Post by Alex Behrens on Nov 3, 2006 20:06:21 GMT -5
Name: Alex Behrens
Occupation: Apprentice Combustioneer
Nationality: New Yorker (Which is, in my opinion, a Nationality in itself)
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 184 lbs.
Age: 23
Hair Color: Light Brown
Eye Color: Deep blue
Appearance:
Alex, however, does not wear the metal shin guards, opting for a looser pair of black jeans instead. The trenchcoat and purple or blue shirt, however, remain.
Personality: Despite his rather volatile ability, Alex generally keeps a rather cool head about him. Life in Brooklyn has left him with a sense that he should always keep a low profile, lest he attract too much attention to himself, especially with powers like his. Thus, while Alex isn't quiet by nature, he tends to not do anything that would make him stand out in a crowd. He is, however, fairly sharp of mind and quick to action in times of need, and while he isn't much for long-term planning, his ability to think and act on the fly is unrivaled.
History: Alex's tale, at surface level, seems to be one of woe and sadness, but if you would ask him, he'd merely smirk and say he'd never know anything better.
Born from parents too young to care for him and too naive to do anything about it, Alex was kept for about a week as they tried their best to be good parents, but couldn't handle the strain. He became what America lovingly refers to as a 'Dumpster Baby'.
He was found, not long after his deposit into the trash receptacle, by a group of homeless people, three men and a woman, who had bound together, determined not to go quietly into that good night. Their lives may have been all but over, and would amount to nothing, but, together, they saw the light in the child, and decided to do whatever they could to give him a future. So, they took him, kept the name given to him on his birth certificate, also thrown away, and Alex grew up living the life of a bum.
His family were all beggars, standing on street corners with their signs of hope and desperation, and made what they could doing that, but Alex couldn't stand around all day. He was young, exuberant, and full of energy. Still, however, he understood the importance of making your way. Instead of playing, Alex learned how to steal. He'd quietly make his way around, picking the pockets of people who looked like they had more than they needed anyway, and performing silly parlor tricks and street-side shows for a slightly more legitimate business practice. With his inherent cuteness as a child and his quickly-developing skills at thievery, Alex started to bring back enough to his 'family' to allow them to keep making it, if only just barely.
During his teenage years, Alex was set upon by a group of troublemakers. Drunk college students, looking to mess with the bums. They picked a fight with Alex, shoving him around, shouting at him with slurred voices. Alex didn't try to fight back, knowing that the best way to keep out of trouble in Brooklyn was simply to not get into it when it comes your way. It wasn't until a broken beer bottle came into play, swinging towards Alex's head, that he lost his cool, and realized just what he could do.
His hand came up and snatched the bottle, holding it above both of their heads as his eyes narrowed in anger. All of the sudden, the bottle exploded in a flash of fire and smoke, shards of glass scattering out. Both Alex and his attacker suffered minor cuts, but the drunken aggressor also suffered a fright like he'd never experienced in his life before. He and his friends took off, afraid of Alex and what he could do. Alex blinked a few times, wiping the blood and glass from his face, unsure of what it was he had done, but knowing that, if he wanted to, he could probably do it again.
It was at that point, however, that Alex had unintentionally caught the attention of a few Tracers stationed in the area. They kept a watch on him, not interfering in his personal life, but watching each and every time he used his magic from that point on. During his 23rd year of life, they finally decided that he had become mature enough to handle the change, and approached him, offering him a home and a chance to further understand his talents at Arcane Academy. After a long night of pondering, and leaving all of the money he had ever acquired with his family of bums, Alex finally agreed, and has since been whisked off to that island in the sky.
Style: Combustion Magic. Alex doesn't know the true meaning nor logic behind his abilities, but the truth is that, using a mix of elementalism and alchemy, Alex changes the structure of things on a molecular level, replacing certain types of atoms with others in order to cause a chemical reaction resulting in an explosion. Alex does not need to be touching an object in order to make this reaction, but the distance he can be from something will start out as relatively short, with potential to grow.
It should be noted, however, that while this IS the technical description of his power, Alex has absolutely no grasp of the logic behind it. In short, all he really knows is that he makes things go boom with his mind.
In combat, Alex fights with a raw, uncultured version of martial arts, which simply plays upon his strengths as an agile person. When needed, he also infuses his magical abilities into the mix, usually preferring a fake-out approach to fighting instead of a straight explosion spree. Using his different explosion techniques, Alex tries to keep his opponent guessing as to just how the next Boom is going to come.
Strengths: Life as a pick-pocket and sidewalk entertainer left Alex with unparallelled dexterity. While he's not any stronger than someone of his height/weight ratio would generally be, Alex's manual dexterity, both in his hands and feet, is quite advanced. In short, he's nimble and he's fast. Also, his ability to think on the fly is a great addition to any team, helping to keep things moving when sudden snags come along. Another strength to note is the versatility of his power, which has many more possible and practical uses than simply in combat.
