Thoughtspeed: Concept to Sheet

[KnightDisciple]

Right, so, folks may have caught wind of it in chat, but my next character is going to be Thoughtspeed, teenage son of Fast-Forward and Hologram (Electra's psychic character). Here is another build for him that includes a sidekick version of Thoughtspeed (at least in a very vague sense).

Right now, I'm going to try and map out concepts and vague abilities that I think fit this character, and try to build from there (perhaps with input from AA and Electra).

Background:

-Son of 2 former super-villains, the last of the wacky Silver and Bronze age types. Worst crimes are things like stealing. So, likely has only moderate respect for authority (well, authority besides his parents!).

-Traveled all over the country, possibly further.

-Back in Freedom City recently, likely attending Claremont.

-Is sick of '90's lingo.

Abilities, Saves, Combat:

-Should have solid physical and mental stats. Less strength than father(12-14, I think), but just as much dexterity and constitution (he's an agile sort, and he's got to have endurance for running!). Probably more about wisdom and charisma than intelligence; he's not dumb, but he gets by more on wits, intuition, and force of personality.

-Fully Attack-Shifted and Defense-Shifted. Probably about 1/3-1/2 his attack comes from Melee Focus. Defense about the same for Dodge focus. Accuracy and agility, not raw power and resistance to injury.

-Reflex save high, the other two decent. Again, he has to have good endurance, and running around fast means you have to have a well-focused mind. Actually, considering his origins, Will could likely get a bump as well, what with a psychic mom.

Skills:

-Decent Acrobatics (the whole "moving around fast" thing).

-Good at noticing things and reading people; not sure how good he is at running a scam.

-Possibly good Sleight of Hand, due to how limber he is.

-I feel like he should have a bit more here, but I'm low on ideas.

Feats:

-Probably all four temporary trade-off feats. Mix in a couple others, and he could justify it as having some martial-arts training. Open to suggestions on the form. It'd be mixed unarmed and armed (which will be explained with his powers).

-Melee and Dodge Focus (as stated above).

-Move-By-Action, almost certainly.

-Maybe Acrobatic Bluff? Not sure here, not sure what else might fit.

-Quick Change.

Powers (the meat-and-potatoes here):

-Speed, from his father. Quickness as well (mental+physical, rather than one or the other). Possibly a Dynamic Power that lets him shift between the two.

-Some form of mental powers. Mind-reading, emotion control, mind control, something. Perhaps 1 rank by itself, and then the rest in his array.

-Possibly a small array with a couple of mental powers. Nothing too major, perhaps more sense-based ones rather than more active "attacks".

-Strike. A mighty strike (so only a couple points of "damage bonus" from the power itself)...that's also got a good bit of Autofire. This is fluffed as him manifested twin blades of psycho-kinetic force (aka "mindblades"). Possibly some other stuff on them, not sure. Might be an array, with an AP that's a blade with reach (like an extra 5 feet, so a "mindblade polearm"), and possibly another AP with Penetrating but no autofire (for the really tough targets).

Again, all of this is just kind of me thinking "out loud" and trying to get a mental sketch down. I'm hoping to see a Hologram build soonish, so I can get a better sense of what does and doesn't fit his mental powers (though, considering the jumbled nature of his genes and powers...).

Thoughts? Ideas? Critique?

[Raveled]

Consider Skill Mastery for feats, as well as Evasion 2. Also consider what sort of Knowledge skills this kid might have. Pop Culture? Streetwise?

[KnightDisciple]

Consider Skill Mastery for feats, as well as Evasion 2. Also consider what sort of Knowledge skills this kid might have. Pop Culture? Streetwise?

Duh! Evasion 2, why didn't I think of that one.

Skill Mastery is possible. Acrobatics and...3 other skills. Hm.

Knowledge...I dunno. Maybe just give him Eidetic Memory? Pop Culture could work. Again, that's something that I think I'm going to have to bounce off of AA and Electra.

[KnightDisciple]

Okay. Rough Draft Time.

Notes:

-Fluff is pretty empty, yes. I want to nail down what he can do, while AA and Electra help me round out the backstory and such.

-He's not doing quite as much as I'd hoped in some ways.

-He's 2PP over budget. Suggestions welcome.

Player Name: KnightDisciple

Character Name: Thoughtspeed

Power Level: 10 150/150PP

Trade-Offs: +5 Attack / -5 Damage, +5 Defense / -5 Toughness

Unspent Power Points: 0

Progress To Bronze Status: 0/30

In Brief: Son of a time controller and a psychic, Thoughtspeed uses his strength of will to harness kinetic energy to move faster and fight harder, all for the cause of good!

