Jake Murphy - The Goose

[cbenny]

Name: Jake Murphy Alias: The Goose Age: 16 Height: 6'00" / 1'00"*While transformed into The Goose Weight: 130lbs / 13lbs*While transformed into The Goose Hair/Feather Color: Brown Eye Color: Brown Nationality: Canadian Species: Human / Goose

 

Attributes (36)

Strength (Str)	Stamina (Sta)	Agility (Agi)	Dexterity (Dex)	Fighting (Fgt)	Intellect (Int)	Awareness (Awe)	Presence (Pre)
4 / 6*+2 Str while transformed into The Goose (points listed under Powers [+4 Enhanced Trait, -2 Shrinking])	6	0	0	0	2	6	0

 

Saves (6)

Dodge	Parry	Fortitude	Toughness	Will
Agi(0) + Mod(6*+6 Dodge while transformed into The Goose (points listed under Powers[+4 Shrinking, +2 Enhanced Trait])) + Rank(3)	Fgt(0) + Mod(6*+6 Parry while transformed into The Goose (points listed under Powers[+4 Shrinking, +2 Enhanced Trait])) + Rank(3)	Sta(6) + Mod(0) + Rank(0)	Sta(6) + Mod(0) + Rank(0)	Awe(6) + Mod(0) + Rank(0)
Total: 3 / 9*+6 Dodge while transformed into The Goose (points listed under Powers[+4 Shrinking, +2 Enhanced Trait])	Total: 3 / 9*+6 Parry while transformed into The Goose (points listed under Powers[+4 Shrinking, +2 Enhanced Trait])	Total: 6	Total: 6	Total: 6

 

Skills (27) & Advantages (7)

Skill Name Total Ability Rank Mods Acrobatics +5 Agi (0) 5   Athletics +10 Str (4) 6   Close Combat (Unarmed) +6 Fgt (0) 6   Deception +0/+16 Pre (0) 16*Limited to 'Feinting' Only.   Expertise (Hockey) +5 Int (2) 3   Expertise (Other) +2 Int (2) 0   Insight +10 Awe (6) 4   Intimidation +0/-4 Pre (0) 0   Investigation +2 Int (2) 0   Perception +10 Awe (6) 4   Persuasion +10 Pre (0) 10   Ranged Combat (Thrown) +8 Dex (0) 8   Sleight of Hand +0 Dex (0) 0   Stealth +0/+8 Agi (0) 0 8*+8 Stealth while transformed into The Goose (points listed under Powers[Shrinking]) Technology +2 Int (2) 0   Treatment +2 Int (2) 0   Vehicles +0 Dex (0) 0

Advantage Name & Rank Improvised Weapon x1 Interpose x1 Jack-Of-All-Trades x1 Languages x1 [English, French] Move-by Action x1 Set-Up x1 Teamwork x1

 

Powers (24)

Bird Brain

Jake's powers give him enhanced senses and the ability to communicate with birds. (Note: Most birds are unhelpful idiots)

• Comprehend [Animals] x2 (Limited Avians) [2]
• Sense [Auditory; Ultra-Hearing x1] x1 [1]
• Sense [Mental; Danger Sense x1, Direction Sense x1] x2 [2]
• Sense [Visual; Extended x2, Low-Light Vision x1] x3 [3]

Goose Transformation

Jake can turn into The Goose, which involves several linked powers including growing wings, reducing in size and enhancing several combat traits. (Note: This ability is also subject to several complications)

• Flight x4 (Linked, Increased Action [Move], Wings) [2]
• Shrinking x8 (Linked, Increased Action [Move]) [8]
• Enhanced Trait [Strength] x4 (Linked, Increased Action [Move]) [4]
• Enhanced Trait [Dodge] x2 (Linked, Increased Action [Move]) [1]
• Enhanced Trait [Parry] x2 (Linked, Increased Action [Move]) [1]

 

Complications // Motivations

Motivation: Control - At this point in time Jake's primary motivation for attending this school is to learn more about his powers and gain more control over his abilities. Although he is fundamentally a good person and will try to help others if he can, he is still young and is attending this school mostly for his own benefit. (Note: This motivation may change to something more altruistic as the semester progresses and he gains more control).

Emotional Trigger - Jake has enough experience with his powers to be able to deliberately transform into The Goose whenever he wants to. However, this transformation can also be triggered by intense feelings of anger or frustration. If Jake ever begins feeling extremely angry or frustrated he could unintentionally trigger this power. If he wants to avoid spontaneous transformation he needs to maintain control over his emotions, remain calm and avoid people or situations which could cause these types of feelings.

Mysterious Origin - Jake gained his powers several months ago after being attacked by a particularly vicious goose. That goose flew off and Jake has no idea where it came from or why he was able to gain powers after encountering it. It might have been exposed to some kind of radiation or toxic waste, or it might be some kind of magical goose, or there might be some kind of spiritual connection within himself which was only coincidentally triggered at the same time. He has absolutely no idea, and unknown information in a Heroes backstory has a tendency to come back to bite them when least expected.

