KnightDisciple's Character Scratchpad

[KnightDisciple]

Right, going to put up a post for the Final Raven Draft (well, the 250PP iteration, which is close enough).

 

Putting the bulk of his fluff in Spoilers for now. 

 

Shifting away from Gadgets to a regular Array. Also going to try fiddling with things so that he can switch from his normal suit with Utility Belt to an armored suit, ala Dark Night Returns, Trinity, Justice, etc. Not necessarily a Hellbat, "solo-the-Justice-League" suit, more just something that moves him to a no-tradeoff PL 15 (instead of a +2/-2 tradeoff PL 13). Meant for situations where he knows he's going to be facing high-level threats. 

 

 

POWERS NOT TOUCHED YET. 

 

Raven
Power Level: 15 

Effective Power Level: 13

Power Points: 250/250 PP

Unspent Power Points: 0PP
Trade-Offs: +2 Attack / -2 Damage; +2 Defense / -2 Toughness

In Brief: The newest holder of the mantle of the Raven, the third hero to bear this name has large shoes to fill as he steps into this role. 

Alternate Identity: Aleksander Garen Nakani (Birth Name/legal name); Svarog (Name assigned by the Blood Dragons)
Identity: Secret
Birthplace: Rustavi, Georgia
Occupation: College Student (Freedom City College); Crimefighter
Affiliations:  Raven "family"; Claremont Academy (Alumnus); Blood Dragon Society (former)
Family: Henrik and Maral Nakani (biological parents, deceased); Loren and Melissa Barbeau (adoptive parents)

Description:
Age: 23 (DoB: December 12, 1997)
Apparent Age: N/A
Gender: Male
Ethnicity: Armenian and Ossetian
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 210 lbs. 
Eyes: Grey
Hair: Black
 

Spoiler

 

Aleksander is an athletic young man, whose frame balances speed, agility, and power. Thanks to his "rigorous" upbringing and years of training under Callie Summers, he moves with an instinctive sense of balance and poise. His deeply bronzed skin has no blemishes, and his face is free of scarring. His forearms, hands, lower legs, and torso bear a scattering of small, light scars, the sort one would associate with intense martial training. The long, thin scars on his back, faded for years now, are decidedly not from training.
 
His grey eyes peer out keenly from slightly thick eyebrows, always observing. He doesn't have the furtive manner one would associate with a guilty party; instead, it's the keen observation of all those around him, and his environment. When he does focus on an item, person, or object, his gaze can be quite piercing indeed.
His face bears notable angles, but avoids the severity many might think such features would lend to him; his smooth, clean-shaven skin lessens the impact of his bone structure a fair bit. He almost seems to have trouble frowning, and quite often, Aleksander's smiling or smirking about one thing or another. If he becomes angry, though, it is somewhat like a storm rolling over the plains.
His dark hair has just a bit of curl to it, and while he keeps it neat, it reaches down to the bottom of his neck. Typically he just wears it combed back, but when training he'll keep it tied in a tight ponytail.
 
Typically, he dresses in comfortable, non-descript clothes with low-key colors. He tends to prefer pants and long sleeves year round, though in the summer he usually opts for lighter-weight materials than in the dead of winter. His only ornamentation seems to be an antique wristwatch; when pressed, he explains it was his birth father's, and is one of the few mementos he has of him. 
 
Raven's costume is a finely-engineered piece of crime-fighting technology, and it looks it. It's a full-body suit that leaves only the mouth exposed, and while it's somewhat obvious that it's multiple layers, the outside is virtually seamless. 
The whole suit has armor plating somewhat visibly sandwiched in everywhere, but covered with a solid layer of morphic molecules on the outside to smooth over its appearance. The suit's base color is black, with the belt (holding several secure pouches of equipment), chest symbol (a stylized raven, wings outstretched and beak pointed straight up, feet outstretched below), and a few lines on the gauntlets and greaves being a metallic silvery color. The inside of his cape is a dark grey-blue, helping blend in and break colors up a bit.The gloves/gauntlets, boots/greaves, pants, shirt, cape, and cowl are all separate pieces. 
When at rest, the cape's edge is a straight line, but thanks to the combination of the electroreactive "frame" inside of it, and the morphic molecules, when in "glide mode", the edges take on the appearance of a raven's wings spread in flight, or at least a stylized rendition of it. 
His head is covered by a smooth armored cowl that leaves only his mouth and chin exposed to the air. His eyes are covered by special lenses that appear, from the outside, to be somewhat milky-white when inactive, but faintly glow green when night vision mode is active. 

The suit bears a very robust belt-and-harness assembly that includes a multitude of pieces of compact equipment. Using low-scale nanotechnology alongside hyper-efficient space-saving tech, these modules and pieces of equipment can quickly be activated and deployed, be it as handheld tools or as plug-in modules on his base suit (which has a multitude of subtle connection points for various modules). Some may alter the appearance of his suit in various ways. 
 
Power Descriptions:
Aleksander is an essentially normal human being. His time under the "care" of the Blood Dragon Society had them injecting him with various chemical mixtures meant to encourage the maximum potential growth, and he was fed a rigorous diet rich in some unique vitamins and minerals, but while he shows the potential to enter the very top tier of human performance, right now he shows no signs of mutation or any other true superhuman powers.
Instead, his body is in peak condition for a man of 20, and he possesses more skill than most would think possible for one of his age (due to his...rigorous...care with the BDS). Some might describe Aleksander as a "living weapon", and truthfully, they wouldn't be entirely wrong. His physical fitness and sheer skill make him a formidable close-combat opponent. He consistently displays athletic prowess at the upper end of the human spectrum. 
 
