[Character] Tyke (Very long post)

[Xandarr]

Just wanted to get some opinions on a character that I am making for the Champions MUSH. The character is built on 4th Edition rules, using Creation Workshop, and as far as I can tell, I haven't made any errors. However, corrections, pointer, opinions, and thrown tomatoes are all equally welcome. Well... maybe not the tomatoes.

 

I apologize in advance for any formatting issues. Not sure how to make tabs and spacing work in the new system. Trust me, it looks much better in the .txt file.

 

So here he is: Teke!

 

Name: Tyke (Tom Kiernan)

 

Height: 122cm (4'0"),

Weight: 55kg (121 lbs),

Gender: Male,

Age: 22,

Race: Human

 

 

Val Char Cost

10/50 STR 0

20 DEX 30

20 CON 20

15 BODY 10

13 INT 3

11 EGO 2

15 PRE 5

16 COM 3

5 PD 3

5 ED 1

4 SPD 10

10 REC 8

40 END 0

35 STUN 5

 

Characteristic Rolls: STR: 11/19-, DEX: 13-, CON: 13-, INT: 12-, EGO: 11-, PER: 12-

Run: 3", Swim: 2", Jump: 10", Lift: 100kg/25 ton

 

Cost Powers

10 TK Limbs; Number: 100; Invisible To All Senses, +1

 

16 EC - Telekinesis (20-pt reserve); Double Endurance in Heavy Magnetic/Electrical Fields: -¼

 

a-11 +40 STR (Only with TK Limbs);

Only for Extra Limbs: -0;

Doesn't Affect Figured: -½;

Double Endurance in Heavy Magnetic/Electrical Fields: -¼

End Cost: 4

 

b-17 Extra Long TK Limbs (8"); Reduced END: Half, +¼;

Only for Extra Limbs: -0;

No NonCombat Stretching: -¼;

Double Endurance in Heavy Magnetic/Electrical Fields: -¼

End Cost: 2

 

c-22 Telekinesis (STR 25); Range: 235; Fine Manipulation +10;

Double Endurance in Heavy Magnetic/Electrical Fields: -¼

End Cost: 5

 

d-20 15" Flight (NC: 120"); Non-Combat Multiplier: ×8, +10; Non-Combat (MPH): 179;

Reduced END: Half, +¼;

Must be within 8" of a stable surface: -¼;

Double Endurance in Heavy Magnetic/Electrical Fields: -¼

End Cost: 1-2

 

30 TK Armor (10 PD/10 ED)

5 Mutation Resistant (Power D) (5 pts)

5 Strong Willed (Mental D) (7 pts)

 

Cost Skills, Talents, Perks Roll

5 +1 level w/ DCV (Small Size)

3 Professional Skill: Dock Worker 12-

3 Paramedic 12-

2 Biology 11-

1 Research 8-

1 Genetics 8-

1 Medicine 8-

1 KS: Superhuman Physiology 8-

 

 

150+ Disadvantages

20 Normal Characteristic Maxima

10 Pysical Limitation: Dwarf (Frequently, Slightly)

15 Distinctive Features: Dwarf (4' tall); Not Concealable, 15; Reaction: Noticed and Recognizable, +0

15 Dependent NPC: Janet Kiernan (Normal, 11-); Skills: Normal, +0

20 Psych Lim: Honesty (Very Common, Strong) - See notes for details

20 Vulnerability (Electrical/Magnetic Attacks) (1½× STUN and BODY); Attack: Common, +10

 

OCV: 7; DCV: 8; ECV: 4;

Mental Def.: 7;

Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12

PD/rPD: 15/10;

ED/rED: 15/10

 

Costs:

Char.: 100 Disad.: 100

Powers: + 150 Base: + 150

Total: = 250 Total: = 250

 

 

 

Background for Tyke:

 

All Tom Kiernan's parents ever wanted was a 'normal' life. They were high school sweethearts who were both born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. After college, they made good by starting their own clothing store which did well enough for them to live comfortably and raise a family. Tom was the third of three children, but he was far from normal. Tom was born with achondroplasia, a genetic condition that results in disproportionately short arms and legs, and is sometimes referred to as "dwarfism". Although Tom's parents felt that they treated him equally to his brother and sister, in truth they did not. They overcompensated for his condition by forcing him to deal with every situation on his own, resulting in a very lonely and bleak childhood. His brother's and sister's friends teased him horribly as he got older. If it weren't for his only friend Janet Goodall, things might have been very different for Tom. Fortunately, Janet showed Tom that the acceptance of others is not a requirement for happiness. Her effervescence and constant support gave Tom the outlook he needed to get through some very tough years in junior high school.

