Difference between revisions of "Snake Oil (Dark Champions - New Venice)"
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'''Background:''' | '''Background:''' | ||
| − | Benson Reed was born and raised in Free Town, New Venice. He grew up on an agricultural plantation inherited from | + | Benson Reed was born and raised in Free Town, New Venice. He grew up on an agricultural plantation inherited by a group of freed slave families from Henri Dubouis, a prominent, abolitionist philanthropist, who willed the property to their community as a "new beginning for a new age". The families have largely intermarried over the years forming a sort of tribe. |
| − | Benson had little formal education growing up, but rather received hands-on instruction in agricultural trade skills from an early age. | + | Benson had little formal education growing up, but rather received hands-on instruction in agricultural trade skills from an early age. Beatrice Reed, the unofficial "tribal" matriarch and his aunt, judged during his adolescence that due to his slight frame and curious nature he would be best suited specializing in the traditionally female role of gardening. As a result, he was unpopular with boys his own age, and spent most of whatever free time he had embracing his special role in private study even to the point of expanding his niche to herbal medicine and soil science, much to the benefit of his extended family. |
| − | From his time in public libraries he developed and implemented plans for farming earth worms, managing and selling decomposition, irrigation, crop cycling, and whatever else his eager, thriving green thumb could find to do. His contributions greatly improved harvest sales profits, all of which | + | From his time in public libraries he developed and implemented plans for farming earth worms, managing and selling decomposition, irrigation, crop cycling, and whatever else his eager, thriving, green thumb could find to do. His contributions greatly improved harvest sales profits, all of which funneled into the community fund operated by the matriarch based on need, so much so his plantation and tribe became the "go-to" for all matters agricultural. In turn, they became the wealthiest and most influential in the area, even unto becoming a sort of unofficial, representative, local government. Throughout all this, Benson neither earned nor wanted a single ounce of recognition, preferring the tomes of his recorded findings and his earthworms to politics or actual human company. |
| − | In early adulthood he | + | In early adulthood he befriended Min Tzo, an equally shy, local, Chinese girl, whose immigrant family had also been greatly reduced to physical labor. His exposure to Chinese culture through her, and his shy romantic interest led him to expand his medical repertoire, which then consisted of only herbal medicine, to include the pseudo-sciences of acupuncture, massage therapy, and chiropracty. His admiration for the reserved Asian culture was such that Min's brother Jun So, even instructed him in the basic arts of Tai-Chi to "better protect his little sister". |
| − | + | Benson's romance never reached fruition, when Min So was married away to a wealthy, inner city family of bureaucrats in her early twenties, "for the welfare of her family." He maintained his relationship with Jun, in part, out of an obvious pretense for occasional updates on Min, the "prettiest flower" he had ever known. | |
| − | Further tragedy struck when his father was killed and his mother blinded over-exposure to an experimental crop insecticide issued by a agricultural subsidiary of Viper Security Consultation. Benson became even more withdrawn spending more and more time in seclusion | + | Further tragedy struck when his father was killed and his mother blinded by over-exposure to an experimental, crop insecticide issued by a agricultural subsidiary of Viper Security Consultation. Benson became even more withdrawn, spending more and more time in seclusion within his green house. Trusted with the sole responsibility of caring for his blind mother, he "adopted" Tamara, his cousin, exchanging her living expenses for her tending to his mother's needs. |
| − | The Needle originally began as an alter ego for Benson, allowing him the feeling of compensation for his perceived failure in the protection of his mother, father, and | + | "The Needle" originally began as an alter ego for Benson, allowing him the feeling of compensation for his perceived failure in the protection of his mother, father, and the object of his affection. He would dress in costume and patrol the byways of Free Town, presumably protecting it from the cruelties of his experience. He never thought he would actually have to act as a guardian. A similar incident of the experimental insecticide in a more prominent neighborhood resulted in its being recalled. One night on patrol he discovered Viper employees illegally disposing of the failed product in a marsh on the outskirts of Free Town. Finding an outlet for his rage, and projecting his personal injuries onto the mercenaries, Benson "The Needle" Reed gave the employees a taste of their own poison, literally. Their bodies were never discovered and the incident was never spoken of due to its nefarious nature. It was written off as an accident. Remorseless and liberated from a feeling of helplessness, Benson sought out new opportunities to fulfill his self-proclaimed mandate of "keeping Free Town free" as "The Needle". |
'''Appearance:''' | '''Appearance:''' | ||
Revision as of 10:32, 15 December 2010
The Needle
Background:
Benson Reed was born and raised in Free Town, New Venice. He grew up on an agricultural plantation inherited by a group of freed slave families from Henri Dubouis, a prominent, abolitionist philanthropist, who willed the property to their community as a "new beginning for a new age". The families have largely intermarried over the years forming a sort of tribe.
