Roland Ritter

Name Roland Ritter AKA Black Knight Age 27 Affiliation NA "Day Job" EMT Status PC (Living) @PCs PC (PN)

AKA: Black Knight; Vigilante-Cop
Actor: Paul Francis, Ref: Tears of the Sun

Concept

Captain America ... in a Batsuit

Tropes

The Determinator; The Cowl; Returning War Vet; Super Soldier

Details

Super Abilities

Physical Enhancement

Thanks to the super soldier process that he went through, Roland's physical abilities are significantly greater than that of ordinary humans thanks to superior musculature. As a result, he is heavier than his physical appearance would indicate. In addition to his vastly improved strength and durability, he has demonstrated the capabilty to leap greater distances than would be normally possible. Finally, his night vision has been improved to the point that he can operate in almost complete darkness without difficulty.

Regeneration

While it is slow, Roland's healing has improved to the point that he actually regenerates from injuries. Notably, he must consume more calories than an average male of his height and build to fuel this ability.

Personality

Blah blah blah. (AKA Still figuring this out...)

Background

Early Life

Roland was born and raised in Knight City as a member of large family with extensive connections to law enforcement. His grandfather has been the police commissioner for most of his life, with all three of his sons (including Roland's father) serving as police officers. His mother was the district attorney and even Roland's uncle and two aunts were officers of the law so it was considered a fait accompli that he would follow in their footsteps. As the middle child - he has two older brothers, a younger brother and a younger sister - Roland was also the only sibling who took after his mother in appearance, being a brunette in a family of mostly blondes.

Family Tragedy

While Roland was a senior in high school, his father was killed in action during what should have been a routine investigation. Given that his father was the son of the police commissioner, the news media went overboard with their reporting and frequently ambushed the family. As Roland's two older brothers were already on the police force at the time, a considerable amount of focus fell on Roland as the next in line to join...

Which he had no desire to do.

Joining the Navy

SEAL Team 8, at the time of the Nigerian incident

Upon graduation from high school, Roland surprised everyone when he enlisted in the U.S. Navy, not as a master-at-arms or shore police but rather as a corpsman. During boot camp, he was offered an opportunity to enter BUD/S training like all other new recruits which he eagerly accepted. Soon after, he was officially accepted in actual SEAL training.

Following the completion of his training, he was assigned to SEAL Team 8 where he was promptly christened "Doc" by the rest of his team. For two years, he participated in various low intensity operations until the Nigerian Incident. Sent in to rescue an American doctor while the Nigerian government collapsed thanks to a coup, Team 8 ended up being effectively wiped out with only a handful surviving. Of those who did make it out, only Roland re-enlisted.

Project: Morituri

In the process of debrief and retraining, certain of his genetic markers are noted as a match for Project: Morituri, an ongoing super-soldier project run by the US Navy. (The US Army has a similiar one known as Project: Rebirth that dates back to the 40s.) Offered the opportunity to try out for this specialized unit, he leaps at the chance and is assigned to Team X following the enhancement procedure and an acclimitization period. He will be the last subject of the process as the primary scientist dies of congestive heart failure (although many suspect it to be an assassination.)

Over the next few years, Team X is deployed to various hotspots around the world, losing a few members along the way. Their final mission results in five members Team X are listed as KIA while on an op in the Middle East, although it remains unclear if they are actually deceased. This particular op is a complete catastrophe and ends up with a very high, very visible body count that spills over into Israel itself. At least a dozen Israeli civilians and twice that number of IDF are killed in an aborted near war with Syria. During this op, Roland meets and is wooed by Regina Ruben, a Mossad operative, who is attempting to gain information on Project: Morituri; she will later be ejected from Mossad for failing to effectively warn them of the super-soldiers and Roland will only discover that she was Mossad long after the fact.) After-action reports will place the blame on this failure on the deceased operatives and the Department of the Navy will officially dissolve Team X in the wake of this mess.

Returning to Knight City

Apart from Roland, all other surviving members of Team X were identified as suffering from extensive psychological problems believed to be connected to the enhancement process. Following an extensive debrief and monitoring period, he is allowed to exit the Navy, although he is required to frequently check in with a handler who does not hide the fact that the Navy is curious why he has not experienced the psychotic break that so many of his compatriots.

