Hardcore

Created by Andy Hicks

F In 40

A Am 50

S Ex 20

E Rm 30

R Ty 6

I Ex 20

P Ty 6

Res Gd 10

Pop Sh 0

*off In 40

*dex In 40

*mgt Ex 20

*res Rm 30

*log Ty 6

*alt Gd 10

*will Gd 10

*mat Gd 10

*pub Ty -5

*def In 40

*bal Mn 75

*vgr Ex 20

*sta Rm 30

*mem Ty 6

*awr Rm 30

*pre Pr 4

*$ Gd 10

*sec Sh 0

Health: Karma:

140 32

NH: MH:

72 12

Origin:

Will is an altered human, a once-ordinary Marine (if there is such a thing) who was exposed to a horrible chemical weapon that changed his physiology forever. In addition to his enhanced physical abilities, Will now has a preternatural sense for all things dangerous to him!

Known Powers:

Danger Sense: this Incredible (40) ranked ability grants Will several special capabilities. He may either use this power's rank, or add a +1 CS if that would be higher, when attempting blocking, bracing, dodging, escaping, evading, feinting, or weaving maneuvers.

He may do the same with his Intuition, where his initiative modifier is concerned (thus granting him a permanent +2 modifier to his already impressive Intuition rank).

Limitations / Enhancements:

(none)

Equipment:

Canes: these steel-reinforced wooden canes have an effective material strength of Remarkable (30), and as such, Will can use them to inflict like Blunt Attack damage with each painful strike (and he does, too - Will's a veritable master with these weapons).

Sticky Boots and Gloves: the adhesive compound that these items are coated with allow Will to do the whole spider-climbing thing, at Typical (6) ability. This is enough to stick to most standard materials, such as brick, concrete, asphalt, and the like.

Quirks:

Alertness: his long time on the run from the Plebian Federation has made Will exceptionally jumpy in general, but keenly aware of his surroundings in particular. He is rarely surprised by other people, even if they're being stealthy or attempting to ambush him.

Ambidexterity: Will can use either hand equally, and as such, he has no 'off hand'. This allows him to wield both of his canes in a fight with equal efficiency, having no penalty when swinging the one that's in his 'off hand'. He uses this to deadly effect in battle.

Enemy 2: after having bailed out on Plebian Federation, Will has become a hunted man. This powerful secret society is out for his blood, both to protect their secrets and show him the error of breaking with them. And they want him really, really, badly.

Karmic Dearth: having a rather past, Will isn't quite what one would call heroic, and as such his Karma total (that being the sum of his Reason, Intuition, and Psyche ranks) is always at a level twenty percent lower than it otherwise should be for a person of his ability.

Rank Boost: Will's Strength and Endurance scores were originally somewhat less impressive than they are now, but thanks to the process that has granted him his super-human powers, these ability scores have both increased by +1 CS. Nifty, no?

Rudeness: it could be due to his straight talking nature, or maybe he's just a jerk, but for some reason Will Cross is downright rude. He's not a nice man, and doesn't want to be. In order to 'play nice' in conversation, he has to pass a Psyche (will) FEAT at -2 CS (if he cares to).

Stubbornness: in addition to his inherent rudeness, Will's also exceptionally stubborn, and once he's made up his mind, it's hard for him to change it. In fact, he must pass a Psyche (will) FEAT roll at -2 CS should he even want to do so for some reason.

Talents:

Acrobatics: Will is a naturally nimble and athletic man. While this may make his life a little bit more convenient in general, it specifically gives him several defensive bonuses in combat, namely a +1 CS to all Dodging, Evading, Escaping, Feinting and Weaving maneuvers he attempts.

Martial Arts types B, E, and H: highly skilled in melee combat, Will receives a +1 CS when making unarmed melee attacks, a +1 to his initiative rolls, and after one turn of combat, receives one additional melee combat action per turn, which makes him totally dangerous with those canes.

Military: having spent several years in the Marines, Will has a natural command of military procedures and protocols. Furthermore, Will gained the bonus Guns talent from his San Diego training, giving him a +1 CS when utilizing said weapons in combat.

Weapon Specialist / Canes: Will has trained in the use of his signature weapons, those twin canes of his, for many years. As such, he may resolve attacks using these weapons at his Fighting (off) score +2 CS, and gains a +1 initiative modifier when doing so.

Contacts:

Thanks to his long past in government service, Will has at least one contact in both the C.I.A. and the United States armed forces (their exact identities have yet to be revealed, but are available whenever Will calls in his 'markers').

