First pass at a new character

[Chalupacabra]

Hey all. Just signed up here yesterday evening and I'm excited to get started with the community. Below I've posted my first draft for a new character.

I've played M&M a few times in real life, but I may be rusty and this site's format of roleplay is a bit new to me, so I just wanted to get some other sets of eyes to look over the build.

Particularly, I want to make sure that the concept fits the site's tone, that I'm not breaking any houserules, and that the build looks capable enough that I won't be useless.

Thanks again, and I'm excited to get started!

Edit: Made some changes thanks to recommendations from chat.

 

Player Name: Chalupacabra
Character Name: Doctor Spark
Power Level: 10
Trade-Offs: -2 Attack/+2 Damage, -2 Defense/+2 Toughness
Unspent Power Points: 0
In Brief: Gadgeteer working with limited funds. Dedicated to fighting crime in the slums of Freedom City.
Residence: House in The Fens
Alternate Identity: Jordan Jefferson
Identity: Secret
Birthplace: Freedom City
Occupation: Construction
Affiliations: None currently
Family: Parents James and Amber; Siblings Louis and Jennifer
Description:
Age: 25
Gender: Male
Ethnicity: African-American
Height: 6'1"
Weight: 178 lbs
Eyes: Green
Hair: Black

Power Descriptions:
Lasers, utility belts, and other tech gadgets, but without the sleekness and futuristic aesthetic usually associated with gadgeteers. All of Spark's tech is cobbled together and appears to built from junk and scrap.
His laser blast and force field take the form of yellow-tinted electricity.
History: Jordan Jefferson has always been an optimistic soul. Despite being born to  a family that had lived in the slums of Freedom City for as long as any of them could remember, Jordan decided that he would make a better life for himself and his family. Throughout his school years, he threw himself wholeheartedly into his studies, especially the various fields of science that fascinated him. While his hard work and good grades looked to be building up for a promising college scholarship, he was struck by a bolt of lightning during his senior year of high school, leaving him in a coma for months.
He woke up after the end of the school year. Returning to his studies with full fervor, he found that the material was coming to him more and more easily over time. Eventually it went beyond anything that he could explain as normal. Curious and a bit frightened, he turned his attention to researching medicine, hoping to find some explanation. After looking into it further, he could only determine that the lightning strike had supercharged his brain, expanding his mind beyond its previous limits. After several more months of increasing intellect, his mind had been boosted to truly superhuman levels.
It was here that his optimistic nature kicked in again. After considering the implications of his new abilities, his thoughts turned to the many capes across Freedom. He thought of how much The Fens could improve if crime could be solved. He thought of how selfish it would be to use these abilities to improve his own station rather than for the city around him. And so he decided from this point he would join in the ranks of superheroes.
He chose to forego college, worried that he would not be able to keep his supernatural intellect under wraps and that it would be a distraction from his new calling in life. Instead, to the befuddlement of his family, he began working in construction. Something that would allow him to pay his own way in life while still leaving him enough time to patrol the streets. It took years of scrounging, buying from junkyards, and meeting with the sort of people who recover dropped parts from super-fights, but he eventually was able to McGuyver together enough gear that he was ready to adopt his new identity as Doctor Spark.

Personality & Motivation: In his regular identity, Jordan is a friendly, jovial type. He likes to maintain good relationships with his family and neighbors. As Doctor Spark, he is professional and no-nonsense, but switches quickly to a warm, friendly demeanor when attempting to talk others out of a life of crime. In both identities, he is driven by his strong sense of optimism. Doctor Spark in particular dedicates his crime fighting to promoting wellbeing and The Fens, when his stealth and technology expertise is not needed in other areas.
Powers & Tactics: While hardly helpless in a fight thanks to his laser pistol and force field generator, Spark prefers if it doesn't come to a fight. When dealing with gangs and hoodlums in The Fens, he would generally attempts to intimidate them into an easy surrender, using his utility belt to distract and disable his foes if it comes to a fight. When fighting larger-scale villains, he prefers to take a back-line role, providing support through information or taking shots from a distance with his laser.
Complications:
The Good Inside You: Spark is possibly a bit too trusting when it comes to people he believes can still be redeemend. He is reluctant to escalate conflict or to see harsh punishment inflicted on the bad guys, usually believing that they can be rehabilitated and work for good.
Struggling: While he has his own apartment in The Fens, it is all Jordan can do to remain afloat financially.

