the Witness

F Ex 20

A Gd 10

S Gd 10

E Ex 20

R Gd 10

I Rm 30

P Rm 30

Res Pr 4

Pop Gd +10

Health: Karma:

60 70

Origin:

The man known to the world as the Witness was originally an ordinary Chicago beat cop until he fell from grace. Saved from a suicide attempt by an unnamed Higher Power, he has been given the means to mete out justice to those who deserve it, and to protect the innocent.

Known Powers:

Combat Sense: the Witness has demonstrated a 'sixth sense' in the middle of a fight on occasion. He can use this Remarkable (30) ranked power in the place of his ability scores when blocking, bracing, dodging, escaping, and weaving, making it quite handy in a pinch.

Precognition: the means by which he either protects the innocent or sees justice done, this power allows the Witness to perceive an event - usually in which someone dies - coming within the next few days. This power functions at Remarkable (30) rank, but he has no control over it.

The Witness receives visions of the future when he receives them, and can't stop them from coming. Furthermore, he may only have one vision 'active' at a time - he must see one thing through before handling another... whether he stops the future event from occurring or lets it happen.

Limitations / Enhancements:

(none)

Equipment:

(none)

Quirks:

(none)

Talents:

Acrobatics: the Witness has been seen making a variety of death-defying leaps while working to mete out a dose of Justice. Very limber despite his bulk, the Witness may add a +1 CS to any attempt to perform dodge, evade, escape, feint, and weave maneuvers.

Guns: a skill he picked up while a Chicago cop, this talent describes the Witness' ability to wield a firearm - not that he does so these days. Whether firing a standard, semi-automatic, or fully automatic rifle or pistol, the Witness does so at his Agility +1 CS.

Law Enforcement: his original line of work, this talent represents the Witness' ability to understand the law and how it applies to the every day Joe. Though he's no longer a cop, he knows the law rather well, and it has taught him how to keep his cool while under fire.

Martial Arts type B: furthermore, the Witness is well-versed in the fine art of fisticuffs, able to deal with armed or unarmed opponents with equal ease. He may attempt any unarmed attack (punches, kicks, etc.) as though his Fighting rank was +1 CS higher than is listed above.

Contacts:

The Witness has few friends, but then, his work rarely sees him staying in one place very long. The surviving members of the so-called Twelve could be considered reliable contacts, as can the organization known as SHIELD, since Nick Fury himself recruited him into it.

Costume:

The Witness' primary costume is a rather flashy affair. It consists of Navy blue stretch fabric trousers beneath red trunks, a Navy blue stretch fabric shirt with red stripes on the cuffs, a red and blue belt, a red cape, yellow buccaneer boots, and a red mask that covers his eyes and head.

On occasion though, he will instead wear more formal wear - often when he happens upon a crime in progress. It mainly consists of a Navy blue two piece suit, coupled with black leather shoes, a gray fedora, and a black domino mask to protect his identity.

Personality:

The Witness is a haunted man. He is constantly burdened by visions of terrible things happening to people, and feels the weight of both protecting the innocent and the punishment of the guilty all at once. He tries to do everything he can to help those in need of his unique 'perspective'.

Real Name: unrevealed
Occupation: adventurer
Legal Status: citizen of the United States with a criminal record
Marital Status: single
Alias(es), if any: none
Group Affiliation: SHIELD, former member of the Twelve, former member of the Chicago Police Department

Height: 5' 6"
Hair: brown
Eyes: brown
Weight: 180 lbs
Other Distinguishing Characteristics: the Witness has a haunted look to him, his eyes filled with the heinous terror of things no man or woman should have to bear witness to.

Story:

The mystery man known only to the world as the Witness began life as a police officer in the city of Chicago, and was fast on his way to becoming the city's single greatest cop when he accidentally shot an innocent man. Stripped of his badge and gun, the shamed police officer was thrown in prison for two years, after which time he could not find work of any stripe. Wallowing in despair, he tried to end it all.

