Dariusprime Posted August 28, 2019 Posted August 28, 2019 Vox Power Level: 7 (105/118PP) Unspent Power Points: 13Trade-Offs: -2 Attack / +2 Damage, +2 Defense / -2 Toughness In Brief: Amateur astronomer hears the voice of the universe and unleashes latent sonic abilities! Catchphrase: Words have Power. Alternate Identity: Nicholas Brown (secret)Birthplace: Ames, Iowa Residence: Nevada, Iowa (hometown); Freedom City, New Jersey (school)Base of Operations: Claremont AcademyOccupation: StudentAffiliations: Claremont Academy, Unnamed Team, Society of Amateur Radio AstronomersFamily: Marie and Johnathan Brown (Parents), Otis Brown (Great uncle), Judith and Buzz Oliver (grandparents), Orville and Jane Brown (grandparents, deceased), Various and sundry extended family members Description:Age: July 7th, 2003Gender: MaleEthnicity: CaucasianHeight: 5’3”Weight: 118 lbsEyes: BrownHair: Dark brown Nicholas is a small, young man with short-cropped hair and fearful eyes. He’s not scrawny. Under his band t-shirts and jeans is a teenager that helped his uncle on the farm. Years of sun have given him a medium complexion, but his northern European heritage is still apparent. His long face is lined with worry, and makes him look older. On better days, he observes everything with interest. On bad days, he just keeps his head down. Vox’s costume is a long-sleeved shirt and pants affair with a loose jacket. The base color is a light gray with darker gray accents and spaced lines. When moving, the contrasts look like rippling sound waves. His mask is a head cover, sleek helmet, and mirrored goggles. He tried a mouth guard, but that lasted one use of his powers. Matching gloves and boots complete the look. The outfit is just “normal” enough that in a pinch he could blend into a crowd or dark alleyway. Nonetheless, it is still constructed of morphic molecules. History: On June 19th, 2019, at 9:46 pm Central Time, a blast was detected 9 miles northeast of Ames, Iowa. The shock wave flattened trees and buildings in a 2 mile radius and shattered windows up to 5 miles away. The radial pattern of fallen trees aided first responders in locating the origin point. Near a small creek surrounded by farmland, Nicholas Brown, 15, was pulled unharmed from the wreckage of his campsite. Suspicion immediately full on the survivor. Investigators recovered unusual components at his parents’ home and his great uncle’s barn near the site. Nicholas remained catatonic for days, and upon recovery, appeared to suffer from a form of aphasia. Physically healthy, he seemed afraid to speak. Law enforcement soon closed on him. Thankfully for Nicholas, a team of specialists arrived to assist the growing investigation. An agent by the name of Philip Burton interviewed the young man. Within 36 hours, the cause of the event was determined. A secondary fire along the creek had obscured an illegal dump containing a volatile mix of chemicals. On July 1st, Nick was offered a full scholarship to the prestigious Claremont Academy in Freedom City, New Jersey. Philip Burton, aka Lamar “Sonic” Phillips, extended the invitation. What followed was a summer-long whirlwind of testing, training, and long-distance moving. Since the incident, more details have emerged. Research suggested Nick was the first active member of a line of minor psions. Their powers consisted of sensitivity to certain auditory and electromagnetic frequencies. This pattern explained the erratic migration of the family and their refusal to adopt new technologies. Many members sought out areas with limited electromagnetic and noise pollution. For example, Nick’s family settled in rural Iowa in the ‘20s. The explosion was the first manifestation of his potential. He had set up his radio telescope according to precise