Players Name: Shockwasp[floatr][/floatr]
Characters Name: Shockwasp
Power Level: 10 (150/153PP)
Trade-Offs: +2 Defense / -2 Toughness
Unspent PP: 3
Progress to Bronze Status: 3/30
In Brief: A bombastic, intelligent young hero who doesn't let being a quadriplegic keep him out of the spotlight.
Alternate Identities: Nikolas Vespin
Identity: Public
Birthplace: Long Beach, CA
Occupation: Inventor, Professional Superhero
Affiliations: Wasp Electrical Service (Owner)
Family: Arthur Vespin (Father, Whereabouts Unknown), Maria Vespin (Mother, Deceased)
Age: 20 (DoB: July 10th, 1990)
Gender: Male
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Height: 6'
Weight: 161 lbs.
Eyes: Hazel
Hair: Brown
Description: In his suit, Shockwasp truly does resemble a wasp. Black and yellow suit, thin translucent wings, goggles and a gasmask covering his face... and large metal gauntlets and gloves. Ok, not a perfect comparison. With the suit off however, he looks a bit more normal. A tall man with a slender build, wires are visible across the entirety of Nick's skin from the neck down, though the wires themselves are deep enough beneath the skin that they do not protrude. His hair is brown, his eyes are hazel, his smile is warm, and his features are pleasant. [floatr][/floatr]
Power Descriptions: The lances of energy that Nick fires from his gauntlets are bright yellow, and his wings produce an audible hum when they are in motion (as well as the more obvious effects of the rocket boots firing up).
History: "There's not much to tell, really."
Nikolas Vespin was born to Arthur and Maria Vespin in a small hospital in Long Beach, California. Neither fabulously wealthy, nor horrendously poor, the Vespins lived out their upper-middle class lives in suburbia. Arthur was a prominent electrician in the area, and owner of Wasp Electrical Service, the family business. Throughout his childhood, Nick lived fairly normally. He was a bright and kind boy, if unmotivated, and maintained a high B average. He read Centurion comics, watched the Freedom League cartoon, and went through a phase of wanting to be a superhero, like every other boy his age. Though as he matured, he began to see the appeal of his father's business, and started to watch him work.
"Oh, yeah... the accident. I guess there's that..."
Had life continued on as normal, Nikolas Vespin would have grown up to take over his father's business, married "that nice girl from down the street", had a couple kids, and probably lived contently ever after. But, Fate is unpredictable, and one night, while driving home from a night out at dinner, the Vespin's vehicle was struck by a drunk driver. Maria was killed instantly, and Nikolas' neck was broken, paralyzing him from the neck down. It also left him in a coma that he would remain in for the greater part of two years. Spurned on by the tragedy, Arthur Vespin turned his talents towards an incredibly ambitious project, a suit that would give his son back his mobility. This eventually evolved into the N.E.S., the Neural Exo-Suit, a complex working of wires and circuitry that, with proper surgery would allow his son a full range of motion, by sending the electrical signals from the brain directly to the area directed to move, rather than having to detour through his now-broken spinal cord.
This continued for several month, and Arthur, driven by his grief and commitment, made marvelous progress on the N.E.S., the concept having been consistently proven on mice and other test animals. Again, had things continued this way, Nikolas would have grown up to take over his father's business, married "that nice girl from down the street", adopted a couple kids, and probably lived amazingly ever after. But this also was not to be. Eight months after the accident, the driver that killed Maria Vespin and crippled Nikolas, a repeat DUI offender, was set free on a technicality. Overwhelmed by grief, isolation, perversion of justice, and lack of outlets, Arthur flew into a rage and thrashing the nearly-completed N.E.S. He disappeared entirely from the outside world and feverishly began work on a new project, one much darker in purpose.
"It was like a tornado had gone through the shop. A mad, brilliant tornado who knew way more about electrical engineering than any natural disaster has a right to."