Weaknesses: Alex's life forced him to live day-by-day, and as such, he has little to no mental capability when it comes to long-term commitments. He couldn't plan out a day to save his life, and when in a situation where he has to, he simply breaks down.
Physically, he hasn't spectacular physical strength, and must resort to weapons or critical blows when in combat in order to cause any kind of damage.
Magically, Alex's powers are fairly limited in scope, and aside from making things explode, there's little else he can do, and has a very low capacity to learn or understand much else.
Spell List:
Fireworks: Alex can make the air around him explode for a certain distance. This will cause a small explosion in the area of his choosing, the size of which would depend on how much energy he was willing to expend. At current level, Alex cannot make a remote detonation in an area past six feet in any direction from him.
Time Bomb: Alex has to touch the object to perform a change this complicated. A fairly self-explanatory spell, the object Alex performs it on will explode within a set amount of time, again, the longer the time limit, the more energy expended in doing so. As Alex grows in strength, the energy expenditure will lessen, allowing him to give his items longer 'fuses'.
Grenade: Much like Time bomb, Alex touches an object and gives it explosive capability. Then, whenever the object is jostled violently, such as a hard shake, or, most usually, when it hits the ground from a fall, it will explode. This is a static ability, and does not grow in power as Alex does.
Remote Detonation/'Skeet Shooting': Using this ability, Alex can make objects explode without touching them. The explosion is instantaneous, and the size of the explosion would depend on the size of the item. Like Fireworks, this ability starts with a six foot range, but will grow in range as Alex grows in ability.
Blind: More of a trick based on the Fireworks skill than a spell all it's own, Alex causes a tiny explosion right in front of an opponent's eyes. The damage would be minimal, but the sudden flash will cause temporary blindness and dizziness for a short time. This ability is static, and will remain at the same strength regardless of how powerful Alex becomes.
Weapons/Gear: Alex keeps a telescoping staff with him many a time which starts at about a foot and a half long and extends to a full six feet, and also has a regular, six-foot long wooden bo staff as well.
Items: None as of yet.
Note: Alex is left handed, but more importantly, is generally unaccustomed to living anywhere but the streets of Brooklyn, and as such has a slight case of neuroticism, especially when it comes to sleeping in a bed instead of wherever he can scrounge together cover for the night.
STATS
STR: 10
DEX: 15
END: 10
INT: 5
WIS: 15
NRG: 10
(Author's Note: Just so it's known, my character wasn't intended as a rip of Jubilee and Gambit from the X-men, I promise. However, after noting the similarites, I decided to pay homage to it by using Gambit as my appearance.)
Occupation: Apprentice Combustioneer
Nationality: New Yorker (Which is, in my opinion, a Nationality in itself)
Height: 6'3"
Weight: 184 lbs.
Age: 23
Hair Color: Light Brown
Eye Color: Deep blue
Appearance:
Alex, however, does not wear the metal shin guards, opting for a looser pair of black jeans instead. The trenchcoat and purple or blue shirt, however, remain.
Personality: Despite his rather volatile ability, Alex generally keeps a rather cool head about him. Life in Brooklyn has left him with a sense that he should always keep a low profile, lest he attract too much attention to himself, especially with powers like his. Thus, while Alex isn't quiet by nature, he tends to not do anything that would make him stand out in a crowd. He is, however, fairly sharp of mind and quick to action in times of need, and while he isn't much for long-term planning, his ability to think and act on the fly is unrivaled.
History: Alex's tale, at surface level, seems to be one of woe and sadness, but if you would ask him, he'd merely smirk and say he'd never know anything better.
Born from parents too young to care for him and too naive to do anything about it, Alex was kept for about a week as they tried their best to be good parents, but couldn't handle the strain. He became what America lovingly refers to as a 'Dumpster Baby'.
He was found, not long after his deposit into the trash receptacle, by a group of homeless people, three men and a woman, who had bound together, determined not to go quietly into that good night. Their lives may have been all but over, and would amount to nothing, but, together, they saw the light in the child, and decided to do whatever they could to give him a future. So, they took him, kept the name given to him on his birth certificate, also thrown away, and Alex grew up living the life of a bum.
His family were all beggars, standing on street corners with their signs of hope and desperation, and made what they could doing that, but Alex couldn't stand around all day. He was young, exuberant, and full of energy. Still, however, he understood the importance of making your way. Instead of playing, Alex learned how to steal. He'd quietly make his way around, picking the pockets of people who looked like they had more than they needed anyway, and performing silly parlor tricks and street-side shows for a slightly more legitimate business practice. With his inherent cuteness as a child and his quickly-developing skills at thievery, Alex started to bring back enough to his 'family' to allow them to keep making it, if only just barely.
During his teenage years, Alex was set upon by a group of troublemakers. Drunk college students, looking to mess with the bums. They picked a fight with Alex, shoving him around, shouting at him with slurred voices. Alex didn't try to fight back, knowing that the best way to keep out of trouble in Brooklyn was simply to not get into it when it comes your way. It wasn't until a broken beer bottle came into play, swinging towards Alex's head, that he lost his cool, and realized just what he could do.
