[3E OOC] The J.V. Team

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Toast Burglar
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Re: [3E] Toys Will Be Toys (Recruiting)

Post by Toast Burglar »

Name: Cyrus Nathaniel Meriwether
Alias: Merryweather
Age: 64 Actually; 16 Physically

Background: In his youth, Cyrus regarded the supernatural with a grain of salt and a dose of wonder. Unfortunately, such wonders were never gifted to him in life. He toiled his life away as an everyman, living the suburban dream life. Following the laws, envying the rich, making shallow friendships to pass the time.

When he was in high school, he developed a bit of a rebellious streak. It started as plucking items from the lunches of unsuspecting preppy kids. Soon it turned to slightly more dangerous grabs, which always required that degree of careful precision and attention to detail. But his career really kicked off towards the end of his senior year, when he decided that he would steal something precious from one of the wealthiest girls at school before year's end. And he did: Leaving naught but a calling card designating exactly what was stolen, he left with a pair of priceless Black Velvet Gloves.

The newspapers rattled off the information they had regarding the case, calling him the 'Black Velvet Bandit', which he took a liking to. In fact, this inspired him to do more interesting ventures, donning a white domino mask, tophat and cape, and diving into his polite life amongst the shadows as the Gentleman Thief 'Black Velvet'.

To many, he was something of an urban legend. Nobody quite knew who he was, some had guesses. All were wrong. Indeed his work went carried out in the textbook gentleman thief formula. He snuck into a wealthy individual's place of residence, or a museum, or a cruise ship for the rich, and snatched what he desired, leaving a calling card in his wake.

"Black Velvet Strikes Again!" The headlines rolled out over and over in varying wordcounts. Sometimes he was the talk of the town. But he was always just an ordinary guy. A few run-ins with zealous supers had transpired, but Cyrus knew his limits and always escaped into the night, a sporting laugh echoing in his wake. His artful antics spanned numerous ages, he was an antiquarian vestige of the silver silver age of villainry. But the times didn't make villains of his model anymore, at 64 years of age, villains were anarchists looking to disrupt the foundation of society, while heroes were actually valiant warriors who stopped them. Back in his heyday, Heroics and Villainry was all about one-upsmanship, prestige, and occasionally, money.

Of course all that was to change. But not because he was caught. A target, the final target of his career one way or another, was a wealthy man with a liking for ancient artifacts from bygone eras. His collection was large, but the centerpiece of it all was his greatest treasure, a length of well-preserved and luxuriously decorated wood known as the 'Staff of Tlaloc', said to be a religious artifact used by Aztec Shamans to invoke blessings from the Rain God Tlaloc.

Black Velvet thought that this Aztec heirloom would make for the perfect walking cane to use around his home after retirement, and the final card reading "And with this, Black Velvet bids you all adieu~" would serve as the perfect punctuation mark for the 50 year crime spree that was the Black Velvet Bandit. Everything went as planned, his breaking and entering skills were unmatched by the drab security measures presented by the slothful and complacent.

What didn't go as planned was that mumbo-jumbo about the religious artifact not being fake. Whilst toying with his catch of the night, which was a regular thing he did after stealing stuff by the way, he accidentally found a switch on the Staff, which cause an obsidian blade to nick his palm and draw his blood. A voice boomed in his mind, "Your sacrifice is accepted. My blessings are upon you!"

It began to rain torrentially thereafter, which happened to end a few weeks of draught in the half-mile area around his hideout. Looking out the window, he promptly complained about the rain, and moreover saw his own reflection, his body very revitalized, his age reduced all the way back to his teenage years! The rain then promptly stopped, as if heeding a request. Looking at the staff, dumbfounded, Cyrus would proceed to further experiment with this mystical device.

It appeared that the Blessing of Tlaloc, so long as he held the Staff in hand, would allow him to magically bend weather to his whim. The holder of the staff was as an avatar of Tlaloc himself. Of course, this much power and the sudden rejuvination of his youth would have been just the thing to take his rather illegal hobby to the next level. However, the wonder-filled child in him still lived, and to this day he'd always wanted to stand alongside those superheroes that gallavanted in his dreams.

So instead of selling this artifact to the highest bidder as he always had, or using it to step up his game as a Gentleman Thief, he instead opted to retire the Velvet Gloves. Calling upon some old connections of his, reforming his identity to a male of a much younger age with no relation to himself asides his name, Cyrus got enrolled into Claremont Academy in order to get himself educated on the ins and outs of superheroics.

