JohnStargazer

John, unexpectedly embraced by this strange, strange person, immediately shifts into the 'akwardly being hugged stance' known to so many fraternity members with melancholy drunks for roommates, arms as wide as possible while still patting the hug-giver on the back in a vaguely comforting fashion. "Whoa, whoa, hang on. Dead? Mister Albright isn't dead. The transfer took a lot out of him, sure, but he's still amazingly healthy for an eighty-five year old... I mean, the whole point of his giving the power to me was to make sure it didn't end up in some random, unprepared stranger when he did pass on. But, I take it this means your dad knew him, then?"

"Well, that definitely answers my question about boring..." John smiles, taking an instant shine, if you'll pardon the expression, to this fun new upperclassman. "Nice to meet you, Edge. My name's John Stargazer, but I suppose since you told me yours I should give my hero-name, too... I'm the new Beacon. Uh, extremely new, to be honest."

The +8 bonus is after he loses 2 points for being Huge sized. And given that you're not generally supposed to have an opponent's character sheet handy before you attack him, you should probably make decisions re: all out and power attack without any extra information, VC.

As the trio enter the administration offices, John approaches the secretary's desk and turns in his paperwork. As he waits for it to be properly processed, he turns to the older students. "So, things are probably a bit boring around here, eh? Early curfews, strict rules, no leaving campus, no getting up to mischief, am I right?"

1d20+12=30 Yeah, I am a psychic, I am. Thanks to his penalty for previous damage, he just barely fails the save, adding a bruised level on top of the staggered and stunned conditions.

"John. John Stargazer. I'm a sophomore, just moving in." John shakes the older boy's hand and smiles back. "Nice to meet you." Breaking off from the new arrival for just a minute, he trots over to his poor abandoned bag and tucked it back under his arm where it belongs.

Doctor Otaku toughness save versus DC 30 Autofire Strike (1d20+12=20)] My earlier predictions about this being a short fight look on schedule, Otaku is Stunned and Staggered.

"Nah, nah. I was kind of lost in my thoughts earlier, and it hit me what a dork I must've sounded like if there were any telepaths listening in. I don't know what it is, but something about my first day in a super-powered school has me a little off-balance and over-thinking things, y'know?" He takes a little breath, shakes his head, and continues, "It is a bit hot out, though, isn't it? Any chance to administration offices are nice and air-conditioned? I'm supposed to report there in my sunday best, so I can't exactly take off my shirt to beat this heat..."

"Well, mostly I play soccer, though I like some other sports, too, and have been meaning to take u- and I got halfway through this sentence and realised you probably mean my super-powers, don't you?" Stretching a bit now that his shoulder is clear and his range of motions are free, he allows himself to shine a little, glowing with the White Light in it's tamest form. "I actually control this... kind of... light... thing... that I am not describing at all well, but I can shape it into a bunch of different uses." He glances around, then back at her, "On that subject, you're not a telepath, are you?"

"I'm actually from just a few blocks away. I was living with my parents and sister in Southside, until Mister Alb- uh, I mean, a friend whose semi-secret identity I'm not giving away, suggested I transfer to the school for their safety. Gonna be kind of nice, being away from home, but still close enough I can visit them often. How about yourself?"

I'm going to edit the IC topic to deal with the whole "Scraper no longer existing thing", and then we'll take it from there, folks. Sorry about the delay.

John smiles brightly at the strange girl, scratching the cat's head as best he can with the akward angle, and nodding gently. "Yeah, I'm starting this semester, but I wanted to get all moved in early. Beat the rush, get settled in, avoid the headaches." He extends his left hand to avoid disturbing the cat, "My name's John Stargazer. Nice to meet you, Miss...?"

Well, that's unexpected... what kind of boarding school allows pets? John laughs at himself a bit at the stupidity of that question as soon as it occurs to him. Probably the same kind where half the student body can level a small building, and the other half handle multiple city blocks. For that matter, they might not even be pets. This could be, like, a pair alien student whose species just happen to look like our earth felines and canines, or a set of shapeshifters who are fighting over whose turn it is to be the biped, or... Y'know, I'm gonna just stop myself there. I could probably get into a really silly list a mile long if I keep at this. Setting his bag down (after all, in a school full of superheroes in training, who's gonna grab your stuff and make a run for it?) John walks carefully over to the tree, making shooing motions at the dog as he does. "Go on, get. I'm sure you've got no reason to go treeing that poor cat, or at least none that'll matter tomorrow, am I right?" Glancing upwards at the cat, he extends one arm slowly towards it, doing his best to maintain eye contact and make no sudden moves. "And as for you, how about a quick ride to someplace a bit safer, just in case?" If she drops out of that tree onto my head I'm going to feel like an idiot. I mean, even worse than I will if it turns out she's an ordinary cat and everybody thinks I'm the weird kid who talks to pets. Admittedly, again, super-hero school. Maybe they'll think that's my power... which would make me as qualified a super-hero as Cesar Millan, so we're right back to being an idiot. On the plus side, any nearby telepaths with no sense of privacy will be getting a nice kick out of this.

