Bourbon Posted March 24, 2020 Posted March 24, 2020 (edited) My second PL 10 character. I am looking for someone who has a character who might fit the role of "John" in Quentin's backstory, as well as the villain that goes along with him. As far as power goes, I'm not trying to break any new ground here (no pun intended). He's a basic brick. _________________________________________________________________________________________________ Quentin WildePower Level: 10 (150/150PP)Unspent Power Points: 0 Trade-Offs: -2 Defense / +2 Toughness In Brief: Christian Soriano as a jaded English beau monde-type who gains super-strength and a new moral compass. Catchphrase: "This is a hot mess." Theme: "Fashion" (David Bowie) Alternate Identity: None (Public)Birthplace: Cambridge, England Residence: [*** NEED ADDRESS ***] Freedom City, New JerseyBase of Operations: Freedom City, New JerseyOccupation:Affiliations: None Family: James Holcomb, father; Emily Holcomb, mother; Derek Holcomb, brother; Melissa Holcomb, sister Description:Age: 25 (DoB: 11.07.1995)Apparent Age: Early 20'sGender: MaleEthnicity: Caucasian Anglo-SaxonHeight: 5' 4"Weight: 128 lbs.Eyes: blueHair: brown Quentin appears as a slender, shorter-than-average human male with no special proclivity for exercise. The style of his clothes and hair are usually a year or so ahead of what everyone else is wearing. He favors Italian custom-sewn suits. When super-heroing, he still wears nice suits, but ones fabricated from History: Quentin Wilde was born Quentin Holcomb, the third child of a very wealthy English manufacturing family. He was the black sheep of the family, always being far more interested in fashion and parties than the family business. An interesting bit of gossip led him to the discovery that his family was related to Oscar Wilde Oscar was his great-great grandfather, as Quentin's grandmother was the illegitimate child of Oscar's grandson Merlin. Quentin began calling himself Quentin Wilde, much to the dismay of his parents. In spite of prodding from both his parents, teen-aged Quentin seemed well on his way to leading a dissipative life. He barely graduated from his 4th private school, and after being expelled from university, his parents sent him to Switzerland. After more or less behaving himself, Quentin went on an extended world tour, winding up in Freedom City "where all the superheroes are." His party boy antics earned him a level of infamy in the tabloids. Quentin continued enjoying himself until the night he drunkenly drove his rented Maserati off an embankment into a bridge piling. That he was still alive was something of a miracle. After multiple surgeries, his parents put him in a private long-term rehabilitation center far away from the city. Quentin spent most of his time brooding and being temperamental. He hated everything about the place: the quiet, the stupid activities, the horrible food, the painful physical therapy, the lack of a bar area… He had actually gone so far as to bribe a staff member to sneak him a decent bottle of gin, but he was caught by another patient. This man had a certain presence, and Quentin found himself guiltily handing over the bottle to him rather than curse him and wheel back to his room with it. The man introduced himself as John* [WILL FILL IN ACTUAL NAME WHEN I GET IT], and began to talk to Quentin about the importance of following the rules and working hard on recovery. Clearly John was also recovering from major injuries, but he was more than willing to put in extra time coaching Quentin to keep him on track. In addition to working harder, John encouraged to help other patients. Quentin thought this was absurd, but John as one of the few people he had met whom he wanted to genuinely impress. As he continued to heal, Quentin started helping newer patients get oriented in the place, and began to participate in group activities. This was a completely alien world to Quentin, and he struggled to process how it was changing him. Quentin was close to being ready to leave, but was actually afraid of going back out into the world. The life of a libertine seemed less appealing to him now, and he felt embarrassed for how he gotten injured. John reassured him that he could point his life in a new direction, but Quentin wasn't so sure what that direction could possibly be. All that changed when there was a mighty crash at the facility one night, and as a wall burst