One year, eight months, and twelve days later, Nikolas awoke from his coma. As gently as possible, the mentally-sixteen Nick was informed of the loss of his mother, the disappearance of his father, and his own condition. The boy- no, the young man's only comfort was that a friend, one whom he had never really regarded as someone to depend on, had maintained his bill. Though it had been a simple matter of bringing health insurance checks from the Vespin's abandoned mailbox to the hospital, it quite probably saved his life.
After several days of dismissal, therapy, and other such required things, Nick was released from the hospital. Driven home by his friend, Nick was greeted with an abandoned house with broken windows and a foreclosure notice taped to the door. Nikolas's father was nowhere to be found. After a drive to the Wasp Electical Service main office, the pair were greeted by a very similar sight, but with one significant difference. Left in the workshop were the remains of the N.E.S. prototype... and something more. Though his work had been hasty and disorganized, evidence of a new creation could be pieced together. A weapon, built on the concept of the N.E.S., that would not only enhance the wearer's agility and reaction time, but would also allow them to interface with with a suit of powered armor like it was their own skin.
It didn't take long for Nick to see the new weapon in action. Arthur Vespin, in armor and firing lightning from his gauntlets, had hunted down and killed the man responsible for the death of his wife, and the crippling of his son. Heroes, police, and the public were torn on the issue. The Iron Age was over... but the man had caused a death. The courts had let him free... because of a loophole in the system. Nick did not know what to think. His role model, the only family he had left... had... had... What was he supposed to do now?
[floatr][/floatr]"I wallowed. I fell into self-pity, and gave up on life. I don't know what would've happened if I had been allowed to stay down, but it wouldn't have been pretty."
Several days passed. Nick had withdrawn completely, speaking only when spoken to, and making no effort to better his life. His friend, who was still taking care of him at this point, resolved that something had to be done, and investigated the "N.E.S." project that Arthur had abandoned. He was amazed by how close Arthur had come, and found that, with a few minor tweaks, even the problems that remained could be solved! The N.E.S. could be completed, and Nick could have his life back!
...But Nikolas was not interested. "It would take too much work", or "We're not qualified", an excuse always came up. For months, this went on, with Nick wasting away physically and emotionally, while his friend tried desperately to motivate him, and get him to embrace this incredible opportunity before him, always in vain. What finally made Nick snap out of his despair was not a world-shattering event, or a rousing speech from a hero, but simply a punch. A punch in the nose from his friend who had become "sick and tired of watching you sit there, like you're the only one who cares about you!" Eyes opened the the fact that, no, he was not alone, Nikolas began work on repairing the N.E.S., his friend being his hands for him.
"It was a wake-up call. I had a responsibility. I had to stop my father."
Arthur had left precious few plans, but Nick was smart, and he knew his father's mind. They were done by the end of the week. Only hours before Nikolas was to be linked to the suit, and given back his life, a news story broke. The villain that wore Arthur's skin had been cornered by Freedom City police officers and novice heroes somewhere in the Fens. There he was, live, on television, flanked by cops and supers. What happened next was entirely unexpected, and it happened so quickly that the feed could not be cut in time to spare anyone, most certainly not Nick, the gruesome sight. As the police moved to arrest him, Bloodwasp bombarded the officers and heroes with massive currents of electricity, killing them instantly. All pretense of justice shattered, he fled.
Nikolas was horrified. A misguided quest for vengeance was one thing but this... this was Murder. His reaction was both frighteningly similar to his father's rage in the shop, and yet fundamentally different. Infuriated that the man would dare take the lives of innocents, Nick, still guiding his friend's hands, was spurned to duplicate his father's work, but with a fundamentally different purpose. Another suit. Quicker, leaner, not the armor of a tyrant, but the costume of a hero. One that could fight his father, and put an end to his pain and rage: the Neural Exo-Skeleton and Tesla-Emitter. N.E.S.T.E. However, in the final stages, a problem emerged.
[floatr][/floatr]"It was a one-way surgery. There was no going back."
The two systems, N.E.S. and N.E.S.T.E., were similar, and completely compatible, but a single fault. The sensitive electrical equipment that would intercept brain signals through the skin was being overloaded by the massive voltages required for the combat systems, and the suit as it was could not be upgraded to handle it. Only one option presented itself to the pair. The circuitry had to be permanently implanted into Nikolas's skin, so it could be supplemented by his dormant-but-functional nervous system. The suit could be removed, but the circuitry, the marks of the implantation, would remain. After several hours of debate, Nick convinced his friend to perform this psuedo-surgery, and forever link Nikolas and the N.E.S.T.E. together.
Guiding his friend's hands for the final time, Nick was bonded with the N.E.S.T.E. The surgery completed, Nick stood for the first time in two years... and immediately fell over again. Muscle atrophy. It took another three months for Nick to regain his full mobility, even with the suit's assistance. By then, Arthur's trail had long since gone cold, but Nick persisted. He would go to Freedom City, and make a name for himself as a hero. And then, his father would come to him.
Personality & Motivation: Nikolas is, in public, an optimist and idealist, constantly smiling, cracking jokes and, most importantly, making as large of a spectacle of everything he does as possible. Saving someone? Gotta pose for the camera and shout your battle cry while you do it! Fighting a villain? Gotta make the fight flashy, and exciting! And maybe get hit once or twice, just to keep things suspenseful. The citizens of Freedom know him as a vain, but ultimately good-hearted hero who's just focused a bit too little on saving people, and a bit too much on making sure he's seen doing it. However, behind closed doors, Nick becomes a somewhat different person. Still amiable, and very much preferring the company of others, he is, however, noticeably quieter, and more introspective. His words are softer, and he begins to show shades of being an absent-minded thinker, rather than just an out-and-out ham.
Ask anyone about Shockwasp's motivation, and they'd inevitably tell you that it was to be famous, adored by the masses of Freedom City, and hailed as a hero. This is little more than a fabrication. His greatest motivation is, unequivocally, his father. Or, more specifically, finding him. He knows that Arthur Vespin could be anywhere in the country, or the world, and that trying to search the whole Earth to find him would be dangerous, and almost certainly fruitless. Instead, he draws crowds and cameras, keeping all eyes on him. Because the more people are watching him, the better chance that one of those people will be Arthur Vespin. And if he sees his son, then maybe, just maybe, then his trail of rage and death will finally come to an end.
Powers & Tactics: The Neural Exo-Skeleton and Tesla Emitter functions primarily through the large gauntlets and rocket boots, as well as fast-vibrating wings. Together, they allow Shockwasp to fly at speeds of up to 400 MPH. The gauntlets are also able to release powerful bolts of electricity, with type and intensity controlled mentally. With the same ease as moving his arm, Nikolas can fire lances of high voltage from his hands at opponents.
Nick's fighting style is not about winning as much as it is winning spectacularly. No one wants to watch a boring hero. Taunts, bluffs, drawing out fights, unless there is immediate mortal danger to himself or others, Nick will try to make all his fights last. Only when the chips are truly down does he fight "for real."
Complications:
Dammit, Magneto!: Things like powerful magnetic fields or electrical interference can cause damage to, or even short out the NESTE's systems.
Did Somebody Order A Large HAM?!: Nick feels that he must be in the spotlight as often as possible, and will quite regularly do some rather unwise things while heroing, if it means keeping the crowds' eyes on him.
Man or Machine?: Just under Nick's skin are series of wires and connectors. Though he functions normally, it can be more than a little off-putting to some people, and has caused no end of trouble for his love life.
Mr. Famous: Shockwasp is quite popular, but he's also garnered a reputation as a self-centered showboater who cares more about money and fame than helping people.