Alternate Identity: William Cline

Identity: Secret

Birthplace:

Occupation:

Affiliations:

Family: Richard Cline "Fast-Forward" (Father); Paige Cline "Hologram" (Mother)

Description:

Age: 16 (DoB: Year [Optionally, Day & Month])

Gender: Male

Ethnicity:

Height:

Weight:

Eyes:

Hair:

*Pending*

Power Descriptions:

*Pending*

History:

*Pending*

Personality & Motivation:

*Pending*

Powers & Tactics:

*Pending*

---

Complications:

Name: [Description]

Abilities: 4 + 10 + 10 + 2 + 4 + 4 = 34PP

Strength: 14 (+2)

Dexterity: 20 (+5)

Constitution: 20 (+0)

Intelligence: 12 (+1)

Wisdom: 14 (+2)

Charisma: 14 (+2)

Combat: 14 + 12 = 26PP

Initiative: +17

Attack: +15 Melee, +7 Ranged

Grapple: +17

Defense: +15 (+6 Base, +9 Dodge Focus), +3 Flat-Footed

Knockback: -2

Saving Throws: 2 + 4 + 8 = 14PP

Toughness: +5 (+5 Con)

Fortitude: +7 (+5 Con, +2)

Reflex: +9 (+5 Dex, +4)

Will: +10 (+2 Wis, +8)

Skills: 64R = 16PP

Acrobatics 10 (+15)

Disable Device 10 (+11)

Escape Artist 10 (+15)

Knowledge: Pop Culture 4 (+5)

Notice 10 (+12)

Search 10 (+12)

Sleight of Hand 10 (+12)

Feats: 28PP

Accurate Attack

Acrobatic Bluff

All-Out Attack

Attack Focus: Melee 8

Challenge (Fast Task) 1 (Acrobatic Feint)

Defensive Attack

Dodge Focus 9

Improved Initiative 3

Move-By Action

Power Attack

Skill Mastery (Acrobatics, Escape Artist, Notice, Sleight of Hand)

Powers: 6 + 1 + 2 + 2 + 7 + 3 + 8= 29PP

Communication 2 (100 ft, Extras: Area; Power Feats: Selective, Subtle) [6PP]

Enhanced Feat 1(Uncanny Dodge: Mental) [1PP]

Quickness 2 (x5) [2PP]

Speed 2 (25 MPH) [2PP]

Strike 3 (Extras: Autofire, Power Feats: Mighty) [7PP]

Super-Movement 3 (Water-Walking, Wall-Crawling 2, Flaw: Only While Moving) [3PP]

Temporal Power Reserve 4 (8 pp reserve; Quickness [up to 8 (x250)] or Speed [up to 8 (2,500 MPH) [8PP]

Drawbacks: (-0) + (-0) = -0PP

DC Block

ATTACK      RANGE     SAVE                        EFFECT

Unarmed     Touch     DC17 Toughness (Staged)     Damage (Physical)

Totals: Abilities (34) + Combat (26) + Saving Throws (14) + Skills (16) + Feats (28) + Powers (29) - Drawbacks (0) = 148/150 Power Points

[Raveled]

You could lose a point of Base Def and pick up a rank of Dodge Focus. Mechanically it'll be exactly the same, but you'll save 1 PP. Likewise, his exotic saves are a bit above par; you could trim a point or two there. With his Acrobatics score and SM, he can get up as a free action anyway, so Instant Up is just overlap.

[KnightDisciple]

Trimmed down Base Defense.

Took out both Prone Fighting and Instant Up; since he can free-action stand up, no need to plan on him being prone.

Trimmed his Fort and Reflex saves down a point each.

Currently sitting at 148 out of 150. This is where I need to double check a couple of things with AA and Electra.

Part of me considers just having him with higher speed than quickness, despite the ease of "I can run at 1k mph and do things 1k times faster".

[KnightDisciple]

Rebuilding him to be a PL12 slot, 180pp, but built to PL10 caps by and large.

Player Name: KnightDisciple

Character Name: Thoughtspeed

Power Level: 10 150/150PP

Trade-Offs: +5 Attack / -5 Damage, +5 Defense / -5 Toughness

Unspent Power Points: 0

Progress To Bronze Status: 0/30

In Brief: Son of a time controller and a psychic, Thoughtspeed uses his strength of will to harness kinetic energy to move faster and fight harder, all for the cause of good!

Alternate Identity: William Cline

Identity: Secret

Birthplace:

Occupation:

Affiliations:

Family: Richard Cline "Fast-Forward" (Father); Paige Cline "Hologram" (Mother)

Description:

Age: 16 (DoB: Year [Optionally, Day & Month])

Gender: Male

Ethnicity:

Height:

Weight:

Eyes:

Hair:

*Pending*

Power Descriptions:

*Pending*

History:

*Pending*

Personality & Motivation:

*Pending*

Powers & Tactics:

*Pending*

---

Complications:

Name: [Description]

Abilities: 4 + 12 + 10 + 2 + 4 + 4 = 36PP

Strength: 14 (+2)

Dexterity: 22 (+6)

Constitution: 20 (+0)

Intelligence: 12 (+1)

Wisdom: 14 (+2)

Charisma: 14 (+2)