open Quentin recognized a supervillain he had seen on TV: Badguy* [WILL REPLACE WITH NAME ONCE I GET IT], a particularly violent villain. And he was heading straight for John! Without thinking, Quentin stepped in front of the oncoming villain, only to be swatter aside by [INSERT VIOLENT POWER HERE]. As his vision cleared, Quentin was amazed to see John wrestling with Badguy! Quentin felt strangely energized, and also furious at Badguy for invading this sanctuary. Quentin charged Badguy and to the surprise of them both, knocked him off his feet and through a wall. The situation had activated Quentin's long latent mutant powers, and after a brutal fight, Badguy lay vanquished on the facility grounds. When reporters arrived, they found Quentin cleaning up the battle area, including picking up and moving a crushed car. Photos of this whirled around the world, and #superquentin popped up on social media. Even without John's advice, Quentin knew he was staring at a new direction for his life. Since there was no way he could disguise his identity (how many diminutive strong men were there on the East Coast?) , he decided to try and use his powers to help people. He found a job as the goodwill ambassador and public face for the charity Recovery Around the World, and has begun the herculean task of rebuilding his reputation. While his parents aren't wild about him being "one of those super-types," they do at least recognize that what he's trying to do now is a big step up from being a drunken wastrel. Personality & Motivation: Quentin is a lifelong hedonist who only recently developed any sense of empathy or understanding of the common good. In some ways, his understanding of how the world really works is somewhat child-like. He sometimes feels like he's been asleep his entire life and is only now waking up and realizing he's way behind. Quentin is a very outgoing person and does his best to connect with people who, in the past, he would have utterly disregarded. He is still shocked at the level of helplessness many people suffer in their lives, and he is experiencing a strange but growing sense of responsibility to protect those who can't protect themselves. If you caught him at the right moment, he also might admit a certain thrill at being a super-hero. Quentin has always enjoyed presenting himself as a larger-than-life fashionista, and while he still tends to present that façade, he uses it as self-parody, both as a way of showing some humble recognition of his past excesses and as a way of distancing himself from the more painful aspects of that recognition. Powers & Tactics: Quentin's still learning how to use his tremendous strength. He's not fond of hitting people, although he'll do it when necessary. He prefers to physically restrain an opponent when possible, and grab something handy to wrap them up. Shockwave and Groundstrike he reserves for facing a number of opponents. Power Descriptions: Nothing much to describe here: just a smaller-sized man lifting incongruously heavy things. The shockwave and groundstrike Feats are mostly distortion waves that are visible in the typical way. Complications:Money! It's a gas: Fortune can be a fickle thing. Quentin's family could suffer a series of financial disasters (influenced by a villain, maybe?), leaving him to live on "only" on his nominal PR salary. (Not) born in the USA: Either through bureaucratic error or diabolical supervillainry, Quentin's visa could be jeopardized. Dirty Water I: Quentin has plenty of wild friends from the "old days." If things are going tough, will Quentin be tempted to return to his bad boy ways? Dirty Water II: As far as that goes, maybe some of Quentin's less reputable mates will see his newfound popularity as a way to run some kind of crooked deal "for an old friend." If he refuses, will they seek retribution? I don't remember, I can't recall: It could be that someone took a photo or video of Quentin in one of his less-than-stellar moments. Now that's he's a hero, a potential blackmailer could decide the price for their silence could be sky-high! Poor old Ruby Reddressc: The paparazzi don't take "no" for an answer. This might include nosing into Quentin's business at the worst moment, either his private life or in the middle of a battle. Comin' for you: [INSERT VILLAIN NAME FROM ORIGIN STORY HERE] wants revenge on the one who spoiled their revenge. My bad reputation: Quentin may have