Raven's  costume is a masterful piece of crime-fighting engineering.
The innermost layer is a thick, comfortable layer of thermal-insulated morphic molecules that help Alek survive extreme temperatures.
Next is a layer of body armor, composed primary of thick, semi-rigid Kevlar plates that provide protection sufficient to deal with most regular small arms.
The cowl contains lenses that can activate night vision, meaning even the darkest night is as bright as day to Raven.
As well, an advanced communications suite is embedded under the armoring of the cowl. This system also works with some small microcomputers in his belt to give him up-to-the-picosecond accurate time, as well as precise geo-positioning data and magnetic north orientation readings.
The belt also holds a number of tools useful for crime scene analysis, a fold-out tablet computer useful for taking notes and such, and a simple collapsible gas mask that fits over his exposed moth and provides an environmental seal and several minutes of clean air.
The cape is composed of special electro-reactive morphic molecules that conform to a rigid frame when a very low but precisely calibrated electrical charge is run through them. While he has insufficient propulsion for true independent flight, Nevermore is capable of long glides. His ability for movement around the city is aided by special high-speed, high-power grapnel lines that are housed in his gauntlets (under the extra armor plating).

Raven's belt and harness contain modules and gear that let him adapt on the fly to the situation in the field. Raven has had practice figuring out the best pieces to use in any given situation, but it's still a developing technology, so it takes him a few moments to reconfigure his equipment.

 

Alek has full access to The Rookery, the large (hidden) cave-complex-based underground headquarters of the Raven, located underneath the Summers mansion. The facility is expansive and covers virtually every need a crime-fighter might have, with room for future improvements, as well as access to a large variety of tools, vehicles, and suits that he could draw on if needed.

The most (comparatively) subtle vehicle out of his current arsenal is The Talon, a high-performance motorcycle which is one of Raven's primary means of transportation across larger portions of Freedom City (with his grapnel/glider cape combo being used for more precise positioning in specific areas). While unarmed, it is a tough, fast vehicle that bears a solid security system to prevent bike-jacking. The overall construction is rugged, with the bike mainly sporting two seemingly over-sized tires (each with an independent electric motor for power), and a central "pod" with rugged armor plates, special steering "arms", and a simple voice-activated computer that has an always-updating navigation program. It is currently capable of speeds approaching the fastest performance road cars, though Raven rarely pushes it to that speed.

 

A more recent addition to the garage of the Rookery is the latest iteration of the Unkindness, the full-sized automobile of the Raven. The latest in a long line of vehicles, this version of the Unkindness is some great and terrible fusion of a race car, an APC, and a fighter jet. The dark vehicle is plated with enough armor to shrug off massive amounts of fire; the outer skin can be configured to either somehow hide the enormous automobile, or make it capable of completely ignoring anything up to the heaviest guns or explosives. As well, the wheels can be kept close to the body for greater transit speed, or spread out on variable-geometry "arms" that give the Unkindness unparalleled stability on even the worst terrain. With its advanced suite of sensors, communication, and life-support gear, it's practically a headquarters on the move. It's also armed with enough less-than-lethal weaponry to take out an entire company of soldiers and vehicles. The sonic disrupter cannon stores away behind the driver compartment of the Unkindness, and can be configured to either fire single "shots" at specific targets, or blast out a cone of dizzying sound accompanied by a multitude of bright, flashing lights. Strapped on either side of the "barrel" of the sonic cannon are the prongs for the Targeted EMP Cannon, a device that allows the Raven to disable most any modern electronics with just a few button presses. 

History:
Aleksander Garen Nakani should have been a perfectly normal boy born in the country of Georgia. And for about 6 months of his life after birth, he was. 
Then, one day, he and his parents "disappeared". His father and mother were found weeks later, dead, their child missing, out well past city limits. Theories abounded. No one was ever charged, no conclusion made. Funerals were held. People mourned. Mementos were kept by parents/grandparents and other scattered family.
None were the wiser that Aleksander had been taken by the Blood Dragon Society to their base in Transylvania, Romania. They are a fanatical group borne from the last members of the Order of the Dragon. Born in fire and blood, they escaped the purge that wiped out most of their brethren and went into hiding. They watched as one of their own members became one of the most feared monsters of all time, a household name half a millennium later. 
The Blood Dragon Society vowed all those years ago to protect Europe (and, eventually, mankind) from the "dark things". Unfortunately, their definition of what constituted a viable threat has varied over the years, and has never focused solely on supernatural threats, but instead included political or religious movements and individuals. 
Worse, they vowed to use any means necessary, and have taken that vow seriously. They employ methods most would never condone, and in the last couple of centuries have begun taking orphans or other "won't be missed" children to train them from a young age to be perfect "defenders".

Aleksander was part of a new "trial group", selected based on genetic factors (in his case, the presence of many historically successful soldiers on his father's side, and genetics stretching back to some of the fiercest Sarmation warriors on his mother's side) that the Society believed would make them ideal warriors. These children, taken from all over the world, and being of all sorts of ethnicity, were brought in before their first birthdays. They were raised impersonally, granted single names based on mythology (Aleksander was called Svarog), and fed rigorous diets, supplemented by vitamin and chemical treatments intended to procure the maximum possible performance and growth. They were educated as soon as possible, trained from very early ages in tactics, stealth, sabotage, combat of all kinds, and more. Their minds were laced with subliminal programs to ensure obedience and efficiency. Psychics were brought in to aid all of these efforts, ensuring that the whole batch of 20 was far ahead of their peers in every way by age 10. 
Alkesander was 11 when the Freedom League rescued all of the children from the clutches of the Society. The Raven, with the aid of Foreshadow, had tracked down the location of the Society's facilities. The stealthier members of the League infiltrated the base and ensured that the children were there and safe, and disabled much of the security. The rest of the League then swept in and thoroughly disabled any BDS troops still up and about, including a few of their more exotic members. 
Raven herself was the one to open the cell holding Aleksander, who had been in solitary for a week because his young mind had shown itself to be (once more) resistant to the harsher aspects of the programming they were trying to induce on the children. It wasn't a conscious thing, simply an unusually resilient psyche that meant the next year would not be as harsh as it would for his fellows. But only a little less harsh. Thankfully, the BDS facility had included full medical and biographical files on the children there; the Society was thorough and meticulous, if nothing else. This allowed the League to track down what family remained...which was his father's father, who was by this point in no condition to take care of a child. So he would have to be adopted after his treatment.