Instead of dying as he expected, the former police officer was told by a mysterious voice from above that he would be given a second chance at life. A chance to save his soul by separating the good from the evil, as he failed to do in life. Returned to the world, the man was reborn after a fashion, transformed from his former dejected self into the Witness - an instrument of Justice!

He was able to dispense justice because, some time before an event, the Witness would get a glimpse of things to come. He would then have time to determine if the person who experienced said event deserved their fate. If not, the Witness would need to do everything he could to prevent it from occurring... but if said person did deserve said fate, the Witness had to ensure it would occur as seen in his vision.

His first documented mission saw the Witness mixed up with the crime-lord Natas, who was in the process of pulling several jobs for Nick the Gambler. Wanting to win his next bets, he hired Natas and his 'League of Blood' to kill Sid Stern, a professional football player. Two of Natas' goons did the dirty deed, but their crime did not go unnoticed, for they were seen... by the Witness!

Putting the two goons down, the Witness tracked down their client, but the man died of fright when the Witness confronted him. Natas discovered this, but managed to escape the Witness... for a time. At least, until the hero caught up with him during his next caper, the murder of the entire Rollins Truck Company, and pitched him off a cliff to meet his doom!

The Witness was next seen after interrupting a jewelry store robbery. While he downed one of the crooks, Spike, his partner Nails escaped on a train - after unloading his gun at our hero. Returning to the unconscious Spike, the Witness interrogated him only to find that the fiendish Imp was behind their crime - not to mention a score of other larcenies and felonies throughout the city.

Invading a pawn shop that Spike pointed him to, the Witness fell into a trap set by the Imp himself, who was ready for him! Though the Imp pulled a gun on our hero, the Witness nonetheless fought to safety, taking down both the Imp and his remaining stooge. Leaving them unconscious at the entrance to his pawn shop with the stolen gems, the Witness made for greener pastures while the police dealt with his foe.

The next scheme that the Witness broke up was a crooked gambling ship headed by Vic Duval. Sitting off the three mile limit, his ship was immune to police investigation, and he was free to rip off his clients at his leisure. At least, until they accused him of cheating, as was the case with one Mr. Atkins. Though he tried to dispose of his accuser, Duval did not count on the Witness being on the case!

Saving Mr. Atkins, the Witness then stole a launch and headed to Duval's boat, where he quickly ran afoul of Duval and his men. Defeating them handily, the Witness revealed the criminal's treachery to his patrons, and then left the man to their tender mercies. With Justice done, he then steered the ship back to port and left it - along with the thugs and gamblers inside - to be handled by the local police.

Most of the Witness' exploits after this have yet to be revealed. However, he was brought to Germany alongside a large number of his fellow crime-fighters towards the end of the second World War - at least, the European portion of such. And the things he saw... changed him. Before participating in the Battle of Berlin, the Witness happened across a place called Auschwitz, and was horrified.

A Jewish man himself, he was especially disgusted upon viewing the crimes perpetrated within laid bare. Having seen things that no man should have to, the Witness eventually left this horrible place and met up with his fellow heroes, more than happy to assist eleven others who were sent to pacify the S.S. headquarters in Berlin. Oddly enough, however, those fascists were more than ready for these heroes.

Falling into their trap, the Witness and company were placed in stasis, to be dissected for later research - though this never came to be. When their captors were killed days later, the Witness and his compatriots were left unattended, forgotten for decades. Recently discovered in the early twenty first century by a construction crew, these Twelve heroes of a forgotten era were finally returned home.

Given sponsorship by the U.S. military, the Witness and his cohorts in the so-called Twelve were merely asked to continue doing what they always did - in other words, the government wanted 'real' heroes to offset the nasty taste the 'Civil War' left in everyone's mouths. And though some of his fellows have had difficulties adjusting to the modern era, the Witness seems to be fitting in just fine.

When the so-called Twelve ultimately went their separate ways, after the death of the Dynamic Man, the Witness drifted into the loving embrace of SHIELD. Recruited into this organization by Nick Fury himself, the Witness now uses his skills on a global scale, meting out Justice to evildoers almost - if not quite - as heinous as those he encountered in wartime Germany.

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