a tough time convincing people who had heard of him before his accident that he has turned over a new leaf. I can't drive 55: Quentin's driver's license is suspended. The first cut is the deepest: When Quentin's mutant powers activated, he mostly finished healing from his accident. He still has days when he experiences pain in his legs or back. He has not yet visited a doctor, since he's a bit afraid that the pain is psychosomatic in nature, and that's something he's not willing to deal with right now. Abilities: 0 + 4 + 0 + 0 + 2 + 8 = 14PPStrength: 10/30/52 (+10) Dexterity: 14 (+2) Constitution: 10/34 (+12) Intelligence: 10 (+0) Wisdom: 12 (+1) Charisma: 18 (+4)Combat: 8 + 8 = 16PPInitiative: +0 Attack: +10 Melee, +4 Base, +4 Ranged Defense: +8 (+4 Base, +4 Dodge Focus), +4 Flat-Footed Grapple: +31 Knockback: -12Saving Throws: 0 + 4 + 5 = 9PPToughness: +12/+0 (+12 Con) Fortitude: +12/+0 (+12 Con) Reflex: +6 (+2 Dex) Will: +6 (+1 Wis)Skills: 44 = 11PP Bluff 8 (+12) Diplomacy 12 (+16) Gather Info 11 (+12) Language 1 (English [native], French) Sense Motive 4 (+5) Knowledge Skill: Fashion 8 (+9) Feats: 18PP Dodge Focus 4 Melee Attack Bonus 6 Connected Improved Grab Improved Pin Improved Grapple Interpose Well-Informed Benefit: Wealth 2 (Rich) Powers: 20 + 24 + 12 + 24 + 2 = 82 PP Enhanced Strength +20 (Descriptor: mutation) Enhanced Constitution +24 (Descriptor: mutation) Impervious Toughness 12 (Descriptor: mutation) Super-strength 11 (heavy load 1,600 tons) Feats: Groundstrike, Shockwave (Descriptor: mutation) Speed 2 (Descriptor: mutation) Drawbacks: None DC Block ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC 25 Toughness DamageGroundstrike Touch (Area) variable Reflex TripShockwave Area (cone) DC 25 Fortitude Damage Totals: Abilities (14) + Combat (16) + Saving Throws (9) + Skills (11) + Feats (18) + Powers (82) - Drawbacks (0) = 150/150 Power Points Edited April 30, 2020 by Bourbon thread title change - shelving idea for now
Thevshi Posted March 24, 2020 Posted March 24, 2020 Not exactly comments on what you have thus far, but thought I would point out there are some UK based PCs and a superteam: Vanguard Might be worth at least looking and seeing if anything might fit to his backstory.
Amelia Posted March 24, 2020 Posted March 24, 2020 (edited) Quote Residence: [*** NEED ADDRESS ***] Freedom City, New Jersey You don't, actually. City and state is enough. Quote Age: 25 (DoB: 11.07.1995) You only need the year. You're welcome to specify the date if you want, but you might not want to pin yourself down yet. Quote When super-heroing, he still wears nice suits, but ones fabricated from Looks like you stopped mid-sentence. Be sure to include both the Enhanced and non-powered ranks for his traits, and be sure to put things in alphabetical order before submitting anything to the C-Bank. I would consider a higher tradeoff for this character in favor of Damage over Attack and Toughness over Defense. He doesn't seem like the type to have had much combat training, more like the type who's got a lot of raw power and not much finesse yet. I would go 6/14 or 5/15. And if you do drop your Attack down to +5 or +6, I would go full base Attack, so he's equally good at punching people or throwing heavy stuff at them (his only way to deal with targets he can't run up to). Quote Saving Throws: 0 + 4 + 5 = 9PPToughness: +12/+0 (+12 Con) Fortitude: +12/+0 (+12 Con) Reflex: +6 (+2 Dex) Will: +6 (+1 Wis) There's a less ambiguous way to format this: Saving Throws: 0 + 4 + 5 = 9PP Toughness: +12/+0 (+12/+0 Con) Fortitude: +12/+0 (+12/+0 Con, +0PP) Reflex: +6 (+2 Dex, +4PP) Will: +6 (+1 Wis, +5PP) Quote Skills: 44 = 11PP Bluff 8 (+12) Diplomacy 12 (+16) Gather Info 11 (+12) Language 1 (English [native], French) Sense Motive 4 (+5) Knowledge Skill: Fashion 8 (+9) I think Knowledge (Art) is the closest fit for fashion and design. And Craft (Artistic) would be the skill to take if he knows how to sew the clothes he designs. If he has 11 ranks in Gather Information and +4 Charisma, then his total skill bonus should be +15. I would drop the Diplomacy skill from +16 to +15. It's a skill with static DCs in increments of 5, so +16 won't get him more than +15 will. I would drop Sense Motive entirely. He doesn't need it to resist interaction skills. He can resist Bluff with Bluff. Diplomacy can only be used on NPCs, aside from the Fascinate feat, so 99% of the time he doesn't need to