Buffoon (Ian Callum)

[Joseph Barros]

Buffoon (Ian Callum)

PL 6 (90 pp)

Abilities: STR: +0 (10), DEX: +2 (12/14), CON: +1 (12), INT: +1 (12), WIS: +1 (12), CHA: +0 (10)

Skills: Acrobatics 6 (+8), Bluff 4 (+4), Computers 2 (+3), Drive 2 (+4), Escape Artist 0 (+10), Notice 4 (+5), Profession (Banker) 4 (+5), Sleight of Hand 4 (+6), Stealth 6 (+8)

Feats: Attack Focus (Melee) 3, Dodge Focus 2, Evasion, Improved Grab

Powers:
Bouncing 6 (Feats: Move-by Action, Ricochet, Pinball 4 [Radius: 30 ft., +4 damage]) [18 pp]
Elongation 8 (1000 ft., range incr 80 ft., +8 Escape & Grapple) [8 pp]
AP: Leaping 4 (Jumping distance: x25) - and - Super-Movement 2 (Slithering, Swinging) [1 pp]
AP: Strike 6 (DC 21; Extended Reach 2 [10 ft.]) [1 pp]
AP: Suffocate 4 (Fort DC 14) [1 pp]
Enhanced Dexterity 2 [2 pp]
Protection 5 (Extra: Impervious 5) [10 pp]

Combat: Base Attack Bonus: +3 (Ranged: +3, Melee: +6, Grapple: +14); Strike +6 (DC 21), Suffocate +6 (DC Fort 14), Unarmed Attack +6 (DC 15); Defense: 16 (Flat-footed: 12), Knockback: -5; Initiative: +2

Saves: Tough: +6, Fort: +4, Ref: +7, Will: +5

Complications: Alter Ego, Difficulty in Cold, Responsibility (Sister)

Totals: Abilities 8 + Skills 8 (32 ranks) + Feats 7 + Powers 41 + Combat 14 + Saves 12 + Drawbacks 0 = 90

Notes: Buffoon is definitely built to be power-heavy. He hits his offensive and defensive power caps. Power wise, Buffoon is like Mister Fantastic or Elastigirl. He is rubbery enough to stretch himself, bounce off of walls, or cause bullets to bounce right off of him. I opted for some of his Dexterity (2 points) as the power Enhanced Ability after looking at your comments about how rare scores of 14+ are pre-paranormal stage. Notice that one of his alternate powers is actually two powers that share the available point pool, which is valid (see the 4th paragraph on 108). His Strike AP represents his ability to whiplash with his elongated limbs like one would with a rubber band or whip. His Suffocate power represents his ability to wrap around someone like a snake. He has a complication where his Elongation isn't always as effective in extreme cold (he loses some elasticity).

Background: Ian Callum grew up in a strict family and experienced a rather regimented childhood. His overbearing parents discouraged most of his creative pursuits, stressing that he ought to be practical in life. His old fashioned family life, coupled with the responsibilities of caring for his younger sister Delilah who has a debilitating disease that requires consistent care, ensured that he grew up to be a rather boring and shy individual even years after his parents passed away. Aged 30, Ian works as a teller at a local bank, has never traveled far, and eats TV dinners seven days a week. He has never had a serious girlfriend and dresses almost identically every day of the week.

Such a repressive and boring life has left something growing inside of the man. The recent manifestation of his powers opened up a side of himself that is almost akin to a split personality. Where Ian is a reserved individual, his alternate persona of Buffoon allows him the freedom to be who he wants to be. He is carefree, outgoing, and confident in all of the ways that Ian cannot be. At first, his mind shielded him from the reality of having powers and he was unaware of his dual life as Buffoon, but he has gradually accepted his superhuman status. As of yet, however, his escape into the Buffoon persona has not translated into more confidence in his everyday life.

