Val Char Cost Roll Notes 8 STR -2 11- Lift 75.8 kg; 1 ½d6 HTH Damage [2] 10 DEX 0 11- 10 CON 0 11- 23 INT 13 14- PER Roll 14- 13 EGO 3 12- 8 PRE -2 11- PRE Attack: 1 ½d6 4 OCV 5 4 DCV 5 3 OMCV 0 3 DMCV 0 2 SPD 0 Phases: 6, 12 3 PD 1 Total: 3 PD (0 rPD) 2 ED 0 Total: 2 ED (0 rED) 4 REC 0 20 END 0 8 BODY -2 20 STUN 0 Total Characteristic Cost: 21 Movement: Running: 12m/24m Leaping: 4m/8m Swimming: 4m/8m Cost Powers and Skills 2 That's Curious: +5 PRE; Only To Defend Against Offensive Presence Attacks (-1) 2 Second Wind: +20 END; Only To Offset Long Term END Losses (-1) 6 I Know Kung Fu!: Hand-To-Hand Attack +1d6+1; Hand-To-Hand Attack (-¼), END 1 Perks 3 Keys To The Labs: Access 3 I Do The System Maintenance: Computer Link 4 Family Trust Fund: Money: Well Off 1 Prodigy: Reputation (Boston Academia) 11-, +1/+1d6 Talents 3 Eidetic Memory; Does Not Help With People/Names/Faces (-½) 3 Lightning Calculator Skills 0 Acting 8- 0 AK: Boston 8- 1 Breakfall 8- 1 Bureaucratics 8- 0 Climbing 8- 3 Computer Programming 14- 0 Concealment 8- 0 CuK: Ameircan Culture 11- 1 Cryptography 8- 3 Deduction 14- 3 Electronics 14- 1 Forensic Medicine 8- 1 High Society 11-; Only in formal dance settings (-1) 1 Inventor 8- 1 Mechanics 8- 1 Navigation (Land) 8- 2 Paramedics 10- 0 Persuasion 8- 1 Security Systems 8- 0 Shadowing 8- 0 Stealth 8- 1 Survival (Temperate/Subtropical) 8- 3 Systems Operation 14- 0 TF: Custom Adder, Small Motorized Ground Vehicles 3 Linguist 1 1) Language: Amselan (fluent conversation) 0 2) Language: English (idiomatic; literate) 2 3) Language: German (fluent conversation; literate) 1 4) Language: Latin (basic conversation; literate) 2 5) Language: Russian (fluent conversation; literate) 3 Jack of All Trades 4 1) PS: Biomolecular Graduate Student (5 Active Points) 14- 2 2) PS: Formal Ballroom Dancing 11- 0 3) PS: Perform Basic Chores And Menial Tasks 11- 3 Scholar 2 1) KS: Biology 14- 2 2) KS: General Knowledge 14- 2 3) KS: Nanosystems 14- 2 4) KS: Neuromechanics 14- 0 5) KS: Runners & the running world 8- 0 6) KS: Tabletop wargames 8- 3 Scientist 2 1) SS: Biology 14- 2 2) SS: Computer Information Networks 14- 2 3) SS: Nanosystems 14- 2 4) SS: Neurobiology 14- Total Powers & Skill Cost: 92 Total Cost: 116 175+ Matching Complications (50) 15 Physical Complication: Ultraradian Bipolar Disorder (Infrequently; Greatly Impairing) Notes: Ranges between hyperactive and suicidally depressed in 4-6 week cycles. 15 Psychological Complication: Loses His Cool To A Pretty Face (Common; Strong) Notes: This is effectively a Vulnerability to Conversation, Persuasion, Seduction, Mind Control and so on, but only when done by a pretty girl. 10 Psychological Complication: Socially Shy And Inept (Common; Moderate) 5 Reputation: The Know-It-All Kid, 11- (Known Only To A Small Group) 5 Social Limitation: Underage for being a grad student (Occasionally; Major; Not Limiting In Some Cultures) Total Complications Points: 50
Background/History: His parents were born around the end of WWII and, as they were related to Edith McNaughton (part of the Ford family) and never really had to work a day in their lives. In 1990 Marcus was born to parents in their late 40's, who had spent the majority of their lives in the 60's (communal living, free love & recreational drug culture). They were berift of both parenting skills and a desire to learn them, choosing to hire others to do the hard work of parenthood. Marcus was raised by nannies and, as his intellect became apparent, tutors and private schools. His parents are proud of his achievements in an abstract way, and have never really bonded with him.
A true child prodigy, Marcus was speaking four languages by age 8, earned his GED at the age of 11 and his first college degree four years later (Harvard). He is currently (in 2007) 17 years old with degrees in Computer Information Networks and Biology, working as a grad student on his PhD in developing pre-formed biological-RAM chips - he's hoping to create skillchips, though treating brain damage and restoring neural functions to spinal injuries is a more immediate goal. He is part of the project that linked a blind man's brain to a camera, allowing him to drive and seeks to expand the concept to linking a severed spinal cord by mapping each end to a computer chip, then linking the neural pathways through a computer.