instructions. Where did he receive this information? From Morse code signals chiming in his ears at night. Why would he use this information? A mix of confusion, curiosity, and the thought that he was losing his mind. The real horror, however, arrived at precisely 9:45 pm. A clear signal repeated a message in triplicate. Somehow he directly sensed and understood its meaning. We hear you. Personality & Motivation: Nick is a highly intelligent and genuinely sweet young man. He is introverted by nature with bullying-induced shyness on top. Despite his social awkwardness, he can be quite charming and a skilled organizer when given the opportunity. His read of others is better than people give him credit. Mostly though he’d rather be tinkering on some project or another. People exhaust him and largely can’t be trusted. The trauma of gaining powers has added anxiety to his problems. Nick’s long-term plans are on hold. Right now his motivation revolves completely around controlling his powers. The crash course over the summer of 2019 has helped, but he is ill-at-ease being what he considers a weapon of mass destruction. That the school wants to put him in a noisy, electromagnetically rich environment is, to him, very foolish. Part of him resents being beholden to the heroes running the school. Another part of him is grateful for the many opportunities. This conflict has left him more than a little adrift and unable to focus. Powers & Tactics:Nick’s powers are very bare bones and blunt at the moment. A lot of effort has gone into training himself not to speak. Even the slightest whisper can rattle cause tremors and break delicate objects. Speaking at normal volumes unleashes the equivalent of a bomb. A muzzle mutes him when sleeping or when he otherwise feels uncomfortable. Control aside, Nick is fairly capable with his basic array. The default power, Cascade, can quickly bludgeon groups of foes. Shear releases a directional wave with similar, albeit more precise, results. His favorite accomplishment is Resonance, a directional cone that disrupts targets’ physiology without lasting injury. At the moment, his defense is largely based on training and lots of bruises. Typically, he will evade attacks, close on one or more targets, and unleash one of his effects when they are in range. His training suggests he should be able to develop finer control and more powers over time. The techniques of other sonic (especially Sonic!) heroes have inspired him. Even if he is a bit too bitter to admit it right now. Power Descriptions: The Vox Universum array appears as visible distortions in the air: layers of sound waves rippling from him. Transverse waves imparted into material follow a similar pattern. Although the results tend to pulverize many materials. The exception is Resonance, which appears as a fuzzy, heat-like shimmer as unpleasant to see as feel. All uses are accompanied by a booming amplification of the words he speaks. The specific words aren’t important (yet!). Volume, duration, and inflection seem to be the drivers. All of his powers are psionic in nature. A current hypothesis is that his sensitivity has induced an ability to interpret universal principles as sonic effects. They originate from his mind. The more he listens to radio frequencies and sounds, particularly interstellar signals, the more he seems to understand them, and at an analytical level. Sources as esoteric as Words of Creation, echoes of the big bang, and murmurs of chthonic entities have all been considered. Obviously, these effects have the sonic descriptor. Complications: Bad Company (Reputation): Where he grew up, he is now considered a public menace. Enemy Mine: Nick doesn’t know it yet, but interested parties have noticed him. Among them is the ever curious