Overclock (PL 9) - Quinn (Bronze)

[Quinn]

Name: Overclock

Character's Name: Quinn

Power Level: 9 (131/136 PP)

Tradeoffs: N/A

Unspent PP: 5

Progress to Silver Status: 12/60 (Bronze status earned with Push)

In Brief: A trained martial artist who can only use his immense speed and strength (the Woosh) when the adrenaline hits.

Alternate Identities: Ezekiel Irons, "Iron Z" (stage name).

Identity: Secret

Birthplace: Freedom City

Occupation: Jazz musician ("Iron Z"), busker.

Affiliations: None

Family: Jacob and Hannah Irons (parents)

Age: 25

Apparent Age: N/A

Gender: Male

Ethnicity: Caucasian

Height: 5'8"

Weight: 150 lbs

Eyes: Brown

Hair: Brown

Description: Zeke's not exactly a man who cares about his appearance, save for trying to maintain a semi-attractive unkempt look that fits his 'tude. Physically, he's very fit, with a fairly decent-looking face that's attracted more than a few female jazz fans who've seen him perform, his hair usually done into thick dreadlocks (a personal affectation, he thinks it makes him look rakish), and a light beard down his jawline leading to a neatly trimmed goatee. When not on patrol, he'll amble about in whatever clothes he's thrown together for the day, usually something baggy and soft, with his saxophone case on his back – unless he has a gig, in which case his standard outfit is a pair of black slacks, a white shirt with the cuffs rolled up, a dark green waistcoat with silver buttons, and either a newsboy cap or a fedora.

When on patrol, however, he wears a specially-made costume; a black headmask with wide, gold-tinted eye-goggles, a black and gold bodysuit (swap black for the red & white), light – now weighted - gauntlets, and a pair of plated boots in similar colors.

History: Iron Z, aka Ezekiel Irons, had things pretty good. Sure, he wasn't rich, but he had a good gig playing the Secret Bar downtown. On retainer three nights of the week, playing cool jazz with a hot horn and keeping the atmosphere like the years that he loved to read about and hear about. The spy-themed bar got a lot of the nostalgia crowd, for all it's gimmicky ways, and he loved sitting back after a set and listening to the regulars talk about how things were back in their day. Talking about Centurion and the big heroes, about how Freedom City was a shining beacon of light on the East Coast before the Moore Administration, the new types of music and art and books and everything that kept popping up. Zeke was happy hearing about the past, it was one of the reasons he learned how to play the saxophone and got a job as a professional musician. Granted, he wasn't exactly getting a record label or anything, but he was young and hopeful. Who knew, maybe one day the right guy with the right briefcase'd walk in, right?

Truth be told, it wasn't just the music that Ezekiel loved hearing about; listening about the superheroes of the past generations was entertaining as heck for him too. Sometimes when he was practicing for another gig, he'd let the music and practice carry him to daydreams of heroism; maybe he'd be some kind of music controller, playing like the Pied Piper and leading villains to jail. Maybe he'd be some kind of speedster, like Johnny Rocket, judging by how many times he'd had to bolt across town to reach a job in time and always barely making it under the wire. Maybe he'd be some grim avenger of grim darkness, like the Raven, standing on rooftops and brooding as he looked over his city. He daydreamed, played his music, and made a living from it. Which made it come a bit out of left field when his daydreams came crashing rather unceremoniously right into reality.

Irons had been taking a shortcut through some back alleys to get back to his apartment when he saw them. A pack of what looked like no-goodniks, circling an old man who just leaned on a heavy cane, sighing. One ganger jumped forward with a lead pipe, only to get clouted over the head with the cane and the point of it shoved into his gut, sending him wheezing to the ground. Two more tried to attack from the rear, but the old man whirled and lashed his foot out in a vicious kick, once, twice! And both hit the ground missing teeth, the others backing up. Irons just stood there, rooted to the spot, his mouth slack as he watched the 'victim' deliver the swift and sure blows. Unfortunately, that's when the last four decided that one-at-a-time fighting was a bad idea.

When they drew pistols, that's when Ezekiel's feet moved as if on his own accord. He charged forward, praying he'd make it in time. He could see their fingers contract on the triggers, smell the cordite as the bullets began moving forward in the chambers. Time seemed to stop. And then....Woosh.