Physical Limitations - Jake is subject to many physical disadvantages while transformed into The Goose. The biggest one is the lack of hands or fingers. He is unable to grasp or manipulate things easily, and although as The Goose he has greater strength he is unable to make full use of it. He can use his body to push something and if it has a handle that he can get his feet into he can attempt to lift it and drop it somewhere while flying, but he cannot throw or type or do anything else that requires hands. In addition, while transformed and engaged in close combat, he attacks by pecking his target with his beak. This means that although he is still able to make unarmed attacks, any damage taken due to an attack being blocked or a parried will be dealt to his head. There are probably many other physical complications resulting from literally being a goose which can come up at GMs discretion.

Wardrobe Issues - Jake's transformation does not affect his clothing. If he has time to make preparations he will find somewhere private to take off his clothes, put them in a backpack, and then transform, carrying his backpack with his feet if it is necessary to fly to another location. If he does not have time to prepare or his transformation is triggered unintentionally he will shrink into The Goose and will likely need to spend a round untangling himself from his clothing (possibly damaging them in the process). If Jake is knocked out or otherwise unable to maintain his transformation with a free action each turn he will turn back into a human without wearing any clothing. (Note: It is my intention to have Jake request some assistance from the school to 'buy off' this complication as soon as possible, under the assumption that at least one of the faculty will have access to some kind of costume tech to help protect his modesty).

 

Personality // Background

Personality - Jake is usually a very polite, quiet, friendly and helpful young man. He has a positive attitude and is always willing to back down or apologize to try to de-escalate a conflict. Due to the nature of his powers he tries to avoid getting angry or frustrated, since those feelings will trigger his transformation. When Jake is transformed into The Goose his personality completely changes. He becomes very rude, loud, and self absorbed. He deliberately antagonizes his enemies and will try to escalate any conflict he is involved in.

Background - Jake grew up all around the east coast of Canada. His mother (Mari) was in the Navy and wasn't around too much, so he was mostly brought up by his father (Paddy) who was a handy-man and did all kinds of odd jobs. They moved around a lot depending on what work was available. He was a smart kid, but his father believed strongly in the value of actual life experience rather than simply memorizing facts from textbooks, so he made sure to often bring Jake with him when he went on an interesting job in order to teach him how 'the real world' worked. By the time he was sixteen Jake had a smattering of experience with all kinds of different professions.

Soon after his sixteenth birthday Jake and his father were living in Halifax. He was out by the docks one day when he was suddenly attacked by a goose. He managed to get away with relatively light injuries and didn't think too much about it until later that day when he fell sick and went to bed early. When he woke up with stray feathers scattered around in his sheets and a splitting headache. An event-filled few days passed quickly as he discovered he was now somehow able to transform into The Goose. Out of panic he tried to keep a low profile but due to his inexperience and lack of control he ended up being mentioned by several local news outlets as more and more people reported seeing a 'were-goose' out around the town.

Although his real name and identity weren't published, somehow Wayne Enterprises was able to follow the myriad of clues and track him down. After receiving the invite Jake came clean to his father about his abilities and got his permission to attend the school. His main intent was to use this as an opportunity to talk with some experts to try to figure out what exactly his powers were and how to control them.

 

Combat

Jake Murphy: Initiative: +0 Ground Speed: 30' Unarmed Strength-based Damage: +6 vs Parry; DC19 vs Toughness Thrown Ranged Damage: +8 vs Dodge; DC19 vs Toughness

The Goose: Initiative: +0 Ground Speed: 15' // Flight Speed: 500' Unarmed Strength-based Damage: +6 vs Parry; DC21 vs Toughness

 

A-Day	B-Day
Math	Science
History	English
~Lunch~	~Lunch~
Shop	Gym

 

 

Edited August 20, 2023 by cbenny (see edit history)

[cbenny]

I consider this app to be done (pending GM approval). That said, if anyone has any questions, comments or concerns feel free to leave a reply, and if anyone notices something missing or wrong please let me know.

[cbenny]

Slight Mechanical Changes: Made a few small mechanical changes to fix some issues with his defenses when I realized I had accidentally halved the bonuses from 'Shrinking'. Still mostly the same except his Goose Transformation is now a Move Action instead of a Standard Action and his flight speed has been reduced to match that of a normal goose.

[Xerin]

Review (Fluff): So you're my plastic man, eh? Silly, laughable, looked down on by almost everyone, but still an actual superhero who can still actually get the job done. Sigh... It's fine though. It fits the DC world, dumber characters with worse backstories have appeared. And Dick and Damien would be quick to tell me that your character's scouting ability and stealth abilities would be hard to match. Who's looking for a goose? And the fact that your alternate form is a human, well, both Damien Wayne and Dick Grayson are 100% human, and they quite frequently take on 2 dozen guys with guns. So that's just a skill thing they need to work on.

Nakedness is for a laugh, I get it, and it will be resolved eventually, which I appreciate. Just be careful, between your character and the Tamaranian/Kryptonian Hybrid, I feel like child protective services will be showing up quite frequently.

As much as I roll my eyes, very solid, very valid character.

 

Review (Crunch): Gone over the math a couple of times, and everything seems good. Honestly, for now, I'm going to mark the character as complete. Just give me a heads-up if you tweak anything. Good job.

[cbenny]

Thanks. Yeah, this is kind of feeling was exactly what I was going for with 'The Goose'. A character who can acknowledge that he has a somewhat silly sounding power but who can still work hard and use it to great effect.

The 'Wardrobe Issues' complication is largely meant for comedic effect, but beyond that it was a way to establish Jake's niche as an Everyman character. It's a flaw that could easily have been bought off by spending one point on a supersuit, but which Jake simply doesn't have the ability to solve on his own prior to the start of the campaign. He is not a scientist or inventor and he has no connection with any established heroes or mentors or high-tech companies to help him solve his clothing issue. He's simply an typical average teen whose life suddenly and unexpectedly changed a few months ago when he gained powers and he is still struggling to figure things out. He grew up with no expectation of being involved in superheroics and all this is completely new to him. Rest assured that very first point he earns will be spend on fixing this.

Edited August 8, 2023 by cbenny (see edit history)

[cbenny]

Things you want to encounter/see (and why):

1. Mundane high-school shenanigans with a super-powered twist. All the classic high-school movie tropes of really needing to study for a test, or developing a crush on someone, or needing to try out for a school event. That sort of thing. Having super-powered kids trying to balance their hero with a normal everyday life could be interesting.

2. Sudden high-stakes interruptions that we aren't quite ready for. Teachers telling students to stay put while they go deal with something but then the PCs ignore those instructions and go join in anyway is so common that it's practically a cliché, but it's also the foundation of a lot of stories involving characters in that age range.

3. On a personal note I'd like it if Jake was able to get more info about where his powers came from. An easy check right off the bat would seem to be doing some tests to see if it was based on science or something magical/supernatural. Some potential hooks could involve;

• A corporation dumping radioactive/toxic waste somewhere which affected affected a goose. This might potentially make Jake just the first of a number of people in Canada who suddenly find themselves with the ability to transform into various animals that were also affected.
• Jake knows almost nothing about his own family ancestry. He might have some aboriginal origins and this could potentially be some sort of spirit animal or totem that awakened within him, causing him to need to look into his own family history for answers.
• This might just be a truly random event with many false leads and red herrings distracting him.

I am more than willing to work with you on this if you'd like, or if you have your own ideas on a potential origin I can play along with that.

Things you hope to avoid (and if you're comfortable, why):

1. I'd like to avoid a plot which requires the PCs to have to kill someone. Don't get me wrong, I still like PCs having the freedom to do what they want and if someone feels that their character would kill someone I think they should have the option. I'd just like to avoid a plot that requires us to kill someone.

2. I'd like to avoid enemies with mind-control powers. This is more of just matter of personal preference, but I find that plots with enemies that focus on that just become very confusing, especially if they are very clever and have some sort of master plan or grand conspiracy. If you already had something like this in mind I can roll with it, but if you're still thinking up ideas I'd prefer to avoid this type of enemy.

Classmate concepts that would be fun to interact with, but not necessarily to play as (too weak, too strong, bad power set, etc):

1. Some incredibly powerful alpha jock, taking on the role of a stereotypical school bully. He's handsome, he can fly, is basically invulnerable, and has like a dozen other smaller miscellaneous powers making him able to deal with any challenge easily. Way too powerful for a PC. He's basically just a knock-off Superman, but with a terrible attitude and a complete unwillingness work with others or admit that he needs help with anything. He's not evil, but he does bully his fellow students. His powers make him very conceited and his ability to accomplish anything he wants without breaking a sweat makes him feel certain that he is destined to become the next leader of Justice Society after graduation. (A bully could be fun for the players to deal with, even if it's not necessarily that fun for our characters. Managing to overcome or outsmart a school bully can be a very satisfying accomplishment.)

2. A shy girl with permanent invisibility that everyone keeps forgetting about. A little underpowered for a PC, but her existence would allow for some fun interactions like getting us out of a jam, providing important/critical information, or doing something sneaky at the school while everyone else is dealing with a more pressing issue.

3. A very laid-back chill stoner with the ability to mimic other people's appearance/powers. Very hard for a PC to do this type of thing right since it would likely rely on the 'Variable' power, but could be interesting/fun to have someone like that around. Plus a mimic allows for him to take on any background role needed by the plot, occasionally covering for the PCs when they get up to shenanigans, and a lot of neat things can become possible with a mimic around.

Edited August 18, 2023 by cbenny (see edit history)