I kinda ended up going with the simpler, top version. The "border around the star" thing looks too "busy", and is really hard to keep even.
SUPERSTAR (Eric Robertson)
Hgt: 6'5" (5'8" in Regular Form)
Wgt: 300 lbs. (250 lbs. in Regular Form)
Role: Kid Hero, Fan-Insert Character
PL 11 (199)
STRENGTH 9
STAMINA 9
AGILITY 4
FIGHTING 9
DEXTERITY 2
INTELLIGENCE 6
AWARENESS 3
PRESENCE 3
Skills:
Close Combat (Unarmed) 2 (+11)
Deception 4 (+7, +9 Attractive)
Expertise (Science) 7 (+13)
Expertise (History) 2 (+8)
Insight 1 (+4)
Intimidation 3 (+6)
Perception 3 (+6)
Persuasion 2 (+5, +7 Attractive)
Ranged Combat (Throwing Stars) 6 (+12)
Stealth 1 (+5)
Technology 7 (+13)
Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Attractive, Daze (Deception), Equipment (Star Equipment), Evasion, Fast Grab, Great Endurance, Improved Aim, Improved Critical (Stars) 2, Improved Defense, Improved Disarm, Improved Smash, Interpose, Inventor, Move-By Action, Precise Attack (Ranged/Cover), Ranged Attack 4, Takedown
Powers:
Power-Lifting 1 (25 tons) [1]
"Shooting Star" Flight 7 (250 mph) (Extras: Affects Others) (Flaws: Platform) [14]
"Star Defenses" Enhanced Dodge 2 & Parry 1 [3]
"Cosmic Stars"
"Throwing Star" Blast 10 (Feats: Precise, Affects Insubstantial, Homing) (Extras: Penetrating 6) (30) -- [35]
- AE: "Starfield Storm" Blast 8 (Extras: Multiattack) (24)
- AE: "Stellar Star" Create 7 (Extras: Selective, Movable) (Flaws: Limited to Simple Star Shapes- Only Covers One Side) (21)
- AE: "Moving Stars" Move Object 6 (Feats: Precise) (13)
- AE: "Stars In The Way" Deflect 10 (10)
- AE: "Tripping Stars" Affliction 8 (Athletics or Acrobatics; Hindered & Vulnerable/Prone & Defenseless) (Extras: Ranged, Multiattack, Extra Condition) (Flaws: Limited Degree, Instant Recovery) (16)
Offense:
Unarmed +11 (+9 Damage, DC 24)
Throwing Star +12 (+10 Ranged Damage, DC 25)
Starfield Storm +12 (+8 Ranged Damage, DC 23)
Tripping Stars +12 (+8 Ranged Affliction, DC 18)
Initiative +4
Defenses:
Dodge +11 (+13 Stars, DC 21-23), Parry +11 (+12 Stars, DC 21-22), Toughness +9, Fortitude +9, Will +9
Complications:
Normal Identity (Eric Robertson)- Eric must enact a physical change in order to "Power Up" to SuperStar. As Eric, his stats are ST 1, STA 2, AGI -1, and he is noticeably overweight. His Presence also takes a hit, often dropping to -1 when trying to persuade or charm others (though his Deception remains intact, albeit without Attractive).
Power Loss (All Powers)- Eric's star-power is not infinite- over time, his blasts will grow weaker, and he may lose power entirely (reverting back to normal form)- it takes some time for him to regain powers (roughly 16 hours from complete power-down to full power).
Power Loss (Cosmic Stars)- Without special equipment, Eric cannot form proper "Star" shapes- his Blasts will lose the Precise & Penetrating bits, and his Alternate Effects will be ineffective. He can basically throw out only standard Energy Blasts, with lowered accuracy (-2 to -4).
Reputation (Nerd)- Eric is studious, insular and uncharismatic in his regular form. He is viewed as snobbish, off-putting and even "creepy" when he tries to talk to girls.
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Responsibility (Guilt)- Eric's first month as a superhero saw his best friend Kyle killed by a villain, and Eric's own attack took the villain's life. He thinks about this incident constantly, always seeking to make up for it, and to ensure nothing like it ever happens again.