It took over a year for League psychics and psychologists to help young Aleksander reach a point where they felt he couldn't simply be "switched off" or reprogrammed with a single phrase, and that he didn't treat the entire world like one long spy or combat mission. It still was a delicate enough situation that his adoptive parents, Loren and Melissa Barbeau, had to be specially trained and prepared to help him learn to socialize more normally. As well, his state of mind, as well as his near-reflexive fighting ability, necessitated him attending the Nicholson school for 3 years. 
Thankfully, by 14 Aleksander was a comparatively normal, if quiet, boy. He was even attending a regular public school.
What Loren and Melissa didn't know is that the mental focus that previously had been forced upon the lessons of being a weapon, was now turned to investigating the Raven more. For almost a year, he'd been slowly tracking bits and pieces of information.  
Not because he hated her; just the opposite, Aleksander felt only the greatest of admiration for her. He wished to thank her without having to get mugged first. 
But as his investigation continued, he came to an uncomfortable conclusion: Raven was growing older. Just as her predecessor had, she was starting to show small signs of aging. One day, perhaps soon, she'd have to give up the mantle. But to whom?
The day he figured out who she was, was the day Alkesander Nakani decided that if the Raven wouldn't appoint a successor, maybe one needed to approach her. So he dug deeper. 

Eventually, he determined two facts. First, the original Raven had been Duncan Summers, who was now headmaster of Claremont Academy. Second, his daughter, Callie Summers, was the current Raven. This would explain all the various resources Raven had always had access to. But now...how to speak to either of them about it?
Finally, he decided on just going to Claremont Academy and trying to speak with the Headmaster, as he wasn't sure Callie would be at the Summers home. He skipped school one day and caught the bus to Bayview. He managed to slip onto the Academy grounds with none of the students or staff noticing, and ended up right outside Headmaster Summers' office.
At which point the retired hero invited him in to speak. Duncan explained that while he didn't know quite why Aleksander was there, he'd kept track of the boy, if for no other reason than to help alert other heroes if the Blood Dragon Society ever moved to try and retake him. But the boy's presence intrigued him, and he had a guess as to why he was here.
So Aleksander laid out his research, the results, and his belief that Callie needed a successor. 
Duncan ended up calling his daughter into the meeting, and there were a couple hours of discussion (during which Loren and Melissa were called in as well). In the end, it was decided that until he was 15 & 1/2 years old, Aleksander would be undergoing rigorous "basic training" without stepping foot outside the "lair" under the Summers home. Loren and Melissa weren't thrilled, but recognized that between Aleksander's iron will and his rather unique background, they'd be unlikely to stop him.
So instead they partnered with Duncan and Callie to help make sure Alek didn't do something stupid to get himself killed. 

By June of 2013, Alek was allowed on 2 patrols a month, to try and get him used to actually going through the motions of being a crime-fighter. He was primarily asked to watch Raven's back, but was sometimes allowed to take the fore and get some practice. Most criminals were at least smart enough to not mouth off to a kid in body armor who was working with the Raven. The ones that were were educated. Word started to spread.
In the meantime, in an effort to take some of the work off of Callie, and  give Aleksander some independence on occasion, he was sent into the field as Nevermore (as he has dubbed himself) and transferred to Claremont, starting in the Spring 2014 semester. It was hoped that he would learn more skills related to working with other heroes, as well as broadening his own skillset for the purposes of crime fighting and prevention.

These hopes were well-founded, though Alek did not have quite the meteoric high school career that some alumni of Calremont did.

Nevermore made the rounds of Freedom City, working to aid Raven and sometimes even pick up the "slack" of patrols. He was given fuller access to the Rookery on his own (instead of only on mission prep or training). All these things helped him prepare himself. 

 

After The Incident, Callie sat down with Aleksander and explained that he was ready. He tried to deny it, but she told him, honestly, that not only was he ready, but that she was tired. Years of fighting the good fight had started to take their toll, and with her new duties as Headmistress, and her father's slowly-declining health, she felt it was time to step aside. He'd been far better prepared than she had been, really, and the Incident had proven his mettle, even if it wasn't a situation she found ideal to have tested him with. 

As part of the process of Alek officially becoming the Raven, he and his adoptive parents actually moved to the Summers estate. Loren became the designated manager of the estate itself, overseeing what regular staff there was, as well as organizing on-site social events or the like. Melissa, meanwhile, took to handling the financial aspects of the estate, investing and re-investing resources to ensure that both Duncan and Callie wouldn't have to worry about personal finances or most of the base financial costs of Claremont, with room to ensure Raven's mission is well funded built right into the budget. 

 
Personality & Motivation:
Aleksander is a fairly quiet young man, but for all that he's gone through, he's actually fairly hopeful. He doesn't go for much in the way of exterior shows of emotion, but being rescued from the clutches of the Society, in the way he was, taught him that the world has good people, and those good people can make a difference. 
While not anti-social, Alek prefers to ration his time with friends (which he makes slowly and carefully) and strangers. But when he is with them, his shell opens up at least a little bit; he has a tendency to be the dry wit of a group, making some quip with a completely straight face. 
Alek will almost fanatically stand up to bullies, especially if he sees them picking on someone notably less capable physically (or socially, if it's primarily verbal bullying). He does not initiate actual fisticuffs, but he has been sent home a couple of times for, in his words, "finishing what someone else started". He has never shown regret for those fights, either. Thankfully he abhors the idea of taking a life or producing permanent injury, and so he's always focused on restraint, or temporary discomfort, to breaking bones or the like. 
Alek tends not to get involved in discussions about politics or law or the like, beyond voicing a general dislike of "injustice", though with as young as he is it's still a nebulous concept (beyond "criminals running around not getting stopped").
 