Combat: 14 + 12 = 26PP

Initiative: +18

Attack: +15 Melee, +7 Ranged

Grapple: +17

Defense: +15 (+6 Base, +9 Dodge Focus), +3 Flat-Footed

Knockback: -2

Saving Throws: 3 + 4 + 8 = 15PP

Toughness: +5 (+5 Con)

Fortitude: +8 (+5 Con, +3)

Reflex: +10 (+6 Dex, +4)

Will: +10 (+2 Wis, +8)

Skills: 64R = 16PP

Acrobatics 10 (+16)

Disable Device 10 (+11)

Escape Artist 10 (+16)

Knowledge: Pop Culture 4 (+5)

Notice 10 (+12)

Search 10 (+12)

Sleight of Hand 10 (+12)

Feats: 28PP

Accurate Attack

Acrobatic Bluff

All-Out Attack

Attack Focus: Melee 8

Challenge (Fast Task) 1 (Acrobatic Feint)

Defensive Attack

Dodge Focus 9

Improved Initiative 3

Move-By Action

Power Attack

Skill Mastery (Acrobatics, Escape Artist, Notice, Sleight of Hand)

Powers: 6+16+x+15=37+xPP

Psycho-Kinetic Awareness 1.2 (6PP Container [Passive, Permanent]) [6pp]

Enhanced Feat 1(Uncanny Dodge: Mental) [1PP]

Super-Senses 5(Accurate, Acute, Radius, Ranged Mental Sense) [5pp]

Kinetic Speed 3.2(16PP Container [Passive, Permanent]) [16PP]

Quickness 3 (x10) [3PP]

Speed 7(1,000 MPH) [10PP]

Super-Movement 3 (Water-Walking, Wall-Crawling 2, Flaw: Only While Moving) [3PP]

Mental Powers (PP Array, Feats: Alternate Power ) [PP]

Communication 2 (Mental, 100 ft, Extras: Area; Power Feats: Selective, Subtle) [6PP] linked Mind Reading 1 (Extras: Action 2 [Free], Effortless, Mental, Flaws: Duration [instant/Lasting], Limited [surface Thoughts]) [2PP] (Telepathic Linkup)

Kinetic Blades 6.5(13PP Array, Feats: Alternate Power 2) [15PP]

Strike 3 (Extras: Autofire (Applies to Strength Bonus), Power Feats: Affects Insubstantial 2 [100%], Mighty [+2 Damage], Split Attack, Variable Descriptor 1 [slashing, Piercing, or Bludgeoning]) [13PP] (Twin Blades; Mutant, Kinetic Energy)

Strike 3 (Extras: Penetrating 5, Power Feats: Affects Insubstantial 2 [100%], Improved Critical 2 [18-20], Mighty [+2 Damage]) [13PP] (Duelist Blade; Mutant, Kinetic Energy, Piercing)

Strike 3 (Power Feats: Affects Insubstantial 2 [100%], Extended Reach 1 [10ft reach], Mighty [+2 Damage]) [7PP] (Polearm; Mutant, Kinetic Energy, Slashing, Bludgeoning)

Drawbacks: (-0) + (-0) = -0PP

DC Block

ATTACK      RANGE     SAVE                        EFFECT

Unarmed     Touch     DC17 Toughness (Staged)     Damage (Physical)

Strike      Touch     DC20 Toughness (Staged)     Damage (Physical)

Totals: Abilities (36) + Combat (26) + Saving Throws (15) + Skills (16) + Feats (28) + Powers () - Drawbacks (0) = (105 non-powers+37+x Powers)142/180 Power Points

Step 1: Very little changed from previous version. Upped Dex by 2, upped base Fort save by 1. Going to think about some other powers to give him.

Step 2: Revamped powers. A lot. Not sure what to do with "mind powers" yet, will be changing that array name. Might adjust other array and containers a bit once that's figured out.

[Supercape]

Id suggest the Strike power has Autofire to all not just the power but also the Strength bonus (ie costing 9PP rather than 7). Having Autofire apply to part of a damaging attack is pretty messy at best.

Power Reserve - I'm not sure this is costed correctly as I haven't UP to hand, but I recall this being effectively a pool of PP applied to an array.

The communication power is mental I guess?

Whilst I normally consider the super speed power pretty messy too - you actually are building this character damn close to that, with the APs like Autofire strike, Wall running. Might be worth checking out.

Elusive target feat for additional slipperiness might be worth shoving in.

You could possibly do some more complex builds to represent Kinetic Energy -> Time control. Such as a linked Paralyse (limited to slow) and Boost (Temporal powers) effect - stealing the energy from others, or Absorbtion of kinetic energy boosting speed. Maybe some APs for this.

[KnightDisciple]

Id suggest the Strike power has Autofire to all not just the power but also the Strength bonus (ie costing 9PP rather than 7). Having Autofire apply to part of a damaging attack is pretty messy at best.

Right that's just an oversight.