Maestro. Goes to 11 (Accident): Nick’s powers default to Cascade. Even the slightest whisper can rattle foundations and shatter objects around him. In combat, his powers have a tendency to cause collateral damage. Let It All Out (Phobia): As much neurosis as training, Nick holds himself back out of fear. This can cause him to hesitate or freeze up at the worst times. Never Going Home: Developing powers has put a strain on his relationship with his family. Being far from home and homesick doesn’t help. Secret Agent Man: Having a secret identity sucks. Werewolves of London: Ames was the biggest town he knew. “Fish out of water” does not describe how overwhelmed he is by the big city. Abilities: 2 + 4 + 4 + 6 + 4 + 2 = 22PP Strength: 12 (+1) Dexterity: 14 (+2) Constitution: 14 (+2) Intelligence: 16 (+3) Wisdom: 14 (+2) Charisma: 12 (+1)Combat: 6 + 16 = 22PP Initiative: +6 Attack: +5 Melee (+2 Attack Focus), +3 Ranged, +3 Base Defense: +9 (+8 Base, +1 Dodge Focus), +4 Flat-Footed Grapple: +6 (+5 Melee, +1 Str) Knockback: -2Saving Throws: 3 + 4 + 3 = 10PP Toughness: +5 (+2 Con, +3 Defensive Roll) Fortitude: +5 (+2 Con, +3) Reflex: +6 (+2 Dex, +4) Will: +5 (+2 Wis, +3)Skills: 48/48R = 12PP Climb 2 (+3) Concentration 4 (+6) Computers 4 (+7) Craft (Electronics) 4 (+7) Craft (Mechanical) 4 (+7) Diplomacy 2 (+3) Knowledge (Physical Sciences) 3 (+6) Knowledge (Technology) 3 (+6) Language 1 (English [Base], American Sign Language) Notice 5 (+7) Perform (Stringed Instruments) 4 (+5) Search 2 (+5) Sense Motive 4 (+6) Stealth 4 (+6) Swim 2 (+3) Feats: 12PP Accurate Attack Attack Focus (Melee) 2 Defensive Roll 3 Improved Initiative Luck 2 Power Attack Quick Change Uncanny Dodge (Auditory) Powers: 1 + 11 + 18 = 30PP Immunity 1 (own powers) [1PP] (Psionic) Super Senses 11 (Accurate [All Hearing] 4, Analytical [All Hearing] 2, Cosmic Awareness [Hearing] 1, Electromagnetic Energy Awareness [Hearing] 1, Tremorsense 2, Ultra-Hearing 1] [11PP] (Psionic) Array 9 (Vox Universum; 18 PP Array; Power Feats: Alternate Power 2; Drawbacks: Full Power -1 PP, Power Loss [When Unable to Speak] -1 PP) [18PP] (Psionic, Sonic) Base Power: Damage 9 (Cascade; Extras: Area (Targeted: Burst) +1) [18PP] Alternate Power: Damage 9 (Shear; Extras: Area (Targeted: Cone) +1) [18PP] Alternate Power: Stun 6 (Resonance; Extras: Area (General: Cone) +1) [18PP] Drawbacks: -3 = -3PP Disability (Mute, unless using powers; Frequency: Common; Intensity: Moderate) [-3PP] DC Block ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC 16 Toughness DamageCascade Burst Touch DC 24 Toughness DamageShear Cone Touch DC 24 Toughness Damage Resonance Cone Touch DC 16 Fortitude Stun Totals: Abilities (22) + Combat (22) + Saving Throws (10) + Skills (12) + Feats (12) + Powers (30) - Drawbacks (-3) = 105/118 Power Points Comments: Formatting troubles aside, here is my Claremonter. The build is deliberately basic. I'm looking forward to figuring out the character and his power set will mature.
Avenger Assembled Posted August 28, 2019 Posted August 28, 2019 Interesting! Is he supposed to have no single-target attacks?
Dariusprime Posted August 29, 2019 Author Posted August 29, 2019 2 hours ago, Avenger Assembled said: Interesting! Is he supposed to have no single-target attacks? Yes, he is not supposed to have single-target attacks. At the moment his powers are still too raw and undisciplined to focus on a single target. Fluff wise I would say him channeling his power into a cone is an accomplishment. I haven't planned out the progression, but I may well buy up some single-target effects in future. Those effects would represent ongoing training and experience. An early build did have a standard Blast effect. Or perhaps I will try to work around the limitation of only having area attacks. Thank you!
