Onyx

Background/History:

After graduating from Brooklyn College with a degree in geology, Peter Phillips went to work for a leading petrochemical company in Manhattan. His employers sent him all over the country to investigate potential new drilling sites. On one such trip into the deserts of the American southwest, his review of the site turned up three interesting things. First, there was oil in some quantity under the site. Second, there was also uranium ore there, surprisingly only a few dozen feet below the surface. And third, the site was also an ancient burial ground. The company wanted to drill anyway, but Peter stood up to them. They responded by firing him and setting up drilling operations.

Whether it was the low-level radiation, or a blessing from the spirits of those buried at the site, or something else altogether, Peter discovered shortly thereafter that he had gained superpowers. Using his newfound control over earth and rock, he began a campaign of covert sabotage against his former employers' operations at the site. And it worked. Less than 90 days later, the company gave up their development plans, claiming that the potential rewards didn't justify the ever-increasing expenses.

Peter returned to New York and took a job in the geology department at one of the city's museums. He also started practicing with his new-found powers and ultimately began a second career as a superhero: Onyx, the Sentinel of the Stones!

Personality/Motivation:

Peter is young and idealistic. He's a crusader, standing up for the little guy against impossible odds and protecting the innocent from those who would harm them. He is very intelligent and has a great sense of personal and civic responsibility. He has the perfect mindset for a novice superhero.

But Peter is also a little naive and inexperienced. His enthusiasm sometimes gets the better of him, and he'll make impulsive decisions he'll later end up regretting. He is heroic at heart and won't hesitate to jump in and deal with a difficult situation, but he hasn't learned to start looking at the 'Big Picture' yet.

Peter also has some minor social issues. Essentially, he's a geek. He's not antisocial; he just feels much more comfortable with facts and figures than he does with people. He is starting to show signs of improvement, though--small signs of improvement. His biggest obstacle in this area is Ashley, the attractive blonde who works in the department office. She's nuts about him. But when she tries to flirt, he either misses it entirely or becomes so embarrassed that he feels the need to leave immediately before he makes a complete fool of himself (which he has, in fact, done on more than one occasion).

Quote:

"Eat rocks, villain!"

Powers/Tactics:

Onyx is primarily an energy projector. He has a number of ranged attacks and has become very good at using them at a distance. He'll frequently fight like a sniper, hanging back and picking off targets and long range. He'll typically open up with his standard blast, then move on to other attacks as the situation dictates. He rarely uses his Killing Attack, and then only against targets that can obviously withstand it.

It's important to note that all of Onyx's ranged attacks have stones as a special effect. Consequently, his attacks all effect PD, not ED.

Onyx has one other special ability: he can alter his own physical structure to take on the strength and durability of stone. In this state, he weighs about 3½ tons and has increased superhuman strength. He can't use any of his ranged attacks in this state, but the transformation makes him a formidable hand-to-hand combatant. It takes him a couple of seconds to change into or out of his stony form.

Appearance:

Peter is tallish, dark, and even handsome in an accidental sort of way. He has a solid, athletic build that belies his academic career and attitude. He dresses practically, favoring (not surprisingly) earth tones and other muted colors.

In uniform, Onyx wears sturdy black pants and boots. His top is a sleeveless, brown-red muscle shirt with two distinct lighter, V-shaped bands that span his chest. Over these bands is a large black "O". He also wears black gloves (like cyclists' gloves) and a black domino mask. When he activates his Density Increase, his skin appears to turn to white-banded black onyx stone.

Pictures:

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