Raven comes off as a gruff, no-nonsense crime fighter. He's willing to work with other heroes, though he's cautious if he does not know them, and might get slightly frustrated with those who have trouble with subtlety of any form. 
To criminals, he's somewhat quieter than his predecessor, but still carries an air of menace and shadows. He is relentless and fearless, and lets them know. 
He does have a bit of a tendency to try and put on a gravely bravado with older heroes, barring those like Midnight or Foreshadow who carry legacies similar to his own. To them he is respectful, though he's not afraid to voice an opinion. But to others he might be trying to over-compensate for his clear newness to his role, subconsciously trying to prove that he's worthy of the mantle he will be receiving.
To the average citizen, he's polite, if a bit terse, but always wanting to prove helpful in a moment of need.

 

Powers & Tactics:
Raven will adjust his tactics depending on the number and quality of opponents.
For a large number of "thugs" he tends to just dive in and start taking them down rapidly, weathering their blows with his body armor while he delivers precise, powerful strikes.
Armed opponents are likely to be disarmed.
Those who seem to focus on power over finesse may well end up put in one martial art hold or another while he tries to choke them just enough to knock them out.
For a notably powerful opponent he is likely to attempt to remain in stealth until he can catch them unaware enough to get a couple of solid blows in. That, or try to work with someone else or call for backup.

---

Complications:
Once a Soldier, Always a Soldier: While the particular cell that was "raising" Aleksander was dismantled, the Blood Dragon Society as a whole still exists. And they aren't the sort to let resources go to waste, especially ones that display the potential Aleksander has. At some point, or several points, they may try to retrieve Aleksander, not realizing that he's also Raven.
The River Runs Deep: Aleksander was given a thorough de-programming by more than one psychic who was affiliated with the Freedom League, and was further taken through more mundane therapies and de-programmings by psychologists and psychiatrists. However, the scars of that time still remain. It is possible, if unlikely, that one or two "trigger words" may still be buried in his mind and activated, either by someone with sufficient knowledge, or someone with enough skill (not power, but skill) in the psychic arts. This would not turn him into a mindless drone, but it might be enough to leave him slower, incapacitated, or in some other way less effective than he should be. 
Secret (Identity): Aleksander's identity as Raven is something known only to a few (though fortunately or unfortunately, at least some fellow alumni from Claremont know). The risk is not only to himself, but to both the Summers, to his adoptive family, and even, in a way, to Claremont itself. 
Some Pretty Big Shoes: Aleksander's status as the new bearer mantle of the Raven is rather obvious to any who observe the hero. The general public (law-abiding and otherwise) lack a lot of the information about why the change happened, but by now they know it has. Some more experienced heroes might not take him seriously, or take offense to him attempting to "take over" the Raven's name (even with Callie's official blessing). Alek himself may sometimes have issues with confidence or second-guessing himself due to doubts over his "worthiness" of the role. 

Disarmed: Aleksander's belts (around his waist and across his chest) need to be removed to completely deprive him of his gadgets, but many of the individual items are hand-held, and can be disarmed as such. Others could be disabled on an individual basis, depriving him of that tool for a time.


Abilities: 10 + 10 + 10 + 10 + 10 + 10 = 60PP
Strength: 20 (+5)
Dexterity: 20 (+5)
Constitution: 20 (+5)
Intelligence: 20 (+5)
Wisdom: 20 (+5)
Charisma: 20 (+5)

Combat: 16 + 16 = 32PP
Initiative: +5
Attack: +15 Melee, +8 Ranged
Grapple: 
Defense: +15 (+8 Base, +7 Dodge Focus), +4 Flat-Footed
Knockback: -4

Saving Throws: 6 + 6 + 6 = 18PP
Toughness: +9 (+5 Con, +5 [Protection])
Fortitude: +11 (+5 Con, +6)
Reflex: +11 (+5 Dex, +6)
Will: +11 (+5 Wis, +6)

Skills: 180R = 45PP

Acrobatics 10 (+15)
Computers 15 (+20)

Craft (Electronic) 10 (+15)

Craft (Mechanical) 10 (+15)
Drive 10 (+15)
Escape Artist 10 (+15)

Gather Information 10 (+15) 
Intimidate 10 (+15)
Investigate 10 (+15)
Language 10 (Arabic, American Sign Language, Chinese [Mandarin], English, French, German, Georgian, Japanese, Latin, Romanian [Native], Russian) 
Notice 15 (+20)

Pilot 15 (+20)
Search 10 (+15)

Sense Motive 10 (+15)
Stealth 15 (+20)
Survival 10 (+15)

 
Feats: 45PP

Acrobatic Bluff
All-Out Attack
Attack Focus (Melee) 7
Beginner's Luck

Benefit 2 (Raven, Summers Family Representative)

Challenge (Fast Acrobatic Feint)
Chokehold
Defensive Attack
Dodge Focus 7
Eidetic Memory
Equipment 27 [Veteran Award]
Evasion

Hide in Plain Sight

Improved Grab
Improved Grapple

Improved Pin
Improvised Tools
Jack of All Trades

Luck 5
Power Attack
Second Chance (Mind Control)

Second Chance (Emotion Control)

Second Chance (Mind Reading)

Skill Mastery 2 (Acrobatics, Computers, Drive, Intimidate, Notice, Pilot, Stealth, Survival)
Takedown Attack 2
Track

Well-Informed
 
Equipment: 27PP = 135EP [Veteran Award]

 

 

The Rookery (Headquarters; Cave) (23EP)

Size: Huge (2EP)
Toughness: +15 (2EP)
Features: (19EP)
Combat Simulator
Communications
Computer
Concealed 3 (+20 DC)
Dock
Fire Prevention System
Garage
Gym
Hangar
Infirmary
Laboratory 
Library

Living Space
Power System 
Security System 2 (DC 25)
Workshop

 

Powers: 5 + 2(1+1) + 24 + 14 = 45PP
 
Damage 4 (Feats: Mighty) [5PP] (Training) ("Martial Arts")

 

Ideal Human 0.4 (2PP Container [Passive, Permanent]) [2PP] (Training)

