Punchline (PL07) [105/105PP] -- Sophistemon

[Sophistemon]

Hello, everyone! I've spent the last week or so working on a new character and I think that it's finally ready for some real revision. As always, I appreciate each and every comment and critique.

 

Fluff:

Spoiler

Player Name: Sophistemon.

Character Name: Robert 'Bob' Goodman, Jr.

Power Level: PL7, 105/105PP.

Trade-Offs: None.

Unspent Power Points: 0

Progress To Bronze Status: 0/30.

In Brief: A disillusioned cable repairman has been transformed into a crime-fighting cartoon.

Residence: Freedom City.

Base of Operations: Freedom City.

Catchphrase: “Stop me if you've heard this one before!”

Alternate Identity: Punchline.

Identity: Secret.

Birthplace: Southside, Freedom City.

Occupation: Cable repairman.

Affiliations: The ACME Cable Company.

Family: Orphaned; maintains positive relations with Mother Mary Margaret and Sister Judy Valentine.

Description: Whereas Bob Goodman was disappointingly average in almost every way imaginable, Punchline is a technicolor nightmare with ivory skin, dark blue hair, bright red lips, and yellow eyes. He wears an eye-popping, garishly colored costume of deliberately clashing orange, green, and purple.

Age: 25 (as Robert Goodman) / 3½ (as Punchline).

Apparent Age: Mid twenties.

Gender: Male.

Ethnicity: Caucasian.

Height: 6'1”.

Weight: 200lbs.

Eyes: Yellow.

Hair: Blue.

Power Descriptions: Punchline is no longer a man of flesh and blood, but a cartoon brought to life; as such he possesses extreme physical resiliency and recuperative abilities. He is capable of pulling objects out of thin air, teleporting short distances, and altering his appearance to disguise himself as other people. Finally, his laughter is somehow capable of driving nearby listeners temporarily insane.

History: Bob's boring little life ended three and a half years ago on the night he drove into the city to repair a cable antenna in the middle of a thunderstorm. Predictably, he was struck by lightning and his spirit was conveyed through the airwaves and spread throughout the informational infinity that is television. He emerged on the other side, reformed and better than ever, as the pugnacious Punchline!

Personality & Motivation: Punchline is a frenetic maelstrom of manic energy, always moving and hamming it up, almost incapable of sitting still. He relishes the thrill of adventure and his powers allow him to find gleeful excitement in what would otherwise be dangerous situations. More than anything else he loathes having to disguise himself as the infuriatingly boring Robert Goodman, but the dead man's job affords him food to eat and a warm place to sleep, both of which remain necessities for now.

Powers & Tactics: Punchline likes to use his disguises to get up close to his enemies without arousing suspicion, at which point he can drop the act and take them by surprise. When facing multiple opponents or a single, more dangerous enemy he will let loose with a peal of earsplitting laughter that can afflict everyone nearby with debilitating euphoria, generally allowing the battle to turn in his favor.

Complications:

Enemy: He is currently fighting an ongoing prank war with Boss Moxie and his notorious Toon Gang.

Reputation: Not everyone loves a clown, and his appearance can be met with groans – if not hostility.

Responsibility: Although he absolutely hates it, he needs to keep his job at the ACME Cable Company.

Secret: It's currently essential to keep his civilian identity of Robert Goodman a closely guarded secret.

 

 

Crunch:

Spoiler

Abilities: 4 + 6 + 6 + 4 + 6 + 4 = 30PP

Strength: 14 (+2)

Dexterity: 16 (+3)

Constitution: 16 (+3)

Intelligence: 14 (+2)

Wisdom: 16 (+3)

Charisma: 14 (+2)

 

Combat: 10 + 10 = 20PP

Initiative: +7 (+3 Base, +4 Improved Initiative)

Attack: +5 Melee, +5 Ranged

Grapple: +7

Defense: +7 Base, +3 Flat-Footed

Knockback: -7

 

