♦ Skills: Damien knows some basic first aid thanks to a few improvised courses offered by those associated with the Guard. He's also in reasonably good shape, though he doesn't place an especially strong emphasis on working out, and is fairly handy with a toolbox due to the construction work he helped with following Gold Morning. Lastly, Damien is an exceptional cook, having picked up a fair amount of his parents' skills during his childhood.
♦ Classification: Shaker / Master
♦ Mechanics: At will, Damien can summon a translucent, purple orb from his body, with a diameter of around two feet. While easy to spot in daylight, the orb is silent and does not emit light. It's solid with a high coefficient of friction, though smooth to the touch. Damien can telekinetically control the orb, accelerating it at 1g in any direction up to a maximum speed of approximately 30 mph. Typically, he attacks by physically slamming the orb into objects or shoving enemies around with it. If he's careful, it's possible for him to restrain opponents by pinning them beneath the orb, although this is a bit tricky and risks injuring the target due to his power's nature. The ball's weight is hard to gauge, but it hits roughly as hard as an equivalently sized sphere of water, and it resists moving when struck by other attacks.
Damien's power has a second aspect to it that he tries to draw less attention to. Upon touching his orb, he can shift it into a different state; its color intensifies, and the light passing through it bends less than usual. In this state, the orb is half as fast, much lighter, and easier for enemies to deflect. A thrown shoe would be sufficient to knock it off course. However, upon making contact with another person, the orb will immediately be absorbed into their body. For roughly thirty seconds after, Damien will be unable to summon a new orb, but can issue vague commands to the person in the same way that he controls his orb. There's several limits to this ability: It's much easier to evade the ball in this state due to its limited maneuverability, it may be blocked by heavy armor or by certain powers, and if a parahuman is affected by the orb, it struggles to use all but the simplest of powers.
Damien's range varies somewhat, and is defined by his shard. The orb doesn't like going more than 300 feet away from him; it won't do so under ordinary circumstances. If Damien feels trapped, however, or if he feels like he's inevitably going to die or get hurt in a situation, his range will increase. He's not limited by line of sight, but his limited access to the orb's fuzzy senses make it tricky for him to use his power reliably when he can't see it. (His shard can see just fine--it's excellent at parsing the sensory input, even though Damien is bad at it--but it doesn't have as many qualms about collateral damage as Damien does, which can be dangerous if Damien doesn't know exactly what it's attacking.)
His orb is durable enough that most conventional weapons can't damage it. However, powerful attacks may shatter it. If this happens, Damien will instantly lose control over the shards and be forced to spend roughly thirty seconds generating a new orb. The shards do not disappear over time, so tinkers may find various uses for the material. Damien cannot voluntarily relinquish control over his orb and generate a new one.
♦ Additional notes on Damien's shard:Damien's power is somewhat unusual in that he's not fully in charge of the orb's movements. Instead, he mentally tells the orb what he wants it to do ("ram this person", "stay between me and that enemy", "float around me in a square", etc.), and his passenger interprets what he's asking for and acts on it. On one hand, his shard is much better at using his power intuitively than he'd ever be, giving him a respectable amount of fine control. On the other, this means that an alien supercomputer that only
mostly wants what Damien wants is in charge. It'll almost always listen to Damien and is excellent at reading his intentions, but it still has a mind of its own. For instance, if Damien lets it act entirely of its own volition during a fight, it might head off on its own and start attacking whatever targets it finds the most interesting--possibly including teammates and civilians.
Compared to most other shards, Damien's shard is almost hyperactive. It
really likes being used, and it often tries to act on its own if Damien isn't actively reining it in. If he's angry out of costume, it'll try to emerge from his body, forcing him to consciously tell it to back down. Sometimes it'll 'nudge' him gently when he's bored, or poke him less gently if he's feeling guilty about not being out on the streets helping. Damien's learned over the past year that he needs to devote constant attention to his power when out on patrol or in a stressful situation, or it's liable to cause an accident. In return, however, Damien's power rewards his for using it: The more conflict he gets into, the stronger his power becomes. (Increased cooperation, slightly faster acceleration, slightly longer control duration, etc.) The difference is small under ordinary circumstances, but it increases as the magnitude and frequency of the conflict increase. By now, Damien is fully aware of this pattern, and is reasonably certain that his power is alive in some way even though he can't communicate with it directly.
♦ Equipment:- An earpiece to keep in contact with his teammates.
- A handful of zip-ties.
- A pocket containing some first aid supplies, primarily intended for severe injuries.
- A harness that he can attach to his orb to carry objects, particularly people. It's lightweight and easy to carry, consisting mostly of fabric straps.
- Two foam pads that can attach to his orb to help cushion impacts when he doesn't want to hurt someone. Damien has noticed that his orb becomes slightly harder to control while using them.
- A five-piece, bullet-resistant ring that he can attach to his orb, turning it into a four-foot-diameter shield. It takes him around twenty seconds to apply it, possibly fifteen if he's rushing and doesn't make any mistakes. Damien generally carries it on his back.
- And lastly, his costume, which is tough enough to resist small-caliber firearms and mitigate the force of weaker attacks.
Note: Damien's orb can still be absorbed into people while using the above gear, but with a few caveats. Firstly, the gear will fall off upon absorption and must be reattached. Secondly, the ball itself must still make contact with the target; the straps and pads will block the power. Lastly, the second state is effectively useless with the shield attached due to the shield's weight.