Speed 1 (10MPH/100 feet per Move Action) [1PP]
Leaping 1 (x2 distance) [1PP]

 

Device 6 (30PP Container, Flaws: Hard-To-Lose) [24PP] (Technological; "Raven Costume")

City Movement 4 (8PP Array; Feats: Alternate Power 1) [9PP]

• Base Power: Super-Movement 2 (Swinging, Wall-Crawling 2) [6PP] Linked to Speed 2 [Total of Speed 3/50mph]  [2PP] ("Grapnel Gun")
• Alternate Power: Flight 3 (50MPH/500 feet per Move Action; Feats: Subtle; Flaws: Gliding) [4PP] ("Electroreactive Glider Cape")

Communication 5 (Radio, 5 miles; Feats: Subtle) [6PP] ("In-Built Headset")

Enhanced Feats 3 ( Second Chance 3 [Toughness Save vs Ballistics, Piercing, and Slashing] ) [3PP] ("Nano Weaving")
Immunity 1 (Cold, Heat; Flaws: Limited [Half]) [1PP] ("Protective Thermal Under-Layer")
Protection 5 [5PP] ("Armor Plating")
Super-Senses 3 (Infravision; Vision Counters Obscure (Darkness) [Darkvision]) [3PP] ("Night Vision Lenses")
Super Senses 3 (Direction Sense, Distance Sense, Time Sense) [3PP] ("Head's-Up Display")

 

 

 
DC Block
ATTACK                        RANGE   SAVE                                      EFFECT
Unarmed (Normal)        Touch      DC20 Toughness (Staged)    Damage (Physical)

Unarmed (Martial Arts)  Touch      DC24 Toughness (Staged)    Damage (Physical)

 

 

Totals:

Abilities (60) + Combat (32) + Saving Throws (18) + Skills (45) + Feats (45) + Powers (45) = /250 Power Points

Edited November 16, 2020 by KnightDisciple

[KnightDisciple]

Patrioteen

Power Level: 8 (150/150PP) 

Unspent Power Points: 0

Trade-Offs: +/-0 (Compact Shield), +4 Toughness/-4 Defense (Heavy Shield), +4 Defense/-4 Toughness (Gun Barrel Shield)

 

In Brief: A young man finds himself an unplanned hero after bonding with a device the US Government reverse-engineered from alien technology. An uneasy inheritor to a legacy he’s still struggling to understand. 

Catchphrase: “Let’s get fired up!”

Theme: 

 

Alternate Identity: Sharaf el-Jalil (Secret)

Birthplace:  Freedom City, New Jersey, United States of America

Residence: Claremont Academy, Freedom City

Base of Operations: Claremont Academy, Freedom City

Occupation: Student, Patriotic Hero

Affiliations: Claremont Academy, Patriot Initiative

Family: Ramzi el-Jalil (Father); Munisa el-Jalil (Mother), Dovron el-Jalil (Younger Brother), Zamira el-Jalil (Younger Sister)

 

Description:

Age: 16 (DoB: July 4, 2005)

Gender:  Male (Cis); He/Him/His

Ethnicity: Arabic (Socotran)

Height:  5’10”

Weight: 155 lbs

Eyes: Brown

Hair: Black

 

Sharaf is a teenager who is visibly still growing into his frame. Thanks to the enhancements from the nanites provided by his bonded gear, he is more muscular and solidly built than most young men his age, but his overall build favors speed and flexibility over raw power. His skin is the same dusky tan of his parents and ancestors, while his eyes have a bit of earth tone to them. 

His hair is typically messy, mostly a consequence of how his costume manifests around him, combined with rapid movement through the air; he has bemoaned how difficult it would be to “work” with  a head of hair to match his father, who some have opined could do shampoo commercials (he’s a writer for one of the local news stations). What he does have, he often styles into a modest pompadour, though if he has to “suit up” it sometimes ends up “ruined” if he’s particularly active. He has tried growing a mustache and/or beard a few times, and it’s never quite to his satisfaction; for now he stays clean-shaven in his day to day. 

 

When not in his “uniform”, Sharaf tends to wear jeans or casual slacks, favoring more traditional cuts over cargo-style or carpenter-style pants. For shirts, he often goes with various colors and cuts of short-sleeved button-ups, over a plain white t-shirt, with the first couple of buttons undone to make it clear just how good his physical condition is. He prefers sneakers to dress shoes. He never wears a hat, and only wears a hood if it’s very wet or very cold; he cites his hair as being a key reason why. 

 

As Patrioteen, his outfit is rather more noticeable and elaborate. The base color is a rathe bright blue, almost the same shade as the American flag. His legs, down the middle of his mid and lower torso, across his upper torso and shoulders, and down the outside of his arms is solid blue. The outer portions of his lower torso and the insides of his arms are white. His blue mask leaves his hair open to the air (for good and for ill), as well as leaving his chin, mouth, and nose uncovered, allowing him to present a friendly face. The baseline suit looks like a thick cloth of some sort, fitting much like spandex but not giving the impression of being as thin. The center of the chest has a white outline of a single star, with two parallel lines extending from the lower four points of the star and wrapping all around his upper torso and shoulders to the back. The lenses over his eyes are typically silvery in color, but they can lighten to almost full transparency, making it easier to reassure people. 

His boots, which extend most of the way up his calves, are thicker and more technological-looking, and are primarily red with a thick white stripe going across the front at a steep angle. The soles have vents in them to allow his fire to be channeled out, as well as a vent on each side of the calf and at the back. The material has the appearance of layered and segmented metal (allowing maximum range of motion) rather than sturdy cloth. 

 

His right hand bears a red gauntlet that echoes the stylings of his boots; thicker, metallic plates that overlap and segment to prevent impeding movement. The palm has a round aperture that Sharaf uses to focus his fire-control abilities through to produce bursts of focused flame. The rest of the gauntlet has hair-thin vents that can allow Sharaf to cloak his entire hand in flame, with the back has a slot where an exhaust nozzle can extend to allow one of his more...noticeable...forms of offense.