worry about someone else using Diplomacy on him, and if someone does try to Fascinate him with Diplomacy, he can resist with Diplomacy. So for interaction skills, that leaves Intimidation, which he can resist with his Will save, which is higher than his Sense Motive bonus anyway. So the only reason for him to have Sense Motive is if he wants to try to evaluate a social situation, which is DC20, which he'd need a 15+ on the die for, a 30% chance. With that Gather Information bonus, I would consider the Contacts feat. Quote Feats: 18PP Dodge Focus 4 Melee Attack Bonus 6 Connected Improved Grab Improved Pin Improved Grapple Interpose Well-Informed Benefit: Wealth 2 (Rich) With his grapple bonus, he doesn't need Improved Pin. And having it, especially as a normal feat, implies that he's had some training in wrestling or jiu-jutsu or something like that, which doesn't seem to match his background. Improved Grab is too good. I would consider dropping the feat because it's so efficient it's not fun. Quote Impervious Toughness 12 (Descriptor: mutation) House rules cap Impervious at PL, so you can only have 10 ranks here, not 12. Quote Strength: 10/30/52 (+10) You calculated this wrong, and formatted it ambiguously. With Enhanced Strength 20 and Super-Strength 11 (+55), his total lifting Strength is To avoid confusion, I would write it like this: Strength: 30/10 (+10/+0), 85/10 Lifting (Heavy Load: 1,600 tons / 100 lbs.) Quote Speed 2 (Descriptor: mutation) You want the individual power costs listed next to each power. Personally, I like to skip a line between each power to make that section easier to read. Personally, I like to include the speed in movement powers, so people can just glance at the sheet instead of looking it up. So I'd write it like this: Speed 2 (25MPH, 250ft per Move Action) [2PP] (Descriptors: Mutation) Edited March 24, 2020 by Grumblefloof
Bourbon Posted April 1, 2020 Author Posted April 1, 2020 Second draft: Quentin WildePower Level: 10 (150/150PP)Unspent Power Points: 0 Trade-Offs: -2 Defense / +2 Toughness In Brief: Christian Soriano as a jaded English beau monde-type who gains super-strength and a new moral compass. Catchphrase: "This is a hot mess." Theme: "Fashion" (David Bowie) Alternate Identity: None (Public)Birthplace: Cambridge, England Residence: [*** WANT NEIGHBORHOOD LOCATION IN THE CITY ***] Freedom City, New JerseyBase of Operations: Freedom City, New JerseyOccupation:Affiliations: NoneFamily: James Holcomb, father; Emily Holcomb, mother; Derek Holcomb, brother; Melissa Holcomb, sister Description:Age: 25 (DoB: 11.07.1995)Apparent Age: Early 20'sGender: MaleEthnicity: Caucasian Anglo-SaxonHeight: 5' 4"Weight: 128 lbs.Eyes: blueHair: brown Quentin appears as a slender, shorter-than-average human male with no special proclivity for exercise. The style of his clothes and hair are usually a year or so ahead of what everyone else is wearing. He favors Italian custom-sewn suits. When super-heroing, he still wears nice suits, but ones with custom fabrics created along the lines of tough super-suit material. History: Quentin Wilde was born Quentin Holcomb, the third child of a very wealthy English manufacturing family. He was the black sheep of the family, always being far more interested in fashion and parties than the family business. An interesting bit of gossip led him to the discovery that his family was related to Oscar Wilde Oscar was his great-great grandfather, as Quentin's grandmother was the illegitimate child of Oscar's grandson Merlin. Quentin began calling himself Quentin Wilde, much to the dismay of his parents. In spite of prodding from both his parents, teen-aged Quentin seemed well on his way to leading a dissipative life. He barely graduated from his 4th private school, and after being expelled from university, his parents sent him to Switzerland. After more or less behaving himself, Quentin went on an extended world tour, winding up in Freedom City "where all the superheroes are." His party boy antics earned him a level of infamy in the tabloids. Quentin continued enjoying himself until the night he drunkenly drove his rented Maserati off an embankment into a bridge piling. That he was still alive was something of a miracle. After multiple surgeries, his parents put him in a private long-term rehabilitation center far away from the city. Quentin spent most of his time brooding and being temperamental. He hated everything