Secret (Identity)- Eric swore on Kyle's death to never reveal his secret identity again.
Relationship (Bonnie Robertson- Mother)- Eric's father is not part of the family any longer, and so Eric's only home link is his mom. Her own life was thrown into disarray by Eric's troubles surrounding Kyle's death, and she usually struggles with anxiety and worry over her son (who makes frequent unexplained trips out of the home). Single and Middle Class, she struggles to pay the bills at times.
Relationship (Gavin Gowen)- Eric's remaining High School friend is a bit of a troublemaker, and a bad news kid- it took Eric years to figure out that he was a bad seed, and as a kid, he rejected his parents' advice to avoid him, often due to his own desire for companionship (especially after Kyle's death).
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Relationship (Mindy Stevens)- Kyle's sister was bereft at Kyle's death, and Eric- who always cared deeply for her- always tries to comfort her. However, after he saved her life as SuperStar, she started to pine for his alter-ego! He is left between breaking his sworn promise to never reveal his identity again, and his love for Mindy.
Relationship (Miss Adventure)- After a rough first few months of super-heroing, Eric was taken under the wing of Golden Age heroine Miss Adventure. Eventually, the two grew closer, and Eric found himself in love with her. She, however, viewed is a bit more of a fling, and separated when he tried to make things more serious.
Relationship (Women)- Status as a fat nerd, and a general lack of self-confidence, has left Eric a bit needy with women, and he frequently "overcorrects" and does outlandish or silly things for affection. He is easily led by women, tries to fit everyone into his "ideal" package for what a girlfriend/future wife should be like, and can be quite off-putting at times. Only his attractive, "SuperStar" self can turn most of these into positives, but fat Eric? No chance.
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Responsibility (Recognizable Face)- In his handsome, "SuperStar" form, Eric is known to the real world, and he will be recognized if he appears unmasked. Especially by bad guys.
Enemy (Various)- SuperStar's most-dangerous enemies include Gigawatt, Dr. Death and WhiteStar. Many others are included in his Rogues Gallery, including Lancehead, Criss-Cross, Barricade, Kid Spectrum & Recoil.
Reputation ("I am NOT a RACIST!")- Two of SuperStar's most-promiment villains, Gigawatt and Recoil, are black men. This led to a perception that the white SuperStar just MIGHT have an issue with black people. That one has a sympathetic backstory has only made it worse. What started as a bunch of aside comments (and SS's own clumsy rebuttals that were often taken the wrong way) eventually became enough of a recurring thing that many black superheroes looked at him funny.
Total: Abilities: 90 / Skills: 38--19 / Advantages: 22 / Powers: 53 / Defenses: 15 (199)
Origin:
-Eric Robertson was a typical unpopular High School boy- an overweight kid with poor self-esteem, a nervous and introverted disposition, and a frequent victim of bullies and cruel taunts (even people close to him called him "Boobsie" for his ample chest). However, he was studious and highly-intelligent, and excelled scholastically- gaining great skill in Astronomy and other sciences. One night, while stargazing, he witnessed a falling star. Realizing that it had fallen close to his home, Eric hefted himself onto his bike and role to find it. However, to his shock, upon coming close to the meteor, he found himself drawn to it, and when he unwisely touched it, it lit up the surrounding area, and his body simply absorbed it! A shocked, delirious Eric returned home, and discovered the following morning that he had grown almost a foot in height, and now featured a massive physique!
-Eric soon realized that it was the meteor had changed his physiology- however, he managed to change back before anyone saw him. However, Eric, a fan of superheroes, immediately began mimicking them, designing his own costume (complete with mechanics in order to properly "focus" his hard-to-control abilities) and making a public spectacle of himself as "SuperStar". He even used his new, handsome face to pick up girls, frequently avoiding his obese regular appearance (only keeping it to "keep up appearances" in his School & home life). Excited, he told his best friend Kyle about his new powers, showing off. However, a bitter Kyle, himself also unpopular, showed off in front of a bully, claiming he knew SuperStar's secret identity. The kid, curious, told his violent brother- a low-end Supervillain named Black Sabre out to earn himself a reputation, who promptly kidnapped Kyle and tortured him for information. Soon, Eric was lured into an ambush, and was assaulted by Black Sabre- Sabre's brother and Kyle were both killed in the ensuing melee by the villain's attacks, driving him mad. Desperate, and alone against his first serious threat, Eric panicked, throwing out a vicious "shooting star" that inadvertently killed Sabre.
