pc Velocity (PL 15) - Thevshi (Silver)

[Thevshi]

Velocity
Power Level: 15 (243/250PP) [328]
Trade-Offs: -2 Toughness/+2 Defense; -4 Damage/+4 Attack with Rapid Fire and Rapid Attack
Unspent Power Points: 7

 
Old character sheet is >here.
 
In Brief: Archetypical speedster.
 
Alternate Identity: Megan Howell
Identity: Secret
Birthplace: Freedom City
Occupation: Socialite
Affiliations: Freedom League Reservist
Family: Donald Howell (father); Erin Howell (mother); Samantha Howell (sister); Jason Howell (brother); Lawrence Harrow (son); Robert Harrow (fiance)
 
Age: 22 (July, 1991)
Gender: Female
Height: 5' 5"
Weight: 110 lbs
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Blonde (in costume wears a brunette wig)
 
Megan has always been an attractive girl, one of those lucky ones who seemed to completely skip the awkward teenage stage.  Now she has matured into a very stunning young woman, with a lean and tone body that still has plenty of curves.  While she has long had a taste for the more expensive end of fashion, since attending Yale, she began wearing more moderately priced clothes around campus and has continued to do so in more general casual situations since returning to Freedom City.
 
As Velocity, her costume is a yellow, form-fitting bodysuit with thin black and white checkered strips running down the arms and legs.  She also wears yellow gloves and boots, and a small utility belt in which she carries a few things, such as steel ball bearings which she throws at supersonic speeds.  In addition, she covers most of her head in a yellow mask, leaving only the lower part of her face exposed.  To further conceal her identity, a brunette wig extends out of the back of the mask.  Hi-tech, mirrored goggles cover her eyes and part of the upper half of her face.
 
Power Descriptions:
 
Megan has the ability to move at many times the speed of sound, her speed allowing her to run across water, up the sides of buildings, and even vibrate fast enough to pass through walls. Her speed goes beyond just movement, with Megan able to perform tasks that might take a normal person an hour in a few seconds.
 
History:
 
Megan is the youngest child of Donald and Erin Howell, both parents coming from old money families (Donald's is from Boston while Erin's is from Freedom City). Her father is currently the chair of the corporate law practice group of Hartford, Grayson & Cole, Freedom City's largest law firm. Her mother is a well known philanthropist, involved in a number of charitable foundations around the city. Megan grew up in North Bay, where her parents have a very large home. Her childhood years were filled with numerous gymnastics and dance classes, which lead her to cheerleading when she attended the exclusive private high school, North Bay Academy.
 
Early in her Sophomore year, Megan was on a field trip to Astro Labs when a supervillain tried to steal some invention or another. During the chaos of the battle with a superhero that arrived to stop the theft, Megan was exposed to some chemicals which granted her superspeed. It was not long before Megan was using her new found powers to help people and fight crime under the identity of Velocity.
 
While her activities were initially restricted to North Freedom and parts of downtown, in her Senior year of high school Velocity found herself involved in more and more encounters with supervillains. At the same time she began teaming up with more of the other superheroes in Freedom City, even having chances to work with some of the members of the Freedom League. After stumbling across a plot by the Tyranny Syndicate to replace various key and influential people in Freedom City with their duplicates from the Syndicate's dimension, Velocity teamed up with Raven to put a halt to the Syndicate’s plan, and in the process took down Johnny Speed, the Syndicate's version of Johnny Rocket.
 
Velocity was extended an invitation to join the Freedom League and accepted the invitation, even as she finished high school and began attending college at Yale University. While easily able to quickly travel from New Haven to Freedom City when needed, the stress that being called away to missions, often in other parts of the world, placed on any attempt to have even a semblance of a "normal" college experience began to wear on Megan. She had herself placed on reserve status with the League, and briefly associated with a group of Freedom City based heroes, the Interceptors, but that proved short lived, as she soon choose to try to focus more on college.
 
However, Megan soon found she could not so easily set aside her identity as Velocity. Attempting to live life at a more normal pace (save for studying) soon had Megan feeling as if she was going to go insane from boredom. Once again she began making outings as Velocity, generally basing her activities around New York City to keep any attention off New Haven. As most of these outings were random good deeds and non-superpowered crime stopping, it was easier to develop the balance in her life that had existed at the start of her career.
 