about the place: the quiet, the stupid activities, the horrible food, the painful physical therapy, the lack of a bar area… He had actually gone so far as to bribe a staff member to sneak him a decent bottle of gin, but he was caught by another patient. This man had a certain presence, and Quentin found himself guiltily handing over the bottle to him rather than curse him and wheel back to his room with it. The man introduced himself as John* [WILL FILL IN ACTUAL NAME WHEN I GET IT], and began to talk to Quentin about the importance of following the rules and working hard on recovery. Clearly John was also recovering from major injuries, but he was more than willing to put in extra time coaching Quentin to keep him on track. In addition to working harder, John encouraged to help other patients. Quentin thought this was absurd, but John as one of the few people he had met whom he wanted to genuinely impress. As he continued to heal, Quentin started helping newer patients get oriented in the place, and began to participate in group activities. This was a completely alien world to Quentin, and he struggled to process how it was changing him. Quentin was close to being ready to leave, but was actually afraid of going back out into the world. The life of a libertine seemed less appealing to him now, and he felt embarrassed for how he gotten injured. John reassured him that he could point his life in a new direction, but Quentin wasn't so sure what that direction could possibly be. All that changed when there was a mighty crash at the facility one night, and as a wall burst open Quentin recognized a supervillain he had seen on TV: Badguy* [WILL REPLACE WITH NAME ONCE I GET IT], a particularly violent villain. And he was heading straight for John! Without thinking, Quentin stepped in front of the oncoming villain, only to be swatter aside by [INSERT VIOLENT POWER HERE]. As his vision cleared, Quentin was amazed to see John wrestling with Badguy! Quentin felt strangely energized, and also furious at Badguy for invading this sanctuary. Quentin charged Badguy and to the surprise of them both, knocked him off his feet and through a wall. The situation had activated Quentin's long latent mutant powers, and after a brutal fight, Badguy lay vanquished on the facility grounds. When reporters arrived, they found Quentin cleaning up the battle area, including picking up and moving a crushed car. Photos of this whirled around the world, and #superquentin popped up on social media. Even without John's advice, Quentin knew he was staring at a new direction for his life. Since there was no way he could disguise his identity (how many diminutive strong men were there on the East Coast?) , he decided to try and use his powers to help people. He found a job as the goodwill ambassador and public face for the charity Recovery Around the World, and has begun the herculean task of rebuilding his reputation. While his parents aren't wild about him being "one of those super-types," they do at least recognize that what he's trying to do now is a big step up from being a drunken wastrel. Personality & Motivation: Quentin is a lifelong hedonist who only recently developed any sense of empathy or understanding of the common good. In some ways, his understanding of how the world really works is somewhat child-like. He sometimes feels like he's been asleep his entire life and is only now waking up and realizing he's way behind. Quentin is a very outgoing person and does his best to connect with people who, in the past, he would have utterly disregarded. He is still shocked at the level of helplessness many people suffer in their lives, and he is experiencing a strange but growing sense of responsibility to protect those who can't protect themselves. If you caught him at the right moment, he also might admit a certain thrill at being a super-hero. Quentin has always enjoyed presenting himself as a larger-than-life fashionista, and while he still tends to present that façade, he uses it as self-parody, both as a way of showing some humble recognition of his past excesses and as a way of distancing himself from the more painful aspects of that recognition. Powers & Tactics: Quentin's still learning how to use his tremendous strength. He's not fond of hitting people, although he'll do it when necessary. He prefers to physically restrain an opponent when possible, and grab something handy to wrap