Djinnborn Comics

Category Archive: Patrick

1. Superhero Development – Patrick 2

   March 18, 2011 1:33 pm 1 Comment

   Let’s talk about Patrick some more!

   Power Origins

   It’s a tried, but true concept in superhero fiction. The Brick House, the orphanage where Patrick was raised, was administering drugs to the children. The drugs eventually caused the development of superpowers. Patrick was the only child lucky (or unlucky) enough to become a telepath, which is a rarity in this superhero world.

   The other children will make appearances since Patrick still cares for most of them. I’ve been rolling random powersets using a variety of different lists so I can have a number of concepts to work with. I have a nice list of interesting concepts that I can pull from to design some of the kids. I figure Patrick looks out for about 5-7 children still, all in varying stages of super-development.

   Repercussions

   The destruction of the Brick House destroyed most of the records. Most of the staff and all the children were inside when the building burned. Not all the bodies were accounted for, but authorities declared all inhabitants dead.

   As a result, Patrick is legally dead. That’s why he’s working under the table.

   I figure he never tried to reclaim his identity because he knows that on some level what happened to him at the Brick House was bad, and he’d rather not be located by any of the orphanage’s sponsors. He was twelve when the orphanage burned, so he was old enough to remember much of his situation.

   The reasons for the drug testing could be anything. Maybe the sponsors were trying to create a breed of super-soldiers (like Fringe, Cloak and Dagger, or Weapon X). Or maybe they were just an unethical pharmaceuticals group that used orphaned children as their test subjects. Whatever the case, Patrick knows several children developed powers before him, and several of those went mad or died.

   Patrick-centric(k)

   So, Patrick’s got a lot of potential story arcs going for him. Brick House sponsors could resurface and learn who Patrick is. His kids, either at home or moved on, could get into trouble. Some might end up on the wrong side of the hero/villain scale. Patrick’s parents can emerge. They claimed financial inability to support a child and voluntarily gave up parental rights, then severed contact.

   He also has a personal hero-figure. This character can be toyed with for story purposes. Once Patrick takes on a more real super-hero lifestyle, he may even get to meet his idol.

   Also, when his avatar is summoned, his other telepathic powers are locked out. Moreover, when he reaches extreme emotional states, the avatars can spontaneously manifest and act on their own. Their actions are dictated by Patrick’s own instincts. It’s hard for me to explain. Essentially the avatar is still linked to Patrick’s mind, but it acts independently based on the emotion that it represents. Patrick has to track it down and re-absorb it into his psyche. This makes for a good short story arc.

   Wrap Up

   Well, there’s not much more to add right now. My next plan is to draft a few rough sketches of Patrick. I need to do a few roughs of Osoron, too. So I’ll try to do that over the next week or so.

   I’ll also make a few quick lists of other concepts that I’ll be working with later on in this development process.

   I also need to archive the comic and make this blog information more prominent.

   Anyway, looking forward to hearing your thoughts!

2. Superhero Development – Patrick 1

   March 15, 2011 11:29 am 6 Comments

   Let’s take a gear change and work on the first main character for my superhero comic!

   Meet Patrick Sanders!

   Patrick is a rarity in my superhero universe. He’s a telepath. Like all telepaths, he’s gifted with the power to read thoughts, communicate to other minds, and shield his mind against telepathic intrusion.

   Also like all telepaths, he has a unique telepathic skill that no other telepaths have.

   Patrick has phenomenal emotional control. He can’t control someone else’s emotions but he has control over his own. His control allows him to project his own emotions into a physical manifestation, an avatar. The avatars are psionic constructs that he can command. As an extension of his own mind, the avatars obey his telepathic commands.

   He also has some subconscious control over luck. It isn’t to where he can win the lottery, but his luck is enough to make the difference between a broken arm and a broken neck. Sometimes he’ll win a couple hundred dollars off a scratch card. Those of you that play Mage: The Awakening, he can produce effects like the Winds of Chance spell (Fate 1, I think).

   Background

   Patrick’s an orphan who grew up fending for himself in the underside of the city. His parents were poor and surrendered him to an orphanage called the Brick House. When he was about twelve years old, the Brick House burned down. Patrick’s powers manifested for the first time. An avatar sprang forth and saved him and several of his fellow orphans from the burning wreck.