Abilities
STR 1
STA 2
AGI 3
DEX 4
FGT 3
INT 2
AWE 2
PRE 1 (4)

Powers
Staff of Tlaloc - 24 Point Removable Dynamic Array, with 4 Dynamic AEs - 27 Points

Wrath of Tlaloc: Environment 8 (1/2 mile, Cold, Impede Movement, Reduce Visibility) - 24 Points
AE: Rain God's Tempest: Ranged Burst Area Damage 8, Dynamic - 2 Points
AE: Tempest Alternative: Ranged Burst Area Move Object 8, Dynamic - 2 Points
AE: Tlaloc's Lightning: Ranged Damage 8, Accurate 2, Indirect 3 (Any Point, Downward), Insidious, Dynamic - 2 Points
AE: Crackling Thunder: Burst Area Cumulative Affliction 8 (Fortitude vs Visual and Auditory Impaired, Visual and Auditory Disabled, Visual and Auditory Unaware), Dynamic - 2 Points

Rain God's Mercy: Immunity 10 (Weather Effects), Removable - 8 Points

Rain God's Grace: Enhanced Presence 3; Enhanced Defenses 10 (Dodge and Parry 5), All Removable - 13 Points

Skills
Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+7), Deception 4 (+8/+5), Expertise: Streetwise 4 (+6), Insight 4 (+6), Persuasion 4 (+8/+5), Sleight of Hand 6 (+10), Stealth 6 (+10)

Advantages
Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll 3, Extraordinary Effort, Improved Critical (Improvised), Improvised Weapon, Hide in Plain Sight

Defenses
Dodge: 10/5
Parry: 8/3
Tough: 5/2
Fort: 6
Will: 8

Offenses
Init: +3

Total
Abilities 36
Powers 48
Skills 16
Advantages 7
Defenses 12
Total: 120/120

Complications
Duty (Motivation): Cyrus was always a fan of superhero stories in his youth, and held onto a sense of wonder growing up. So despite his checkered past, his first instinct when taking hold of such power as The Staff of Tlaloc was to use it to save the day, rather than push forward his dastardly goals.

Checkered Past: Few may know, but Cyrus Nathaniel Meriwether was once a gentleman thief, going under the codename of 'Black Velvet'. His heel-face turn transpired when he got his fancy gloves on the Staff of Tlaloc, moreover when he discovered it granted him a great deal of power. Of course, this artifact is an object he stole, and the fact that he carries it almost everywhere he goes is like begging for trouble.

Gentleman's Code: While operating as a hero for good, he still follows the relatively crooked moral code belonging to gentleman thieves. Thusly he'll never rat out a villain to the officials, and will always take challenges whenever presented, especially those which pose a challenge to his skills as a rogue.

Geriatric: As a man from a bygone age, he is prone to mannerisms and references beyond his visible years. Furthermore, when his gentlemanly walking stick is pried from his unconscious fingers, his youthful conversion will slowly but steadily fade over the course of a few hours. This won't affect his stats (beyond Presence), but he will become his former self, which may be recognizeable to certain people. Also, sneaking into a high school at 64 may be frowned upon by his peers.


Descriptors
Staff of Tlaloc: Magic, Divine, Weather, Wood - The Staff of Tlaloc is a wooden rod of a few feet in length, perfect to walk with or carry underarm like a dandy. It is very obviously Aztec in origin, and after accepting a blood sacrifice, renders the holder as an Avatar of Tlaloc, the rain god.

Wrath of Tlaloc: Magic, Divine, Weather, Water - The very basic effect that Tlaloc's Avatar may achieve is a widespread deluge of rain, so thick it impedes both vision and movement.

Rain God's Tempest/Alternative: Magic, Divine, Weather, Wind - The winds bend to the avatar's whim, forming devastating dust devils, waterspouts, and such. He can use this to send heavy objects soaring and sailing, or shred an area with fierce winds.

Tlaloc's Lightning: Magic, Divine, Weather, Electric, Disease - The Aztec God Tlaloc was said to wield a special brand of divine punishment. Using his bolts of lightning, he would punish those who offend him with a terrible affliction of disease. As such, the lightning called by the avatar would have a similar effect, damaging his foes without them feeling it, instead being rendered terribly ill, even to the point of passing out or feeling intense dizziness.