His left hand itself has a simple blue glove that matches the rest of his suit, with the forearm bearing rings of silvery-white material. These rings are actually the compacted form of his shield.

The shield itself has multiple forms. The “default” is a fairly compact circle, a bit larger in diameter than Sharaf’s own forearm. The center of the shield bears a stylized eagle with a star, with the top “line” of the wing extending to meet the border of the shield. The logo and border are bright while, while the rest of the shield is a bright metallic blue. The shield can shift into a large, elongated oval shape, providing sufficient cover for Sharaf to hide his entire body behind it; the overall decorative pattern stays the same but is enlarged a bit in the middle as the shield itself grows. In either form the shield is shockingly light. Finally, it can flow and shift into an elaborate gun-barrel design over his right arm, forming a red-white-and-blue-striped device that greatly focuses the power of his blasts. 

 

 

History:

Ramzi and Munisa came to America, to Freedom City, as political refugees from Socotra. Long-time low-level critics of Typhoon’s regime, they’d long skirted the edge of acceptability, and one article in a paper that was a bit too strongly-worded had them fleeing for a safer place. They went to Freedom due to the higher level of diversity compared to many cities, which included a small but vibrant community of Socotran expatriates. 

 

Sharaf was born a couple of years after Ramzi and Munisa moved to Freedom. His brother Dovron came a couple of years later, while the youngest, Zamira, was born just a few years ago, making her the precocious baby of the family. Sharaf himself grew up with the sense of responsibility that comes from being “the oldest”, but with much less structure than he might have had in their ancestral lands. The largest grief Ramzi and Munisa had after fleeing Socotra was their children squabbling, or juggling schedules to make sure everyone did everything on time.

 

Sharaf was the oldest child, but somehow managed to buck the “trend” of  the eldest child being serious and responsible that seemed to be an unspoken assumption the world over. Instead, he proved himself energetic, excitable, and at time a bit unpredictable. Dovron proved himself the more dour brother, though both young men have more than a bit of mischief in them. 

 

When he was 14, Sharaf’s family was contacted by the US government. In a surprising move, Sharaf had been selected for a special program that intended to help train up the next generation of heroes in this country. Sharaf actually had a mostly-latent meta-gene that the government had picked up with new, specialized scanners. These scanners were primarily looking for individuals compatible with newly-developed technology that the US had reverse-engineered from a variety of alien artifacts over the years; the constant invasions, defeated that they may have been, left large amounts of valuable salvage behind. While he was one of the youngest candidates, Sharaf was also marked as being one of the highest levels of compatibility with this technology. But they would not force him to be a superhero-in-training. Would he take this step?

Sharaf agreed, and his parents consented, though it took a couple of days of rather intense conversation between all of them, and more than one talk about how the entire program would work. So for almost two years, Sharaf has been working to train his body and mind, and bond with the Firebrand (as the advanced device has been named). The doctors, engineers, and scientists of the group working to equip the heroes of tomorrow. 

 

Now he finds himself at Claremont Academy, to learn not only how to be a hero in a broader context, but to meet other aspiring heroes, and cement his place in the next generation of defenders of truth, justice, and more. 

 

Personality & Motivation:

Sharaf’s childhood was marked by a deep-set understanding that he was thoroughly blessed to be born in the country he lived in. Compared to where his parents came from, the USA was indeed a huge improvement. That sense of wonder and, to a degree, pride in his birth-nation naturally flowed into Sharaf. It was tempered by the bouts of low-level racism they encountered, but not destroyed.
 

Sharaf himself is a young man trying to fully discover who he is in the world. He has had immense responsibility thrust upon him by happenstance, and has done what he can to live up to that. At times, Sharaf may end up projecting more confidence than he feels, due to the idea that the Patriot, or in his case the Patrioteen, needs to always be confident. 

 

Sharaf tends to project a sense of energy when he’s in a room. Not necessarily nervous energy; more of a vitality and passion. He is most excited when talking about cooking, bird-watching, basketball, and the “mission” he feels he is entrusted with. 

 

Sharaf sees himself as not only an example of a teenager doing good in the world (meaning he has an innate sense of needing to Be Responsible), but also as a Muslim American stepping into one of the most prominent hero roles he possibly can. Thus, he works hard to make sure he is friendly, confident, and ready to help. 

 

In his heart, Sharaf is often concerned he’s not “measuring up”, even if his parents, and others, claim he is doing just fine, especially for someone of his age and “stage” of life. So while he presents a confident face, he is also always trying to be conscious of 

 

Powers & Skills: Description & Tactics:

Sharaf’s primary abilities come from the device bonded with him. After it bonded, it was discovered he possessed a latent meta-gene, but it was not “unlocked” until he bonded with “the suit”. Part of the bonding process also infused him with a batch of nanites that boosted his physical abilities, although these effects by themselves are largely secondary. 

 

At his “base”, Sharaf’s body is enhanced, with his general stamina and vigor along with his natural agility and flexibility being pushed higher, though his strength is certainly already higher than most. It looks as if long-term the changes will max out at around high human average, and “settle in” so they cannot be disabled or disrupted. As well, he is naturally immune to heat, and immune to any fires or flame-based effects. 

When wearing his suit, he is, effectively, a super-soldier in training. The basic suit itself provides robust protection against injury, as well as guarding his eyes against irritants, be they accidental, environmental, or intentional. The suit’s own nano-lacing taps into Sharaf’s resistance to flames, giving him partial immunity to ice and cold powers and attacks. Further, it channels his innate fire abilities to allow him to ignore any and all "regular" environmental cold, and uses that same energy to provide shielding against potential ambient radiation.

His goggles have combat protocols that it projects onto his goggles and helps guide his body through motions and assist in aiming jumps and shots, easing his burden in combat as he is still working to internalize his skills and abilities. As well, they provide constant positional data, help calculate distances as needed, and help his eyes see into the infrared spectrum even in complete darkness.