 

In high school, Tom and Janet dated during their freshman and sophomore years. They both caught a lot of flack, especially from the jocks, but their love remained strong and even the meanest comments had minimal effect on their lives. Things were great for the young couple until the day that Brad Jones, the leader of the jocks and captain of the football squad, decided that he was tired of having his advances toward Janet rejected in favor of "that little shrimp of a kid".

 

Brad and his football buddies cornered Tom and Janet in an alley on the way home from school one afternoon. They began to push Tom around and call him rude names. Tom tried to leave, but the bigger stronger boys just kept at him. After goading him and knocking him down several times, he still wouldn't fight back, so Brad kicked him hard, knocking the wind out of him. Suddenly, it was as if the boys became a small lynch mob. They proceeded to beat and kick Tom mercilessly, until he could do nothing but huddle himself into a ball on the ground. When they were through, they all cornered Janet and began to tease her as well. She cried and fought back, scratching Brad's face with her nails. Brad punched her once in the stomach, doubling her over, then threw her to the ground and began pulling at her clothes. Janet couldn't even yell for help. Through blood-drenched eyes, Tom saw what was happening, and something inside him snapped. It was one thing for these bullies to beat him up, but it was another thing entirely for them to attack the one person in his life who loved him and treated him as an equal.

 

In that instant, his subconscious mutant powers manifested into invisible physical force. With his mind, he reached out for Janet's attackers and yanked them away from her like they were rag dolls. The boys struggled to break free from Tom's invisible grasp, and in fact didn't even realize that it was Tom that held them. Tom was also surprised that he was holding these boys who had so easily dispatched him only moments ago. After dangling them in the air for a moment, he was sorely tempted to kill the boys. But then Tom looked at Janet and realized that he didn't have it in him to be vengeful. Using his new found powers, he carefully knocked the bullies' heads together, knocking them instantly unconscious, but leaving them otherwise unharmed. He then slowly got up from the ground, took Janet's hand, and they limped to the nearest phone booth and called the police. The police thought it was an interesting story they made up, how a little person like Tom had beaten up 4 athletes with his invisible powers when they tried to rape his girlfriend, especially after seeing how badly beaten Tom was, but they arrested the attackers nonetheless. They wrote the incident up as "self defense", and nothing about Tom's powers was included. The jocks were sent to juvenile detention, and nobody ever again tried to make trouble for Tom and Janet. In fact, for the rest of high school, they became rather popular. It turns out the jocks weren't very well-liked at all, and the fact that Tom stood up and defeated them made him a local hero. Once again, life was pretty good.

 

Although he had practiced his powers quite a bit over the next 2 years, he was forced to be very discreet about it around everyone but Janet. His parents would never have understood. He heard them talking before about the Colonial Bay "freaks" and knew that he would be kicked out had they known that their son wasn't just a Little Person, but a mutant "freak" as well. And although Tom made a few more friends after "the Brad incident", he never really got close enough to anyone else to tell his secret. Janet also kept the secret without fail. Two years later, Tom and Janet moved away to Colonial Bay. Janet wanted to attend college at Colonial Bay State University anyway, and Tom felt that with the high percentage of superhumans, he might find someone to help him learn how to better use his powers.

 

It's been three years since they moved. They married right after graduation from high school and started college later that year. Janet is now in her junior year of full-time study at the University. She is majoring in Business and minoring in Superhuman Studies, and has just turned 21. She hopes to someday open a shop which caters to the needs of the local superhuman populace, but isn't sure exactly what form that store will take yet. It's an idea in progress.