Power Reserve - I'm not sure this is costed correctly as I haven't UP to hand, but I recall this being effectively a pool of PP applied to an array.

I think it is. I think I was also copying from some of AA's builds, and based on a couple suggestions from him.

The communication power is mental I guess?

Yes, that's something to fix.

Whilst I normally consider the super speed power pretty messy too - you actually are building this character damn close to that, with the APs like Autofire strike, Wall running. Might be worth checking out.

I don't like having it too tied together. And honestly I might scrap the reserve and just have set amounts for quickness and speed.

Elusive target feat for additional slipperiness might be worth shoving in.

Icing on the cake, though.

You could possibly do some more complex builds to represent Kinetic Energy -> Time control. Such as a linked Paralyse (limited to slow) and Boost (Temporal powers) effect - stealing the energy from others, or Absorbtion of kinetic energy boosting speed. Maybe some APs for this.

Well, that's the thing. He doesn't have Time Control in any sense. And I don't really want to jack with Absorption. I do think his mental blade (the Strike) is going to have a couple of APs, though.

[KnightDisciple]

Since Containers make sense on this guy, he's got all sorts of Containers and Arrays, because I'm an Organization Freak.

I'm not even at 150PP at the moment, though I think all of my math is good.

The idea with his Kinetic Blades is that he can make a variety of shapes, but they have to fit certain general archetypes. No rubber chickens, but for Twin Blades he could have a Quarterstaff, two Gladii, a Daisho Pair, or other such things.

Definitely welcome math checks.

Welcoming ideas on tweaks on that array.

His Communication is purposefully not very long-ranged; he's got the ability to hit multiple people with it, and he's not super-experienced yet. Gives him room to grow. I did crib the Mind Reading structure from Sage since it seems to do exactly what I want and need there.

I'm going to primarily look to AA and Electra for suggestions on his active mental powers Array, but a couple suggestions in general aren't out of order.

If I find myself with enough points, I might up his Quickness and/or Speed a bit, but keep a gap between them.

[KnightDisciple]

Fresh post since it's been a bit and I'm re-jiggering a few things.

Player Name: KnightDisciple
Character Name: Thoughtspeed
Power Level: 10 150/150PP
Effective Power Level: 8 (Shifted)
Trade-Offs: +3 Attack / -3 Damage, +3 Defense / -3 Toughness
Unspent Power Points: 0
Progress To Platinum Status: 0/120 (Gold Status earned with Gabriel)

In Brief: Son of a time controller and a psychic, Thoughtspeed uses his strength of will to harness kinetic energy to move faster and fight harder, all for the cause of good (and impressing the ladies)!

Alternate Identity: William Cline
Identity: Secret
Birthplace:
Occupation: Claremont Student, Superhero-in-Training
Affiliations: Claremont
Family: Richard Cline "Fast-Forward" (Father); Paige Cline "Hologram" (Mother); Anne Cline "Clock Queen" (Paternal Grandmother); Holly Cline (Younger Sister)

Description:
Age: 16 (DoB: October 1997)
Gender: Male
Ethnicity: Caucasion/Jewish mix
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 160 lbs
Eyes: Dark Brown (Normal), Dark Green (Powers Active)
Hair: Black

William's built lean; between his super-metabolism and his natural inclinations to work on endurance and flexibility, he doesn't cut a large figure. That said, he's clearly in excellent condition and well-toned, showing a natural, organic athleticism. His dark hair is kept fairly short, but just long enough it can get a bit tousled in the wind when he runs (just as planned!). His skin has a healthy tan, born from a lot of outdoor runs. His eyes often dance with barely restrained mischief, when they aren't glowing green with the use of his powers. William tends to dress fashionably but comfortably, in clothes that one could comfortably run in.

Thoughtspeed's outfit is made up of morphic molecules engineered to resist high-speed frictions, though not enough to help in an actual fight. Still, it comes out as a decently thick suit of flexible, breathable material that is nonetheless decently more substantial than, say, spandex. The primary color of the suit is a slightly glossy black. Starting at the shoulders (front and back) and running down the right and left sides of his suit are lines of dark green (about 2 inches wide) that trace their way down his legs (the lines thin to about 1 inch past his waist) all the way to his ankles, where it makes a circle around the ankle, thus joining the front and rear lines. Another set of similar lines go down the middle of the outside arm section, ending in circles at his wrists; his elbows and knees have slightly thicker circles, while a large loop circles his waist like a belt. When he's using his powers more actively (OOC: Faster than Speed 2 or Quickness 1, using any of the Super-Movement powers, or using his Kinetic Blades Array), bleed-off psycho-kinetic energy goes into the costume, causing the lines to glow a somewhat brighter green. His feet are clad in hybrid shoes, with a tread somewhere between "hiking boots" and "track shoes", giving him flexibility, traction, and comfort. Finally, a thin "metallic" helmet unfolds over his head when the costume is active (though he can will it to retract independently); this helmet encapsulates his head, including a one-way visor that obscures his face but lets him see clearly. The helmet has several subtle air vents to allow comfortable breathing and preventing heat buildup, and has thin lines curving around the sides to connect to the lines on his suit's shoulders (the helmet's lines also glow when his powers ramp up). A simple domino mask is underneath the helmet, as a nod to his secret identity without being too complicated.