 

Beyond the baseline suit, Sharaf has more built-up boots, a heavy gauntlet on his right hand, and a shield on his left arm. These each provide options in a fight.

 

The boots allow Sharaf to run at speeds roughly equal to a moving automobile, by way of small jet-booster mechanisms that, when combined with his nanite infusion and reinforcements of the suit, give him much higher run speeds. Alternatively, they can propel him into great leaps into the air, easily reaching the rooftops of many buildings; while he can sustain these leaps, he tends to prefer to only operate in comparatively short hops. These functions can be somewhat combined into a powerful attack where Sharaf propels himself at an enemy with a flaming kick. 

The gauntlet on his right hand helps him in close-quarters combat, serving as a potent striking surface for Sharaf’s still-developing martial arts repertoire, as well as sheathing his hand in his flames if desired. It can also enhance and focus his nascent fire powers by way of a mechanism on the palm, resulting in small fire-bolts that allow him to strike foes at a distance. Sharaf is also able to combine the functions of his boots and his gauntlet to launch himself in a daredevil sliding attack that leaves a trail of flame behind himself and culminates in a fiery physical blow against a chosen foe, and any along his path. 

The shield on his left arm helps him defend himself, but can be set to either offensive or defensive mode, as well as a “booster” form. In offensive mode, it is a more compact surface that allows him to chain together blows along with his gauntlet and boots, or even be propelled by bursts of fire from his gauntlet for dizzying chained-together attacks. In defensive mode, its surface area extends so that he can fully place his upright body behind it, making it unusable as an offensive weapon, but providing a stalwart bastion against many attacks that might otherwise risk injuring him. In its final “booster” form, the shield folds around and merges with his right hand gauntlet, forming a powerful arm-mounted cannon device. With this, he can greatly focus the power of his flame-blasts, though it is not as much of a rapid-fire blitzkrieg of attacks as he can accomplish with the compact offensive form of his shield. 

 

It is theorized that the Firebrand suit provides the ability to almost infinitely adapt and grow, especially with both its own nanotech-based adaptive form, as well as his own steadily-growing power. 

 

In a fight, Sharaf tends to start off at range and only move into hand-to-hand distance after getting an idea of the opponent. Unless moving in recklessly can distinctly help his teammates, in which case he may charge in and rely on his bright costume and rather attention-getting motif to carry the day. In a hand-to-hand fight, Patrioteen’s skills are still fairly basic; he can absolutely reliably hit an opponent, but most of the advanced skills he’s picked up center on grabbing hold of an opponent and not letting go. He also has some initial training with following targets in many environments, though his overall skill is still developing. His general approach shows more than a few influences from the current Patriot, and he seems to thus be falling into a style somewhere between superhero, soldier, and law enforcement. 

 

 

Complications:

Flamboyant: Patrioteen's powers, costume, and personality are bright and bold and noticeable. 

Weighty Legacy: The name "Patriot", both in the hero world and in regular use, has a lot of weight behind it. Many people are going to make a lot of assumptions about what Patrioteen stands for, and who he is, before he can do or say anything one way or the other.

Individual Systems: While the Firebrand suit is, overall, a unified piece of technology, the suits, gauntlet, and shield are not strongly connected in general operation. It is possible that damage to one of them could temporarily disable it, or leave it stuck in a particular configuration, making things more difficult for Sharaf. 

Just The Sidekick: While Sharaf is working to be his own hero, both his code-name and several (brief) public appearances have made the connection between himself and the Patriot clear. This may lead to a lack of respect, or him being a target as a way to gain advantage over the Patriot.

Sense of Responsibility: Sharaf feels the importance of both his heroic mantle, and his obvious status as an Arab-American superhero. On top of that, he has a natural tendency to want to help out his teammates and fellow man, which can lead to over commitment (on or off the battlefield). Being both a "fun guy" and "the responsible guy" is a bit of a tight rope to walk. 

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

Abilities: 2 + 4 + 4 + 4 + 2 + 4 = 20PP

Strength: 18 (+4) / 12 (+1)

Dexterity: 18 (+4) / 14 (+2)

Constitution: 18 (+4) / 14 (+2)

Intelligence: 14 (+2)

Wisdom: 12 (+1)

Charisma: 14 (+2)

 

Combat: 8 + 8 = 16PP

Initiative: +8 (+4 Dex, +8 Improved Initiative)

Attack: +4 Base, +8 Enhanced Base

Defense: +4 (+4 Base), +8 (w. Shield Array set to Compact Shield), +12 (w. Shield Array set to Gun Barrel Shield), +2 Flat-Footed

Grapple: +12 (+4 Str/Dex, +8 Enh. Base Attack), +8 (+4 Str/Dex, +4 Base Attack)

Knockback: -2 (No Suit, Shield Array set to Gun Barrel Shield), -4 (Shield Array set to Compact Shield), -10 (Shield Array set to Heavy Shield)

 

Saving Throws: 2 + 4 + 4 = 10PP

Toughness: +4 (+4 Con), +8 (w. Shield Array set to Compact Shield), +12/Impervious Tou 8 (w. Shield Array set to Heavy Shield)

Fortitude: +6 (+4 Con, +2)

Reflex: +8 (+4 Dex, +4)

Will: +6 (+2 Wis, +4)

 

Skills: 52R = 13PP

Acrobatics 8 (+12)

Bluff 5 (+7)

Climb 4 (+8)

Craft [Cooking] 4 (+6)

Diplomacy 6 (+8)

Languages 1 (Native: Arabic; Learned: English)

Notice 8 (+9)

Search 6 (+8)

Survival 6 (+7)

Swim 4 (+8)

 

Feats: 8PP

Benefit 1 (Patriot Initiative)

Grapple Finesse

Improved Grapple

Improved Initiative

Luck 2

Precise Shot

Track

 

Powers: 58 + 14 + 11 = 83PP

 

Device 14 (Firebrand Suit; 70DP Container; Flaws: Hard-To-Lose; Feats: Restricted 2 [Only Sharaf can use]) [58PP] (Technological, Nanites)