Last year Megan had the opportunity to spend a year abroad, studying at the University of Cambridge. While in England, Megan reconnected with Robert Harrow, a young member of the British nobility with whom she had had a brief fling in Ibiza during her pre-college European vacation with a pair of high school friends. By Megan's standards, their renewed relationship was a long one, but it came to its inevitable end when Megan was unable to explain a several day absence when Velocity had been called up by the Freedom League to help with a mission.
 
After finishing her year at Cambridge, Megan has returned to the United States, and is now in her last year at Yale.  She managed to arrange that the bulk of her credits for her last semester at Yale would be covered by a internship with Summit Transnational Group’s corporate headquarters in Freedom City.  She has a couple of seminars, which she mainly attends via teleconference, and really only has need to be up in New Haven once or twice a week.
 
Personality & Motivation:
 
Megan has always been something of an overachiever, exactly what one would expect given her highly successful parents, not to mention two accomplished older siblings. While certainly one to have fun when she can, Megan has a strong work ethic along with a desire to help others. Outgoing and confident, she has little trouble in most social settings.
 
As Velocity Megan has a chance to cut loose and be more carefree and impulsive. Begin a superhero gave her the opportunity to stop bad guys, crack jokes while doing so, and help people along the way. While time and experience has tempered this with a bit more seriousness, she still presents an overly energetic and free spirited persona.
 
Powers & Tactics:
 
Speed is Megan's primary tactic, allowing her to almost always react before anyone else, make an attack, and be gone and out of sight before most would even realize she has even moved. Her powers provide her an array of offensive abilities, from being able to throw punches at supersonic speeds to being able to generate a localized sonic boom that can be rather destructive.
 
While speed and agility are Megan's primary defense, she is much tougher than she looks, a side effect of her body having adapted to being able to move at such high speeds.

---

Complications:
Secret Identity: Megan has long sought to keep her identity as Velocity secret to protect those she cares about.
Fear the Future: Megan has recently learned that in some timelines, she and Robert Harrow have a son named Collapse who is capable of shredding the time/space continuum.  As Velocity, she has also run into agents from an organization in the future working to stop Collapse in as many timelines as possible.
Relationship: Despite learning about Collapse, Megan and Robert Harrow have renewed their relationship.
 
Abilities: 0 + 10 + 8 + 6 + 2 + 10 = 36PP
Strength: 10 (+0)
Dexterity: 30 (+10) [20 (+5)] (Enhanced Stat)
Constitution: 28 (+9) [18 (+4)] (Enhanced Stat)
Intelligence: 16 (+3)
Wisdom: 12 (+1)
Charisma: 20 (+5)
 
Combat: 14 + 20 = 34PP
Initiative: +50
Attack: +7, +15 w/Strike, +19 w/Rapid Fire, Rapid Attack
Grapple: +6
Defense: +17 (+10 base, +7 Dodge Focus)(+5 flat-footed)
Knockback: -6, -4 flat-footed
 
Saving Throws: 4 + 6 + 9 = 19PP
Toughness: +13 (+9 Con, +4 Defensive Roll); +9 flat-footed
Fortitude: +13 (+9 Con, +4)
Reflex: +16 (+10 Dex, +6), Evasion 2
Will: +10 (+1 Wis, +9)
 
Skills: 104R = 26PP
Acrobatics 14 (+24)
Bluff 6 (+11, +15 w/ Attractive)
Concentration 9 (+10)
Diplomacy 8 (+13, +17 w/ Attractive)
Drive 2 (+12)
Gather Information 8 (+13)
Kn: Business 10 (+13)
Kn: Civics 4 (+7)
Kn: Current Events 2 (+5)
Kn: History 2 (+5)
Kn: Physical Sciences 2 (+5)
Kn: Pop Culture 5 (+8)
Notice 9 (+10)
Sense Motive 7 (+8)
Perform: Dance 15 (+20)
Pilot 1 (+11)
 
Feats: 22 PP
Attractive
Benefit 3 (Wealth 2/Rich; Freedom League Member)
Connected
Defensive Attack
Defensive Roll 2
Dodge Focus 3
Elusive Target
Equipment 6 (free from Gold Award)
Evasion 2
Improved Initiative
Luck 3
Move By Action
Power Attack
Uncanny Dodge (sight)
Well Informed
 
Equipment 6PP = 29EP

 

