Dariusprime Posted May 29, 2011 Posted May 29, 2011 [floatr][/floatr]"Never step on a man's didgeridoo. It'll come back to haunt you!" - Darwin Player Name: DariusPrime Character Name: Animus Power Level: 7 (105/111PP) Trade-Offs: -1 Attack / +1 Damage, -1 Defense / +1 Toughness Unspent PP: 6 Progress To Gold Status: 6/90 (Silver earned with Fulcrum) In Brief: Reckless young adventurer cursed (blessed!?) by the gods with the strength of the animals! Alternate Identities: Darwin Marston Identity: Secret Birthplace: Perth, Western Australia Occupation: Student, groundskeeper, surf bum Affiliations: Claremont Academy Family: Uncle Manny, Mother, Father, Brother, Sister Age: 16 (DoB: 15 January, 1995) Apparent Age: 16 Gender: Male Ethnicity: Australian Height: 5’10†Weight: 170 lbs Eyes: Green Hair: Brown Description: A rugged and muscular young man highlighted by a perpetual tan and curly, brown hair. He has the weathered look and fat of someone accustomed to being outdoors, not pumping iron in the gym. His eyes are a piercing green, and his upper body is decorated in stylized animal tattoos. Darwin prefers wears shorts, sandals, a straw cowboy hat and tropical shirts (the gaudier the better) when off campus. In colder weather, expect him to bundle like a polar bear. He grew up in hot places! His Claremont combat suit is standard, although he tries to subvert the dress code often. If given the opportunity, he fights shirtless. He claims this lets him activate his powers more quickly (which is true). Day-to-day, he wears standard attire like everyone else. He just looks as happy as a bear in a bow tie. Power Descriptions: Magic Animal Juju! History: Darwin Eugene Marston came into the world at 10:38 pm, January 15th, 1995 at King Edward Memorial Hospital, Perth, Western Australia. Even then he was an impatient soul and decided to make an appearance before his parents could return to their home city of Darwin, his namesake. His loving parents, Dr. Eugene and Dr. Ruby Marston, had only hours earlier arrived after the long flight from Johannesburg, South Africa. Young Darwin descended from a long line of globetrotters and adventurers. His parents were both heavily involved in medical charity work, at various times associated with Doctors Without Borders and the World Health Organization. His maternal grandfather, Jonathan, is renowned as one of the last big-game hunters of Africa. Uncle Manny amassed a fortune from wild adventures and battles across every continent. His cousin Aubrey is set to conquer K2 this year. As such Darwin and his older sister and brother, Cairn and Hobart, grew up with traveling in their blood. He celebrated his fifth birthday in Argentina, his eighth in South Africa and his 13th in the Outback. Such a worldly perspective greatly shaped his personality and come-what-may attitude. Which may be why he alone has adjusted so well to his new ‘situation’. While on vacation in 2009, Darwin and his siblings decided to take a hike through the gorgeous forests of South Australia. Despite the heat, they progressed well, until by Darwin’s tremendous navigation skills, they were good-and-well lost. At least that is how his sister considered it. That’s when Darwin spotted a cave! Such caves were relatively rare in those parts, and being naturally curious, he had to check it out! Ignoring his mother’s careful advice, he and his easily convinced siblings descended into the cave only to find Aboriginal rock paintings! Many appeared hundreds of years old, if not many more, and ranged across all manner of animal and plant subjects. No sooner had they analyzed the artwork when the floor collapsed! It was wooden: a trap door covered in loose rock! The three landed atop each other to a wooden crunch. Unfortunately, they had stumbled onto the lair of an elderly Aboriginal shaman. Even more unfortunately, the loud crunch was his ancestral didgeridoo. Incensed at it’s destruction, the shaman swore that now he could not call Akurra to bring the rains, and they three were cursed for their carelessness! Taking a swift leave, the trio rested along a creek. As Cairn sat upon a log, the very bark of the tree appeared upon her skin! at the same moment, thirsty Hobart morphed into a watery form as he drank from his canteen! The curse worked! Amazed at this new development, a manic Darwin sprinted away from his bewildered siblings and deep into the bush. He emerged moments later, leaping clear over the bushes! He found a kangaroo, a big Red, and boxed it. After it kicked him, he found could leap just like it, maybe even farther! Unfortunately, Cairn and Hobart were less excited about their new powers. Yeah, they sort of blamed Darwin for the whole incident. The stress of this new feud tore the siblings apart, and in time a heated rivalry developed. Darwin went on to live with his Uncle Manny in Perth. His uncle volunteered to wrangle the increasingly unruly boy and his amazing powers. Not to mention keep him away from his brother and sister! Darwin was apathetic to the arrangement, but since Manny had a cool beach house, he couldn’t complain too much! Two years later Uncle Manny dropped the bombshell. Manny was packing him off to a special high school: Claremont Academy in