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Thorn Power Level: 10 (150/153PP) Unspent Power Points: 3 Trade-Offs: None In Brief: A young plant-controller trying hard to prove he can do more than just make a pretty garden. Catchphrase: None Theme: None Alternate Identity: Nicholas Starkey (Secret) Birthplace: Portland, OR Residence: Freedom City, New Jersey Base of Operations: Freedom City, New Jersey Occupation: Grad student at Freedom City University; part-time delivery person for Ferry's Flowers Affiliations: FCU Botany Dept; Ferry's Flowers Family: Ron & Emily Starkey (parents); Myra Livingston (grandmother) Description: Age: 23 (DoB: May 18th, 1997) Apparent Age: Early 20's. Gender: Male Ethnicity: Caucasian Height: 5' 7" Weight: 170 lbs. Eyes: Green Hair: Light brown Description: Nick has a compact gymnast's build and an inquisitive face. While his clothes are clean and neat, they're fairly unremarkable; he wears jeans, casual shoes, and untucked dress shirts over t-shirts. As Thorn, he wears a total bodysuit that only leaves his hands and feet uncovered. The bodysuit is forest green and is unadorned except for an overlay of overlapping leaf outlines in a slightly darker color. It is very elastic and porous to allow him to grow plants and thorns from his skin. History: Nick had an enjoyable childhood as the only child of a pair of university professors in Portland. For the most part, he was a laid-back kid who got good grades and played sports (although he sat on the bench a lot). He attended Oregon State University, and it was there that his life got sidetracked. In his freshman year, Nick went to a special exhibition at the university greenhouse as part of a biology class assignment. Rare tropical plants were on display, and while he was taking notes on them the roof blew open and the room filled with a choking, irritating gas. The supervillain Black Iris and her goons had arrived to steal some particularly rare plants. Instinctively, Nick grabbed one of the plants as he was overwhelmed by the fumes. He fell with the plant under him, and as he lost consciousness sap from the broken stem oozed over his hands. Later, he awoke in the infirmary of the local superhero group. After some confusion, it was explained to him that he had displayed some unusual physical properties and kept him for observation for a few days. It was their conclusion that some combination of the gas Black Iris had used, the sap from the unusual plant, and Nick's own body chemistry had combined to alter the structure of his body. While not exactly a plant, he seemed to be some kind of hybrid. Nick was delighted. What 19-year-old wouldn't be after being told by a bunch of super-heroes that he had super-powers? His delight turned out to be short-lived as he began to explore his abilities. The physical enhancements were cool: he was stronger, more agile, and much tougher: all good things. But then… well, he could cause plants to grow and he could control their movements. That was… OK. When he discovered he could produce large thorns on his skin, well, that was pretty metal. Discovering that he could grow plants from his skin was kind of gross, actually, although it meant he always flowers for his mom on Mother's Day. Still, it was cool to have powers, even if they were borderline lame ones, and after ordering a special bodysuit online, he was ready to fight the bad guys in his spare time, as Hybrid! Master of Plants. To his credit, he did foil a few robberies, but he soon found out that not very many people took a plant-hero seriously. After a few months of catcalls from bystanders who called him Flower Boy and Kompost Kid, he grumpily abandoned the hero thing and refocused on school. He had been intending to pursue a computer science degree, but he decided to switch to botany has a way of learning more about what he could do with his powers. Nick spent the better part of three years experimenting with his abilities. "Flower Boy," indeed… He wanted to be more like Geckoman! He discovered that he could radically speed up the growth of plants from his skin and from the ground. He could even form weapons from thorny, woody plants! After practicing whenever he could, he ventured into the superhero world again, this time as Thorn. He enjoyed some successes again minor villains, and as graduation neared, he knew what he wanted to do: get accepted into Freedom City's graduate program, and be a hero in Super-people Central! Personality & Motivation: Nick is a friendly guy, open to new experiences and good times. He has an aura of vitality and health that others notice. He doesn't always think things through, though, and this tendency has gotten him in trouble a few times in the superhero business. He is proud to be a superhero and happy to use his powers to keep people safe. However, he also has a (wood) chip on his shoulder about how others react to his powers, and he is determined to show that a plant-hero isn't just a background sidekick. He is usually upbeat and enthusiastic, if a bit naïve: the truly deadly nature of the superhero biz has not really sunk in with him yet. Powers & Tactics: Nick prefers to mix it up with the baddies rather than stand back and use his powers from a distance. He likes to swing into battle using the vines that shoot from his hands and use knobby wood or thorny protrusions on his hands, elbows, etc. to deliver damage. He really wants to be a Spider-Man type, even if he doesn't quite have the talent for it. While his instincts are good, he's not the most skilled fighter, and when things don't go well he will resort to the hallucinogenic sap he can generate to slow an opponent down, or