Basic Suit Systems 3.2 (16DP Container [Passive, Permanent]) [16DP]

Communication 5 (Radio; 5 miles; Feats: Subtle) [6DP] (Communicator)

Enhanced Feat 1 (Quick Change) [1DP] [(Nano-Assembly Suit)

Immunity 10 (Cold ; Flaws: Limited [Half Effect]) [5DP] (Thermo-Regulator)

Immunity 4 (Environmental Cold, Radiation) [4DP] (Thermal Protective System, Anti-Radiation Coating, Deployable Rebreather Mask)

 

Goggles 2.4 (12DP Container [Passive, Permanent]) [12DP]

Enhanced Trait 8 (Base Attack +4) [8DP] (Combat Protocols HUD)

Immunity 1 (Eye Irritants) [1DP] (Protective Lenses) 

Super-Senses 3 (Direction Sense, Distance Sense, Infravision) [3DP] (Vision Enhancement Protocols HUD)

 

Firepower Array 8.5 (17DP Array; Feats: Alternate Power 2) [19DP] 

BP: Blast 8 (Fire Bolts; Feats: Precise) {17/17} (Fire)

AP: Damage 4 (Gauntlet Punch; Feats: Improved Critical 2, Knockback 7, Mighty, Takedown Attack 2, Varible Descriptor 1 [Fire or Bludgeoning Damage]) {17/17} (Fire, Bludgeoning Damage Type) 

AP: Damage 4 (Flaming Kick; Extras: Area [Targeted Trail] 8; Feats: Improved Critical 2, Mighty, Progression [Area Size] 2) (40-200 ft. line) {17/17} (Fire) 

 

Boots Array 2 (4DP Array; Feats: Alternate Power 1) [5DP] (Booster Boots)

BP: Speed 4 (100 mph, 1000 ft./rnd) {4/4}

AP: Flight 2 (25 mph, 250 ft./rnd.) {4/4}

 

Shield Array 8 (16DP Array; Feats: Alternate Power 2) [18DP] (Variable Shield)

BP: {8 + 4 + 4 = 16/16} (Compact Shield)

Autofire Firepower 8 Adds (Extras: Autofire 1) to Firepower Array [8DP]

Enhanced Feat 4 (Dodge Focus 4; Total Defense +8) [4DP]

Protection 4 (Total Toughness +8) [4DP] 

AP: {8 + 8 = 16/16} (Heavy Shield)

Protection 8 (Total Toughness +12) [8DP]

Impervious Toughness 8 [8DP]

AP: {8 + 8 = 16/16} (Gun Barrel Shield)

Enhanced Feat 8 (Dodge Focus 8; Total Defense +12) [8DP]

Penetrating Firepower Adds (Extras: Penetrating) to Firepower Array [8DP]

 

 

Super Soldier Boost Package 2.8 (14PP Container [Passive, Permanent]) [14PP] (Nanites)

Enhanced Constitution 4 [4PP] 

Enhanced Dexterity 4 [4PP] 

Enhanced Strength 6 [6PP] 

 

Fire Controller Powers 2.2 (6PP Container [Passive, Permanent]) [11PP] (Metahuman)

Immunity 1 (Environmental Heat) [1PP]

Immunity 10 (Fire) [10PP] 

 

 

Drawbacks: (-0) + (-0) = -0PP

 

 

DC Block

ATTACK                     RANGE      SAVE                               EFFECT

Unarmed                    Touch        DC19 TOU                      Damage [Physical] 
Fire Bolt                      Ranged     DC23 TOU                      Damage [Fire] 
Gauntlet Punch          Touch        DC23 TOU                      Damage [Physical or Fire] 

Flaming Kick              Trail Area   DC23 TOU                      Damage [Fire]

 

Totals: Abilities (20) + Combat (16) + Saving Throws (10) + Skills (13) + Feats (8) + Powers (83) - Drawbacks (0) = 150/150 Power Points

 

 

MAJOR STORY SPOILERS IN THE SPOILER BELOW.

MUCH OF PATRIOTEEN'S EARLY STORYLINES WILL BE SPOILED IF YOU READ IT.

Spoiler

SERIOUSLY! DON'T SPOIL YOURSELF!

Spoiler

REFS AND GUIDES ONLY! PLEASE!

Spoiler

LAST CHANCE

Spoiler

Everything up to the point of Sharaf receiving the Firebrand suit is fully true. He really is the son of Socotran political refugees.

 

However, the Firebrand suit is not technology developed by the government of the United States of America, at least not of Earth-Prime. 

 

It is actually a device displaced across dimensions, from an Earth that (at the time it came to Prime, at least based on decrypted historical logs) is half-overrun by bio-engineered Grue superweapons. In this dimension the Grue have seeded many planets with bioweapon creatures that are often a match for the average metahuman or highly-trained superhero/vigilante. Earth managed to cobble together technology based on Lor, Grue, Stellar Khanate, and other extraterrestrial samples from over the years of their storied history.  Suits and weapons like the Firebrand, using nanotechnology and drawing out latent meta-human abilities, were helping at least hold the line against the Grue weapons. The Firebrand fell through a rift after its previous user was slain in a large battle, and a freak random confluence of multiple space-time-based offensive abilities (pointed at what sensor records show as a Grue-ified dragon) briefly tore open a crack large enough to swallow the wristband.

 

Sharaf was in the backyard of the el-Jalil home when the rift opened up and dropped the weapon directly in front of him. It had already scanned him and flowed onto his arm before he could call out in shock, and a flare of flames around him ensured his parents knew that things were not normal. Some desperate Google searches for a number to call let to discrete Federal agents arriving at their home, and six months of scans and tests that determined that the only way they could be sure of disconnected the Firebrand from Sharaf was the end of the life of the latter, which was unacceptable to anyone. So instead, they worked to train Sharaf, and ultimately "suggested" that he join the class at Claremont, though with the new administration, things have already taken a gentler direction. 

 

 

 

 

Edited November 16, 2021 by KnightDisciple