   The children turned to Patrick, the oldest survivor, for leadership and Patrick accepted the mantle. In the beginning, they lived off whatever they could find and survived winter by squatting in abandoned buildings. Other children began to develop powers of their own, but most of them kept quiet to avoid being noticed by the system.

   Once Patrick was old enough, he got a job with people willing to pay cash under the table. The job was enough to help him give the kids a roof and a little bit of food. Life wasn’t easy, but it gradually grew better.

   Now Patrick’s in his early 20s and still does work. A few of the kids grew old enough to make their own ways. Some moved on from Patrick’s care to seek their own ways. Others are not quite old enough or confident enough to make that jump.

   Patrick has something of an everyman personality. He’s a natural leader sort, augmented by his telepathic powers. His emotion-based powers make him pretty even-tempered and level-headed and his luck-based powers have nurtured an optimistic personality. He is much more “half-full,” but hardened by the rigors of his lifestyle.

   In other words, he’s not a bouncy, cheerful type. He’s more of a calm, collected fellow who follows his instincts because things usually work out.

   He has two major complications right now. First, he has pyrophobia. Open flames larger than a gas stove burner cause anxiety at best and outright terror at worst. Even gas stove flames and candles make him nervous.

   Second, he has a responsibility toward “his” kids. He thinks of them more as younger brothers and sisters than sons and daughters but he’s hugely protective of them. Even though all the children have powers, many aren’t well-developed and the children are still vulnerable to many super-villains out there.

   Powers & Abilities

   Touched on this above, but to recap:

   • Telepathy: Patrick can communicate telepathically with living creatures. He can also sense surface thoughts and shield his own mind against telepathic intrusion. He can probe deeper than surface thoughts, but it is much harder for him than an average telepath.
   • Psychic Constructs: Patrick can project his emotion in the form of a psychic construct, which he calls an avatar. Each avatar is a reflection of his mind’s image of that emotion. His avatar of fear, for example, usually manifests as a creature of fire because of his pyrophobia. If Patrick experiences extreme emotion, an avatar can spontaneously manifest. If this happens, it might break free of Patrick’s control. This locks out Patrick’s ability to summon other avatars until he can absorb the loose avatar back into his mind.
   • Luck Manipulation: Patrick’s control over luck is more subconscious than conscious, but it affects his life in small ways. Good things tend to happen to him — or at least, he tends to escape with scrapes and bruises instead of broken bones. He considers himself very fortunate. His control is a little more conscious, but it’s tenuous at best.
   • Brawler: Patrick’s not a high-class physical combatant but he’s been through his share of scrapes, brawls, and tussles. He lives in a poorer district of the city, so even with his luck and his powers, life is not always safe. So he’s picked up a few brawling, dirty-fighting, and improvised-weapon skills. You never know when some thug’s going to try and kick your ass.

   The Rest

   Motivation for fighting: In recent years, Patrick’s taken to some vigilante work on the streets. He’ll stop muggers, protect the innocent, try and keep bystanders out of harm’s way. He wants to make the city safer for his kids.

   He also has a hero figure. It’s someone he’s never met, but is an important figure in the city. This figure doesn’t need to be a superhero. It could be a politician or philanthropist. Whoever this person is, his works have made a profound impact on Patrick’s life.

   Leadership Role: Right now, Patrick is slated to be the leader for my underground superhero team. My aim is to have an existing, mainstream team in the background. That team is the “main” hero group, sort of the Justice League or Avengers of the setting. Patrick and his folks are more like the Runaways, Young Avengers, or maybe even the Thunderbolts. In the bigger scheme, they’re seen more as a potent vigilante group than champions of justice. Patrick, with his natural talent, his telepathy, and his background raising a bunch of orphans make him a good choice for leadership.

   Avatar Designs: Patrick’s power is pretty flexible, but I think I’m going to stick with a few specific designs. Patrick uses some avatars more than others. I think a smaller portfolio of well-developed avatar designs will be better than a wider range of less-developed ideas.

   Power Origin: I am debating if it’s better to reveal the origin of his powers now or if it’d be best to wait. It’s not a big secret and something I think can be revealed (especially canny people probably caught onto it already). I will consider since there will be a few other posts on Patrick

   Anything else? Any questions, comments, concerns, issues, editorials?