Saving Throws: 3 + 4 + 3 = 10PP

Toughness: +7 (+3 Con, +4 Force Field)

Fortitude: +6 (+3 Con, +3)

Reflex: +7 (+3 Dex, +4)

Will: +6 (+3 Wis, +3)

 

Skills: 40R = 10PP

Acrobatics 4 (+7)

Bluff 4 (+6)

Craft: Electronics 2 (+4)

Diplomacy 4 (+6)

Gather Information 4 (+6)

Investigate 4 (+6)

Knowledge: Technology 2 (+4)

Notice 4 (+7)

Search 4 (+6)

Sense Motive 4 (+7)

Stealth 4 (+7)

 

Feats: 10PP

Attack Specialization: Unarmed

Beginner's Luck

Dodge Focus 2

Fearless

Improved Initiative

Jack-of-All-Trades

Luck 2

Uncanny Dodge: Auditory

 

Powers: 25 = 25PP

Dimensional Pocket 1 (Flaw: storage only) [1PP]

Base Power: Force Field 4 [5PP]

Alternate Power: Morph 2 (Broad Group: humanoids) [4/4PP]

Regeneration 10 (Bruised 3, Injured 6, Resurrection 1) [10/10]

Base Power: Teleport 3 (Extra: Accurate; Flaw: Short-Range; Feat: Change Velocity) [9PP]

Alternate Power: Emotion Control 7 (Extra: Area Burst; Flaws: Auditory, Happiness Only) [7/7PP]

Alternate Power: Strike 5 (Feats: Mighty, Variable Physical) [7/7]

 

Drawbacks: (-0) = -0PP

 

DC Block

ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT

Unarmed 7 Touch DC22 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Any Physical)

Emotion Control 7 35ft. Radius DC17 Will (Staged) Combat Ineffectiveness

 

Totals: Abilities (30) + Combat (20) + Saving Throws (10) + Skills (10) + Feats (10) + Powers (25) + Miscellaneous (???) - Drawbacks (-0) = 105/105 Power Points.

 

 

Notes:

Spoiler

Power Notes

Morph: Confers a +10 bonus to disguise; limited to humanoids.

Regeneration: Bruises and Injuries heal at one per round without rest; Resurrection once per week.

Teleport: Confers a movement speed of 300ft per Move Action; disallows Long-Range teleporting.

Emotion Control: The subject is giddy, suffering a –2 on attack rolls, defense, and checks. Failure by 10 or more means the target is overcome with euphoria, helpless and unable to take any actions.

Strike: Variable Physical allows the choice of Bludgeoning, Piercing, or Slashing damage per attack.

 

Miscellaneous Notes

Jumping: Running Jump 12ft.; Standing Jump 6ft.; High Jump 3ft.

Throwing Distance: 175lbs. 5ft.; 10lbs. 25ft.

Carrying Capacity: Light 58lbs.; Medium 116lbs.; Heavy 175lbs; Max 350lbs.; Push/Drag 875lbs.

 

 

Edited June 30, 2016 by Sophistemon

[Raveled]

I'm going to point out that with no S-Senses, his Uncanny Dodge (Mental) is never going to take effect. For UD to help, a target has to enter the area of the sense type; auditory is handy because hearing is +Radius by default, so someone just has to get closer. Mental sense don't have +Ranged or +Radius by default, so UD only helps if someone is attacking him from within his own head.

 

I do love that he has literal Hammerspace as a power, though.

Edited June 29, 2016 by Raveled

[Sophistemon]

Ah, thanks for the tip! I'll edit that right away.

 

Hammerspace was a must-have, Raveled! His Variable Physical feat represents pulling weapons out of thin air.

 

Eventually I'll buy some ranks of Thrown for his Strike to symbolize some ranged attacks, like pies and pop-guns, and some ranks of Equipment so that his Hammerspace is a little more useful.