Crackling Thunder: Magic, Divine, Weather, Sonic, Electric, Light - Rattling the staff overhead, he creates a dazzling ball of lightning which rips through the air in a loop creating deafening thunder and blinding light, so fierce that not even closing your eyes or covering your ears will suffice.

Rain God's Mercy: Magic, Divine, Weather, Aura - The avatar of Tlaloc will always maintain an aura so long as he holds the staff, protecting himself from the varying degrees of weather-related wrath that himself or others may present.

Rain God's Grace: Magic, Divine, Physical, Aura - The avatar of Tlaloc, so long as they hold the staff, obtain alarmingly enhanced reflexes and alacrity, as well as a notably boosted force of character, making even the otherwise unnotable into leadership material.

Image
Last edited by Toast Burglar on Fri Jun 01, 2018 4:06 am, edited 5 times in total.
MacynSnow
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Re: [3E] Toys Will Be Toys (Recruiting)

Post by MacynSnow »

Nice Gentleman Thief Build Toast!
you ever thought 'bout branching him into Bartitsu? That sounds perfect for when he might lose the staff....
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Doctor Malsyn
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Re: [3E] Toys Will Be Toys (Recruiting)

Post by Doctor Malsyn »

I do wonder though, if he might be a bit old for the team. Nothing against him, but a 34 year old man hanging out with a gaggle of teen girls might seem... Suspicious.
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MacynSnow
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Re: [3E] Toys Will Be Toys (Recruiting)

Post by MacynSnow »

Doctor Malsyn wrote: Sun May 27, 2018 8:13 am I do wonder though, if he might be a bit old for the team. Nothing against him, but a 34 year old man hanging out with a gaggle of teen girls might seem... Suspicious.
Now that you mention it......*takes abig step away from older gentleman*
Toast Burglar
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Re: [3E] Toys Will Be Toys (Recruiting)

Post by Toast Burglar »

MacynSnow wrote: Sun May 27, 2018 8:08 am Nice Gentleman Thief Build Toast!
you ever thought 'bout branching him into Bartitsu? That sounds perfect for when he might lose the staff....
I actually considered putting bartitsu into the initial build, but I couldn't afford it.

And you guys act like there aren't 34 year olds who care about the safety of the world. Social implications don't matter as long as we save the day. If I make it in and this goes beyond a one-shot for whatever reason, I may consider retconning him to be younger though.
MacynSnow
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Re: [3E] Toys Will Be Toys (Recruiting)

Post by MacynSnow »

Toast Burglar wrote: Sun May 27, 2018 8:47 am
MacynSnow wrote: Sun May 27, 2018 8:08 am Nice Gentleman Thief Build Toast!
you ever thought 'bout branching him into Bartitsu? That sounds perfect for when he might lose the staff....
I actually considered putting bartitsu into the initial build, but I couldn't afford it.

And you guys act like there aren't 34 year olds who care about the safety of the world. Social implications don't matter as long as we save the day. If I make it in and this goes beyond a one-shot for whatever reason, I may consider retconning him to be younger though.
Valid point,but how can you explain him being Claremont Academy at 34 year's of age?That's Rather Old for an Academy student.....

As for the Bartitsu expenses,you don't have to have the whole style(certainly Prof.Moriarty never did) just enough to say your studying it....
Toast Burglar
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Re: [3E] Toys Will Be Toys (Recruiting)

Post by Toast Burglar »

MacynSnow wrote: Sun May 27, 2018 8:56 am
Valid point,but how can you explain him being Claremont Academy at 34 year's of age?That's Rather Old for an Academy student.....

As for the Bartitsu expenses,you don't have to have the whole style(certainly Prof.Moriarty never did) just enough to say your studying it....
Faculty?
MacynSnow
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Re: [3E] Toys Will Be Toys (Recruiting)

Post by MacynSnow »

Toast Burglar wrote: Sun May 27, 2018 9:05 am
MacynSnow wrote: Sun May 27, 2018 8:56 am
Valid point,but how can you explain him being Claremont Academy at 34 year's of age?That's Rather Old for an Academy student.....