-In one horrible moment, Eric's secret identity was safe, but he was permanently-scarred by the carnage- he pledged to act like a responsible hero from then on, always keep his identity secret, and to never kill again. Shortly afterwards, his enhanced form's face was seen publicly, preventing him from even appearing out of costume in anything but his regular form.
SuperStar the Hero:
-This rough start failed to correct itself, and got the hero off on the wrong foot. His public appearances as an unmasked hottie ended up ruining his chances at a normal life in that form (his initial plan was to just got as "that guy" all the time), because he ended up being hounded by the paparazzi and super-villains alike. His High School career suffered because of his focus on super-heroics. His mother grew concerned that he was out of the house all the time after his friend died. An ill-timed prank ended up creating the supervillain Kid Spectrum. He developed numerous dangerous, implacable enemies, such as Gigawatt, Doctor Death and Criss-Cross. The fact that two of his most prominent villains were black led to an undercurrent of "I think he's a racist" that even extended to the superhero community. Basically, if it involves bad luck, it probably happened to SuperStar.
-Eric's relationships are a significant matter. He is in love with his friend Kyle's sister, Mindy Stevens. However, his guilt over causing Kyle's death, and his inability to reveal his secret identity, holds him back with her. Also, she's in love with "SuperStar", not Eric. Eric had a relationship with the Golden Age heroine Miss Adventure (resembling a woman in her forties at this point), and tried to make things serious, which she rejected- she was more of a "serial monogamist" who didn't want to be tied down, and he tried (and failed) to fit her into his ideal of what a relationship was about. He also has an ongoing thing for the dangerous supervillain Fatal Flare, who is EXCEPTIONALLY attractive, but also a criminal. As she's a notorious flirt, and he's got teenage hormones and a history of rejection and desperation, this is an issue.
Jab's Notes: SuperStar is, essentially, my "Spider-Man"- the Everyman Hero. The earliest use of a similar character was Rhino-Man, a rip-off of Spider-Man (complete with the same adventures), who was pretty much just my idealized self as a superhero. I gave him my first Rogues Gallery (all original characters!), but eventually let him fall by the wayside, as I was a young child when I created him. Later on, I also had "Mall-Rat", a guy I based off of the Askewniverse characters when I was in High School (he was a super-powered... mall rat... who hung out with Kevin Smith rip-off characters). However, I've modified a ton of things over time, including dropping... the entire old concept. Instead, I merged various other "Nerdy Hero" things out there, as well as using part of the "Captain Marvel" mythos as well, turning the guy into what I see as the ultimate Nerd Fantasy- a big fat guy turned into a handsome, muscular hero.
-But, because he's like Spider-Man, his entire life goes to shit immediately. So "Boobsie" (a nickname I gave a fat acquaintance of mine in High School- I was a nice kid, wasn't I?) uses his looks and powers irresponsibly at first, and instead of getting an "Uncle Ben" situation, more or less creates ANOTHER tragedy because he was bragging about stuff, and this gives him a reason to never give his Secret ID out, even if he REALLY WANTS TO.
-So even though he's now good-looking, he doesn't have "it all"- his face is eventually exposed, leading the general public to know who he is on-sight, which means he can't just run around like that. His lack of experience/obsession with women leaves him vulnerable to their advances, meaning his personal life can often be a wreck. And I throw in a ton of rotten stuff regarding his Rogues Gallery- the dude has problems. Probably the most "Spider-Man"-like aspects, beyond the "Nerdy Everyman" thing, is the fact that his Rogues Gallery is easily the most in-depth on my characters. Many of my villains are either character-specific or "general use" villains (like the Four Fatales)- SuperStar has a TON of baddies.