Power Descriptions:
While Fast-Forward's powers allow him to harness chronal energy to warp space-time (mainly time), and his mother can project powerful illusions, Thoughtspeed's powers are more internally focused. His body is able to generate and harness notably more kinetic energy than usual, all controlled by his formidable will (or sheer teenage stubbornness, according to his mother).
Thus, he can charge his body with kinetic energy to move many times the speed of sound, even across water or up buildings. However, his precision control is much lower, meaning he cannot accomplish fine tasks with the same level of speed (though he can still accomplish things faster than humanly possible).
This same usage of kinetic energy means that, within a certain distance, he has an innate spatial sense that allows him to navigate in complete darkness, using his mind to interpret the "bounce-back" his whole body is picking up. That this makes him difficult to catch unawares is an added benefit.
Finally, he can mold the kinetic energy he generates into semi-tangible constructs, which he shapes into various hand-held melee weapons. He can alter the properties of the blades somewhat, though he cannot do everything at once with them, forcing him to decide on his mode of attack.
William's inheritance from his mother is still developing; while he can set up a team-wide telepathic link, the range is poor enough he runs the risk of casually zipping out of range in the blink of an eye, leaving everyone suddenly isolated again.
Thoughtspeed is also able to use his mental and kinetic powers to warp and blur the light around his body, as well as generating some basic, low-level holographs, that he becomes invisible to the naked or assisted eye. Of course, he still needs to rely on his own caution and skill to move undetected to the ear or other, more exotic senses. The same field can be turned outward, generating a massive burst of blinding green light; the downside is that it's an indiscriminate burst (risking blinding fellow heroes if he's not careful), and it takes him several seconds to build up to it.

History:
William didn't come into the world until his parents had left behind villainy for several years. They were older and at least somewhat wiser. And those early years had been great; just him, Mom, and Dad, nothing but good times. Several early years were spent living in an RV, and how cool is that? Totally cool. He saw a lot of pretty neat in those traveling years. 

They came back to Freedom City for a bit, he learned he was getting a new baby sister, and his Mom got really weird for a while. She was a LOT snappier than usual with him, and he just couldn't figure out what he'd done wrong. But then Holly was born, and they were moving again!

California was kind of nicer than Freedom City. It wasn't really any shinier, but it was warm a lot more, which meant William got to wear shorts a lot! He liked shorts. And things were pretty awesome for years! His mom and dad ended up TV stars, he got to be on television (even if he had to wear a mask, but hey, he got to help build it!), and his Grandma Anne was fun to visit, even if she tended to talk about "back in my day". A lot. Even more than his dad! 

He started getting superpowers, and that was totally awesome! His dad helped him figure most of it out, with his mom giving him pointers. Eventually he figured out he could make swords. With his mind! That's when Grandma Anne start giving him lessons when he visited! Though she didn't do much to encourage his creativity, always trying to make him stick to one long blade and one short. He only just managed to avoid "having" to make them look like clock hands; that would have been so last century, and thus lame. 

And then Holly mind-controlled an entire school, and in less than a week California was left behind and Will found himself in Freedom City again. But now he had to go to a fancy-dancy little private school for heroes. It's not that being a hero was bad, but now he felt obligated to end up being one, instead of having the option to, he didn't know, maybe run his own TV show or something! And to make matters worse, he'd left all his friends and lots of cute girls behind in California, and now his sister was getting all of the attention instead of only some of it, and both the women in the house were totally psychic and it sucked! Psychic women were the worst when you were a 16-year-old boy.

But hey, the classes were kind of neat, gym was mostly a breeze, and the girls here were kind of pretty. Even if some of them could turn you into a pretzel with one hand. 