His hand came up and snatched the bottle, holding it above both of their heads as his eyes narrowed in anger. All of the sudden, the bottle exploded in a flash of fire and smoke, shards of glass scattering out. Both Alex and his attacker suffered minor cuts, but the drunken aggressor also suffered a fright like he'd never experienced in his life before. He and his friends took off, afraid of Alex and what he could do. Alex blinked a few times, wiping the blood and glass from his face, unsure of what it was he had done, but knowing that, if he wanted to, he could probably do it again.
It was at that point, however, that Alex had unintentionally caught the attention of a few Tracers stationed in the area. They kept a watch on him, not interfering in his personal life, but watching each and every time he used his magic from that point on. During his 23rd year of life, they finally decided that he had become mature enough to handle the change, and approached him, offering him a home and a chance to further understand his talents at Arcane Academy. After a long night of pondering, and leaving all of the money he had ever acquired with his family of bums, Alex finally agreed, and has since been whisked off to that island in the sky.
Style: Combustion Magic. Alex doesn't know the true meaning nor logic behind his abilities, but the truth is that, using a mix of elementalism and alchemy, Alex changes the structure of things on a molecular level, replacing certain types of atoms with others in order to cause a chemical reaction resulting in an explosion. Alex does not need to be touching an object in order to make this reaction, but the distance he can be from something will start out as relatively short, with potential to grow.
It should be noted, however, that while this IS the technical description of his power, Alex has absolutely no grasp of the logic behind it. In short, all he really knows is that he makes things go boom with his mind.
In combat, Alex fights with a raw, uncultured version of martial arts, which simply plays upon his strengths as an agile person. When needed, he also infuses his magical abilities into the mix, usually preferring a fake-out approach to fighting instead of a straight explosion spree. Using his different explosion techniques, Alex tries to keep his opponent guessing as to just how the next Boom is going to come.
Strengths: Life as a pick-pocket and sidewalk entertainer left Alex with unparallelled dexterity. While he's not any stronger than someone of his height/weight ratio would generally be, Alex's manual dexterity, both in his hands and feet, is quite advanced. In short, he's nimble and he's fast. Also, his ability to think on the fly is a great addition to any team, helping to keep things moving when sudden snags come along. Another strength to note is the versatility of his power, which has many more possible and practical uses than simply in combat.
Weaknesses: Alex's life forced him to live day-by-day, and as such, he has little to no mental capability when it comes to long-term commitments. He couldn't plan out a day to save his life, and when in a situation where he has to, he simply breaks down.
Physically, he hasn't spectacular physical strength, and must resort to weapons or critical blows when in combat in order to cause any kind of damage.
Magically, Alex's powers are fairly limited in scope, and aside from making things explode, there's little else he can do, and has a very low capacity to learn or understand much else.
Spell List:
Fireworks: Alex can make the air around him explode for a certain distance. This will cause a small explosion in the area of his choosing, the size of which would depend on how much energy he was willing to expend. At current level, Alex cannot make a remote detonation in an area past six feet in any direction from him.
Time Bomb: Alex has to touch the object to perform a change this complicated. A fairly self-explanatory spell, the object Alex performs it on will explode within a set amount of time, again, the longer the time limit, the more energy expended in doing so. As Alex grows in strength, the energy expenditure will lessen, allowing him to give his items longer 'fuses'.
Grenade: Much like Time bomb, Alex touches an object and gives it explosive capability. Then, whenever the object is jostled violently, such as a hard shake, or, most usually, when it hits the ground from a fall, it will explode. This is a static ability, and does not grow in power as Alex does.
Remote Detonation/'Skeet Shooting': Using this ability, Alex can make objects explode without touching them. The explosion is instantaneous, and the size of the explosion would depend on the size of the item. Like Fireworks, this ability starts with a six foot range, but will grow in range as Alex grows in ability.
Blind: More of a trick based on the Fireworks skill than a spell all it's own, Alex causes a tiny explosion right in front of an opponent's eyes. The damage would be minimal, but the sudden flash will cause temporary blindness and dizziness for a short time. This ability is static, and will remain at the same strength regardless of how powerful Alex becomes.
Weapons/Gear: Alex keeps a telescoping staff with him many a time which starts at about a foot and a half long and extends to a full six feet, and also has a regular, six-foot long wooden bo staff as well.
Items: None as of yet.
Note: Alex is left handed, but more importantly, is generally unaccustomed to living anywhere but the streets of Brooklyn, and as such has a slight case of neuroticism, especially when it comes to sleeping in a bed instead of wherever he can scrounge together cover for the night.
STATS
STR: 10
DEX: 15
END: 10
INT: 5
WIS: 15
NRG: 10
(Author's Note: Just so it's known, my character wasn't intended as a rip of Jubilee and Gambit from the X-men, I promise. However, after noting the similarites, I decided to pay homage to it by using Gambit as my appearance.)