Buffoon is something of jester persona, but Ian doesn't automatically become funny when he adopts this persona. The codename is self-depreciating and allows Ian to laugh at himself in a cathartic manner that his overly serious normal identity cannot easily accomplish. His Buffoon persona is not "crazy" and despite his sometimes reckless behavior still conforms to strict ethical norms: he will not kill, is not malicious, and has a caregiver streak. Ian technically has access to his powers in either persona, but lacks the confidence to use them outside of his suit unless it is of critical importance.

Appearance: As Ian, he wears old fashioned suits and ties. Many of his outfits he inherited from his father. He is unremarkable physically; not handsome or ugly, muscular or nerdy, he is simply unremarkable. As Buffoon, he wears an outfit reminiscent of Freedom City's villain Wildcard: a domino mask, a jester cap, and a black and white bodysuit. As Ian, he is shy, while Buffoon is wild and outgoing.

Equipment: As Buffoon, Ian does not carry any specialty gear. Eventually he'll invest in equipment such as a commlink but he hasn't required it yet.

Development: As he earns more power points in the immediate future, he'll invest more in skills. Due to his unexciting life, he's never pushed himself to develop his potential.

Thoughts or concerns?

[Joseph Barros]

I love your character. You had a theme in mind and you committed to it. I love the complication that causes you difficulty in cold. Very nice touch. Looks like he's going to be a lot of fun to play and he's different enough from the rest of the group that he'll be adding some much needed diversity. I'm assuming his feats were learned over time as he's been moonlighting as a masked vigilante?

As an aside you can have non-enhanced scores above 14, but they'd have to be explained. For example professional athletes will definitely be higher than 14 for abilities relevant to their sport. Or maybe you might make a character who's an extreme fitness nut who climbs mountains and participates in rodeos. Maybe he's a child prodigy who graduated from MIT at age 19 or something like that. I'm pretty flexible as long as there is a good reason.

Your back story is solid too, but some questions. How long has he had his powers.?Where does he live? (I highly reccomend somewhere in California for the sake of convenience, but it's up to you.) Has he always lived there? Tell me more about his family, his sister in particular. If she deserves to be tagged as a complication, then I think she deserves a little attention in your back story.

You might also want to think about a few things as you continue to develop you personality for Ian. Has he put much thought into what it means to be the only person he knows with powers? For example is he fearful of people finding out or is he just living out his comic book fantasy life without really thinking about the big picture? Or maybe something else? A big theme for me in this campaign is that every choice has consequences. No right or wrong answers really, and I am trying to give the players as much freedom to affect the world and set their own paths and destinies, but that means everybody has to really think about how their character reacts to various issues and situations. I don't want to this campaign to be too linear where there is a clear path to follow. Instead I prefer you to tell me what you want to do and then I tell you which color shit storm you stepped into. lol kidding! Sorta...

Prior to this past February Ian had never encountered or heard about other paranormals. (the buzz word for super heroes in this world.) How does Ian feel about recent events proving that he is not alone? What's his reaction to the "Ground Zero" and "Evanston Incident" events. Ground Zero is the day that Phil blew up downtown Sacramento I told you about. It was all over every news station across the planet because it was the first time paranormal activity was captured on video and proven. It was also the catalyst for the government forming the Paranormal Regulatory Agency (PRA). Again these are not questions you need to tell me or post about. Just things you need to ask your self about Ian so you will better be able to integrate your self into the story.

[Joseph Barros]

Oh yeah and you can read about the "Evanston Incident" in Coyote News. That's my way of explaining world events as they unfold in reaction to the actions of the players. It's also a way I throw various plot threads at the group. You're free to pursue or ignore these threads as you wish.

[redbstrd]

I intentionally kept a few elements of his background vague so that he would be easier to integrate into the story.

Yes, his feats are things he's learned over time after his powers manifested and he began his dual life as a masked vigilante. So far, he probably hasn't fought any crime and has instead occupied himself with practicing his abilities in isolated areas outside of town. They are the product of training, so they will remain even if he is subject to nullification. If he's in a nullifying zone, though, he'll lose his Enhanced Dexterity and be mostly ineffective due to his heavy weighting towards powers.