Edited June 29, 2016 by Sophistemon

[Vahnyu]

Quote

Eventually I'll buy some ranks of Thrown for his Strike to symbolize some ranged attacks, like pies and pop-guns, and some ranks of Equipment so that his Hammerspace is a little more useful.

 

Unfortunately, that won't work for what you're going for, Sophis. Throwing your strike would mean you could no longer use it at all, until you recovered it back. What you're looking for is Blast with a variable descriptor[Slapstick implements].

 

While there's nothing wrong with his saves, as you are a  PL7, you should be aware that you can afford to lower them so that Fort + Refl + Will = 15.

 

As he currently has no ranged attack options, you can certainly lower his base attack as well. You can buy it properly at a later time, after you've accrued enough PP to not need to go through your PP budget with a diesel-fueled chainsaw.

 

Similarly, you can lower your Strength and Dexterity, and maybe even your Constitution, in order to save some points more. About 12 in each would be just fine for a regular repairman. Just so long as Fort/Refl/Will average at 5, you should be fine. As for your Toughness, i am personally a big fan of Defensive Roll. Consider investing a point there as well.

Edited June 29, 2016 by Vahnyu

[Sophistemon]

Thanks for chiming in, Vahnyu! You've given me a bit to go through, so I'm going to break it up into sections.

 

Quote

Unfortunately, that won't work for what you're going for, Sophis. Throwing your strike would mean you could no longer use it at all, until you recovered it back. What you're looking for is Blast with a variable descriptor[Slapstick implements].

D'oh! Looks like I'll be investing in an alternate power somewhere down the line! Thanks for the heads-up, though; you've saved me from eventual frustration.

 

Quote

While there's nothing wrong with his saves, as you are a  PL7, you should be aware that you can afford to lower them so that Fort + Refl + Will = 15. Similarly, you can lower your Strength and Dexterity, and maybe even your Constitution, in order to save some points more. About 12 in each would be just fine for a regular repairman. Just so long as Fort/Refl/Will average at 5, you should be fine. As for your Toughness, i am personally a big fan of Defensive Roll. Consider investing a point there as well.

Ah, but he isn't a regular repairman anymore. Bob Goodman is, for all intents and purposes, dead. Punchline masquerades as the man that he used to be by using his Morph power, but there's no real 'Bob' anymore -- which is why his scores are so high. He was torn apart and rebuilt as a living television signal; you can think of him as a much wackier Doctor Manhattan in that regard. He may look human, but he's definitely not flesh and blood. He's harder, better, faster, stronger than he was before.

 

Quote

As he currently has no ranged attack options, you can certainly lower his base attack as well. You can buy it properly at a later time, after you've accrued enough PP to not need to go through your PP budget with a diesel-fueled chainsaw.

I definitely considered this but, as I want to invest in ranged attacks later down the line (I'm going to have to, if Thrown isn't going to work the way I'd hoped) I'd prefer to set the groundwork now, while I can, instead of doing it piecemeal later.

Edited June 29, 2016 by Sophistemon

[Vahnyu]

Quote

I definitely considered this but, as I want to invest in ranged attacks later down the line (I'm going to have to, if Thrown isn't going to work the way I'd hoped) I'd prefer to set the groundwork now, while I can, instead of doing it piecemeal later.

Edited just now by Sophistemon

 

Nothing wrong with that, certainly, but you are not making yourself any favors, either, to be frank. it may only be 3PPs saved, but they can go a long way on a PL7 build. Honestly, editing it later, like say, when you reach PL10, should be a simple task.

 

As for the rest, ok, fair enough. Personally speaking, i'd still advise applicability over concept when building on only 105PPs. But that's just me!

 

 

Also, a thing to keep in mind, is that you can add flaws on your damage alternate powers, in order to budget them better.