It was like nothing he'd ever felt before; an adrenaline rush so powerful it was almost as if his entire body was on fire. He felt strength flow into his muscles, his feet move faster than he'd ever seen them move before, the thugs frozen as if they were standing still. He lashed out with his hands and feet, hitting the thugs as hard as he could and watching with detached amusement as they fell and tumbled away as in slow motion. When he'd finally struck the last one with a vicious right hook to the jaw, he stopped, breathing heavily, as the rush ended and a punishing exhaustion hit his body. The old man stood and watched as Zeke simply blurred and then reappeared, before falling to the ground unconscious.

When Irons woke up, he heard the sounds of battle and 'kiyi!'s coming from a nearby room, and sat bolt upright. Then promptly regretted it, as his body began complaining most violently. A small old man dressed in a weathered old gi sat nearby, stirring a pot. Zeke sat up, looking at the old man. The old man looked at him. Irons tilted his head to the side. The old man did the same. Finally, Zeke introduced himself; it seemed only polite, and he really had no idea where he was. The old man introduced himself in return; Master Lee. Of Lee's School of Self Defense, Hanover. He even had a flyer to prove it. Zeke raised an eyebrow.

It turned out the old man was the one being mugged in that alleyway. Mugged being the operative term, Irons had heard of Master Lee's School of Self Defense, it'd be hard not to in Freedom City, and those thugs would've been in for a rough time even if he hadn't somehow...wooshed in there like that. Master Lee concurred with Zeke. Although he was still rather impressed. The two sat talking for a while, Lee curious as to how Zeke managed such a feat of speed; after the pain went away the two even went into the now-empty dojo (it was well after midnight by then), and tried to replicate it. Zeke found, to his surprise, he could in fact move faster than before (and he was no slowpoke when a gig was on the line), and his reflexes were better...but he couldn't reach that same insane speed he'd used against the thugs. Lee tilted his head to the side, and shrugged. The two stayed up the whole night talking and experimenting with Zeke's new speed, Lee showing him the basics of the dojo's martial arts. Zeke found himself amazed and fascinated by the skill of the Master, the multitude of styles the old man knew; kung fu, muay thai, aikido, karate...when the sun finally came up and the first students for Lee's morning classes arrived, they found Irons passed out on a pile of mats and Lee sighing; he had a lot of work to do.

Ezekiel Irons returned to that dojo, repeatedly, over multiple years. Master Lee saw in Irons a good heart, and an honest one; Zeke saw in himself, well, mostly burgers and tacos, but he liked that the Master seemed to think he had potential. For two years, he experimented with his new speed, noting that when he was in heated sparring sessions with other students, he could move faster, and faster, and even faster than he'd expected. He could feel the adrenaline flowing and his system working at even greater speeds, his strength, resilience, and manual dexterity accelerating during those brief periods. He asked Lee to teach him these martial arts; seeing in his new ability a chance at those daydreams of heroism he'd always hoped for. Finally, five years to the day after he first woke up in Master Lee's School of Self Defense, Ezekiel Irons was playing the saxophone as a busker in downtown Freedom (gigs weren't his only way of earning cash, after all), when he heard a scream from a nearby alley. A wide smile creased his features, and he picked up a duffel bag he'd began carrying with him.

Overclock was on the job.

Personality and Motivations: Before Zeke found the Woosh, he was a pretty simple guy. He loved his music, he liked his loft in that old repurposed factory, he was fond of his old beaten-up car, he lived his Bohemian lifestyle as best he could. He loved hearing stories of what Freedom City used to be like, and whenever there was some big heroic shindig going on, he always tried his level best to get there and either watch, or help out getting people away from the danger zone. He was a free spirit in his own way, to put it lightly. Then, once Zeke found the Woosh and Master Lee's school, it was like a new lease on life. He had a chance at being a hero, something he'd always dreamed about; and now here was his opportunity. He threw himself into Lee's training, working as hard as he could to master what the school of self-defense had to teach him. He's still the same free spirit and Bohemian he was before, but now he's got a responsibility to his city; one he takes very seriously indeed.

Power Descriptions: Overclock's power is essentially a mutated adrenaline rush without the bodily damage afterward (save a really bad headache or muscle pains); he moves faster, punches harder, can take a lot more abuse than an average person. But what his real power is (so he thinks) is what he dubs the "Woosh", in a fight or when the adrenaline really flows, he can kick his body to absolutely insane speeds, running faster than a speeding bullet or moving so quickly it seems as if the world is in slow motion around him. And on top of all that, he's an expert (not a master, yet) of mixed martial arts, having learned a great deal of many different styles at Master Lee's School of Self Defense.