For his background, I'd say that he lives about 10 miles from Unity, California, either in a suburb or slightly outside of town. He hasn't always lived there, though. His family lived in Sacramento but the high cost of living drove him out of the city when his parents died. His parents were in their late forties when they had Ian and in their early fifties when they unexpectedly had his younger sister. As such, they died of natural causes while he was in his mid 20s and his sister was in her late teens. Both of his parents were fairly educated middle class parents. His father was a dentist and his mother managed an arts and crafts store. When his parents died, Ian sold the family home and bought a smaller place with his sister Delilah. She has an acute case of multiple sclerosis that frequently recurs and has affected her since age 15. Due to slow identification of the disease, one attack left her unable to walk. Likewise, her vision is poor, and she has speech problems. She is 24 and receives disability from the government, but requires frequent care and support from Ian. She lives with him and the pair have no plans of her moving to a medical care facility. She receives visits from a nurse so Ian can leave for a few days at a time but his absence for longer than a few days would be a source of tension. The ms may have been caused by a parallel gene abnormality to that which caused Ian to manifest "mutant" powers.

Ian has had his powers for a little over eight months but has been in denial about them for most of that period. He has only accepted that he lives a dual life in the last two and half months. As such, he hasn't had the opportunity to exert much control over his alternate identity or reflect upon his dual life. He is definitely fearful that others will find out about his powers and regard him as a freak. He particularly fears that his abilities will lead to him being identified and socially ostracized, making life even more difficult for his sister. As of yet, she has no idea of his powers.

Ian has begun buying comic books and looking to them for insight into his new condition. For far, this avenue has not taught him anything so has also began trying to formulate plans on how to locate other caped individuals. He's considering buying a new car and hitting the road to investigate reports of super powered individuals wherever they pop up.

While in the Buffoon persona, he is motivated by a desire for freedom, adventure, and irresponsible living. These impulses might push him into formal crime fighting - given that confronting armed robbers is generally one of the most reckless things that a person could do.

[redbstrd]

Buffoon (Ian Callum)

PL 6 (93 pp)

Abilities: STR: +0 (10), DEX: +2 (12/14), CON: +1 (12), INT: +1 (12), WIS: +1 (12), CHA: +0 (10)

Skills: Acrobatics 6 (+8), Bluff 4 (+4), Computers 2 (+3), Drive 2 (+4), Escape Artist 0 (+10), Notice 4 (+5), Profession (Banker) 4 (+5), Sleight of Hand 4 (+6), Stealth 6 (+8)

Feats: Attack Focus (Melee) 3, Dodge Focus 2, Equipment 2, Evasion 2, Improved Grab

Powers:
Bouncing 6 (Feats: Move-by Action, Ricochet, Pinball 4 [Radius: 30 ft., +4 damage]) [18 pp]
AP: Strike 6 [1 pp]
Elongation 8 (1000 ft., range incr 80 ft., +8 Escape & Grapple) [8 pp]
AP: Leaping 4 (Jumping distance: x25) - and - Super-Movement 2 (Slithering, Swinging) [1 pp]
AP: Suffocate 4 (Fort DC 14) [1 pp]
Enhanced Dexterity 2 [2 pp]
Protection 5 (Extra: Impervious 5) [10 pp]

Combat: Base Attack Bonus: +3 (Ranged: +3, Melee: +6, Grapple: +14); Strike +6 (DC 21), Suffocate +6 (DC Fort 14), Unarmed Attack +6 (DC 15); Defense: 16 (Flat-footed: 12), Knockback: -5; Initiative: +2

Saves: Tough: +6, Fort: +4, Ref: +7, Will: +5

Equipment: Cell phone (1 ep), Costume with built in Flash Goggles (1 ep), mid-sized car (7 ep), 1 ep unspent

Complications: Alter Ego, Difficulty in Cold, Responsibility (Sister)

Totals: Abilities 8 + Skills 8 (32 ranks) + Feats 10 + Powers 41 + Combat 14 + Saves 12 + Drawbacks 0 = 93

Updated for 93 pp.