Personality & Motivation:
Bill has always been an...energetic...young man. While his mother's worked hard to instill a sense of discipline into him, he's inherited a full dose of the mischief of his parents, albeit in a somewhat more law-abiding way. His parents both made sure he wasn't one for petty crime, not that he felt he needed it. He has an intellectual admiration for some of the more "refined" and "principled" super-villains (mostly of yester-year like his parents), but his real role models (besides his father and mother) are still heroes. Just the ones with senses of humor and/or some sort of super-speed.
William is by nature impatient, but while he can sometimes be an excitable handful in class, his mother has instilled enough of a work-ethic in him that he's willing to work on his studies; he just often has trouble sitting through classes, despite being able to somewhat "ramp down" his speed (body and mind) to something closer to normal for humans. While he doesn't automatically distrust and disrespect his teachers (and other authority figures), Bill will sometimes push boundaries as much as he can, though it's more due to being used to his mother's firm rules for what he can and can't get away with.
When meeting people (especially peers) for the first time, Bill is friendly and outgoing, enthusiastically so. Despite this, he actually has few close friends, as he finds himself only comfortable with people he trusts; trust is one of those things he gives sparingly. When he does make a friend, he's fiercely loyal and even protective of them. He's been known to (at least try to) play pranks on those who upset or hurt his friends.
William is a bit of a flirt, though he's well-mannered enough to not continue if the girl is already taken, or if she just asks him to stop. He generally doesn't "tease" his friends, as he's conscious of how some might not take to it as naturally and humorously as others. He tries to present himself as something of a "rakish ladies man" (a trait he insists he inherited from his father).
His family is important to him, but he admits he's often "so frustrated" by them; his father can be too goofy even for Bill's sense of humor, his mother is often "too strict", and his sister is precocious enough to inspire frustration at nearly every turn. Anyone else who is negative about them finds themselves in a heap of trouble, though.
Thoughtspeed is always eager to taunt opponents, or at least appear to not take them seriously when at all possible. While to some allies he seems unfocused and undisciplined, he's actually always focused on helping out his team; he simply can't keep his somewhat rambunctious nature from leaking through.

Powers & Tactics:
If fighting alone, Thoughtspeed will typically keep his visual stealth up as long as feasible while closing in on an enemy, then perform several quick strikes. After that, his preferred method is to use the full measure of his speed to keep out of an enemy's range while running by at high speed and hitting them; few enemies can reliably hit someone who's a mile or more away.
However, if he's working in a group, Thoughtspeed's tactics shift rather noticeably. If he's the only telepath around, he will work to stay within about 100ft of everyone in the group, so that no one drops off the link he has with them. This means he has to rely on tactics and a bit of stealth to keep from being shot at in the first place, or just rely on his incredible reflexes to not get hit.
He only uses his Visual Overload if he feels there's no other choice, as it risks disabling teammates as well.
He usually opens a fight with his Twin Blades, only using the Duelist Blade if he finds a particularly tough opponent. He will sub in forming the Halberd if there's a group, or he's fighting a particularly tough and wily opponent.

---

Complications:
Secret Identity: William Cline intends to keep his hero life separate from his "normal" life, outside of the unusual "blending" that happens at Claremont. Thus, a GM may award Thoughtspeed a Hero Point when maintaining his dual identity is put at undue risk by the current situation.
Shady Family Background: While his father's mother is (mostly) peacefully retired, and his parents are reformed, William's family background is extremely checkered. Anyone researching his family very much may make unwanted connections, and some parts of his extended family might object to his heroic efforts. A GM may feel free to award him a Hero Point if he faces hardships due to his family connections to villains past and present.
Mind Over Matter: Typically Thoughtspeed's powers are a unified whole that gives him internally-focused kinetic energy control. However, a precisely-targeted power nullification that was also powerful enough might cause his psionic powers to shut down, but not his kinetic powers. This would leave him bereft of much of his ability, as well as rendering him a potential danger to others, thanks to out-of-control kinetic energy buildup he'd have to either drain off by large amounts of movement, or see erupt out in random damage. A GM might award a Hero Point if some Nullification were to take out his Psionic descriptors, but leave him enough power beyond his Speed and Quickness to cause some sort of Aura damage, or something similar, to cause risk to civilians and fellow heroes.
Big Eater: Thoughtspeed needs a lot of fuel to keep his super-metabolism going, to the point of typically carrying a couple of high-energy bars with him on a patrol or the like, just to keep the edge off of his hunger. A GM might award a Hero Point if, due to limited food supplies, Thoughtspeed's hunger reaches the point where his powers are reduced in effectiveness.

Born to Be Wild: William Cline is his father's son. He is also a teenager. This means he's got a pretty solid rebellious streak, and just enough disregard for authority to get him into trouble. A good bit of trouble, even.

Big Shadows: Fast-Forward and Hologram were larger-than-life villains and are larger-than-life heroes/television stars. Combined with their somewhat eccentric personalities, this means there's a lot of pressure (more imagined than real) on William to live up to that larger-than-life life. Combined with the rather esoteric upbringing he had, and the rather sudden move to Freedom City, it's left the eldest child of the family feeling more than a bit disaffected and frustrated with his parents, who are simultaneously "pretty cool" and "totally lame", as only a teenager can think of his parents.

Little Shadow: Holly is a precocious super-psychic little sister. She totally harshs his vibe sometimes. Or gets in trouble and he has to help bail her out.