Powers and Tactics: As stated above, Zeke's power is in his insane speed, heightened strength and resilience, and he takes full advantage of it. When in a fight, he stays at a fairly low speed, gauging his opponent and only using the minimum amount of force neccessary to disable or knock them out, only increasing his speed if the foe displays abilities that merit it. He's more than willing to go max-speed to goonsweep an army of thugs, however; he's not stupid. If he can finish a fight by surprising an opponent with a blindingly-fast punch or kick, he'll do it.

Complications:

Adrenaline Rush - Zeke can only tap into the full force of the Woosh when in a situation that would merit a huge adrenaline rush; a fight, a building collapsing, chaos all around him. Sometimes he can give it a kick-start, sometimes he can't. (Save for Speed 2 and Quickness 2, full range of powers will only be accessible at GM's discretion.)

Adrenaline Crash - While his body does seem to compensate easily when he comes down from the Woosh, sometimes it doesn't always work properly; there is the rare occasion when the rush doesn't end like it should...

Arrogant Kung Fu Guy - Despite his training and recriminations from Master Lee, Overclock can occasionally get a little uppity in a fight, messing with his opponent when he should really be finishing the job ASAP, or sometimes simpy enjoys the fight way too much to want to end it so soon.

Master Lee's School of Self Defense - Zeke owes a lot to Master Lee and the man's students for teaching him and helping him adapt to his new abilities, and would do a lot to keep that school and the people who attend it safe. Should he also run into any of Master Lee's renegade students, he'd also make a beeline straight for them to teach them the errors of their ways, or they might aim right for him to teach a most violent lesson.

Struggling - Zeke's a jazz musician with a semi-steady gig at the Secret Bar (though he's been getting some flak for disappearing abruptly when crime's in the offing), and works occasionally as a busker around town (good cover for patrols!); unfortunately, sometimes the guy can get a bit strapped for cash.

Abilities: 8 + 8 + 8 + 0 + 4 + 4 = 32 pp

STR 26/18 (+8/+4)

DEX 26/18 (+8/+4)

CON 22/18 (+6/+4)

INT 10 (+0)

WIS 14 (+2)

CHA 14 (+2)

Combat: 8 + 4 = 12 pp

Init: +8/+7

ATK: +4, +5 Melee, +9 Unarmed/Melee

Grapple: +12/+8

DEF: +9 (+2 Base, +7 Dodge Focus), +2 Flat-Footed

Knockback: -4/-3, -3/-2 Flat-Footed

Saves: 0 + 0 + 5 = 5 pp

TOU +9/+7, +7/+5 Flat-Footed (+6/+4 Con, +2 Defensive Roll, +1 Tough)

FORT +6/+4 (+6/+4 Con, +0)

REF +11/+4 (+8/+4 Dex, +3 Enhanced Reflex, +0)

WILL +7 (+2 Wis, +5)

Skills: 10pp=40r

Acrobatics 5 (+13)

Diplomacy 8 (+10)

Notice 6 (+8)

Perform (Wind Instruments) 10 (+12)

Search 5 (+5)

Sense Motive 6 (+8)

Feats: 28 pp

Acrobatic Bluff

All-Out Attack

Attack Focus (Melee)

Attack Specialization (Unarmed) 2

Challenge (Fast Acrobatic Bluff)

Defensive Roll

Dodge Focus 7

Equipment 1

Evasion 2

Improved Critical (Unarmed)

Luck

Move-By Action

Monkey Climber

Power Attack

Quick Change

Stunning Attack

Takedown Attack 2

Tough

Uncanny Dodge (Auditory)

Equipment 1 = 5 EP:

Weighted Gloves and Boots (+1 Damage, Mighty) – 2 EP

Powers: 4 + 8 + 3 + 8 + 2 + 3 + 16 = 44pp

Enhanced CON 4 [4 pp]

Enhanced DEX 8 [8 pp]

Enhanced Reflex Save 3 [3pp]

Enhanced STR 8 [8 pp]

Quickness 2 (x5 speed) [2pp]

Speed 2 (25mph) PF: Moving Feint [3pp]

"Woosh" Power Reserve 8 (16pp reserve; Quickness [up to 18 (x1,000,000 speed)] or Speed [up to 18 (5,000,000MPH or 50,000,000' per round]) [16PP]

DC Block:

    ATTACK              RANGE     SAVE                         EFFECT

    Unarmed             Touch     DC 24/20 Toughness (Staged)  Damage (Physical)

    Unarmed (Stun)      Touch     DC 19/15 Fortitude           Dazed/Stunned/Unconscious

Abilities 32 + Combat 12 + Saves 5 + Skills 10 + Feats 28 + Powers 44 = 131/136PP

[N/A]

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Archived at player request

[Avenger Assembled]

archived at player request