[redbstrd]

Buffoon (Ian Callum)

PL 10 (150 pp)

Abilities: STR: +0 (10), DEX: +5 (12/20), CON: +1 (12), INT: +1 (12), WIS: +1 (12), CHA: +0 (10)

Skills: Acrobatics 8 (+13), Bluff 4 (+4), Computers 2 (+3), Drive 2 (+7), Notice 6 (+7), Profession (Banker) 4 (+5), Sleight of Hand 6 (+11), Stealth 8 (+13)

Feats: Attack Focus (Melee) 7, Benefit: Fame, Dodge Focus 2, Elusive Target, Equipment 2, Evasion 2, Grappling Finesse, Improved Grab, Luck, Uncanny Dodge (Hearing)

Powers:
Bouncing 10 (Move-by Action, Ricochet, Pinball 10 (Radius: 50 ft., +10 damage)) [32 pp]
AP: Strike 10 (DC 25) [1 pp]
Elongation 10 (5000 ft., range incr 100 ft., +10 Escape & Grapple) [10 pp]
AP: Leaping 5 (Jumping distance: x50) - and - Super-Movement 2 (Slithering, Swinging) [1 pp]
AP: Suffocate 5 (DC 15) [1 pp]
Enhanced Dexterity 8 [8 pp]
Protection 7 (Extra: Impervious 7) [14 pp]

Combat: Base Attack Bonus: +3 (Ranged: +3, Melee: +10, Grapple: +25); Strike +10 (DC 25), Suffocate +10 (DC Fort 15); Defense: 22 (Flat-footed: 15), Knockback: -7; Initiative: +5

Saves: Toughness +8 (7 Impervious), Fort: +7, Ref: +13, Will: +7

Equipment: Cell Phone (1 ep), Commlink (1 ep), Flash Goggles in Costume (1 ep), Vehicle: Midsize Car (7 ep),

Complications: Alter Ego, Difficulty in Cold, Responsibility (Sister)

Totals: Abilities 8 + Skills 10 (40 ranks) + Feats 19 + Powers 67 + Combat 26 + Saves 20 + Drawbacks 0 = 150

Power Level 10 (150 pp) version...

[redbstrd]

Buffoon (Ian Callum)

PL 10 (150 pp)

Abilities: STR: +0 (10), DEX: +5 (12/20), CON: +1 (12), INT: +1 (12), WIS: +1 (12), CHA: +0 (10)

Skills: Acrobatics 8 (+13), Bluff 12 (+12), Computers 2 (+3), Drive 2 (+7), Knowledge (Popular culture) 2 (+3), Knowledge (Streetwise) 2 (+3), Notice 6 (+7), Profession (Banker) 4 (+5), Sleight of Hand 6 (+11), Stealth 8 (+13)

Feats: Attack Focus (Melee) 7, Challenge - Improved Taunt, Dodge Focus 3, Elusive Target, Equipment 1, Evasion 2, Grappling Finesse, Improved Defense 2, Improved Grab, Redirect, Reversal, Uncanny Dodge (Hearing)

Powers:
Elasticity Array 16 [32 pp]
Base: Bouncing 10 [Dyn: 2/r, +12max 32PP] (Pinball 10 (Radius: 50 ft., +10 damage), PF: Dynamic, Ricochet, Move-by Action) [1 pp]
DAP: Leaping 5 - and - Speed 5 - and - Super-Movement 3 (Slithering, Swinging, Water-walking) [2 pp]
DAP: Elongation 10 (5000 ft, range inc. 100ft, +10 Escape & Grapple) [2 pp]
DAP: Strike 10 (DC 25, PF: Knockback 2) [2 pp]
DAP: Suffocate 10 (DC 20 Fort) [2 pp]
Enhanced Dexterity 8 [8 pp]
Protection 7 (Extra: Impervious) [14 pp]