Personality/Motivation: Marcus is quiet and shy in social situations, assertive and confident in academic settings. He is polite, but rarely initiates a conversation - and when he does it's usually about math, research or an assignment. He is accustomed to interacting with people as either authority figures (teachers) or fellow students in the persuit of knowledge. He's been in advanced classes since grade school and has always been the youngest and/or smallest person in class. This has left him socially awkward, and prevented him from bonding with people and developing close friends. In his college classes he's among intellectual peers, but he's a teenager working with grad students - while he's able to interact with them on an intellectual level, he's still isolated both socially and emotionally.
Having been in one educational system or another for the vast majority of his life, Marcus is organized in nearly every aspect of his life to a nearly fanatical degree. He prefers "aware of the details that make up the big picture" to anal retentive, but both are accurate. He is precise, methodical and explores (or at least considers) every possibility and eventuality before committing to action. He is neat and organized, clean and well-groomed. In conversation, he never uses contractions or dangling participles. He is strong-willed and driven to succeed, as the only positive reinforcement he receives is when he excells in academics.
Likewise, he's never had a steady girlfriend. His apparent maturity appealed to girls during high school, but that same maturity prevented him from being able to relate to their priorities. He's been on dates and social events and is a good dancing partner, but has never progressed beyond a chaste goodnight kiss.
Marcus also suffers from ultraradian bipolar disorder. Without medication he experiences cycles of hyperactivity, mania and severe depression every few weeks. He is actuely aware of his potentially self-destructive behavior, and avoids mood- and awareness-altering substances. This abstinence puts him at odds with his parents in the rare times they are together.
Quote: "Excuse me, Sarah? If you are not doing anything this Friday night, would you care to come over to my apartment and work out the inversion matrices for the carbon polymer hydrofluoric acid reactions? I think the reference made a mistake and I would like to check their calculations."
"I do not believe I am better than you. It is simply that I have successfully analyzed the situation, and you have not. It is not arrogance to be right?"
"My word. I believe we have a situation. Would you hand me the flamethrower?"
Powers/Tactics: Children are cruel to their peers who stand out, and Marcus has had to deal with bullies most of his life. While he is no expert, he is capable of defending himself from a drunk football player or two.
Marcus is aware that a healthy body is more enjoyable than a weak, overweight one, and long ago chose running as his sport - a respectable sport that has no teamwork whatsoever. While not exceptionally fast, he is an accomplished marathon runner. Part of his upbringing was formal dancing, and during one of his college attempts to fit in he expanded this to more modern, athletic styles. He rationalizes his pleasure in this raw physical activity as merely part of his exercise program.
Campaign Use: Private desires, hopes, and dreams: Marcus is, as most teenagers, a contradiction in many ways. He is proud of his abilities and achievements, but desperately wants to be normal and fit in - with his classmates, with his co-workers, with girls, with society in general. He wants to be part of a lasting, loving and family-oriented relationship, yet he knows his bipolar disorder is genetic and he doesn't want to inflict it upon anyone else (the concept of a loving family through adoption hasn't yet made it through his concept of the ideal family). He's also 17, a certified genius, a college graduate and a prime candidate for a "looking for his place in the world" award.
One of the major internal conflicts is the fact that he knows he is better than others, yet he wants to fit in. He is perhaps arrogantly aware that he's smarter, more focussed and driven to succeed than people around him. He enjoys all that and takes pleasure in the challenges he faces, and he very much doesn't want to give up any of that.
On the other hand, he's been isolated and on the outside looking in at girlfriends, wives, lovers and conpanionship all his life. He desperately wants to be part of a stable, long-term loving relationship, to be accepted and trusted and relied upon to help when things get rough. While he doesn't really care about being a BMOC or having fame and general recognition, he wants to be seen as a regular guy - someone with whom you can talk, shoot the shit and discuss last night's football game. He wants to be able to walk down the hall and not have stares and whispers follow him.
Marcus knows his brains separate him from the masses, and that in order to find general acceptance he'd have to give up the intelligence that grants him so many opportunities. He knows he's special and enjoys the respect, the freedom and the research/exploration into uncharted technology that comes with his intellect, yet he also knows that it's the same smartness that will forever set him apart from others.
In short, he's going through teen angst and needs to get over himself.
Appearance: Marcus is 5-foot-11 and a mere 145 pounds, with a runner's build and an easy grace that is sometimes interrupted by his being an awkward 17-year-old growing into his final dimensions. This is more common when he's trying to be social or talk to a girl outside of an academic setting. He has dark brown eyes and hair, which he trims neatly in a business cut. His beard is coming in slowly and in patches, forcing him to shave. There is rarely a smile on his face, which is more commonly looking at a classmate in thinly-veiled disbelief as he is forced to hear yet another foolishly inept analysis.
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