Challenger

Origin:

For the most part Bill Waring, the Challenger, is naught but a normal human being. His prowess comes from his incredibly focused training in the martial and scientific arts, though he does know secret nerve control techniques that grant him one seeming psionic power.

Known Powers:

Iron Will: a discipline Bill learned while studying abroad, this mental power allows him to temporarily shrug off physical damage. Possessing this power at Excellent (20) rank, he can easily dispense with most harm mundane criminals can inflict upon him for a short while.

Equipment:

Firearms: though he doesn't always carry one, Bill does have multiple hand guns that he can wield in a fight - particularly if he knows his foes are going to be similarly armed. He can fire these to inflict Typical (6) Shooting damage per deadly blast.

Swords: as is the case with his hand guns, Bill does not always carry a blade with him; it just depends if he thinks his foes may as well. He can wield this blade to inflict Edged Attack damage in melee, and cut through items of up to Incredible (40) m.s.

Quirks:

(none)

Talents:

Chemistry: one area Bill studied while abroad was the fine art of chemistry. He's learned how chemicals behave and how he can use these properties in the collection of evidence against evildoers - the better to destroy them with. His Rsn in chemical matters is +1 CS.

Criminology: supplementing his Law studies, this talent showcases Bill's obsession with criminals. He has extensively studied the criminal mind, and as such he can predict how such individuals will behave as though his Rsn score was +1 CS higher than is listed above.

Guns: Bill is a master marksman, ready and willing to fight villains with guns if necessary. If he must engage in ranged combat with a firearm, whether it be a standard, semi-automatic or fully automatic rifle or pistol, Bill does so at his Agy rank +1 CS.

Law: his original vocation, Bill was in college studying for his law degree when Fate touched his life. Though he has no official degree, his Rsn in legal matters should be considered +1 CS in rank, whether determining if an act is legal or not or when representing in court.

Martial Arts types A, B, C, D, and E: a master martial artist, Bill has worked hard to learn multiple fighting styles. He receives a +1 CS on all unarmed melee attacks, and a like bonus to Dodging, Escaping and Grappling maneuvers. But wait, there's more.

In addition to these benefits, Bill may inflict Slam or Stun results on a target regardless of his comparative Str or End scores, being able to ignore body armor as well after two rounds of studying his foe, and he receives a +1 to his initiative while he's making unarmed attacks.

Pilot / Air: another skill Bill thought would serve him well in his one man war against crime, this talent allows him to easily operate most 1940s era aircraft. Whenever making maneuvers in such craft, his Agy is treated as +1 CS - to the limit of the vehicle's Control rating.

Weapons Master: a part of his quest to learn the skills needed in his chosen vocation, Bill has learned how to wield any melee weapon with competence. As long as a weapon requires a Ftg roll to hit, Bill may wield it as though his own Ftg were +1 CS in rank.

Contacts:

For the most part, Bill was alone in his one-man Challenge against crime. He didn't work with other heroes, even when taking on entire teams of villains at once. However, he had numerous contacts of a Police bent that he could rely on for assistance - he works with them regularly.

Costume:

While active as the Challenger of criminals, Bill wore a gray, long sleeved shirt, a black and red cummerbund, skin tight gray trousers under gray trunks, purplish-gray boots, and a distinctive gray mask with a fighting harness on the skull and a star covering his nose and mouth.

Personality:

Bill Waring, the Challenger, is a clever and crafty fellow. Obsessed with his one-man war on crime, he spends every waking moment waging it - whether this involves maintaining his high skill level, consulting with the police on rough cases, or beating thugs into the pavement.

Real Name: Bill Waring
Occupation: adventurer, vigilante, records clerk
Legal Status: citizen of the United States with no known criminal record
Marital Status: unknown
Alias(es), if any: Master of a Thousand Weapons
Group Affiliation: none

Height: 6' 2"
Hair: red
Eyes: green
Weight: 250 lbs.
Other Distinguishing Characteristics: none

Story:

Back in the early thirties, Bill Waring was an average student of the Law, college bound and working hard to get his degree. Things took a turn for the worse in his life when his father was killed by the villainous Boss Dram, for having the gall to collect evidence of local corruption.

Becoming obsessed with not only making Dram pay, but becoming the scourge of criminals everywhere, Bill dropped out of school, disappeared, and began to walk the earth. On a quest for knowledge, he studied every discipline he could think of that would assist him in dealing with criminals.

Learning both scientific and martial knowledge, Bill became a master of chemistry, piloting, criminology, boxing, various martial arts disciplines, and learned how to competently wield just about any weapon, both of a melee and ranged variety. Ready in 1941, Bill returned to the States.

Working for a time as a simple records clerk, the man learned the ins and outs of city government, and gathered all the information he needed to know in order to bust Dram once and for all. Stalking the unaware Boss Dram, Bill killed the man to declare that his one man war on crime was on!

Making the authorities aware of his presence, intentions and identity, Bill then began to work with the police as they dealt with all manner of bizarre issues that confounded the average copper on the street. This began when the police needed help with the so-called Strangler.

This odd fellow, who posed as a cop for his own amusement, would become overwhelmed with homicidal mania upon seeing the full moon, and would kill left and right until it finally faded. Laying a series of traps for the mass murderer, Bill finally killed him himself with telephone wire.

Next, Bill had to deal with the Ape, a monstrous boxer who was tricked into crime by the mob. Helping them rob a bank, he was shot in the head when trying to escape, and the bullet drove him into an irrational, killing frenzy... one that could only be stopped by taking him down - permanently!

Perhaps one of Bill's most harrowing battles involved the League of Crime, consisting of Nails Swigman, master gunman, Crusher Collins, wrestler extraordinare, Pierre La Verne, master swordsman, and Remu the Great, a veritable super-psychologist and the group's criminal mastermind.

Other villains he's come into conflict with include Murdok the illusion-casting insurance fraud, and the Lizard, an ex-con who decided to embark on a bizarre archery scheme to get revenge against anyone and everyone that was 'foolish' enough to throw him into jail for a decade.

Bill Challenged these and many more villains over the course of the second World War, fighting crime domestically while other heroes were concentrating on international issues. Though a loner for the most part, everyone knew who he was, and that they could depend on him to deal with blight of crime!

Extra Goodies: