Overview[]
"We are part of this universe; we are
in this universe, but perhaps more
important than both of those facts,
is that the universe is in us."
William is not a man of great fame or renown, though some may know that he is a professor at Metro University. Those with more information may know that he serves as a political consultant to the office of the secretary of mutant affairs, Henry McCoy.
It is generally not known that he is an alien, native to the Astral Plane, who was exiled from his home, only to make a life for himself on Earth. However, he is openly registered with the BSA and licensed to operate as a "superhero."
Sheet[]
Character Sheet
Abilities: Power
Astral Manipulation: 9, Astral Travel: 5, Influence: 7, Intellect: 10, Physiology, Psychic Perception: 5, Telekinesis: 5, Telepathy: 7, Willpower: 8
Abilities: Skill
Athletics: 5, Knowledge: 6, Martial Arts: 4, Science: 8, Technology: 8, Weaponry: 5
Abilities: Tech
Armor: 6, Equipment, Vehicles
Advantages:
Contacts, Resources, Safe House
Flaws:
Astral Attunement, Astral Beacon, Chemical Weakness, Scorched Heart, Stubborn, Weirdness Magnet
Languages: An ability allows William Argent to comprehend all languages.
Abilities
Power: Astral Manipulation (9)
While some mentalists merely inhabit the Astral Plane, William has developed the ability to exert direct control over its energies. As readily as some can manipulate matter or energy in the physical world, William can affect the Astral Plane and alter it around those touching it or within it. This allows him to perform a variety of mental feats, such as shaping the appearance of the immediate psychic landscape or creating Astral "barriers" that can prohibit the use of psychic powers in particular ways within the Astral Plane.
For example, he could create localized astral barriers that would prevent someone from entering or leaving the Astral Plane, keeping them from utilizing Astral Projection; maze constructs that one would need to mentally navigate before they could move freely there; or create astral weaponry, execute astral attacks, and so forth. Effectively, this power functions quite like the energy manipulation of a Green Lantern's ring, save that it works only on the Astral Plane and the minds within it.
The stronger the link a mind has to the Astral Plane, the stronger the effect of this ability on that mind. As such, non-psychics in the physical world are no more inhibited by these constructs than they would be strands of cobwebs. However, these constructs are quite real to spirits or physical beings existing on the Astral Plane, such as psychics. Obviously, as with many psychic powers, this ability is heavily governed by player consent.
Power: Astral Travel (5)
Drawback: Because William physically enters the Astral Plane, unlike mentalists who only project their essences there, any damage he takes there will be reflected as physical trauma upon his return to the physical world.
William is able to actually, physically enter the Astral Plane. Unlike mere Astral projection, he is able to bring his body along for the ride. Distance there is merely a matter of perception, and he is quite adept at navigating this dimension. By traveling in this manner, William can create the appearance of teleportation. He can travel a number of miles instantly, farther over time. (The speed limitation is largely based on a perceived time differential created by Earth's collective unconscious, which affects the Astral Plane around the planet.)
If traveling to a place that he has been to many times before or if he has a strong "beacon" to guide him (such as someone he has a strong mental link to), he may be able to travel instantly across great distances. With additional concentration, he can bring a group of people or a measure of cargo along with him, but taking a group is far more draining than it is for him to travel alone.
To a completely "cold," unscouted location, William can teleport up to five miles instantly. To location he has astrally scouted but without a strong link to follow, 50 miles. To a location with a strong link to follow, 500 miles. When traveling farther than he can go instantly, for each point of Distance he must cover beyond the limit, he must add one point of Time to his travel duration. When carrying passengers or cargo, he must subtract one point of Distance from his instant travel range for each point of Volume he carries. His maximum Volume without a push effect is 5. (Reference: NEWS DISTANCE, NEWS TIME, NEWS VOLUME)
Power: Influence (7)
Range: Undefended minds are easily influenced within William's vicinity or within line-of-sight. Beyond that, with great exertion he can extend his ability to a mind or cluster of minds within the range of his clairsentience. This requires him to have a specific location or mind(s) to focus on.
Scope: Affecting between 1-10 minds is easy. A small crowd, up to 20-30 minds, is an effort. A large crowd of 50+ minds is a strain. Affecting 100+ minds requires a Push.