Costume:

Hardcore's 'uniform' consists of loose fitting jeans, a sleeveless Marine-issued T-shirt and combat boots, along with his special adhesive gloves. He also frequently wears sunglasses when moving about in public during the daytime, to avoid drawing attention to himself.

Of course the clothes, tattoos, and canes usually do that trick pretty nicely.

Hardcore's shirts are also equipped with leather harnesses sewn into the back that act as holsters for his canes.

Personality (in the words of Andy):

Hardcore isn't a very pleasant person. A compulsively suspicious, foul-mouthed native Texan, he is self-confident to a fault. This causes him to say whatever is on his mind, whether good or (usually) bad, and almost always prevents him from seeing other people's points of view.

He is also prone to bull-headedly sticking to his ideas on how to handle situations, no matter how strong the argument against his tactics, or how much trouble they may cause. And his strong aversion to taking orders from anyone - born from his many troublesome years in service to one agency or another - doesn't help matters either.

Real Name: Will Cross
Occupation: mercenary, adventurer
Legal Status: American citizen, legally dead
Marital Status: single
Alias(es), if any: Robert Douglas, Rodney Greer
Group Affiliation: none; former Marine, former CIA 'contractor', former agent of the Plebian Federation, occasional merc in the service of the Direct Action Americans and various other vigilante groups

Height: 6' 1"
Hair: black
Eyes: brown
Weight: 220 lbs
Other Distinguishing Characteristics: Will has a standard U.S. Marines tattoo on his right arm, with 'Semper Fi' on it and everything, and a sort of barbed wire tattoo on his left arm.

Story:

Will Cross was a marine serving in "Operation Desert Storm" when his platoon, while helping retake a city in Kuwait, were subjected to the effects of an Iraqi chemical weapon used to sabotage a building. His entire platoon, along with several civilians in the area, were killed. Will, on the other hand, mysteriously survived, but was thrown into a coma.

When a second wave of soldiers reached the area, they saved the fallen soldier. Upon hearing of Will's improbable survival, the CIA took special interest in his case. Suspecting something incredible about Will, they reported him killed in action, effectively erasing any evidence of his existence. The CIA then carted him off for their own purposes.

When Will finally came to after months spent unconscious in a secret hospital ward, hidden away by the CIA, he and the agency were surprised to find that not only did he survive the ambush, but also that the chemical weapon had actually served to greatly augment his Strength, Endurance, and especially his Agility.

They immediately went about training him to become one of their ultimate operatives, schooling him in acrobatics, several disciplines of the martial arts, and in the use of two weapons specially designed for him: a pair of steel-reinforced canes that could be used as weapons, while allowing him to move about and travel through the world without extra impediment.

Canes are very unassuming, but can be used as blunt weapons. For instance, Will could go through an airport without hassle, because security would never be on the lookout for them as weapons. Along with the canes, he was equipped with special adhesive gloves and boots that would allow him to climb walls and ceilings, helping him to sneak into and around highly secure buildings.

Finally, he chose his new code name - Hardcore.

Hardcore initially welcomed his change in occupation, and went on to participate in assassinations, coups, and any other unsavory tasks he was assigned to complete on the agency's behalf. After a certain amount of time though, he realized that he could perform similar deeds for organizations and individuals in the private sector - with much greater benefit for himself.

He became a mercenary for hire, performing dirty deeds underground for anyone willing to meet his price. But that would only last for so long. Hardcore could no longer ignore the consequences that his selfish, immoral actions were having on countless innocents. He could no longer aid those who sought to advance only their own villainous agendas, usually with dangerous implications for the rest of society.

His conscience finally overcame him. Hardcore has decided to completely sever all ties with the shadowy entities he had once worked for, and dedicate himself to trying to undermine them (and anyone else like them) at every opportunity, believing that to be his only path to redemption. Of course, this change of heart makes Hardcore a very dangerous man to his previous employers.

Not only is he intent on preventing the advancement of their goals, but as a party to numerous illegal operations, he has the ability to expose them to others. Because of this, Hardcore is now constantly on the run from these organizations, who will stop at nothing to hunt him down and eliminate him as a threat to their planned conquests.

Of course, exposing these parties to the general public would also expose himself, and put him in even greater danger - at least in his mind. Thus Hardcore is intent on pursuing his crusade in secret, never letting his past come to light.

Extra Goodies:

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