As for the Bartitsu expenses,you don't have to have the whole style(certainly Prof.Moriarty never did) just enough to say your studying it....
Faculty?
Possibly,but you'd better take it up with Fuzzyboots as he's the one recruiting & running this........
Toast Burglar
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Re: [3E] Toys Will Be Toys (Recruiting)

Post by Toast Burglar »

That's fair. If it doesn't fly I have a bazillion and six other ideas I can use. (Aka: Maybe two or three back-up concepts)
Corrigon
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Re: [3E] Toys Will Be Toys (Recruiting)

Post by Corrigon »

Image

Burst
Original Character
Power Level 8 ( 120 PP )

ABILITIES
Strength 3
Stamina 2
Agility 4
Dexterity 4
Fighting 4
Intellect 2
Awareness 3
Presence 1

SKILLS
Acrobatics 1 (+5), Close Combat [Unarmed] 2 (+6), Expertise [Law] 2 (+4), Perception 5 (+8), Persuasion 3 (+4), Stealth 1 (+5), Treatment 2 (+4), Insight 3(+6), Ranged Combat (Blast) 3(+7)

ADVANTAGES
Agile Feint, Power Attack, Move-By-Action, All-out Attack, Teamwork, Set-up

POWERS
Fire Form - Activation Move action -1PP - covers self on fire
Fire Blast- Ranged damage 9 - 18PP
AE Fire Punch - Damage 7 1PP
AE Fire Bolts - Damage 6, Multiattack
Flight 7 - Noticable - 1PP leaves firey trail behind 13PP
Infrared Vision - Senses 2pp

Hardened Skin - Protection 6


DEFENSE
Dodge (8) Base 4
Parry: (8) Base 4
Fortitude: (8) Base 2
Toughness: (2/8) ——
Will: (6) Base 3

COMPLICATIONS:
Motivation - Doing Good - he spent his early life protecting the survivors of Earth
Survivors - Most of the remaining survivors were children and Chris does what he can for them

WORKSHEET
Attack: 6 Effect: 3 Total: 9 (Unarmed)
Attack: 6 Effect: 10 Total: 16 (Fire Punch)
Attack: 7 Effect: 9 Total: 16 (Fire Blast)
Attack: 7 Effect: 6 Total: 13 (Fire Bolts) Multiattack
Dodge: 8 Tough: 8 Total: 16/16
Parry: 8 Tough: 8 Total: 16/16
Fort: 8 Will: 6 Total: 14

ABILITIES [ 46 pp ] +
SKILLS [ 11 pp ] + 56
ADVANTAGES [ 6 pp ] + 61
POWERS [ 40 pp ] + 101
DEFENSES [ 17 pp ] = 120
120 PP TOTAL

Real Name: Chris Jackson
Occupation: Student
Date of Birth: Age 17
Height: 5'10"
Weight: 195 lbs.
Eyes: Blue
Hair: Blonde
Race: Human Mutant
Identity: Secret
Religion: Athiest
Relationships: Family Status Unknown
Legal Status: Naturalized Citizen of the United States with no criminal record (originally born 12 years in the future).

Background:
Chris Jackson was born 12 years in the future after a Singularity based on Preserver technology caused by Daedulus' attempts to find a way to stop the Devourer caused the Earth to become trapped in a netherworld, which was anathema to humans. A few people were able to survive in hastily constructed shelters, but even those were beginning to fail.

The few remaining heroes, which included a fifteen year old Burst, and the last few remnants of Humanity were eventually able to find a method of travelling through time and through the barrier to a point before the Singularity was created. When they tried to interfere with its creation, agents of Omega tried to prevent their actions. In the end, only Burst and one other hero survived, but they were successful with the help of Daedulus.

A boy out of time, Daedulus arranged for the creation of an identity for Chris and for him to attend the Claremont Academy whilst the survivors (mostly children) were placed into to help integrate into a society they only heard about in stories.

There, he has discovered a love of the law and is currently planning to attend College to become a lawyer.