As he climbs out of the taxi in front of the massive gate tower that mark the front of the prestigious Claremont Academy, a tall, dark-skinned, blonde haired young man glances around, a bit hesitant. The whole place is a little upscale for what he was used to, and it's not like his grades really warranted a place like this, but Mister Albright had insisted. "I don't see why I should go to a boarding school, let alone a boarding school a mile from my house." "Now, John, Claremont Academy isn't an ordinary school. It's run by an old friend of mine, Duncan Summers. He's made the school into a place where young men and women can learn to use their powers responsibly, and to work with others, as well as getting a good education. In the long run, this will be good for you. A chance to make new friends who understand what you're going through, teachers who understand what you're dealing with, and training that ensures you'll be ready for it. Not to mention, it's far more secure in case someone does try to follow you home or attack you when you're resting." "Well..." "And I'm sure there are plenty of girls your own age who'll be happy to meet the new Beacon, dressed in ways that seem absolutely scandalous to someone my age..." "That's exploitative and insulting to my inte- let me go get my bags, old man." Signing in with the security desk inside the tower, John is quickly processed and directed inside. "You just need to find the administration office, they've got your paperwork already, they just need you to pick up your things and get assigned a room for the semester." "Alright, thanks for the help!" Bag tucked under one arm, he practically bounces out of the room, into the main quad, smiling brightly and breathing deep as he takes in the campus itself... "So... This is it, huh? I don't hate it..."

OOC Topic for the open RP of Beacon's coming to the Academy, just in case it's needed. :D

Alrighty, Beacon got approval.

Changes to the numbers made, added the descriptors.