Benson had little formal education growing up, but rather received hands-on instruction in agricultural trade skills from an early age. Beatrice Reed, the unofficial "tribal" matriarch and his aunt, judged during his adolescence that due to his slight frame and curious nature he would be best suited specializing in the traditionally female role of gardening. As a result, he was unpopular with boys his own age, and spent most of whatever free time he had embracing his special role in private study even to the point of expanding his niche to herbal medicine and soil science, much to the benefit of his extended family.
From his time in public libraries he developed and implemented plans for farming earth worms, managing and selling decomposition, irrigation, crop cycling, and whatever else his eager, thriving, green thumb could find to do. His contributions greatly improved harvest sales profits, all of which funneled into the community fund operated by the matriarch based on need, so much so his plantation and tribe became the "go-to" for all matters agricultural. In turn, they became the wealthiest and most influential in the area, even unto becoming a sort of unofficial, representative, local government. Throughout all this, Benson neither earned nor wanted a single ounce of recognition, preferring the tomes of his recorded findings and his earthworms to politics or actual human company.
In early adulthood he befriended Min Tzo, an equally shy, local, Chinese girl, whose immigrant family had also been greatly reduced to physical labor. His exposure to Chinese culture through her, and his shy romantic interest led him to expand his medical repertoire, which then consisted of only herbal medicine, to include the pseudo-sciences of acupuncture, massage therapy, and chiropracty. His admiration for the reserved Asian culture was such that Min's brother Jun So, even instructed him in the basic arts of Tai-Chi to "better protect his little sister".
Benson's romance never reached fruition, when Min So was married away to a wealthy, inner city family of bureaucrats in her early twenties, "for the welfare of her family." He maintained his relationship with Jun, in part, out of an obvious pretense for occasional updates on Min, the "prettiest flower" he had ever known.
Further tragedy struck when his father was killed and his mother blinded by over-exposure to an experimental, crop insecticide issued by a agricultural subsidiary of Viper Security Consultation. Benson became even more withdrawn, spending more and more time in seclusion within his green house. Trusted with the sole responsibility of caring for his blind mother, he "adopted" Tamara, his cousin, exchanging her living expenses for her tending to his mother's needs.
"The Needle" originally began as an alter ego for Benson, allowing him the feeling of compensation for his perceived failure in the protection of his mother, father, and the object of his affection. He would dress in costume and patrol the byways of Free Town, presumably protecting it from the cruelties of his experience. He never thought he would actually have to act as a guardian. A similar incident of the experimental insecticide in a more prominent neighborhood resulted in its being recalled. One night on patrol he discovered Viper employees illegally disposing of the failed product in a marsh on the outskirts of Free Town. Finding an outlet for his rage, and projecting his personal injuries onto the mercenaries, Benson "The Needle" Reed gave the employees a taste of their own poison, literally. Their bodies were never discovered and the incident was never spoken of due to its nefarious nature. It was written off as an accident. Remorseless and liberated from a feeling of helplessness, Benson sought out new opportunities to fulfill his self-proclaimed mandate of "keeping Free Town free" as "The Needle".
Appearance:
20STR 10
15DEX 10
20CON 10
9BODY -1
18INT 8
20EGO 10
10PRE 0
4OCV 5
4DCV 5
6MOCV 9
6MDCV: 9
14PD 12
14ED 12
3SPD 10
8REC 4
40END 4
30STUN 5
10BODY 0
RUN 12m 0
SWIM 4m 0
LEAP 4m 0
Boosted Stastics
INT +5 4 Takes something that makes him smarter
STR +10 8 Takes something that makes him stronger
Powers
Mutipower IIF 44 Herbal Skills
Drain any one stat +1/2 4
Healing 5d6 4 Healin self or others
EB NND 5d6 4 Acupucture attack Thrown needle
EB NND 2d6 5 Knockout Gas that lingers
Mental entanglement 3d6 4 Paralysis
Blinding 4
Mind Control 10d6 4 Truth Drugs
Aid any one stat 3d6 4 Can boost any one attribute on anyone for about 10 mintues (one average quadruples performance)
fades 1 piont/1 muintues
Aid any one stat 1d6 4 Can boost any one attribute on anyone for sever hours (on average improves performance 50%)
fades 1 piont/1 hour
Minor transform 4 Change cosmetic appearence
Life support 4 Supressess vital signs
Skills
Danger sense (Targeting) 20 Intution/lateral thinking makes him aware of any danger
Survial 5 Knows what is edible and inedible
Psuedo-Science 3
Forensic Medicine 10
Herbal Lore 5
Interrogation 3
Herbal Skills +5 15
Luck 3d6 15
Total 299
Disavantages
Superstious 15
Depence on herbal teas 10
Secret identity 15