Abilities: 0+2+0+8+8+0=18PP
Strength: 10 (+0)
Dexterity: 12 (+1)
Constitution: 10 (+0)
Intelligence: 18/30 (+4/+10)
Wisdom: 18 (+4)
Charisma: 10 (+0)

Combat: 20+16=36PP
Initiative: +1
Attack: +8 Melee, +8 Ranged
Grapple: +8
Defense: +10 (+5 Base, +5 Dodge), +5 Flat-Footed
Knockback: -12

Saving Throws: 5+7+5=17 PP
Toughness: +10(+0 Con, +10 Force Field)
Fortitude: +5 (+0 Con, +5)
Reflex: +8 (+1 Dex, +7)
Will: +9 (+4 Wis, +5)

Skills: 96R=24PP
Computers 8 (+18) ^{Skill Mastery}
Craft (Chemical) 8 (+18)
Craft (electronic) 8 (+18) ^{Skill Mastery}
Craft (mechanical) 8 (+18) ^{Skill Mastery}
Disable Device 8 (+18) ^{Skill Mastery}

Intimidate 5 (+5)

Investigate 4 (+14)
Knowledge (earth sciences) 3 (+13)
Knowledge (life sciences) 5 (+15)
Knowledge (physical sciences) 6 (+16)
Knowledge (streetwise) 4 (+14)
Knowledge (technology) 8 (+18)
Notice 4 (+8)

Search 3 (+13)
Sense Motive 6 (+10)
Stealth 8 (+9)

Feats: 5PP
Beginner's Luck
Improvised Tools
Inventor
Luck 1
Skill Mastery (Computers, Craft (electronic), Craft (mechanical), Disable Device)

Powers: 12+8+15+2+8=53PP

*Enhanced Intelligence 12 [12PP]
Device  (Jetpack and Helmet, 10PP Container, Flaws: Hard to Lose)[8PP] (tech)

*Flight 4 (100 mph)[8DP]

*Super-Senses (Direction Sense, Distance Sense)[2DP]

Device 5 (Laser Pistol, 25 PP Container, Flaws: Easy to Lose)[15PP] (tech,electricity)

*Laser Setting (24PP Array; Feats: Alternate Power)[25DP]
**Blast 12
**Dazzle 12 (Affects visual senses)
Quickness 4 (10x speed, Flaws: Mental tasks only)[2PP]
Device 5 (Repulsor Belt, 25 PP Container, Flaws: Hard to lose)[20PP] (tech, electricity)
*Force Field 12 (Extras: Impervious)

Drawbacks: -3PP = -3PP
Vulnerability (Electricity; Frequency: Common; Intensity: Moderate[x1.5])[-3PP]

DC Block

ATTACK      RANGE     SAVE             EFFECT
Unarmed     Melee     DC 15 Toughness  Damage (Physical)
Blast       Ranged    DC 27 Toughness  Damage (Energy)
Dazzle      Ranged    DC 22 Fort/Ref   Dazzle

 

Totals: Abilities(18)+Combat(36)+Saving Throws(17)+Skills(24)+Feats(5)+Powers(53)-Drawbacks(3)= 150/150 Power Points

Edited September 29, 2016 by Chalupacabra

[EternalPhoenix]

Only Two things I can see here, mechanically speaking. Usually, non-powered INT stops at 25 (+7). You can make an argument for it, but most often you'd need to push it up from there with Enhanced INT as a power. Second, Impervious is capped at Power Level. That means you can't have more than 10, and you have to note it as such. Impervious 10. A third thing, which is just advice. A rank 3 offensive power isn't going to harm many people. 5 is the lowest recommended rank, but you can get away with 4 in my opinion.

[Chalupacabra]

All right, changes made, as per your critiques and others. Namely:

*Dropped the Utility Belt to free up points for other places. That can always be a future investment.
*Reduced Force Field to 10 and increased Defense accordingly.
*Changed intelligence boosts from an inherent stat increase to a power.
*Further beefed up saves.
*Increased and shuffled skills.
*Adjusted Jetpack and boosted Quickness

[Brown Dynamite]

Just in case you did want the Int to be natural.  Just remember what Ecal and I said in Chat and that we tend to be more lenient on Int like the core book rules say we're free to.  In fact there are 2 Active chars with Int over 25.  So there really wouldn't have been too much worry there.

[Chalupacabra]

Eh, it's not a huge trade-off either way. I could see it happening either way, based off the fluff I've built.