Power Level: 10 (150/152pp) Trade-Offs: -2 Attack and Defense, +2 Damage and Toughness Unspent pp: 2 Gold Status: 2/30 In Brief: The inheritor of a mystical legacy with a great deal to live up to... who isn't Scarab. Alternate Identities: Johnathon Micheal Stargazer Identity: Secret Birthplace: Freedom City Occupation: Student Affiliations: The Albright Institute Family: Father: Arthur Stargazer, Mother: Melissa Stargazer, Younger sister: Sarah Stargazer. Age: 16 Gender: Male Ethnicity: English Height: 5'9" Weight: 135 lbs. Eyes: Pale Blue Hair: Light Blonde Description: Tall for his age, John's skin is deeply but unevenly tanned, a sign of time spent outdoors more than any time spent intentionally developing it. His pale blonde, almost white hair is kept shoulder length and curls gently, despite his best efforts to keep it straight. His eyes are a pale, icy blue, and his features are boyishly handsome. He remains clean-shaven, partly out of choice and partly due to an inability to grow a mustache, Clothing wise, he wears baggy shorts and loose fitting t-shirts bought under the ever prevailing theory that he'll "grow into them." This, combined with his tendency to slouch, leads to his having a slovenly appearance, which he does little to counter in attitude. When he calls upon the power of the Light-Bearer, whatever he's wearing is covered by a sheath of light that forms into a set of full body white tights, notable for a sun covering the entire right side of his torso. At the same time, a pair of banded metallic yellow boots form on his feet, and a featureless gold mask covers his face.At the same time, he straightens up, and even his thin frame cuts a relatively impressive figure in that form. History: For most of his life, Johnathon Micheal Stargazer was a normal kid, living a normal kid's life. Wake up, eat breakfast, brush your teeth, get dressed, watch the news for a bit to see if he could see anything about the city's heroes, then ride the bus to school craning his neck to catch a glimpse of one flying by overhead. For most of his life, he was no one special, just a funny, friendly face in the middle of the classroom, always willing to help his fellow classmates out with their work. He joined a soccer league at age eight, learning the benefits of teamwork and keeping him in pretty good shape, he learned to enjoy studying history and learning about fantastic old battles, hung out with friends and occasionally got into a little bit of trouble, but through it all, he never stopped looking to the sky. And then one day, the sky came to him. Shortly after his sixteenth birthday, he received a mysterious letter summoning John to the Albright Institute as soon as possible. Even though it was a long journey from his home in Southside, he found himself strangely compelled to follow the letter's instructions, unsure why, but knowing it felt somehow important. Throwing on a warm jacket to guard against the unusually wet weather, he quickly made his way accross the river. As he arrived, he was greeted warmly by an elderly black man in a distinguished dark suit. "My name is Langston Albright, Mister Stargazer, and I believe you may be the person I've been looking for." Once they had moved into a private office, the old man explained, "You see, years ago, I was Beacon, a super-hero, and I had a power. A magical power, this light. I've been using it to fight for sixty-five years by now, and I'm tired. Which is why I had this institute looking for years to find a suitable replacement. And damned if they never did pull it off. All that time and money, and in the end it was one old friend who found you for me." "Wait, me?" "She didn't mention you were hard of hearing, kid. I sent you that letter because you should be just about ready to accept the responsibility at your age, and I'm not going to be here to pass it on much longer at mine. You are, in this entire city, maybe this entire world, the candidate best suited to replace me. Damned if I know what, but there's something special about you." "So... you called me here, out of the blue, without ever having met me before, to give me some kind of magic light thing so I can be a super-hero?" "That's about the size of things alright..." "Best. Birthday. Ever. What do we do? I mean... I don't have to kill you or anything, right? That'd kind of be a deal-breaker, right there." "No. While the powers will pass from you when you die and find the closest possible replacement, we're trying to prevent that by transferring them into you now. There are dark forces rising, my boy, and we can't risk the powers finding the wrong host. All this requires is for you to accept, freely, and with a will to help others..." "In a heartbeat. It's what I've wanted my whole life..." Langston Albright, the man formerly known as Beacon, smiled broadly at this. "I knew The Scarab was right about you, John. You just felt right. Now, come on. We have work to do." The transfer was less painful than John had imagined, and greater than he could have hoped for. His entire body filled with the warmth of the White Light, he learned faster than seemed possible. His old skills proved useful, and he learned everything Langston Albright taught him, everying Langston thought he could teach him. "Well, John. I think it's time you were introduced to someone new. An old friend of mine." "The Scarab? Or another hero?" "Something like that. He's a teacher now... and I think you're ready to enroll in his school." And so, the story begins... Personality & Motivation: Originally an upbeat and carefree young man, John has recently been burdened with a great responsibility, living up to a long established legacy of great heroism. While this wears on him sometimes, he remains cheerful, and often claims the powers themselves more than make up for the weight of the world being on his shoulders. Although he's learned to be a bit more careful in combat, he still enters into battles with a giant smile, hidden by his mask though it may be. His friends often tell him his greatest character weakness is his love of terrible puns, and this love has, if anything, been enhanced by his powers. Powers & Tactics: John has found himself the newest, and perhaps most powerful to date, wielder of the powers of the Light-Bearer, the mystical champion of Light. As such, he can shape the light around him, and generate his own more or less at will, glowing as brightly as the sun itself. This mystic light can be further shaped into powerful laser blasts, blinding flares, and rudimentary hard light constructs. In addition, as a new development, those touched by the light can be healed or have their emotions soothed. Finally, by wrapping himself in a skin-tight aura of hardened light, he protects himself from nearly all forms of attack, as well as allowing him to move through the air at speeds of up to two-hundred and fifty miles per hour. Tactically, he owes much of his fighting ability to extensive training after hours with Langston Albright, the previous Beacon, and the rest to lengthy practices on the soccer pitch. John typically starts a fight by assessing his opponent to determine his opponent's strength, then either softens them up with a flare, or simply blasts them and hopes for the best. Complications: New Kid! John was admitted to Claremont over the summer of 2010, as a Sophomore. As such, he's got no real friends yet, and is likely to be looked down on for at least a little while. Responsibility John's taken on the legacy of one of the city's greatest champions, and inherited a mystical legacy of heroism going back millenia. It's a lot to carry. Secret Identity: John's role as Beacon is one he's hiding, from his family, friends, and the world at large. This is a bit tricky, as you might imagine. The Shadow-Bearers: As the most recent champion of the White Light, John has inherited the countless champions of the Shadow, such as Nacht-Krieger and Blackstar, as his enemies. Abilities: 2 + 4 + 4 + 2 + 4 + 8 = 24pp Strength 12 (+1) Dexterity 14 (+2) Constitution 14 (+2) Intelligence 12 (+1) Wisdom 14 (+2) Charisma 18 (+4) Combat: 12 + 16 = 28pp Initiative: +2 Attack: +6 Melee +8 Ranged Grapple: +9 (+8 Attack +1 Strength) Defense: +8 (+8 Base, +0 Dodge Focus), +4 Flat-Footed Knockback: -11 Saving Throws: 4 + 4 + 7 = 15pp Toughness: +12 (+10 Impervious Force Field, +2 Con) Fortitude: +6 (+2 Con +4) Reflex: +6 (+2 Dex +4) Will: +9 (+2 +7) Skills: 44R = 11pp Bluff 6 (+10/14) Concentration 8 (+10) Diplomacy 6 (+10/14) Knowledge: Arcane Lore 4 (+5) Knowledge History 4 (+5) Knowledge Streetwise 4 (+5) Notice 6 (+8) Sense Motive 6 (+8) Feats: 12pp Assessment Attack Focus:Ranged 2 Attractive 1 Fearless Luck 2 Power Attack Precise Shot Quick Change Taunt Ultimate Aim Powers: 60pp (All Powers use the Magic and Light descriptors) Array 12 (24pp powers: Power Feats: Alternate Power 5) [29] BE: Light Control 12 [24pp] AP: Blast 12 [24pp] AP: Create Object 12 (12 5ft cubes, STR 60, Toughness +12) [24pp] AP: Dazzle 7 (Visual Senses; Extras: Area [General, Burst 30' radius]; Power Feats: Longer Lasting 1 [1 Minute]) [22pp] AP: Emotion Control 12 (Extras: Area [Targeted, Burst, Attached, 60ft radius]; Flaws: Limited - Calm Only) [24pp] AP: Healing 12 (Extras: Total; Flaw: Others Only) [24pp] Flight 5 (250MPH) [10pp] Force Field 10 (Extras: Impervious)[20pp] Immunity 1 (Own Powers) [1pp] Drawbacks: 0 + 0 + 0 = 0pp DC Block ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Melee DC16 Toughness (Staged) Damage Blast Ranged DC27 Toughness (Staged) Damage Dazzle Ranged DC16 Reflex/Fortitude Blind Create Obj Ranged DC22 Reflex or Reflex/Toughness Staged Capture/Damage Emotion Control Ranged DC22 Will(Staged) Calm Abilities (24) + Combat (28) + Saving Throws (15) + Skills (11) + Feats (12) + Powers (60) - Drawbacks (0) = 150/152pp

