Drag

Strength 1x

Agility 3x

Intellect 10b

Willpower 6x

Hand Size: Edge:

4 (25) 2

Origin:

The man occasionally known as Drag is Bartholomew Smithers, a biotech expert with a grudge who has developed a truly unique technology in the form of living bio-armor suits. Bartholomew has yet to master this technology though, hence the odd powers (and weaknesses) it possesses.

Powers:

(none)

Hindrances / Augmentations:

(none)

Equipment:

the Drag Suit: his current (if flawed) masterwork, this living biological armor is what gives Bartholomew access to his considerable power; he's quite the weakling without it. This suit makes him appear to be a 6' 6", 30's style gangster, complete with a built-in, gray pin striped suit.

The Drag Suit gives its occupant the following super-human abilities while worn:

* Body Armor (s): designed as a suit of armor, the Drag Suit naturally offers its wearer protection from assault. The Drag Suit possesses this power at intensity 8 (+2), giving its wearer the ability to shrug off most attacks launched by normal humans.

* Enhanced Strength (s): while wearing the Drag Suit, Bartholomew (or anyone else that can fit inside, for that matter) benefits from greatly increased Strength. This engineered entity will improve one's Strength to intensity 14, or add +1, whichever is greater.

* Kinetic Energy Control (i): neither intended for or designed into the Drag Suit, this power is nonetheless present. It allows Bartholomew to manipulate kinetic (but not potential) energy with intensity 15 ability. He primarily uses this power to enhance his own melee attacks.

However, he can alter the trajectory of objects in motion, as well. This adds the relative speed of the moving entity in question as opposition to his normally easy difficulty when performing such feats - meaning most moving objects in his area are utterly at his mercy.

* Regeneration (s): a living, biological creature, the Drag Suit can easily repair from damage inflicted upon it - and its wielder. It heals rather fast (it was designed that way), recovering a lost card of Health on every non-negative aura draw of 3 or less.

* Susceptibility / Corrosives: as is the case with its kinetic energy control, this disadvantage was not intended for use in the Drag Suit, but has nonetheless proven to be a thorn in Bartholomew's side. The suit's fatal flaw, it has zero (0) protection against corrosives.

Furthermore, when exposed to an acidic attack, the wearer of the Drag Suit (admittedly, with the benefit of their enhanced Strength) must attempt a desperate difficulty Strength action. If this action fails, the Drag Suit will immediately begin to dissolve, leaving its wearer high and dry.

Whoops!

Skills:

Biology 3 (i): one of the world's leading biologists, Bartholomew is known as a master of his field - even if his peers think him insane. He may attempt actions in this area of expertise at a reduced difficulty - and with the benefit of an autotrump!

Chemistry (i): furthermore, to aid his biotechnology work, Bartholomew has acquired more than just a passing knowledge of chemistry in general. He may attempt actions related to chemical reactions, organic or otherwise, at one difficulty level lower than is usually required.

Genetics 2 (i): finally, Bartholomew is adept in the science of genetics. He should receive a reduction in the difficulty of actions dependent on such knowledge, and can also resolve said actions with either his Intellect or Willpower, depending.

Contacts:

As one of the Tenacious Ten, Drag can rely upon his fellows for aid in a pinch. After all, he was one of the strongest of those super-thugs, and helped more than a few of them out when they needed it. Also, he's made all manner of biotech companies piles of cash in the past.

Calling:

Greed: while he originally set out with the goal of improving the world for all mankind, Bartholomew has grown bitter over the years, and now he only cares about Number One. He seeks to hog all the credit (and material gains) of his researches for himself and himself alone.

Costume:

Bartholomew mainly wears his Drag suit while engaging in criminal activity. This suit makes him appear to be a full foot taller, stockier, and gives him a different, thuggish face altogether. It essentially makes him appear to be an immense gangster, in the tried and true 1930's style.

The only actual accessory that Bartholomew wears, besides the suit, is a gray fedora.

Personality:

Bartholomew is a small-minded, bitter man.

He's a true revolutionary in the fields of genetics and bio-engineering, but his ego prevents him from collaborating with others; he wants to share all the glory for his innovations. That's why he crafted the Drag suit in the first place - to prove his theories were sound.

And to steal the loot he needs to make his dreams come true. Of course, when he's wearing his Drag suit, Bartholomew's true personality comes to light, and you can see the petulant, bullying side that is well-hidden when his small, 115 lbs frame would otherwise fail to intimidate.