 

Damage 7 (Extras: Range[Ranged], Flaws: Action[Full Round], Feats: Accurate) 8PP

Damage 7 (Extras: Area[Burst], Selective, Flaws: Distractig, Action[Full Round]) 7PP

those two above would still be a valid representation of the blink/superspeed move-by punch, the first one indicating a punch that teleports you back and forth towards the target, as if you used move-by teleport+Strike, while the second, would be like a better version of move-by teleport+Strike+takedown attack, albeit it leaves you vulnerable for a counterattack (essentially, you exerted your entire focus on offense, at the cost of defense).

[Sophistemon]

Quote

Nothing wrong with that, certainly, but you are not making yourself any favors, either, to be frank. It may only be 3PPs saved, but they can go a long way on a PL7 build. Honestly, editing it later, like say, when you reach PL10, should be a simple task. As for the rest, ok, fair enough. Personally speaking, I'd still advise applicability over concept when building on only 105PPs. But that's just me!

I think that we've just got a different design philosophy, is all. I've spread the character a little thin in trying to set the groundwork for later development, granted, but I feel that a balanced approach will have been beneficial to build off of in the long run. And, heck, if I'm wrong there's no foul in applying for a respec! I do appreciate your commentary, and I'll keep your suggestions stored away for when it comes time to update the sheet.

 

Quote

Also, a thing to keep in mind, is that you can add flaws on your damage alternate powers, in order to budget them better.

Damage 7 (Extras: Range[Ranged], Flaws: Action[Full Round], Feats: Accurate) 8PP

Damage 7 (Extras: Area[Burst], Selective, Flaws: Distracting, Action[Full Round]) 7PP

those two above would still be a valid representation of the blink/superspeed move-by punch, the first one indicating a punch that teleports you back and forth towards the target, as if you used move-by teleport+Strike, while the second, would be like a better version of move-by teleport+Strike+takedown attack, albeit it leaves you vulnerable for a counterattack (essentially, you exerted your entire focus on offense, at the cost of defense).

This is great stuff, and definitely something that I'm going to crib when I expand his repertoire of offensive maneuvers.

[Raveled]

This isn't a mechanical thing, but I'd like to see his history expanded on. Does he have a family, and how have they reacted to him becoming a living cartoon? If he doesn't have a family, what was his life like growing up?

[Supercape]

Ill chip in with some impertinent suggestions for complications:

 

Radio Receiver: If Punchline is hit by electrical or high- radiowave activity, it may cause him to take the personality (transiently) of whatever radio or TV show he "Picks up on" at that moment. Sometimes this personality might be benign or unproblematic, but he may for instance start talking in pseudo-spanish insisting his team mate is actually his husband and demanding he confess to his affair with his secretary (e.g. picking up a Spanish soad opera). 

 

Circus Act: If he sees a cannon, he will jump inside it. If he sees a custard pie, he has to smash it in his face. If he sees a banana skin, he has to slip up on it. Resisting these urges might send him into a seizure or helpless spasm. 

 

No Tears: Most of Punchlines powers rely on him having a relative good, or at least contained emotions. If overcome with negative emotions such as despair, fear, or possibly even anger, they may fail. Or, alternatively, if he is unable to smile (or has no smile painted on by make up), he will be unable to use his powers. 

 

 

Edited June 30, 2016 by Supercape

[Sophistemon]

On 6/29/2016 at 4:15 PM, Vahnyu said:

Some good advice.

You know what, Vahnyu? You're right. I'm going to go through his combat stuff and trim it down to save some points. He could use more offensive powers and you've given me a great platform to launch off of. Thank you.

 

9 hours ago, Raveled said:

This isn't a mechanical thing, but I'd like to see his history expanded on. Does he have a family, and how have they reacted to him becoming a living cartoon? If he doesn't have a family, what was his life like growing up?

Robert Goodman, Jr. was raised in a Catholic orphanage located in one of the less affluent neighborhoods of Freedom City. His 'mother' was the Mother Superior, Mary Margaret, and his best friend was a girl named Judy Valentine. He fell in love with her, but Judy broke his heart without even knowing it by marrying another man. In most love stories that wouldn't be the end of things, but it's really complicated in this instance because Judy decided to marry Jesus and become a nun herself. She works at the same orphanage in which they grew up, and Bob visits from time to time in both of his personas to visit his 'family' and goof off with the children. I haven't decided yet if Judy knows, but Mother Margaret definitely suspects something.