While the most fundamental aspect of telepathy might be reading minds, for William it goes hand-in-hand with exerting influence over them. From subtle suggestion to overt mental domination, this aspect of telepathy allows William to tell others' minds what to perceive and think. He can create telepathic projections or illusions, intricate and immersive for a small group, or comparatively simple for a large crowd--perhaps a single image or command. The emotions may also be affected, adjusting or implanting feelings in the same manner as images. Creating an emotion that is not already present is much more difficult, while enhancing or dampening an emotion that's already active is fairly simple.
Power: Intellect (10)
As is typical for one from his race, William's intelligence far exceed the limits of normal human minds. His capacity for cognition, calculation, memory, and technical ability extend beyond the realm of normal realty. This allows him to absorb information at great speed, as well as granting vastly enhanced memory and multitasking ability.
The minds of William's species are also adapted to understanding language. Like Tamaraneans, though without the need for touching, they instinctively understand language. This ability is an evolved adaptation based on their evolution on the Astral Plane.
As a further result of his brain and mental structure, William's thought patterns are much more intricate and complex than those of most other sentient minds. As a result of this, the job of affecting his mind, memory, or perceptions is much more difficult and complicated than it would be for even most highly intelligent minds.
Power: Physiology
Ratings: Regeneration [1], Stable Form [10], Genetic Adaptation
Many of William's abilities stem from his alien physiology. Because of his extradimensional nature, his mind is able to exist beyond the limitations of normal physical reality. In addition, he is able to draw on the energy of his native Astral Plane to fuel his various powers. His body has the capacity to genetically adapt, as his species takes physical form by copying genetic material from the worlds they visit. This is why William appears human, even to genetic scans.
Because his core essence exists beyond the physical plane, William can heal from nearly any injury, even regenerating his body from effective destruction, though this process could take weeks or months to complete (at the speed of Plot). To kill him permanently, one would need to eliminate his Astral essence. His nature renders him immune to being stripped of his powers or having his physical form altered against his will. This does not protect him from taking direct damage, however.
Power: Psychic Perception (5)
Range: Vivid awareness: immediate vicinity; clear awareness: line of sight; general awareness: within a few miles; beyond, limited to narrow focus or "visible" events.
Apart from reading thoughts, William also perceives psychic energies in a broader sense. This allows him to perceive the presence and location of intelligent minds, particularly those nearby. With greater focus, he can read auras, extend his perceptions over a great distance, or directly sense and interact with the Astral Plane itself. Narrowly focused, he concentrates on a single mental presence at a time and can perceive the "aura" the mind projects, which can reveal the identity and disposition of the mind. Broadly focused, he can sense the location of the minds around him, not unlike points of light in the darkness, but he must rely on a group profile rather than individual readings. He can pick out a group of alien, hostile, or other minds that share a common distinctive trait, but he cannot determine the specifics of individual identities this way.
William senses the physical world around him primarily in terms of form and shape. With greater focus, he can translate this into physical senses, such as sight, smell, touch, etc.; extend his perceptions over a great distance; or read the psychic imprints on nearby objects via psychometry. The most esoteric application of this power is William's talent for using it to detect elevated energies in other living creatures, such as the vast power held by many superhuman beings. That ability is limited to line of sight, it is not infallible, and not everyone is equally easy to "read."
Unfocused, his mind filters out the minutiae that might distract him. He tends to only sense clearly threatening or highly unusual objects, focused energy sources, sudden movements, etc. He picks up on things like hidden passages, illusions, and so forth. Narrowly focused, he orients on either a certain location or object. Broadly focused, he scans a large area for particular things or happenings. The more subtle or "quiet" a thing or event is, the more difficult it becomes to sense at a distance.
Power: Telekinesis (5)
William's influence over the physical plane is far less than his power on the Astral Plane. When it comes to "mind over matter," William can exert approximately five tons of kinetic force without strain. This ability can be used to manipulate, lift, shield, or apply force in any way he can imagine. Limited to range of perception, the power allows very fine precision if he concentrates fully. This power can be expanded via push effect, though doing so will leave him utterly exhausted afterward.
Power: Telepathy (7)
Range: William can reach unlinked minds at up to 250 miles with ease, interstate with effort, global with complete focus. Beyond this requires a Push effect due to the strain.