Real Name: Bartholomew Smithers
Occupation: bio-engineer, occasional criminal
Legal Status: Canadian citizen with no known criminal record
Marital Status: single
Alias(es), if any: none
Group Affiliation: the Tenacious Ten

Height: 5' 6"
Hair: brown, graying
Eyes: brown
Weight: 115 lbs
Other Distinguishing Characteristics: Bartholomew has something of a 'mousy' look to him.

Story:

Bartholomew is an angry, bitter little man.

Not angry like Angry Annie mind you, but furious in his own, sullen little way. You see, he's something of a prodigy in the field of bio-engineering, the crafting of new life forms, but isn't all that appreciated by his peers - who think him something of a crackpot.

His great idea is the creation of biological armor, actual living organisms humans could wear in all manner of hostile environments, an idea that was scorned in the scientific community. The science just wasn't there, they said, and most people refused to give him any venture capital.

As such, Bartholomew worked for various biotech companies, including Permutational Industries, to gain the capital he needed to produce the technology chain required for his dream project. Stymied by corporate greed however, Bartholomew never managed his goal.

His brilliant mind slowly twisted by anger, Bartholomew began to steal resources from the companies he worked for, usually only staying around until people grew suspicious. While he toiled for companies during the day, he performed miracles at night - in the privacy of his own home.

Bartholomew adopted the notion of engineering all new DNA chains you see, genetic code built from scratch... and that did not previously exist in nature. Using these, he produced completely unknown life forms with gene structures not cluttered by the process of evolution.

No junk DNA, you see.

These ultra-efficient life forms proved somewhat superior to their natural analogues; while all new entities, Bartholomew's creations mainly mirrored extant bacteria and such. Building on this breakthrough, Bartholomew started work something much more ambitious - his living armor!

It took him a decade, but Bartholomew finally managed to grow, in the lab, a suit to his liking. While his original aim was to make something to benefit mankind as a whole, Bartholomew was now merely looking out for number one, and thus crafted a bio-suit he could use to make money.

Lots of money. When worn, his suit gives the short, skinny Bartholomew the appearance of a 6' 6" tall gangster, complete with skin molded to look just like a pin-striped suit. More interestingly, it gave him access to powers he didn't originally intend - powers over kinetic energy!

Not sure just how this came about, Bartholomew was nonetheless drunk on power, and began to use the suit in the perpetration of various bank robberies. With his augmented strength, Bartholomew actually smashed into the vaults and took everything he could get his hands on!

Suddenly millions of dollars richer, Bartholomew now had the capital to produce his original dream, but had a moral quandary. He was trying to justify helping a humanity that had scorned him, while at the same time wanting to do more than just engage in petty, lowly crimes.

That's when Elys happened.

This powerful dragon, a techno-sorceress feared in several planes of existence, required minions with the power to deal with some would-be heroes that menaced her. As such, her magic pointed her in the direction of Bartholomew, who could do serious damage with his 'Drag' suit.

Seeing the pettiness in his heart, Elys knew just how to push his buttons. She promised him money - impossible amounts of money - if he would simply get rid of her opponents. Elys then showcased her particularly immense hoard of gold and other treasures, and Bartholomew was hooked.

Just one deed would set him up for life, and allow him virtual dominance of the biotechnology sector on earth. Just one! After that, he wouldn't need to engage in any other crimes, and could instead force others to do his bidding! Revenge fantasies and greed overwhelmed him quite nicely.

As such, when finally sent to deal with Elys' foes along with the rest of the so-called Tenacious Ten, Bartholomew leapt into battle with a fury and enthusiasm most of the others lacked. However, during the battle with these heroes, it was discovered that Bartholomew's suit had a fatal flaw.

While it possessed incredible powers over kinetic energy, it also seemed to have an extreme vulnerability to corrosives. Any corrosives. As he fought with the Elys' foes, Bartholomew was knocked into a barrel of industrial waste, and his suit began to dissolve almost immediately.

And his foes then handily knocked him senseless for the abuse he'd gave them.

Luckily for Bartholomew, Elys transported him and the others to safety after they were defeated, most likely so they could be of some future use, but Elys herself was beaten by these violent would-be heroes. Which meant that Bartholomew wasn't going to get paid for services rendered.

Irrationally enraged, Bartholomew returned to his lab to cook up another Drag suit, before returning to Elys' cavern to seize her treasure. It may take him some time to cook the suit up though, much less seize Elys' hoard, especially since the heroes who beat her took it for themselves.

As such, Bartholomew may require the assistance of the Tenacious Ten to get what he wants...!

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