 

5 hours ago, Supercape said:

Radio Receiver: If Punchline is hit by electrical or high-radio wave activity, it may cause him to take the personality (transiently) of whatever radio or TV show he "Picks up on" at that moment. Sometimes this personality might be benign or unproblematic, but he may for instance start talking in pseudo-Spanish insisting his team mate is actually his husband and demanding he confess to his affair with his secretary (e.g. picking up a Spanish soap opera).

I love this. I'd been thinking of giving him a devastating weakness to electromagnetic interference that would affect him like Krytonite by disrupting his signal and pulling him apart, but this is much wackier and more fitting to the character. Making that a complication, and its effects sillier than they are dangerous, is much more in line with the character's concept. Thank you!

Edited June 30, 2016 by Sophistemon

[Sophistemon]

Okay, I've changed a few things. The fluff you can probably ignore this time around; they're only cosmetic differences. So far as Crunch is concerned, I've changed one feat, reconfigured his primary array, and added a drawback.

So far as that's concerned I could see raising the drawback to 'moderate,' so that the DC increases by 50% instead of just 1 point; if you could chime in on that, I'd appreciate it.

Anyway, I hope to post this on the character bank sometime tomorrow, so your comments and critiques are as always very appreciated.

 

Fluff:

Spoiler

Character Name: Robert 'Bob' Goodman, Jr.

Power Level: PL7, 105/105PP.

Trade-Offs: None.

Unspent Power Points: 0

Progress To Bronze Status: 0/30.

In Brief: An underachieving cable repairman has been transformed into a crime-fighting cartoon.

Residence: Freedom City.

Base of Operations: Freedom City.

Catchphrase: “Now, stop me if you've heard this one before!”

Alternate Identity: Punchline.

Identity: Secret.

Birthplace: Southside, Freedom City.

Occupation: Cable repairman.

Affiliations: The ACME Cable Company.

Family: Orphaned; maintains positive relations with Father David Halloway and Sister Judy Valentine.

Description: Whereas Bob Goodman was disappointingly average in almost every way imaginable, Punchline is a technicolor nightmare with ivory skin, dark blue hair, bright red lips, and yellow eyes. He wears an eye-popping, garishly colored costume of deliberately clashing orange, green, and purple.

Age: 25 (as Robert Goodman) / 3½ (as Punchline).

Apparent Age: Mid twenties.

Gender: Male.

Ethnicity: Caucasian.

Height: 6'1”.

Weight: 200lbs.

Eyes: Yellow.

Hair: Blue.

Power Descriptions: Punchline is no longer a man of flesh and blood, but a cartoon brought to life; as such he possesses extreme physical resiliency and recuperative abilities. He is capable of pulling objects out of thin air, teleporting short distances, and altering his appearance to disguise himself as other people. Finally, his laughter is somehow capable of driving nearby listeners temporarily insane.

History: Bob's boring little life ended three and a half years ago on the night he drove into the city to repair a cable antenna in the middle of a thunderstorm. Predictably, he was struck by lightning and his spirit was conveyed through the airwaves and spread throughout the informational infinity that is television. He emerged on the other side, reformed and better than ever, as the pugnacious Punchline!

Personality & Motivation: Punchline is a frenetic maelstrom of manic energy, always moving and hamming it up, almost incapable of sitting still. He relishes the thrill of adventure and his powers allow him to find gleeful excitement in what would otherwise be dangerous situations. More than anything else he loathes having to disguise himself as the infuriatingly boring Robert Goodman, but the dead man's job affords him food to eat and a warm place to sleep, both of which remain necessities for now.