 

Tom is now 22, and works part time as a stevedore at the local port, loading and unloading ships for one of the dock foremen. His boss knows about his powers and allows him to use them to aid in his work, as long as he never harms the cargo. Thus far, he has never had an accident and can load cargo 4 times faster than a man with a forklift. Consequently, he makes as much money working part time as most people do full time... enough to support both himself and Janet without having to rely on their grants and scholarships to keep them fed and housed. He and Janet live frugally at the moment, but in another year and a half, Janet will have her Bachelor's degree and will open her shop. That will hopefully provide them enough extra income so that Tom can resume full-time study. Until then, they are a happily married couple, although they have no children yet, not until after they both graduate.

 

Tom has also been attending University part-time, majoring in Genetics and also minoring in Superhuman Studies. He's hoping to learn enough to one day unlock the secrets to superhuman mutations, including his own. He's smart enough that he doesn't have to constantly hit the books to succeed in his studies. He's not really sure what to do with the free time he has between work and class.

 

Lately, Tom has been wondering what it would be like to have some superhuman friends... people who might have a similar frame of reference regarding his unusual powers. Although he's not a trained combatant, Tom realizes that he's physically superior to most "normal" people. He is interested in making superhuman friends, though he's not sure what that would be like. He doesn't really yearn to be a "super-hero", but he feels that his powers are going to waste working the docks. At the very least, he's curious about how other superhumans use their powers in their daily lives. He has spoken to Janet about his feelings, and she believes he should strive to make contact with others like himself. And so he has decided to explore Colonial Bay with an eye toward meeting and making friends with other superhuman people. As a joke, he has decided that if anyone asks him his "hero name" he will call himself "Tyke", which is a word play on his size and his "teke" powers. Let the adventure begin!

 

 

Tom's Appearance: Tom has dark brown hair and light brown eyes. His easy smile will brighten just about any room. He's handsome, though he doesn't think that his looks amount to much in the big picture. Due to his mutant physiology, he has a good physique, like a mini-body builder. His size doesn't limit his strength and he can lift as much as any "big person" even without his powers.

 

 

Tom's Powers: Tom is a moderately powerful telekinetic mutant. Through years of practice, Tom has been able to focus his abilities so that he has dozens of telekinetic tendrils which can emanate from any point on his body (Extra Limbs, fully invisible). They are unable to be seen, heard, or even felt by most people (although they can feel the effect of being squeezed or punched), but Tom can use them just like any other limb.

 

The tendrils can extend to almost 50 feet away and are extremely powerful, able to lift hundreds of times what a normal person can lift (+40 Str, only with tendrils... there is no limitation given for this, as it doesn't really limit Tom in any significant way).

 

He can also use his tendrils for extremely rapid movement which looks like flight to the average person, although he can never get farther away from a solid surface than the tendrils will allow (Flight 15" *8 NCM, only within 8" of stable surface: -¼).

 

If Tom needs, he can affect things even farther away than 50 feet, although at greatly reduced strength (STR 25 Telekinesis, Fine Manipulation). This telekinetic power does not actually use his tendrils... it is through sheer force of will. Tom would eventually like to expand on this power, but doesn't yet know how.

 

Tom never again wants a repeat of the beating he took from Brad and his friends, so with 5 years of experimentation Tom has been able to infuse his body with Telekinetic energy to the point that his skin is harder than steel. This protection has been so successful that it is now a permanent part of him (Armor 10, 10).

 

Two side effects of his mutant biochemistry of which Tom is unaware are as follows. Due to his mutogenetic structure, Tom's body is much more stable than the average human, thus he is less susceptible to alteration powers than most people (5 pts Power Defense). Also, his brain chemistry is slightly different, making him mildly resistant to mental attacks (7pts Mental Defense). Since Tom has never experienced either type of attack before, he is currently unaware of these two abilities.

 

 

Toms' Disads:

 

1. Normal Characteristic Maxima: Although Tom is a telekinetic mutant, and near the peak of physical perfection, he would have to train just as hard as anyone else to exceed the limits of "normal" human strength, health, and speed.