Equipment: Cell Phone (1 ep), Costume (Feature: Changes Color; Enhanced Trait 2, Feats: Distract [Bluff], Fascinate [Bluff]; Flash Goggles; 4 ep)

Combat: Base Attack Bonus: +3 (Ranged: +3, Melee: +10, Grapple: +25); Strike +10 (DC 25), Suffocate +10 (DC Fort 20), Unarmed Attack +10 (DC 15); Defense 22 (Flat-footed 15), Knockback: -7; Initiative: +5

Saves: Toughness +8 (7 Impervious), Fort: +7, Ref: +13, Will: +7

Totals: Abilities 8 + Skills 13 (52 ranks) + Feats 22 + Powers 63 + Combat 24 + Saves 20 + Drawbacks 0 = 150

Notes and Changes: Unlike the PL 6 version of Buffoon, this one is defense shifted. He has a fairly good defense and a great Reflex save. His Impervious is sufficient to block shotguns, hunting rifles, and assault rifles, but heavy machine guns, artillery fire of all sorts, most heavy weapons, and energy rifles will get through.

I decided to make some revisions to Buffoon's build after the last session of the PL 6 campaign. I dropped his Benefit: Fame because the general public will know that he died and will probably think that anyone using the name Buffoon is an impostor. I got rid of his car because his sister would inherit it after his death. I also devoted some points to his Bluff skill and made it easier for him to taunt people (given the exchange between him and Aries).

Bluffing: Buffoon now has a strong Bluff skill as well as the feat Challenge (Improved Taunt). What Challenge (from the Mastermind's Manual) does is lets him perform a challenge with 5 less penalty than normal. For instance, taunting as a move action is a challenge that normally applies a -5 penalty. For someone with the Improved Taunt feat, they ignore that penalty. Buffoon can taunt as a move action without penalty. Buffoon will use taunting in conjunction with his Improved Defense 2 and Redirect. In effect, he'll use his attack action to gain a +8 dodge bonus, taunt someone into attacking him with his move action, and if they miss him, he'll redirect that attack into one of their allies. He tried this tactic against Aries, but now has plenty of time in the abyss to perfect the tactic.

Buffoon's costume: Once Buffoon and the others come back, superhero costumes will presumably be a lot more advanced. He will get one that has flash goggles built into the domino mask. Likewise, it will be able to change colors (though it will always be gaudy and colorful, it can just change between various designs of jester outfits). The costume can be distracting or can be a swirling vortex of hypnotizing colors (represented by the Distract and Fascinate feats it gives him). Note: Costumes can automatically stretch with elongated heroes.

Dynamic Array: I restructured Buffoon's basic two powers (Elongation and Bouncing) to be part of one array (Elasticity/Plasticity). All of the powers in it are dynamic, meaning that he can divide 32 pp between the powers as he sees fit. The issue I was encountering before was that any APs of his Elongation had too few points to be effective, while any APs of his Bouncing had a ridiculously large point pool. Structuring the two into a dynamic array ensures less wasted points and allows for better flexibility. His array includes water-walking now, which represents the first power stunt that he did (throwing himself across the water like a skipping stone). It also has Speed, which I'll only use in conjunction with his powers like water-walking or swinging.

In combat, his default setting would be:
Bouncing 9 (PF: Move by Action) [10]
Strike 10 (PF: Knockback 2) [12]
Elongation 10 [10]
That setup would let him attack, have long reach, and still avoid falling/knockback damage.

After Buffoon's death: With the televised disappearance of the three heroes and Ian's absence from his sister's life, she confirmed her suspicions that the man she saw on tv was in fact her missing brother. She inherited his car and found the documents for his Swiss bank account (collecting royalties for his Marvel comic line) but was unable to collect on his life insurance (she couldn't prove his death). Soon thereafter, she authored a book about her brother: "The Shakespearian Fool." The book opens with a line from Asimov's Guide to Shakespeare: "That, of course, is the great secret of the successful fool – that he is no fool at all."