Freedom Leagues Communicator
Communications 5 (Radio, 5 miles; Extra: Area; Flaw: Limited [Other FL Communicators]) [5EP]
Communications Link 1 (Freedom League HQ) [1EP]

 

 

 

 

North Bay Estate
Headquarters: Size: Huge; Toughness 10; Features: Communications; Computer; Dock; Fire Prevention System; Garage; Grounds; Gym; Laboratory; Library; Living Space; Pool; Power System; Security System 2 (DC 25); Stables; Staffed; Workshop [21EP]
Alternate HQ: Compound in Fiji [1EP]
Alternate HQ: Country Estate in England (Robert's family home) [1EP]
 
Note: Grounds increases size to Colossal for purposes of gardens, estates, etc (used in 3E); Stables function as a garage for horses and the like.

 
Powers: 4+10+10+13+11+11+3+1+43 = 106 PP
 
Device 1 (Visor; 5PP Container; Flaws: Hard-to-lose) [4PP]

 

 

Super-Sense 5 (Extended for normal vision, Infravision, Ultravision, Radius for all vision) {5/5}

 
Enhanced Constitution 10 [10PP]
 
Enhanced Dexterity 10 [10PP]
 
Enhanced Feats 13 (Dodge Focus 4, Improved Initiative 9 (10 total) [+40]) [13PP]
 
Quickness 11 (X5,000) [11PP]
 
Speed 11 (25,000 MPH) [11PP]
 
Super Movement 3 Wall Running 2 [Flaw: Only while moving]; Water Running [Flaw: only while moving]) [3PP]
 
Super Strength 1 (Flaw:Limited only to carrying capacity up to heavy load; Hvy Load: 200 lbs) [1PP]
 
Super Speed Array 19 (38PP Array; Feats: Alternate Power 5) [43PP]

BP: Strike 15 (Feats: Accurate 4 (+8 hit), Improved Critical 2 [18-20], Takedown Attack, Stunning Attack) {23/38}

AP: Sonic Boom (Blast) 15 (Extra: 75-ft. Area Burst; Flaw: Range/Touch; Feats: Progression 2 (x5 Area (150-ft or 375-ft radius area)) {32/38}
AP: Maximum Velocity: Quickness 6 (17 total: x500,000) and Speed 6 (17 total: 2,500,000 MPH) and Super Movement 5 (Permeate 3; Sure-Footed 2) and Concealment 4 (all Visual Senses; Flaw: only while moving) {26/38}
AP: Insubstantial 4 (Affected by Vibration effects)and Concealment 4 (all Visual Senses; Flaw: only while moving) {24/38}
AP: Rapid Fire: Blast 10 (Extra: Autofire; Feats: Accurate 6 (+12 hit); Improved Critical 2 [18-20]) {38/38}
AP: Rapid Attack: Damage 10 (Extra: 250-ft. Targeted Area Burst; Selective; Feat: Accurate 6 (+12 hit); Progression 2 (x5 Area)) {38/38}

 
Drawbacks: 0
 
DC Block
ATTACK        RANGE   SAVE           EFFECT
Unarmed       Touch   15/Toughness   Bludgeoning Damage
Strike        Touch   30/Toughness   Damage (crit 18-20)
Rapid Fire    Ranged  25/Toughness   Damage (up to DC 29 w/autofire, crit 18-20)
Sonic Boom    Touch   30/Toughness   Sonic
Rapid Attack  Touch   25/Toughness   Bludgeoning Damage
Totals: Abilities (36) + Combat (34) + Saving Throws (19) + Skills (26) + Feats (22) + Powers (106) = 243/250 Power Points

 

Edited September 8 by Fox
+2pp for August 2024

[Supercape]

Zooooom!

OK looks pretty ship - shape overall. Here are my comments:

1. the fluff looks fine - well, it should be, as you have been active here before! on that note, however, it might be worth updating or thinking about why Velocity has been out of action for a year or two? optional but helpful.

Mechanical issues

2. Spinning, when active, would break defensive caps. It adds toughness to physical attacks, which is, understandably, difficult to match up with caps, and not particularly helpful as part of dynamic array. I would either take it out of the array and complement it with protection limited to energy, or remove it.

3. For consideration: Putting the feats Defensive Attack, Elusive Target, and perhaps the others in the Strike AP seems a little odd. I would have thought a speedster would have these up all the time (like, for instance your Evasion 2 feat). I understand the reason for doing it in terms of PP efficiency, but it looks kinda weird to me.