Scope: Close contact between 1-10 minds is easy. A small crowd, up to 20-30 minds, is an effort. A large crowd of 50+ minds is a strain. Reading or networking 100+ minds requires a Push.
As a telepath, William is capable of communicating with other minds, both by reading thoughts and projecting thoughts to them. He can also "network" minds together to allow free communication between them. These links can be temporary or indefinite, but they require his conscious awareness to maintain them. The number of minds involved affects the strength of the bond, though William can maintain contact between several people across the nation without strain. More members or greater distances increase strain, but familiar minds are much easier for him. Full, lasting mental links can also be established. These must be consensual, and they extend the range greatly while reducing the effort required, but these also make it much harder for William to shut out those within them.
In addition to reading surface thoughts, William can also look more deeply into the mind of the target, reading thought and memory. The difficulty depends on the target's willpower and psychic resistance. This power can be used on one target, giving detailed information, or many at once, which results in a generalized group profile. He can pick up surface thoughts or emotions from an undefended mind with ease. Empathy is an even more basic application of this power, allowing William to sense the emotions of others as he would their thoughts. He tends to feel emotions, like strong surface thoughts, without actively trying to sense them.
Power: Willpower (8)
Specialization: +2 against psychic effects. -2 against chemical effects.
As a result of his dimensionally enhanced consciousness, William has transcendent level willpower and mental defenses. In terms of mental stamina and resisting conventional means of influence or attack (including technological or psychic), his resolve is unfaltering. While he does not have "mental shields" such as telepaths often do, his strength of will and mental complexity allow him to filter out unwanted foreign thoughts and endure even potent mental attacks, be they of psychic, mystic, or other origin. Further, reading his thoughts is exceptionally difficult due to the structure of his mind, as noted in his Intellect ability.
Skill: Athletics (5)
William is in physical condition generally comparable to a professional athlete. His physique is He is proficient in all physical skill needed to pass muster -- such as climbing, tumbling, jumping, swimming, dodging, and so forth -- but he does not particularly stand out in this area.
Skill: Knowledge (6)
Having spent years intensely studying the Earth, its culture, and its history, William has adapted to life on this world quite effectively. He has a professional level of general academic knowledge, as well as a working understanding of history, culture, geography, and most other topics needed to integrate into society. He has paid particular attention to American politics and has extensive knowledge of superhuman rights and related matters concerning aliens, metahumans, mutants, etc.
Skill: Martial Arts (4)
William has rigorously studied theories of self-defense. In practice, he is rather more a skilled amateur, however. When it comes to performing focusing, meditative katas, he is extremely capable, but he lacks the experience to be a more advanced combatant. He is able to hold his own in a fight, though he prefers not to rely on martial prowess.
Skill: Science (8)
Specialization: +2 to xenology, parapsychology, and physics. -2 to Earth-based social sciences, zoology, and botany.
As William has, in addition to tremendous intelligence, an advanced expertise in science thanks to the exceptional mastery of his native people in this area. While he is not necessarily an expert on every subject known to science, given only a short time to prepare, he can educate himself on the field and operate reasonably within it. His particular specializations and limitations are noted below.
Skill: Technology (8)
Specialization: +2 to advanced technology (alien, futuristic, etc.). -2 to older technology (20th century and previous).
The advanced technology of William's native dimension grants him a noteworthy expertise in that realm. However, he has less knowledge of terrestrial technologies. He can construct and operate nearly anything within the realm of his own technology, which operates on transdimensional principles, but when it comes to more conventional technology, such as is found on Earth, he is much less experienced and knowledgeable.
Skill: Weaponry (5)
Specialization: +2 to advanced technological weapons. -2 to simple or ancient weapons.
This skill represents William's ability to use weaponry, particularly tech-based weapons. He is most proficient with weapons that have integrated targeting systems and other such advanced technological interfaces, but he is generally competent with most "point and shoot" weapons that are at least as sophisticated as a modern firearm. When it comes to ancient weapons, however, he is far less experienced.