them up. Shockwave and Groundstrike he reserves for facing a number of opponents. Power Descriptions: Nothing much to describe here: just a smaller-sized man lifting incongruously heavy things. The shockwave and groundstrike Feats are mostly distortion waves that are visible in the typical way. Complications:Money! It's a gas: Fortune can be a fickle thing. Quentin's family could suffer a series of financial disasters (influenced by a villain, maybe?), leaving him to live on "only" on his nominal PR salary. (Not) born in the USA: Either through bureaucratic error or diabolical supervillainry, Quentin's visa could be jeopardized. Dirty Water I: Quentin has plenty of wild friends from the "old days." If things are going tough, will Quentin be tempted to return to his bad boy ways? Dirty Water II: As far as that goes, maybe some of Quentin's less reputable mates will see his newfound popularity as a way to run some kind of crooked deal "for an old friend." If he refuses, will they seek retribution? I don't remember, I can't recall: It could be that someone took a photo or video of Quentin in one of his less-than-stellar moments. Now that's he's a hero, a potential blackmailer could decide the price for their silence could be sky-high! Poor old Ruby Reddress: The paparazzi don't take "no" for an answer. This might include nosing into Quentin's business at the worst moment, either in his private life or in the middle of a battle. Comin' for you: [INSERT VILLAIN NAME FROM ORIGIN STORY HERE] wants revenge on the one who spoiled their revenge. My bad reputation: Quentin may have a tough time convincing people who had heard of him before his accident that he has turned over a new leaf. I can't drive 55: Quentin's driver's license is suspended. The first cut is the deepest: When Quentin's mutant powers activated, he mostly finished healing from his accident. He still has days when he experiences pain in his legs or back. He has not yet visited a doctor, since he's a bit afraid that the pain is psychosomatic in nature, and that's something he's not willing to deal with right now. Abilities: 0 + 4 + 0 + 0 + 2 + 8 = 14PPStrength: 30/10 (+10/+0), 85/10 Lifting (Heavy Load: 1,600 tons/100 lbs.) Dexterity: 14 (+2) Constitution: 10/34 (+0/+12) Intelligence: 10 (+0) Wisdom: 12 (+1) Charisma: 18 (+4)Combat: 8 + 8 = 16PPInitiative: +0 Attack: +10 Melee, +4 Base, +4 Ranged Defense: +8 (+4 Base, +4 Dodge Focus), +4 Flat-Footed Grapple: +31 Knockback: -12 [NOTES: I'm keeping his trade-offs as is for now. To me, a high combat value isn't necessarily representative of training; it's a representative of how good the character is at that aspect of combat. Yeah, he's not good at throwing things, but that's OK for now.] Saving Throws: 0 + 4 + 5 = 9PP Toughness: +12/+0 (+12/+0 Con) Fortitude: +12/+0 (+12/+0 Con, +0PP) Reflex: +6 (+2 Dex, +4PP) Will: +6 (+1 Wis, +5PP)Skills: 44 = 11PP Bluff 8 (+12)Diplomacy 10 (+15)Gather Info 11 (+12)Knowledge Skill: Art (Fashion & Design) 10 (+11)Language 1 (English [native], French)Sense Motive 4 (+5) [NOTES: Keeping Sense Motive, as I see his ability to evaluate social situations as well as other uses of Sense Motive increasing over time part of his overall development of being aware of what other people are feeling and doing.] Feats: 19PP Benefit: Wealth 2 (Rich) Connected Contacts Dodge Focus 4 Improved Grab Improved Pin Improved Grapple Interpose Melee Attack Bonus 6 Well-Informed [Notes: I'm keeping the grapple-related Feats in there, for now. He has a knack for it, and I see even Improved Pin as being handy if he's tussling with someone super-strong like he is. I'm glad G mentioned Contacts, which I meant to have in there and just left off.] Powers: 20 + 24 + 10 + 24 + 2 = 80 PP Enhanced Strength +20 (Descriptor: mutation) [20 pp] Enhanced Constitution +24 (Descriptor: mutation) [24 pp] Impervious Toughness 10 (Descriptor: mutation) [10 pp] Super-strength 11 (heavy load 1,600 tons) Feats: Groundstrike, Shockwave (Descriptor: mutation) [24 pp] Speed 3 (50 MPH, 500ft per Move Action) (Descriptor: mutation) [3 pp] Drawbacks: None DC Block ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC 25 Toughness DamageGroundstrike Touch (Area) variable Reflex TripShockwave Area (cone) DC 25 Fortitude Damage Totals: Abilities (14) + Combat (16) + Saving Throws (9) + Skills (11) + Feats (19) + Powers (81) - Drawbacks (0) = 150/150 Power Points
Recommended Posts