Powers & Tactics: Punchline likes to use his disguises to get up close to his enemies without arousing suspicion, at which point he can drop the act and take them by surprise. When facing multiple opponents or a single, more dangerous enemy he will let loose with a peal of earsplitting laughter that can afflict everyone nearby with debilitating euphoria, generally allowing the battle to turn in his favor.

Complications:

Enemy: He is currently fighting an ongoing prank war with Boss Moxie and his notorious Toon Gang.

Reputation: Not everyone loves a clown, and his appearance can be met with groans – if not hostility.

Responsibility: Although he absolutely hates it, he needs to keep his job at the ACME Cable Company.

Secret: It's currently essential to keep his civilian identity of Robert Goodman a closely guarded secret.

 

Crunch:

Spoiler

Abilities: 4 + 6 + 6 + 4 + 6 + 4 = 30PP

Strength: 14 (+2)

Dexterity: 16 (+3)

Constitution: 16 (+3)

Intelligence: 14 (+2)

Wisdom: 16 (+3)

Charisma: 14 (+2)

 

Combat: 10 + 10 = 20PP

Initiative: +7 (+3 Base, +4 Improved Initiative)

Attack: +5 Melee, +5 Ranged

Grapple: +7

Defense: +7 Base, +3 Flat-Footed

Knockback: -3

 

Saving Throws: 3 + 4 + 3 = 10PP

Toughness: +7 (+3 Con, +4 Force Field)

Fortitude: +6 (+3 Con, +3)

Reflex: +7 (+3 Dex, +4)

Will: +6 (+3 Wis, +3)

 

Skills: 44R = 11PP

Acrobatics 4 (+7)

Bluff 4 (+6)

Craft: Electronics 4 (+6)

Diplomacy 4 (+6)

Gather Information 4 (+6)

Investigate 4 (+6)

Knowledge: Technology 4 (+6)

Notice 4 (+7)

Search 4 (+6)

Sense Motive 4 (+7)

Stealth 4 (+7)

 

Feats: 10PP

Beginner's Luck

Dodge Focus 2

Elusive Target

Fearless

Improved Initiative

Jack-of-All-Trades

Luck 2

Uncanny Dodge: Auditory

 

Powers: 27 = 27PP

Dimensional Pocket 1 (Flaw: Storage Only) [1PP]

Base Power: Force Field 4 [5PP]

Alternate Power: Morph 2 (Broad Group: humanoids) [4/4PP]

Regeneration 10 (Bruised 3, Injured 6, Resurrection 1) [10/10]

Base Power: Teleport 3 (Extra: Accurate; Flaw: Short-Range; Feat: Change Direction, Change Velocity) [11PP]

Alternate Power: Damage 5 (Feats: Accurate, Mighty, Variable Physical) [8/8]

Alternate Power: Damage 6 (Extra: Ranged; Flaw: Full-Round Action; Feats: Accurate, Variable Physical) [8/8]

Alternate Power: Emotion Control 7 (Extra: Area Burst; Feat: Reversible; Flaws: Auditory, Happiness Only) [8/8PP]

 

Drawbacks: (-3) = -3PP

Vulnerable – Electromagnetic Interference (Very Common; Minor) [-3]

Attacks with the Electric, Magnetic, and Radiation descriptors are more capable of damaging Punchline than other types of damage. Due to the disruptive effect that they have on the signal that makes up his body, any wounds inflicted by these descriptors can cause drastic changes to his appearance and personality. These changes can be expected to persist until the wound has fully healed.

 

DC Block

ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT

Damage 7 Touch DC22 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Any Physical)

Damage 6 60ft. DC21 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Any Physical)

Emotion Control 7 35ft. Radius DC17 Will (Staged) Combat Ineffectiveness

 

Totals: Abilities (30) + Combat (20) + Saving Throws (10) + Skills (11) + Feats (10) + Powers (27) + Miscellaneous (???) - Drawbacks (-3) = 105/105 Power Points.