 

2. Physical Limitation: Dwarf (Frequently appears, Slightly impairing) - Tom has achondroplasia, which makes him much shorter than most people. He is exactly 4' 0" tall, and weighs only 60kg. He has difficulty fitting into a world built for people between 5 and 7 feet tall. Thanks to Tom's powers, this isn't as limiting as it is for most little people, but it can still be a minor annoyance from time to time. Tom has learned to cope by using his powers to compensate in many cases, but there can be situations where it wouldn't be appropriate or where his powers might not help, such as possible health issues, hence the disad. It also means that he can only run half as fast as most people (total of 3", listed under Powers).

 

3. Distinctive Features: Dwarf (Not Concealable, Noticed and Recognized) - Being only 4' tall tends to get one noticed, even in a community filled with superhumans. For the most part, this doesn't really bother people, and it doesn't really bother Tom when people stare or point. He's learned to accept his condition in stride and just smiles and waves most of the time. Occasionally he runs into someone obnoxious, but he always just walks away.

 

4. Dependent NPC: Janet Kiernan - Tom loves Janet unconditionally, and she him. She worries for him, though, despite his powers. She's seen the news reports of superhumans getting killed or badly injured. However, she knows that Tom needs to find others besides herself with whom he can share his thoughts and concerns. So she has decided that whenever she can, especially while on campus, she will keep an eye on him "just in case". She knows that he will be careful. But she also knows that he won't make any effort to hide his powers from anyone. Which leads into the next lim...

 

5. Psych Lim: Honesty (Very Common, Strong) - Tom has always been a straightforward guy. After the Brad incident, he tried to explain to the police about his powers, but they didn't believe him. So he let them believe what they wanted. After that, he hid his powers until after graduation. When he and Janet moved to Colonial Bay, he made a promise to her and to himself that he would never lie about his powers again. The only exception to this promise is his parents, with whom he keeps in touch, but does not see enough that they have any significant involvement in his life. He would like to keep it that way, so he doesn't mention his powers to them at all. It's never really been an issue, though, since his parents don't watch the news. And as far as he and Janet are concerned, what Tom's parents don't know won't hurt them. The only reason that this psych lim is listed as Strong instead of Total is because of this secret that he keeps from them. In any other situation, this limitation can be considered "Total".

 

6. Vulnerability to Electrical/Magnetic attacks (Common, x1½ Body and Stun) - Tom isn't aware of this limitation, but his TK powers (read: the Elemental Control) are not as effective in heavy electrical or magnetic fields (they cost x2 Endurance in such situations, listed as a -¼ Limiation on the EC). In addition, if he were ever to be attacked by these types of superhuman powers, the biofeedback in his body would be severe, causing him more damage than other attacks of the same relative strength. It's going to be a big surprise when Tom first discovers this aspect of his ablities!

 

*** Please note that Tom has neither a Public ID, nor a Secret ID. He's not known by enough people to be a public figure, nor does he try to keep his powers a secret. In a city like Colonial Bay, where super powers are much more common than in other areas of the country, Tom's abilities are not enough to draw that much attention.

 

And that's all folks! Send your comments.

 

Thanks in advance,

Steve

[death tribble]

As someone who has had a lot of characters and likes a good back story, I like this.

 

The back story is also very good. Not a 'got there' one like Tony Stark but someone trying to get by.

[Zaratustra]

I like the 100 invisible stretching Extra Limbs. Makes him a sort of Japanese tentacle monster.

[Xandarr]

Originally posted by Zaratustra

I like the 100 invisible stretching Extra Limbs. Makes him a sort of Japanese tentacle monster.

 

Yeah, kind of. I was wondering if it was necessary for me to buy invisible power effects on the stretching and the extra STR, but I ultimately decided that the invisible on the limbs should be enough. Anyone else want to chime in?

 

Curiously,

Steve

[MrWolf]

Speaking as a GM, yeah, I'd probably make you buy invisibility on the STR and Stretching, and possibly on the Flight.

 

Flight's an odd one, because a lot of supers just fly (say, Superman or Captain Marvel) and it's not shown in any way HOW they fly.

[bubba smith]

Re: [Character] Tyke (Very long post)

 

well done you have been repped