Abilities: 4 + 10 + 10 + 2 + 4 + 4 = 34PP
Strength: 14 (+2)
Dexterity: 20 (+5)
Constitution: 20 (+5)
Intelligence: 12 (+1)
Wisdom: 14 (+2)
Charisma: 14 (+2)


Combat: 8 + 8 = 16PP
Initiative: +13
Attack: +11 Kinetic Blades, +7 Melee, +4 Ranged
Grapple: +9
Defense: +11 (+4 Base, +7 Dodge Focus), +2 Flat-Footed
Knockback: -2


Saving Throws: 6 + 3 + 5 = 14PP
Toughness: +5 (+5 Con)
Fortitude: +6 (+5 Con, +1)
Reflex: +8 (+5 Dex, +3)
Will: +7 (+2 Wis, +5)


Skills: 68R = 17PP
Acrobatics 8 (+13)
Disable Device 8 (+9)
Escape Artist 8 (+13)
Knowledge: Pop Culture 6 (+7)
Language 2 (English [Native], German, Hebrew)
Notice 8 (+10)
Search 6 (+8)
Sense Motive 8 (+10)
Sleight of Hand 6 (+11)
Stealth 8 (+13)


Feats: 20PP
Accurate Attack
All-Out Attack
Attack Focus: Melee 3
Attack Specialization: Kinetic Blades 2
Challenge (Fast Task) 1 (Acrobatic Feint)
Defensive Attack
Dodge Focus 7
Improved Initiative 2
Move-By Action
Power Attack


Powers: 7(1+6) + 12(3+6+3) + 17(6+2+9) + 13 = 49PP

Psycho-Kinetic Awareness 1.4 (7PP Container [Passive, Permanent]) [7pp] (Mutant, Kinetic Energy, Psionic)

Enhanced Feat 1(Uncanny Dodge: Mental) [1PP]
Super-Senses 6(Accurate, Acute, Radius, Ranged, Mental Sense) [6pp]

Kinetic Speed 2.4(12PP Container [Passive, Permanent]) [12PP] (Mutant, Kinetic Energy)

Quickness 3 (x10) [3PP]
Speed 6(500 MPH/5,000ft per Move Action) [6PP]
Super-Movement 3 (Water-Walking, Wall-Crawling 2, Flaw: Only While Moving) [3PP]

Mental Powers 3.4(17PP Container, Feats: Alternate Power ) [17PP] (Mutant, Psionic)

Communication 2 (Mental, 100 ft, Extras: Area; Power Feats: Selective, Subtle) [6PP] linked Mind Reading 1 (Extras: Action 2 [Free], Effortless, Mental, Flaws: Duration [instant/Lasting], Limited [surface Thoughts]) [2PP] ("Telepathic Linkup")

Psionic Light 1.6 (8PP ArrayFeats: Alternate Power 1) [9PP]

Base Power: Dazzle 8 (Visual, Extras: Area [General, Burst, 25ft radius], Flaws: Action [Full], Range [Touch]) [8PP] ("Visual Overload")
Alternate Power: Concealment 4 (All Visual) [8pp] ("Personal Holographic Shroud")

Kinetic Blades 2.2 (11PP Array, Feats: Alternate Power 2) [13PP] (Mutant, Kinetic Energy)

Base Power: Strike 3 (Extras: Autofire (Applies to Strength Bonus), Power Feats: Mighty [+2 Damage], Split Attack, Variable Descriptor 1 [slashing, Piercing, or Bludgeoning]) [11PP] ("Twin Blades")
Alternate Power: Strike 3 (Extras: Penetrating 5, Power Feats: Improved Critical 2 [18-20], Mighty [+2 Damage]) [11PP] ("Duelist Blade"; Piercing)
Alternate Power: Strike 3 (Power Feats: Extended Reach 2 [15ft reach], Mighty [+2 Damage], Variable Descriptor 1 [slashing, Piercing, or Bludgeoning]) [7PP] linked Enhanced Feats 3 (Improved Disarm, Improved Trip, Takedown Attack 1) [3PP] ("Polearm")

Drawbacks: (-0) + (-0) = -0PP


DC Block

ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT
Unarmed Touch DC17 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical)
Strike Touch DC20 Toughness (+ Autofire) (Staged) Damage (Physical)
Dazzle Area DC18 Reflex 1/2 Effect
DC18 Reflex Blinded
DC18 Fortitude Recover

Totals: Abilities (34) + Combat (16) + Saving Throws (14) + Skills (17) + Feats (20) + Powers (49) - Drawbacks (0) = 150/150 Power Points

Edited November 12, 2013 by KnightDisciple

[Supercape]

One point regarding the Ranged, Accurate, Acute, Radius Mental Sense. This is just adding accurate, acute, ranged, and radius to the base mental sense, which, according to UP is the ability to sense motive (and detect mental effects on you). In other words, its really not that useful. It wont cover detecting other thinking beings.

You may be looking for something like an additional mental sense such as detect thoughts / brains [3PP according to house rules], and then adding those qualities to it.

I think the Kinetic Blades are probably best laid out as 3 APs rather than strike with another set of powers all linked to strike (if that was what you were after).

[KnightDisciple]

One point regarding the Ranged, Accurate, Acute, Radius Mental Sense. This is just adding accurate, acute, ranged, and radius to the base mental sense, which, according to UP is the ability to sense motive (and detect mental effects on you). In other words, its really not that useful. It wont cover detecting other thinking beings.