Avenger Assembled Posted August 29, 2019 Posted August 29, 2019 Thought so - and I like it! You could even make that a complication. APPROVED
angrydurf Posted August 31, 2019 Posted August 31, 2019 Super senses: EM Awareness needs a sense type associated with it, It looks like you're paying for radar not radio (radio is 1PP radar is radio + accurate for 3PP), and ultrahearing doesn't need a type. Sonare is basically accurate hearing which he already has. formatting of Array power should be: Array 9 (Vox Universum; 18 PP Array; Power Feats: ... Array drawback should be power loss[When Unable to Speak] Powers in the array should be Damage not strike and the area needs to be listed as targeted: Damage 9 (Cascade; Extras: Area(Targeted) +1) [18PP] Stun is I think supposed to be area(General:Cone)
Dariusprime Posted August 31, 2019 Author Posted August 31, 2019 (edited) 13 hours ago, angrydurf said: Super senses: EM Awareness needs a sense type associated with it, It looks like you're paying for radar not radio (radio is 1PP radar is radio + accurate for 3PP), and ultrahearing doesn't need a type. Sonare is basically accurate hearing which he already has. Alrighty, let's see what I can do here. 1) Typed EM Awareness to Hearing. 2) Radio is the basic 1 PP version. 3) Separated Ultra-Hearing and Sonar. I originally formatted Sonar with Ultra-Hearing to account for Accurate [All Hearing] creating Sonar. If I'm calculating right, the breakdown is: Accurate (All Hearing) 4 PP, Analytical 2 PP (All Hearing), EM Awareness (due to Very Common Descriptor) 3 PP, Radio 1 PP, Sonar (from Accurate Hearing) 0 PP, Ultra-Hearing 1 PP = 11 PP 13 hours ago, angrydurf said: formatting of Array power should be: Array 9 (Vox Universum; 18 PP Array; Power Feats: ... Array drawback should be power loss[When Unable to Speak] Powers in the array should be Damage not strike and the area needs to be listed as targeted: Damage 9 (Cascade; Extras: Area(Targeted) +1) [18PP] 1) Reformatted the Array, updated Power Loss, changed effects to Damage, and added Targeted. 13 hours ago, angrydurf said: Stun is I think supposed to be area(General:Cone) Stun is a Touch Range effect that requires a melee attack roll, and the Targeted Area Extra is applicable for effects requiring attack rolls. I reformatted it as Targeted for now, but please let me know if I missed something. Thank you! Edited August 31, 2019 by Dariusprime
angrydurf Posted August 31, 2019 Posted August 31, 2019 Lets break this down: Super Senses 11 (Accurate [Normal Hearing], Analytical [All Hearing], Electromagnetic Energy Awareness [Hearing], Radio, Sonar, Ultra-Hearing] [11PP] (Psionic) Accurate[Normal Hearing] 2 Ranks Analytical[All Hearing] 2 Ranks EM Awareness[Hearing] 1 Rank Radio (sense type: Default Extras: +Acute, +Radius, +Ranged) 1 Rank Ultra Hearing 1 Rank Sonar(Accurate ultrasonic hearing) 3 Ranks So sonar would only need to buy Accurate on the Ultra hearing he already has in there at 2 Ranks. That is also the same as Accurate[All Hearing] given he already has it for Normal hearing. EM awareness is basically going to cover Radio already so that sense is doubled up. You could swap EM for something else like "Cosmic" as a good catch all for comic book spacey alien stuff. Or drop the radio sense and say he hears EM signals. So can listen to the radio in a cloud of chaff. Costs for exactly what he has now would look like: Super Senses 11 (Accurate [Normal Hearing] 2, Analytical [All Hearing] 2, Electromagnetic Energy Awareness [Hearing] 1, Radio 1, Ultra-Hearing[Accurate] 3) [9PP] (Psionic) That means he both hears and picks up Radio/EM both directly and via hearing, and is paying the same as All hearing Accurate to get it on only normal and ultra hearing. It'll kinda depend on the goals but right now you're overpaying and doubling up. Stun at Rank 6 is under capped severely as a targeted effect, only slightly as a general effect. I'd recommend making it general allow people a reflex followed by a fort save for the stun both at DC 16 rather than you rolling to hit then if you hit them having the DC 16 fort.
Dariusprime Posted September 1, 2019 Author Posted September 1, 2019 Ah, Super Senses. Gotta love'em. Ok, I think I follow now. Cosmic Awareness makes more sense for him, and so does a more general electromagnetic awareness. So I'll go with those two. Next, I will drop Sonar and keep Accurate [All Hearing]. You make a great point about Stun. I will change it to General. The free 2 PP will be put into Tremorsense. His sensitivity is beginning to manifest through other senses. Edits: Reworked Array, and updated Stun to General. Thank you for your help, angrydurf!
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