No, Nick...I Am Your Father!: Nick feels responsible for what his father has done, and will jump on even the smallest lead at the exclusion of all else.
Wasps Live Outside: Nick is rather claustrophobic. As long as there's a couple feet of headroom, and at least a couple feet of personal space, he's usually alright, but he is absolutely terrified of small, cramped places, especially if they're dark.
Abilities: 0 + (-10) + 0 + 10 + 2 + 6 = 8PP
Strength: 10 (+0)
Dexterity: 20/0 (+5/-5)
Constitution: 10 (+0)
Intelligence: 20 (+5)
Wisdom: 12 (+1)
Charisma: 16 (+3)
Combat: 12 + 12 = 24PP
Initiative: +5/+0
Attack: +6, +10 Ranged
Grapple: +6
Defense: +12 (+6 Base, +6 Dodge Focus), +3 Flat-Footed
Knockback: -4, -2 Flat-Footed
Saving Throws: 5 + 5 + 5 = 15PP
Toughness: +8/+4 (+0 Con, +4 Defensive Roll, +4/+0 Protection), +4 Flat-Footed
Fortitude: +5 (+0 Con, +5)
Reflex: +10/+0 (+5/-5 Dex, +5), Evasion
Will: +6 (+1 Wis, +5)
Skills: 68R = 17PP
Bluff 8 (+11, +15 Attractive)
Computers 10 (+15)
Craft (Electronic) 10 (+15)
Diplomacy 7 (+10, +14 Attractive)
Disable Device 5 (+10)
Gather Information 7 (+10)
Knowledge (Technology) 10 (+15)
Notice 4 (+5)
Perform (Acting) 3 (+6)
Sense Motive 4 (+5)
Feats: 26PP
Attack Focus (Ranged) 4
Attractive
Benefit 3 (Status, Wealth 2)
Challenge (Fast Task) 2 (Feint, Taunt)
Connected
Defensive Roll 2 (+4 Toughness)
Dodge Focus 6
Evasion
Inventor
Move-By Action
Precise Shot
Taunt
Uncanny Dodge (Audio)
Well-Informed
Powers: 40 + 20 = 60PP
Device 10 (50PP, Flaws: Hard-To-Lose) (N.E.S.T.E.) [40PP]
Array 13.5 (27PP, Feats: Alternate Power 2) (Tesla Gauntlets) [29PP]
Base Power: Blast 10 (Feats: Affects Insubstantial 2, Improved Range [4 250ft Increments, 1,000ft Max Range], Split Attack 4) [27PP] Alternate Power: Blast 9 (10 90ft Increments, 900ft Max Range, Extras: Area [General, Burst, 45ft radius], Selective Attack, Flaws: Action [Full]) [27PP] Alternate Power: Paralyze 9 (Extras: Range [Ranged, 10 90ft Increments, 900ft Max Range]) [27PP]
Array 4 (8PP, Feats: Alternate Power) (Radio Tranceiver) [9PP]
Base Power: Communication 7 (Radio, 200 miles, Feats: Subtle) [8PP] Alternate Power: Datalink 7 (Radio, 200 miles, Feats: Machine Control) [8PP]
Flight 4 (100MPH / 1,000ft per Move Action) (Jet-Boots, Wings) [8PP]
Protection 4 [4PP]
Enhanced Dexterity 20 (N.E.S.) [20PP]
Drawbacks: 0PP
DC Block:
ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT
Unarmed Touch DC15 Toughness (Staged) Bludgeoning Damage
Blast Ranged DC25 Toughness (Staged) Electricity Damage
Blast Ranged/Area DC24 Reflex 1/2 Effect
Ranged/Area DC24 Toughness (Staged) Electricity Damage
Paralyze Ranged DC24 Will (Staged) Slowed/Paralyzed
Abilities (8) + Combat (24) + Saving Throws (15) + Skills (17) + Feats (26) + Powers (60) - Drawbacks (0) = 150/153 Power Points