Tech: Armor (6)
Stats: Strength 4; Toughness vs. Damage 6, vs. Environment 8
To offer defense against physical threats, William adapted an environmental protection suit into a set of power-armor. It houses an onboard computer more complex and powerful than most conventional mainframes, an advanced sensor and communications array, and sealed life support systems capable of maintaining oxygen, temperature, and pressure levels even in the most hostile environments for an indefinite period of time. Powered by William's transdimensional technology, it offers minor enhanced strength without significant loss of dexterity.
Tech: Equipment
This entry represents various technological contrivances that William has invented or carries on his person. These are not weapons, but they represent a variety of advanced technological tools that are common to superheroes and science fiction characters. These may include items such as communication and sensory equipment, portable computers and interface devices, tool kits, survival aids, or diversionary gadgets--the sort of thing one might find in a well-stocked utility belt.
Tech: Vehicles
The Seeker: Toughness 7; Atmospheric Speed 5, FTL-Capable; Weaponry 6
Jetbike: Toughness 6; Atmospheric Speed 3; Weaponry 5
William has designed himself a variety of vehicles. At present, for more local transportation he uses a "jetbike," a repulsor-powered hovercraft capable of small aircraft flight speeds and altitudes. For longer-distance transportation or if he needs to carry cargo or passengers, William built a shuttle-sized craft of more advanced design, The Seeker. It also serves as a capable spacecraft and can be safely operated underwater for an indefinite period.
Advantages
Advantage: Contacts
Upon arriving on Earth, William was briefly held in government custody. As a result of this, he was in contact with top officials, and he was persuaded to register with the Bureau of Superhuman Affairs. Fortunately, he found a benefactor among them who ensured that William would not be taken undue advantage of. Instead of becoming the puppet of a shadow government organization, William found himself made a political consultant on alien affairs. This grants him no particular authority, but it can be useful. He has also cultivated a number of contacts in the worlds of business and higher education.
Advantage: Resources
While William is cautious of bringing too much of his technology into the open, he has allowed himself the luxury of designing a few pieces of advanced technology and then selling the patents for profit. This, along with investing cautiously in technology markets, grants him a large enough income to live comfortably in the most expensive areas of Metropolis if he so chooses. Perhaps most notably, he has a tenured position as a professor of parapsychology at Metropolis University.
Advantage: Safe House
William has converted a series of caverns and abandoned mines into a high-tech safe house, which he calls The Sphere. It serves him as a home, laboratory, and sanctuary as needed. It is, of course, appointed with medical facilities, a media suite, living quarters, a highly advanced security and defense system, extensive active camouflage to mask it against external detection, and a self-maintaining, secure computer core with an artificial intelligence operating system.
Flaws
Flaw: Astral Attunement
William is highly attuned to Astral energies, which can have a strong impact on him. This means that when something affects the Astral Plane, it affects him. Any event that causes a sudden shock to, for example, the Astral Plane will impact him in much the same way. For example, if a large group of people were to suddenly die, he would feel it like a physical blow. The more people involved, the stronger the effect on him. In the case of large-sale violence, such as being in a war zone, where lives are being lost in large groups or in rapid succession, it would manifest as physical pain for him. If his mind is overwhelmed by these negative effects, he may be rendered unconscious for up to several hours.
Flaw: Astral Beacon
Because of his transdimensional nature, William resonates quite prominently with psychic and mystic senses. Essentially, any creature sensitive to auras, dimensional emanations, or the Astral Plane can sense or locate him with fair ease, particularly when he makes active use of his powers. When it comes to his effect on the paranormal senses, he might as well walk along with a flashing alert icon above his head. This is not harmful or unpleasant to sensitives, but it makes him easy for them to find.
Flaw: Chemical Weakness
As a side-effect of his alien physiology, all chemicals have a stronger effect on William than they do on a normal human. This goes for any chemical substance -- a mere cup of coffee would be enough to give him a potent caffeine high if he hadn't developed a bit of an immunity to it after over-using it a bit too much in his younger years to keep from having to sleep. He cannot easily process alcohol, though William has developed enough of a tolerance that he can imbibe a single serving every few hours without more than mildly unpleasant effects. Any more, though, and he would become violently ill. Otherwise, all chemicals affect William at effectively twice the effect they would have on a normal human of his fitness level.