Freedom City, New Jersey. Darwin had been expelled from his previous school for poor performance and disappeared. He was picked up a month later on the other side of the country, surfing the Brisbane coast. Needless to say, his parents and Uncle were not amused. What was the bad news? He was being shipped off to some private school half a world way. The good news? They specialized in educating meta-humans and even had a virtual reality combat simulator. Not to mention he had never visited the States! One thing or another won him over. So where to begin? Darwin is a summer transfer. He will be arriving by plane after a brief layover in New York. His monthly stipend is stipulated on maintaining a decent GPA and working part time for the school. Hopefully that motivates him. He wants to help the groundskeepers. He may be a class clown, but his heart is in the right place. Personality & Motivation: Screw fate! Live for today. Surf, learn, eat, sleep. Do what comes naturally. Throw yourself into life with reckless abandon. Remember that others love and need you, but don’t let that stop you from having a good time! Be the hero and stop the villain. Laugh freely, weep openly and love fiercely. Stop being so serious. Tomorrow holds another day! Powers & Tactics: Darwin’s powers derive from the magical didgeridoo he destroyed admixed with the curse laid upon him by the shaman. Together they allow him to mimic features of animals, greatly boosting his physical ability or providing whole, new traits. Together these powers can propel him to near superhuman levels. Compared to his siblings, Darwin has excellent control over his abilities. He intuitively managed to shape his strange condition into a useful set of powers, despite the supposedly punitive nature of the magic. His siblings, however, were not so lucky and barely have any control over their powers. This has led to considerable friction in the family. Acquiring Animal Bonds: To derive the essence of a particular animal, Darwin must either befriend or subdue the animal ala the water buffalo from Crocodile Dundee. In lieu of that he can wrestle the creature into submission. He then can commune and copy the essence of the animal’s aura, allowing him to gain abilities similar to their own. The strength of the bonuses depends on the specimen bonded. For example, if he bonded a nurse shark, his powers would reflect that small, relatively harmless animal. If he bonded/upgraded to a Megalodon, his bonuses would be mighty fierce! Animal Artwork: Darwin his covered by a series of Aboriginal-style depictions of the animals he has bonded. To activate his particular power, he must touch the “tattoo†in question. Otherwise he is stuck with the current form. The size of the tattoo reflects the strength of the creature. Small animals may only be a few inches across, while powerful or gigantic ones may cover an entire arm or body surface. Thusly he is limited in the number and strength of creatures he can have “on fileâ€. He can choose to upgrade or replace animals by bonding a new one, but his maximum number of forms is equal to his Power Level. The active tattoo will glow a golden yellow, easily identifying the animal form being used. Additionally, Darwin tends to mimic subtle traits and behaviors of the copied animal. To use the Megalodon illustration, no steak will survive around him, his skin will feel like sandpaper and he will have an urge to bite first and ask questions later. Tactics: What tactics? He is at Claremont to learn tactics. If he can’t bite, squeeze or stomp the hell of his opponent, he’ll circle and dive bomb the punk into submission. The idea of retreating, or worse, losing, doesn’t even register into his mind. Complications: Leeroy Jenkins: Plan? What plan? Frontal assault for the win. Rivalries: Sister (Cairn/Chlorophia), Brother (Hobart/Core) Secret: Identity Troubleseeker: Wherever there is trouble, Animus will be there! Abilities: 4 + 6 + 4 + 2 + 4 + 4 = 24PP Strength: 14 (+2) Dexterity: 16 (+3) Constitution: 14 (+2) Intelligence: 12 (+1) Wisdom: 14 (+2) Charisma: 14 (+2) Combat: 8 + 8 = 16PP Initiative: +3 Attack: +6 Melee, +4 Ranged Grapple: +8 Defense: +6 (+4 Base, +2 Dodge Focus), +2 Flat-Footed Knockback: -1 Saving Throws: 4 + 2 + 2 = 8PP Toughness: +2 (+2 Con) Fortitude: +6 (+2 Con, +4) Reflex: +5 (+3 Dex, +2) Will: +4 (+2 Wis, +2) Skills: 36R = 9PP Acrobatics 4 (+7) Handle Animal 6 (+8) Knowledge: Life Sciences 4 (+5) Languages 4 (Aboriginal, Afrikaans, English [base], Mandarin, Spanish) Notice 6 (+8) Sense Motive 4 (+6) Stealth 4 (+7) Survival 4 (+6) Feats: 7PP All-Out Attack Animal Empathy Attack Focus (Melee) 2 Dodge Focus 2 Power Attack Powers: 37 + 4 = 41PP Animal Mimicry 5 (25PP Variable Power, Flaws: Limited [Acquired Animals], Drawbacks: Noticeable, Power Loss 2 [Cannot activate/reconfigure if unable to touch tattoos]) [37PP] (The Awesomeness of Animals!, Magic) Current Bonds: 7/7 (He likes them big!)Australian King Parrot (Alisterus scapularis) “Poundin’ Parrot Style†Enhanced Dex 6, Flight 2 (25 mph), Super Senses 3 (extended vision, low-light vision, ultra-vision); Enhanced Notice 4; 14 points, 3 ranksDingo (Canis lupus dingo) “Destroyin’ Dingo Style†Enhanced Str 4, Enhanced Dex 4, Enhanced