You may be looking for something like an additional mental sense such as detect thoughts / brains [3PP according to house rules], and then adding those qualities to it.

I was going off of the example in this post in this thread.

To whit:

Examples of other Mental Senses: Psychic Blindsight (Mental Sense, +Accurate, +Acute, +Radius, +Ranged, 6PP).

Though in looking at it, it seems like the cost is a bit different. I feel like I either did the math from looking at stuff, and/or a Chat convo.

I think the Kinetic Blades are probably best laid out as 3 APs rather than strike with another set of powers all linked to strike (if that was what you were after).

Well, I did things the way I did because in the course of talking with AA, Gizmo, and a few other Refs last night, they said they preferred that set up due to the Linked Paralyze I have in the upper array (which is there because of how I envision everything fitting together fluff-ish-wise). The cost is the same, and while it's a touch clunkier, it means I have 2 Arrays pointing at a static Power, rather than 1 Array pointing at another Array.

[Supercape]

Yeah, Psychic Blindsight for 6PP does play out. It's basically adding a new sense (a kind of spatial awareness), saying its mental (1PP for a new sense type), then giving it accurate (2PP), acute (1PP), radius (1PP), and ranged (1PP) fo 6 PP.

Thats different from just adding those features to the base mental sense however.

But it realy depends what you are looking for. The 6PP Psychic blindsight would allow that kind of "mental spatial awareness" that substitutes for vision. However, if you are wanting to detect other minds, thats a detect power for 3 PP, then adding those attributes to it.

From your sheet you are just adding acute, accurate, ranged, radius (5PP) to the base mental sense, which gets you pretty much nothing (sense motive at a range).

I have no problem with how you do your kinetic blades. Inevitably what you are doing, which is having two arrays and powers in those arrays that link, is going to come off a little clunky. I guess once a few more PP flow in you may want to make it less so, but thats your call.

[KnightDisciple]

Mental Spatial Awareness is exactly what I want. Hm. I guess I need to free up 1 PP somewhere. I think I'll go in in a bit and take out Acrobatic Bluff. But otherwise, yeah, the idea is that his personal control of kinetic energy combined with his mental powers gives him a greater-than-usual sense of his surroundings.

[N/A]

[...]

[KnightDisciple]

I went ahead and shifted points so that it's the 6pp to include paying for an extra Mental Sense (since while it's kinetic energy, I see it as his brain that's "directing traffic", so it comes down to mental, but with the kinetic energy descriptor).

Super-Senses 6(Accurate, Acute, Radius, Ranged, Mental Sense) [6pp]

That seems like it should do what I'm wanting here...

[Supercape]

The only information the books or forums have ever given us for the default "Mental" sense is that it is a by-product of having INT, WIS, and CHA scores all at 1+, and that it gives you the Sense Motive skill. The implication is that awareness of other thinking beings is the sensory input it provides. Speaking as a player of a PC with emxtras like Radius and Ranged on their default Mental sense, I can tell you that we've always played it that way in the past - sticking extras onto your default Mental sense would let you detect the presence of other minds in the area (and information about them, depending on the extras you purchased). That's all it could do for you.

Emphasis mine. Its not implied. At all. I have checked on ATT. I have checked on UP, and in the core book. Nowhere does it say this.

I don't know where you found a post on ATT to indicate your viewpoint the only one I have found is this which indicates that detecting minds requires a new sense - detecting of minds. Do you have another official link on ATT that contradicts this?

I cant find anywhere saying the default mental sense detects mind. They say is that it's detecting mental effects on you Unless I have missed something?

Aside from the fact that the rules indicate it is this way, compare it to our house rules. A "detect thinking" power would be common, 3 PP. You would then have to add accurate, acute, ranged, and radius to this for a total power cost of 8PP. Which is more than 5PP.

Saying you, or the site here have played it that way is no argument that its correct. Especially given the above point. It's wrong, and we either need to explicitly house rule it as ok, or change it.

Shaen, no need to go into detail about supersenses for my benefit - I agree with most of what you say, and I know the rules here pretty darn well after studying them. No need to repeat exactly what I said about blindsight either. But if you are going to call me out on some rules being wrong, and some ATT posts supporting you, do please post them so we can all look at them.

[KnightDisciple]

Had to revise him to PL10/150PP when it was made clear to me that Silver slot only goes that high. As Fenris is going to need more PP, and (being older) should be a bit better at his job anyways, Thoughtspeed has been revised to be at 150PP, set for shifted PL8 caps (+3/-3 on both sets, which means I didn't have to adjust Toughness or Damage at all). Thankfully due to some earlier math errors and judicious chopping down of his Attack and Defense, he came out essentially unscathed, without having to drop large swathes of feats, skills, or powers. That's one of the good things about building "wide" instead of "tall", as well as being only 30PP over the real target.