He knows who his parents are, but the circumstances of them meeting will no longer occur, now that the Singularity no longer exists. Chris has wrested with the idea of finding a way to introduce them

Combat Notes:
Burst maintains his distance, peppering foes with fire blasts as he flies past using move-by-action
If he gets in close, his punch can do considerable fire damage

Description:
A good looking young man with the occasional haunted look in his eye. Blonde hair, blue eyes

Personality:
Generally quiet and unsure around women, especially since he seems have the attention of several of the ladies on campus. He comes alive when using his powers and when he is in a protective mood, especially around children.
Last edited by Corrigon on Wed May 30, 2018 1:32 pm, edited 4 times in total.
FuzzyBoots
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Re: [3E] Toys Will Be Toys (Recruiting)

Post by FuzzyBoots »

Toast Burglar wrote: Sun May 27, 2018 9:59 am That's fair. If it doesn't fly I have a bazillion and six other ideas I can use. (Aka: Maybe two or three back-up concepts)
I had put forward the idea of them all being Claremont students at the beginning and it seems to have taken hold. If someone put forward faculty in a manner that would make sense, I could probably run with that, but it would add an additional level of difficulty. If you feel up to that challenge, it can be a worthwhile endeavor, finding a way to weave your character into the warp and weft of the tapestry of characterization we have thus far.

And sorry for my radio silence the last few days. I've been keeping up on the thread updates via email, but I haven't had a chance to review characters properly. I should have some more free time today.
FuzzyBoots
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Re: [3E] Toys Will Be Toys (Recruiting)

Post by FuzzyBoots »

pathfinderq1 wrote: Fri May 25, 2018 6:12 pm At this point I'm looking at a character with a ranged focus, since most of the submissions seem concentrated on close effects (though obviously not exclusively so). I'll see what I can put together over the weekend, when I have better access to my books- this week has been just a bit crazy.

For now:
1. Presto!- reflavored a bit. still a very short range teleporter for her own use, but focusing more on trickery and a bit of ranged magic
2. Rain- socially/environmentally conscious apprentice weather controller
3. Silversmith (2)- has very weak TK powers, but has recently "inherited" her mother's power-enhancement tech (and heroic legacy)
At this point, it's getting hard to submit anything without intersecting someone else's niche, although some overlap can be handy so that the team isn't in trouble because the one guy who knows enough about musical theory to dismantle The Maestro's latest composition failed his Will Save. Silversmith might be the easiest bet. What sort of "power enhancement tech" are you thinking of?
FuzzyBoots
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Re: [3E] Toys Will Be Toys (Recruiting)

Post by FuzzyBoots »

RainOnTheSun wrote: Thu May 24, 2018 11:03 am Fortress, Power Level 8
I like the the Anti-Earth background and the concept is good. Maxed out Deception and Setup 3 seems like it could be a bit too good of a combat multiplier at times, but given you don't get the benefit of it yourself in that case, I figure out can work out. I'm a bit more iffy on the Limited Luck. I know you have it to basically allow for the "Toughest one" schtick, but I feel like Toughness us the major use of rerolls. Maybe just Luck 2 (Ultimate checks) to allow you the automatic 20?
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Batgirl III
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Re: [3E] Toys Will Be Toys (Recruiting)

Post by Batgirl III »

Doctor Malsyn wrote: Sun May 27, 2018 8:13 am I do wonder though, if he might be a bit old for the team. Nothing against him, but a 34 year old man hanging out with a gaggle of teen girls might seem... Suspicious.
Image

“Do you want to play with my kitten, little girl?”

Maybe Merriweather, in his Gentleman Thief day’s was actually 64 — not 34 — and an Old School villain from the days when supercriminals were more professional, more debonair, and The Game between heroes and villains was more civil. It was about one upsmanship and prestige, not body count. But, he was getting on in years and today’s supervillains were far more dangerous and todays superheroes played The Game by a different set of rules... Stealing the Staff of Tlaloc would be his One Last Job.

The blood sacrifice doesn’t just unlock the powers of the staff when it makes him the new avatar of Tlaloc. It also rejuvenates and restores Merriweather. Like spring rains returning parched dirt into fertile soil... Merriweather is returned to a youthful teenage form.

He’s still got some contacts and connections from his criminal days, so he calls in a few markers and gets a new identity put together. He figures he wants to learn to be a hero and where better for a young gentleman to learn than from the best tutors at a good school?
BARON wrote:I'm talking batgirl with batgirl. I love you internet.
FuzzyBoots
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Re: [3E] Toys Will Be Toys (Recruiting)

Post by FuzzyBoots »

Plan b wrote: Thu May 24, 2018 10:38 pm Codename: Bio-hazard
....
Bio-morph: Variable 2 (free action) • 20 points
I always like to ask with Variables. What sorts of uses are you thinking of here? What do you see as the limitations?
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