Con 4, Speed 1 (10 mph), Super Senses 3 (scent, track, ultra-hearing); 16 points, 4 ranksFreshwater Crocodile (Crocodylus johnstoni) “Crunchin’ Croc Style†Enhanced Str 12, Enhanced Con 6, Protection 3, Super Senses 1 (low-light vision), Swimming 2; Environmental Adaptation (aquatic); 25 points, 5 ranksGiant Blue Earthworm (Terriswalkeris terraereginae) “Wobblin’ Worm Style†Burrowing 2, Enhanced Con 4, Regeneration 15 (+4 recovery, bruised/no action, injured/disabled/1 min, PF: Regrowth), Super Senses 3 (tremorsense); 25 points, 5 ranksRed Kangaroo (Macropus rufus) “Kickin’ Kanga Style†Enhanced Str 6, Enhanced Dex 4, Enhanced Con 6, Leaping 3 (x10), Speed 3 (50 mph), Super Senses 2 (low-light vision, scent); 24 points, 5 ranksSmith’s Dwarf Chameleon (Bradypodion taeniabronchum) “Chillin’ Chameleon Style†Concealment 4 (Visual, Flaw: Blending -1), Enhanced Dex 4, Super Movement 2 (wall-crawling), Super Senses 2 (low-light vision, ultravision); Enhanced Stealth 8; 15 points, 3 ranksShortfin Mako Shark (Isurus oxyrinchus) “Snappin’ Shark Style†Enhanced Str 2, Enhanced Dex 4, Enhanced Con 2, Immunity 1 (drowning), Protection 3, Strike 1 (Mighty), Super Senses 2 (low-light vision, scent), Swimming 4 (25 mph); Enhanced Notice 6, Enhanced Swim 6; Environmental Adaptation (aquatic), Rage; 25 points, 5 ranks Comprehend 2 (Animals 2 (Speak To, Understand]) [4PP] (Talk to the Animals!, Magic) Drawbacks: (0) = 0PP DC Block: ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC17 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Chameleon Touch DC17 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Croc Touch DC23 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Dingo Touch DC19 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Kangaroo Touch DC20 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Parrot Touch DC17 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Shark Touch DC19 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Worm Touch DC17 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Abilities (24) + Combat (16) + Saving Throws (8) + Skills (9) + Feats (7) + Powers (41) - Drawbacks (0) = 105/111 Power Points
Avenger Assembled Posted May 29, 2011 Posted May 29, 2011 Check Required is not really a valid flaw, since he'll either fail it too often, or pass it too often, to really only be usable half the time. Please write him an actual backstory. Maybe save what you wrote here for a News post? Be advised that "good-natured troublemakers" really, really, really require a deft hand to write. Claremont has a lot of Jerks with a Heart of Gold already. Day-to-day, Darwin wears shorts, sandals, a straw cowboy hat and unbuttoned tropical shirts (the gaudier the better). Often his face is decorated in elaborate patterns of zinc oxide sunscreens. Year round. Claremont really is more formal an institution than this. (And you know, given the temp. differences between Darwin and New Jersey, he is going to be suffering a lot) All in all, I'm not really sure why this is a high school student? He codes like an adult for me reading him. Maybe you can work that into his revised backstory?
Dariusprime Posted May 30, 2011 Author Posted May 30, 2011 Check Required is not really a valid flaw, since he'll either fail it too often, or pass it too often, to really only be usable half the time. Gone. Took off the flaw, removed a point of skills and four feats to compensate. Please write him an actual backstory. Maybe save what you wrote here for a News post? Done. Be advised that "good-natured troublemakers" really, really, really require a deft hand to write. Claremont has a lot of Jerks with a Heart of Gold already. Troublemaker may not be the right word for him. He is more a slacker and goof. He isn’t going to ‘borrow’ someone’s cycle without asking, for example. He’s more likely to paint flames on the side of the riding lawnmower and race around campus while cutting the grass. Claremont really is more formal an institution than this. (And you know, given the temp. differences between Darwin and New Jersey, he is going to be suffering a lot) Altered. Have an idea for dealing with the cold, but that will come later. All in all, I'm not really sure why this is a high school student? He codes like an adult for me reading him. Maybe you can work that into his revised backstory?
Dr Archeville Posted May 30, 2011 Posted May 30, 2011 "Goof" is okay for chars here (re: Geckoman). "Slacker" is really not.
Avenger Assembled Posted May 30, 2011 Posted May 30, 2011 Okay, you're a trustworthy guy! Only one way to find out if it doesn't work in play. APPROVED
N/A Posted May 31, 2011 Posted May 31, 2011 He can speak to animals, but he can't understand their replies? That seems...less than useful. What was your thinking there?
Dariusprime Posted May 31, 2011 Author Posted May 31, 2011 Actually, that was an oversight on my part. The concept included him understanding the animals. I was looking forward to in-depth conversations with his parrot. I'll see where I can come up with 2 pp for another rank of Comprehend.
Dariusprime Posted May 31, 2011 Author Posted May 31, 2011 I removed a pp from skills and a feat to buy up Comprehend 2.
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