4. Equipment 1 (contribution to Interceptor HQ) - do you need this?

5. Attractive 3. This breaks caps for diplomacy and bluff. Do you need this at all? Attractive feat is not the same as "good looking". Your characters looks are up to you and do not require buying, or not buying the attractive feat. Attractive feat is very much like saying "I'm only diplomatic / charming with one sex, not the other" (and on that subject it need not even apply to a gender, just a group). You could have a supermodel looking character with no ranks of Attractive, if you wish (although arguably they should have reasonable CHA and interaction skills). Attractive 3 seems overkill, and in any case breaks caps.

6. Knockback score? I make this -5, -3 flat footed.

7. There are some presentation / formatting issues. Paragraphs between powers, annotating what Quickness 9 and Speed 9 actually do (both as base powers and when increased in super speed array), and Strike 13 Feat of Accrurate 4 give +8 to hit, not +9.

8. Finally, conceptual wise it seems a little odd to have a character moving that fast have a +5 base attack. Nothing illegal about it, and I understand this from PP efficiency, but it perhaps a little clunky and odd to me. If you want it like this, I can certainly approve it, I just note this as a flavour observation (like point 3).

9. A purely optional observation / suggestion: The complications you are listed seem a little thin to me - surmounting to "I have a secret ID which gets in the way sometimes". That is fine, of course, but in real play I can't see you getting a whole hill of HP from that, or getting much mileage in turns of dramatic narration. Of course, all complications don't have to be listed, and they can come and go through play, but looking at that as a GM, there is nothing there that would really grab me that I could use, to be honest (of course, other GMs may!). They seem to be more about background and personality (and are good in that context!) than complications.

[Thevshi]

Thanks for the great comments Supercape.

1. I did talk a bit about what Velocity has been up to the last couple of years in the last two full paragraphs of her background, which basically amounts to focusing on college, keeping a low heroing profile and a year spent on an exchange program to study in the UK.

2. Hmm, not sure how Spinning’s problems have never come up before, but given those issues, I think I will drop it. (To be honest, I don’t think I have EVER used it, hehe). When I get home tonight I will try to find time to grab my UP book and come up with some other fun speedster trick to replace it with.

3. I can understand the concern. PP efficiency is certainly part of the reason, but a number of those feats are somewhat particular to the Strike power, but, as you say, not really all of them. I will take some freed up points (see 4 and 5 below) and move Defensive Attack, Elusive Target and Power Attack out of this power and get them as general feats.

4. No, not really, will drop it.

5. I will drop Attractive down to 1 rank.

6. Your probably right, I just took what was on my old sheet. I will correct.

7. I will get those corrected. The mistake with accuracy was just a typo (was typing most of the game mechanics stuff in the dark on my laptop while getting my 1 year old to sleep a couple of nights ago, and well, you know, that 9 key is right next to the 8 key).

8. Again, I understand your concern (for M&M games I ran (or even played in) on other sites, I was always irked by characters that had effectively zero base combat stats and bought it all through feats). Right now I kinda have to stay this way for PP efficiency reasons, but, my plan going forward is to improve BAB for any future PL increases, and possibly even just to increase it some and reduce the ranks of the Accuracy feat for the Strike.

9. Yes, they are kinda thin. I will try to come up with some more.

[Thevshi]

Okay Supercape, I think I have fixed all the things that needed to be fixed. Though, I am still thinking about more possible complications, but that could take awhile.

[Supercape]

Thanks, all looks good!

Huge apologies for me, there was one final thing I wanted to bring up: the Permeate limited to only when moving.

I am not sure this is a valid limitation - a 1 point drawback or complication sure. Limitations are meant to come into play about 1/2 the time, with permeate I dont think it reaches that level. The reason is that there is not much else you can do other than move...you could possibly just wait (and as you have no senses that penetrate objects that is of very limited utility). You could possibly fight another permeating character (very unlikely). In essence, my thinking is that all you use permeate for (90%+ of the time) is movement.

Do you have thoughts on that? Apologies I should have brought that up in my first post.

(Otherwise I am good to approve).

[Thevshi]

No worries about not bringing that up before Supercape. As I have so many unspent points in that alt slot, that is a pretty easy fix. I have removed the limitation all together.

[Supercape]

:approved:

[Avenger Assembled]

I have no objection to anything here. This is a solidly built veteran hero.

APPROVED