And I surprise my self by actually getting a decent init with the big guy... 1d20+1=20 Oh, right, forgot I was running this thread for a second. Doctor Otaku will get... 1d20+3=11, which probably means he's triple-teamed and done in a round. <.<

I can see how the phrasing as "Totally open to anybody Solo Adventure" is a bit oxymoronic, yeah. Basically, it's a solo adventure if nobody feels like joining in, but if anybody wants to, they're welcome to it. :D

Beacon: Lights at his Back, Stars In His Eyes (12) Terror of MechaOtaku! (1) GM: Terror of MechaOtaku! (1)

Scraper attempts to use a Growth Strike while enlarging to Huge and matching the MechaOtaku's size, but the MechaOtaku is a bit too nimble for him:1d20+10=12 Doctor Otaku makes a Knowledge: Pop Culture roll with ease and Identifies Scraper's darkest secrets: 1d20+18=31

Beacon flies low over the Midtown district, sweeping the city looking for anything out of the ordinary, his eagle eyes peeled, ever alert... Okay, I can do this. I've got the powers, got the outfit, got the will to handle just about- is that a sixteen foot robot smashing the mall? Seriously? This is what I get on my first patrol EVER? Light flares out from the golden mantle as the young hero swoops down, coming to a stop in front of his apparent foe, striking a dramatic pose. "Alright, buddy. I'm pretty sure that's a clearly labeled No Giant Robot Parking zone. I'm going to have to ask you to get that thing out of here and down to the AEGIS center, where they can help you find a place to put it." Doctor Otaku's robotic battle-suit turns, it's viewports fixing onto the alabaster avenger, and the disparaging voice issues forth from the loudspeaker once more, "You're kidding, right/ I'm going to be worried by some idiot dressed like a loser from sixty years ago? You and what army?"

OOC Topic for the totally open to anybody solo adventure I'm posting.

It was a quiet day. A day like any other in the bustling metropolis of Freedom City, New Jersey, which is to say, not at all quiet and more bustling than most people liked. On this particular day, the cause of the excitement was the unexpected, seemingly random appearance of the by now infamous MechaOtaku, the giant robot piloted by the anime inspired anathema of anyone decent Takashi Solo, that Manga-themed master of mayhem, Doctor Otaku! "Come on out and play, Super-idiots! I can't wait to see how my new improvements hold up, and I don't have all day!" Thrashing and stomping through the heart of Midtown, the menacing mechanism broadcasts a taunting message loudly, destroying everything around it and causing panic in the streets. "Come on! Normally I can't knock over a lousy bank without tripping over a dozen of you jerks, now that I'm looking for you it takes forever? What do I have to do... destroy the Millennium Mall? 'Cause ya know, I think I will!" As the monstrous machine approaches the heavily populated shopping center, full of innocent people unable to escape in time, the question must be posed... can anyone stop it in time?