they were poisonous, but he certainly wasn't going to risk finding out. He didn't really plan on getting bitten--but then, he didn't plan on having to defend a little girl from the 'boogeyman' either. This entire day was full of surprises. Rene seemed like he was just about ready, and now Arcturus had to figure out just how to get rid of the spider. He couldn't help but think that this would be easier of he just had some gigantic shoe to squish it with... Instead, the big bear shifted his weight to try and get underneath the flailing spider, fully intending to haul the thing off the ground and throw it back where it came from.

Arc was irritable, tired, wet, and dirty. It was an unpleasant combination of things for one person to be, and yet here he was, in all his eight-foot glory, ankle deep in mud and pinning a giant spider to the ground. He was muddy all the way up to his knees and his fur was matted from the effort of the skirmishes into which he'd gotten himself involved, as well as the lake water. Still, it helped to focus on the task at hand; he could always complain about his sorry state later. The hissing was, to say the very least, unnerving. At first, Arcturus thought that some giant snake had decided to join the fray, but a quick glance alleviated that particular worry. His only issue now was just holding the spider at bay, and even that wasn't so difficult; he could tell that he was wearing the enormous arachnid down. Rene was holding his end up, as far as he could tell, but he had a sneaking suspicion that this was the easy part.

Arcturus Dreamtime Full Moon Blues Line of Sight

Marcus smiled broadly, glancing again at his own fortune. The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step. Cute. Marcus nodded at Etain's offer. "Well, I've never been one to say 'no' to good company... sure, I wouldn't mind if you came along." He started fishing around for his wallet; he had plenty of money, and didn't really spend much on himself to begin with; paying for himself and his new friend didn't seems like much of an issue.

"Hey, any help would be appreciated..." Marcus smiled, hoping his suggestion to seek out Ms. Cross didn't offend her. He was just glad to have found someone he could talk to without feeling awkward... although, she still hadn't seen him transform yet. That in and of itself could be rather jarring... but Etain hardly struck him as 'average'. He waited until his food was nearly gone before reaching for a fortune cookie. "I wonder about these fortune cookies sometimes... whether or not this stuff actually comes true, I mean." Marcus always found fortune cookies amusing if nothing else; he was hardly the sort of person to look to a snack for his future. Cracking one open, he pulled the piece of paper out of it, munching on it quietly while reading the fortune. "...so, what's yours say?"

"God, I hope I'm not too much like my parents. Predisposition or not, that could be awkward. For the longest time, my dad couldn't control his... that was years ago though, before I was even born." He's heard his father's story. It was a long conversation that left Marcus with all sorts of questions and emotions that he couldn't even begin to quantify. The truth was rough, and even now he didn't really want to think about it. "Difficult... but not impossible. I'd still like to try it eventually... or maybe Ms. Cross could give me a hand with it. Tuition is expensive enough without me wasting money on clothes every time it happens. Plus... I need to be able to do something with whatever magic I have. Seems kind of a waste if I just sit around waiting for stuff to happen to me..."

"Is it?" He glanced over his shoulder--why, he couldn't be sure, considering the fact that he couldn't see through his jersey. "...I guess it makes sense. I always thought it was more like my dad's... abilities." Marcus took a sip of his own tea. "Sorry about that. I'm not really sure how I do it. Hell, the night it first happened was a little bit of a blur." An angry, tazer-filled blur. "Since then, I can just sort of think about it and it... changes me. Problem is, my clothes don't usually survive the switch." He grinned nervously; he still hadn't figured out just how to fix that problem, but he was definitely working on it.

"Yeah, that's the one. That and the Earth rune..." He wasn't really sure how she knew, though it suddenly occurred to him that his birthmark looked a lot like that particular rune--the Beast rune. That one and the Stone rune--a deceptively simple downward-pointing triangle--seemed to command the most attention from Marcus's reading, though without the Latin passages, it was mostly skimming and theory on his part. Still, they both seemed familiar to him somehow; the Beast rune made sense, given his transformation, but the other, he wasn't so sure about. "I don't know if it's magic or curiosity though. Kinda hard to tell..."

"Stains? ...man, that sounds... unpleasant." He shuddered a bit, even as their food arrived. The thought of being permanently marked by magical misdeeds was a little bit terrifying; he had enough problems with his fugitive mother and his convict father. He shook his head. "Maybe I should just start with learning Latin and going from there. Considering that it's the root of so many languages, it can't be THAT hard... I hope." He smiled faintly and gingerly poked at the cabbage and broccoli stir fry he'd ordered. "Plus, there's one rune in the book I wanted to learn more about. I don't know why, but I felt kinda drawn to it... not in the same way as you and what you see, I'm sure, but it just felt like somethin' I should know."

"Rrgh... Less cheering, more magic making!" Arc yelled back, trying to keep the giant spider subdued. The fact that it couldn't get much traction in the mud was only helping his cause; it had six legs more than he did, and he doubted he could've pulled off such a bold assault without the terrain giving him an advantage. His job was merely to stall the thing, so he tried to keep the monster pinned down as best he could. He wasn't getting a whole lot of solid footing either, but he attempted to hold the spider down, nonetheless.

"Green tea, please." Marcus wasn't much of a tea-drinking person, but he at least knew what he liked. He waited for Etain to order before doing so for himself. "Eldritch... why does that sound familiar?" He could've sworn he'd heard that name once or twice... somewhere. "Eh. I don't suppose it's something you can just... turn off when you want to, then. Not like mine..." Marcus realized just how fortunate he was that he could at least control his powers. "So... what's it look like exactly?" Marcus was genuinely curious; he wondered mostly if it would give him some insight on how magic coexisted with everything else.

Arc's Attack roll: 1d20+9=28

"So I'm hired muscle now. Great." Arcturus snorted and looked over at the spider, moving quickly to get some distance between himself and Rene. He'd somewhat resigned himself to the fact that his magical talent was limited to, more or less, breaking things and beating up monsters. Despite how creeped out he was, he charged forward, stopping just long enough to catapult himself through the air with a broad leap to grab the beast about the head and wrestle it to the ground. If he was going to be the brawn of this little rescue, he figured he might as well act the part.

Arc's Initiative: 1d20+6=26 And Arcturus invents spider wrestling! Attack roll: 1d20+9=12 Although... I think I just missed. Bluh.

"The master what?" Marcus couldn't help but think that he probably should have known who exactly she was talking about. Still, the confusion was very much apparent on his face. He understood the gist of who he was though--the idea that one person was responsible for looking after the entire city magically was rather mind-blowing on its own. "Oh, so you can see it... Huh. That explains a lot." He kept his voice down, keeping the conversation between the two of them as he followed her inside. Despite being lunch time, the restaurant was quiet in a pleasant sort of way. There was music playing, though the volume was kept relatively low, in keeping with the place's ambiance. "Is that how you could tell that I... y'know." It occurred to him that he hadn't yet shown her what he could do. A demonstration seemed rather inappropriate in any venue, especially here... he certainly wasn't going to go that far. He did wonder, though, since he wasn't even certain how Etain's sight really worked...