 

Notes:

Spoiler

Power Notes

Morph: Confers a +10 bonus to disguise; limited to humanoids.

Regeneration: Bruises and Injuries heal at one per round without rest; Resurrection once per week.

Teleport: Confers a movement speed of 300ft per Move Action; disallows Long-Range teleportation.

Damage: Variable Physical allows the choice of Bludgeoning, Piercing, or Slashing damage per attack.

Emotion Control: The subject is giddy, suffering a –2 on attack rolls, defense, and checks. Failure by 10 or more means the target is overcome with euphoria, helpless and unable to take any actions.

 

Miscellaneous Notes

Jumping: Running Jump 12ft.; Standing Jump 6ft.; High Jump 3ft.

Throwing Distance: 175lbs. 5ft.; 10lbs. 25ft.

Carrying Capacity: Light 58lbs.; Medium 116lbs.; Heavy 175lbs; Max 350lbs.; Push/Drag 875lbs.

Edited July 7, 2016 by Sophistemon

[Raveled]

I would probably pump up his Craft/Electronics and Know/Technology to +10 each. That is how he gets his money, after all. Other than that... His exotic saves are a bit high, and I would probably give this concept a lower Wisdom and a higher Charisma, but there's nothing against the rules or particularly broken on this sheet.

[Sophistemon]

2 hours ago, Raveled said:

I would probably pump up his Craft/Electronics and Know/Technology to +10 each. That is how he gets his money, after all. Other than that... His exotic saves are a bit high, and I would probably give this concept a lower Wisdom and a higher Charisma, but there's nothing against the rules or particularly broken on this sheet.

Oh, you're definitely right that the skills should be higher, but Bob was terrible at his job before he died and Punchline hasn't had any inclination to get any better at it. Frankly, as Punchline's more naturally intelligent than Bob ever was it's likely that he's also a better cable repairman, or would be if he put any effort into it. In practice, Punchline-acting-as-Bob will show up, take 20, and then leave after working on things for a few hours -- just like a few of the cable repairmen that I've had to deal with in my time. If necessary, I can blow one of his three Hero Points to invoke Beginner's Luck; a temporary solution, but I don't have the points left to spend on skills that won't often come into play. As for his saves, that's intentional. The character concept is sort of built around the idea of being equally adept at either avoiding damage or tanking it outright, as cartoons are wont to do. You're dead right about Charisma, but mechanically-speaking Wisdom just pays higher dividends. I plan to talk to the Mods at some point about an altered 'Attractive' feat that only comes into play when the people he's dealing with find him funny.

Edited July 7, 2016 by Sophistemon

[Raveled]

You don't have to talk to the mods, exactly. Renee de Sans has a similar feat that kicks in whenever people believe he's a feeble old man (as opposed to a century old wizard). Specifically, you'd build it like this:

 

Enhanced Skill 2 (Bluff 4, Diplomacy 4, Flaw: Limited [People who find Punchline funny]) [1 PP]

 

That's basically what Attractive is, except the Flaw is "People who find this character attractive."

[Sophistemon]

54 minutes ago, Raveled said:

You don't have to talk to the mods, exactly. Renee de Sans has a similar feat that kicks in whenever people believe he's a feeble old man (as opposed to a century old wizard). Specifically, you'd build it like this:

 

Enhanced Skill 2 (Bluff 4, Diplomacy 4, Flaw: Limited [People who find Punchline funny]) [1 PP]

 

That's basically what Attractive is, except the Flaw is "People who find this character attractive."

Oh, excellent! Thanks so much; that's a great idea!

[Sophistemon]

As per the advice that I received in chat, I've increased his Drawback to 'Very Common' and given him some more skill ranks. As Raveled suggested, I've gone ahead and made him a more respectable repairman.

 

It was discussed during the creation of my Presto build how important authenticity can be, and I sort of like the idea that having a few skills like that can make him look like less of a one-trick goofball.

Edited July 7, 2016 by Sophistemon