Snare opponents by causing plants in the area to grow. If grappled or attacked by several people in melee, he'll cause large thorns to protrude from his body to damage enemies and provide him with some space. He has also developed a short-ranged attack that's essentially a thorny hardwood clump on the end of a vine that he can swing around, using the flexibility of the vine to cause the "flail" to curve round and strike from unexpected angles. Power Descriptions: All of Nick's powers are plant-based. Swinging, wall-crawling, and his melee combat enhancements all come from being able to grow plants incredibly rapidly from his body. For swinging, he grows creeping vines out of his hands so that they latch on to nearby buildings, protrusions, etc. When he wall-crawls, he grows root systems from whatever body surface he needs to cling with. His melee combat enhancements are thorny, hard wood shapes he grows around his hands or other body parts like cesti or spiked elbow pads, for example. The damage aura is a profusion of large thorns over his entire body. The Nauseate effect comes from a hallucinogenic sap he generates in his body. He injects it through hollow thorns that protrude from his fingertips at will. The Snare is a rapid growth of plants from the ground that entwine and entangle the victim. Complications: Aquaman Syndrome: Nick is very focused on proving that his powers can do more than just cause some plants to grow and wrap people up. Nick can be taunted, tricked, or manipulated into going toe-to-toe with a villain instead of using his non-melee abilities even when the latter is a better tactic. Move towards the light!: Nick's Immunity to Starvation and Regeneration only work if he can access sunlight (or grow lights) to photosynthesize. He wears a Med Alert bracelet that says "Put me in the sun." "Green-blooded hobgoblin": Nick's physiology is no longer exactly human. This makes medical treatment problematic even for someone immune to poisons and disease. Also, he has to be very careful if he bleeds in his secret ID, as the green blood is… weird. Just say no to Monsanto: While Nick is immune to poisons that humans need to be wary of, he is susceptible to concentrated herbicides. A Barren Wasteland: It is possible that Nick could find himself in places where no seeds, dormant plants, or roots are nearby for him to use for his Snare ability. Can I get off this ride now?: Nick is sometimes afraid that his body is continuing to change, and that someday he will become a plant, possibly one without the ability to move… or think. A rare specimen: It won't take long for evil scientist types to realize that Nick's odd abilities warrant closer examination. Abilities: 2 + 2 + 2 + 8 + 2 + 2 = 18 PP Strength: 20/12 (+5/+1) Dexterity: 22/12 (+6/+1) Constitution: 26/12 (+8/+1) Intelligence: 18 (+4) Wisdom: 12 (+1) Charisma: 12 (+1) Combat: 8 + 8 = 16 PP Initiative: +7/+1 Attack: +10 Melee, +4 base; +4 Ranged, +10 with Snare, +10 with thornball Defense: +10 (+4 Base, +6 Dodge Focus), +2 Flat-Footed Grapple: +1 Knockback: -5/0 Saving Throws: 3 + 4 + 7 = 14 PP Toughness: +2/+10 (+1/+8 Con, Protection 2) Fortitude: +1/+8/+11 (+1/+8 Con, +3 PP) Reflex: +1/+6/+10 (+1/+6 DEX, +4 PP) Will: +1/+8 (+1 WIS, +7 PP) Skills: 56R = 14 PP Acrobatics 8 (+14) Climb 6 ( +12) Computers 4 (+8) Diplomacy 3 (+4/+8 w/Attractive feat) Knowledge: Life Sciences 8 (+12) Languages 1 (English [native], Spanish) Notice 10 (+11) Stealth 7 (+13) Survival 9 (+10) Feats: 16PP All-Out Attack Attractive (aura of vitality) Dodge Focus 6 Melee Attack Focus 6 Move-by Action Uncanny Dodge (Hearing) Equipment: 0PP = 0EP Powers: 27 + 8 + 10 + 14 + 3 + 6 + 2 + 2 = 72 PP Plant Control Array Rank 12 (24 PP array; Feats: Alternate Power 3) [27 PP] (Plant growth and control) Base Power: Snare 10 (Plant entwining; Feats: Split Attack, Accurate 3) {24/24} (Descriptors: plant-based) Alternate Power: Nauseate 8 (hallucinogenic sap injection; Extra: Poison) {24/24} (Descriptors: plant-based, drug/chemical/hallucinogen) Alternate Power: Blast 5 (Knobbly, thorny wood ball on a vine) Feats: Mighty 5, Improved Range (100 ft) Accurate 3, Indirect 3, Improved Critical 2; Drawbacks: Reduced Range 2 (100 ft max) {22/24} (Descriptors: plant-based, bludgeoning/piercing) Alternate Power: Damage 6 (large thorns protruding from body; Extras: Aura, Duration 2 – Sustained) {24/24} (Descriptors: plant-based, piercing) Enhanced Strength 8 [8 PP] (Descriptor: plant-based physical augmentation) Enhanced Dexterity 10 [10 PP] (Descriptor: plant-based physical augmentation) Enhanced Constitution 14 [14 PP] (Descriptor: plant-based physical augmentation) Immunity 3: Starvation, poison, disease [3 PP] (Descriptor: plant-based physiological changes) Super-Movement 3: Swinging, Wall-crawling 2 (half-movement, sticking) [6 PP] (Descriptors: Swinging – "shooting" rapidly-growing vines from hands; Wall-crawling: using small thorns and micro-roots for grip) Regeneration 2: Resurrection, Regrowth [2 PP] (Descriptor: plant-based physiological changes) Protection 2 [2 PP] (Descriptor: plant-based physiological changes) Drawbacks: None. DC Block ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC 20 Toughness Damage Thorny wood ball Ranged DC 25 Toughness Damage Body Thorns Touch/Aura DC 21Toughness Damage Hallucinogenic sap Touch DC 18 Fortitude Nauseate* Plant entwining Ranged DC 20 Reflex Snare *Has Poison Extra, so effect occurs again in following round; target is at least automatically Nauseated regardless of results of Fortitude save Totals: Abilities (18) + Combat (16) + Saving Throws (14) + Skills (14) + Feats (16) + Powers (72) - Drawbacks (0) = 150/153 Power Points