Flaw: Scorched Heart
As an outcast from his own society, William has become accustomed to avoiding personal attachments. His sense of alienation and loss at being exiled have led him to distrust close relationships and to be cautious about deeper emotions. As a result, he has a cold side to his personality, and at times he can be brooding or emotionally detached. It takes a great deal for him to truly trust someone else.
Flaw: Stubborn
Given the struggles of William's life and his strength of will, he can be very stubborn. When he makes up his mind about something, he will follow the course almost obsessively, which makes him very difficult to deal with at times. When he and another strong will clash, the results are seldom pleasant for anyone involved. This also affects his willingness to ask for help. Confident in his powers and his ability to use them, William tends to be too certain of his own ability to handle things, such as tending to step into harm's way to protect others instead of allowing himself to be protected. He does not so much overestimate his ability as he believes any obstacle can be surmounted, and he seldom hesitates to try.
Flaw: Weirdness Magnet
Since passing through dimensions, William has picked up a strange and often inconvenient sort of personal magnetism. He seems almost to be a nexus for reality to bend weirdness around. In a crowd full of people, if something truly bizarre is going to happen to one of them, the odds are it will be William. He attracts strange happenings like a magnet does iron, and strange creatures seem to find him interesting. It does not seem to be strictly quantifiable for either purely scientific or mystical reasons, but the whole thing can be quite a damned nuisance.
Technology
William Argent/Technology
History[]
The man who calls himself William Argent was "born" in the distant reaches of the Astral Plane. The exact time of his birth is difficult to say because of relative time dilation between the realms, but November of 1975 is his best guess. He spent his formative years as a child-intelligence, an entity existing only on the Astral Plane and traveling it freely. His people, a collective of energy beings, eschewed contact with the physical world, something they believed they had evolved beyond many eons before. However, William remained very curious. As he matured, he became fascinated by the physical world, and he tapped into the astral race-memory of his people, learning how they were once able to take physical form. However, this was forbidden knowledge, and William was cast of their collective out for it.
Seeking a new home, William came to Earth--a hotbed of intense psychic energies, relative to many other locations, yet one that did not seem overtly dangerous to his mind--and there he spent the requisite months transitioning to physical form. It was a slow, painful process, but in time he had a body that seemed to him a good match for those of the humans around him. As he adapted to this new world, in time he found sought out by government agents. He might have become ensnared in a much more restricted life, but a kind mutant in a position of rare authority helped him, and William in turn became a consultant to his benefactor on matters concerning extraterrestrial life. The result of this encounter, though, was that William became registered with the BSA and found himself developing technology designed for "superheroic" use.
In his more mundane life, he had attended a great deal of schooling, and he worked as a professor of parapsychology at Metropolis University for his "day job." After all, he was an unusually skilled expert at all matters concerning the Astral Plane.
Logs[]
The following logs feature William Argent:
- 2015.03.18 - The Professor and the Freshman
- 2015.03.27 - Falling to Earth: The Arrival of Cir-El
- 2015.03.28 - Falling to Earth: Aftermath
- 2015.03.30 - The City In Hell: Descent
- 2015.04.12 - Nurses with Rayguns
News[]
The following news stories feature William Argent:
No news stories currently listed.
Associations[]
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The BSA The BSA is a government-run group with many roles to balance. Most famously, it regulates the activities of superheroes. The group also enters convicted superhuman criminals into its registry, much like certain other government organizations. Apart from its media-saturated image as the regulators of officially supported superhero activity and overseeing the handling of so-called "super-villains," the group is also dedicated to protecting the human rights and welfare of any superhumans--including those widely known as mutants and metahumans, as well as those with extraterrestrial genetics and other "genetically divergent" beings. |
link={{{link}}} |
Hank McCoy When William became entangled with the government as a very literal illegal alien, it was Hank McCoy who helped him navigate the quagmire of government bureaucracy and various enticing offers with dangerous strings attached. This earned William's trust and gratitude, and he now serves as a political consultant for Dr. McCoy. |
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Tyler Lux Tyler Lux is a child born of William's race. As such, William regards the boy as essentially family and has pledged to watch over him and see that he's taken care of. |
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Metro U William is a professor of parapsychology in Metropolis University's College of Metaphysics. |
Wanted[]
| William Argent's Wanted List |