After a decade away, Roland returns to his home city and begins the process of becoming a licensed EMT. His choice of career continues to be something of a sore spot between him and his family - in his absence, his younger siblings have also joined the police force - but this is quickly overshadowed when his brother, Ray, is jumped by members of a gang while coming out of his apartment and beaten nearly to death. He is put into a coma. The official report is that this is a robbery gone wrong - Ray wasn't in uniform - and, through the police grapevine, the Ritter family learns that IA is also investigating this with the possible angle that Ray was dirty. Within a week, Roland catches wind of the gang responsible for Ray's status and shadows them to their turf. He then withdraws, scavenges a bunch of police tactical gear and returns to hit the gang hard, utilizing his combat training and super powers to seriously injure (but not kill) them. He's recorded in the act - while wearing the gear, so his identity is currently safe - which prompts a lot of people (responding LEOs included) to presume he's a rogue cop responsible for taking down this gang. It is, initially, not his intent to become a 'black knight' - this was supposed to be a one-off thing.

Supporting Cast

Sidekicks

• Ray Ritter: Younger brother and former police officer. Upon emerging from his coma, he discovers that he is paralyzed. He will become Roland's "mission control."
• Steve Steward: Best-friend and fellow EMT. He is aware that there is something going on with Roland but is currently unaware of exactly what.
• Jason Walters: Former best-friend from high school. Also former NFL player forced to leave following injury who is now furious at what his city has turned into.
• "The Raj": New friend who is tech monkey.

Social Network

• Richard Ritter IV: AKA "Dick." Oldest brother who is currently a captain (and thus the executive officer) of the district that Roland most frequently operates in. He obviously has his eyes on higher office and, as a result, is a better politician than police officer. Working on his second marriage (or rather, working on his second divorce.) Narrative: Intended to be antagonistic, and his trustworthiness or level of corruption is left up to the GM.
• Robbie Ritter: AKA "Robert" to his mom. Older brother & Organized Crime Detective. He's a jock, pure and simple, but plays up the obfuscating stupidity thing to fool people into thinking he's a complete idiot. Married but not happily and is having an affair with his partner (who is not only younger than him but also Roland's ex-girfriend from high school.) Narrative: He will eventually learn about Roland's secret identity and start covering/helping him while thinking he's keeping this from Shannon, his partner, who is doing the same thing.
• Rachel Ritter: Younger sister (and youngest of the family), she is a new policewoman who is operating as the probationary officer under Michael Fox. She loves being a cop (and is really good at it) but is overly dramatic with regards to Roland and consistently "blames" him for forcing her into this career. Narrative: Probably needs to be the very last member of the family to learn about Roland ... or the very first but keeps it a secret from even him.
• Shannon Squire: Former girlfriend of Roland from high school and current partner to Robbie. Is also sleeping with her married partner, even though she knows she shouldn't be. Probably conflicted with Roland's return. Narrative: She will eventually learn about Roland's secret identity and start covering/helping him while thinking she's keeping this from Robbie, her partner, who is doing the same thing.

Extras

Characters regularly interacted with, but usually off-screen.

• Rebecca Ritter: Roland's mother and District Attorney for Knight City. Leaving it open to GM about how cutthroat she is and whether she's evil, blackmailed or wholly a white hat.
• Richard Ritter, Jnr: Roland's grandfather and Police Commissioner for Knight City. Leaving it open to GM about how cutthroat he is and whether he's evil, blackmailed or wholly a white hat.

Turf

"The Cauldron," a combination of the communities of Beltway, Grayson Park, and Rogers Park, noted for its lawlessness and violence.

Other Notes

• His loft's address: 4318 W. Carroll Ave, which is in the very north part of West Grayson Park, which, according to this this page is one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Knight City. Despite the address, I'm actually envisioning the location more like the loft in Grimm, complete with Prohibition-era tunnel(s) to the future location of what could later become his "Batcave" equiv (once he decides to do this thing full-time.) I mostly envision him owning this location, having purchased it over the years while serving in the Navy, though given the Gotham-level of corruption and decline, I suspect the property value has nose-dived somewhat and his family will constantly be urging him to sell it & relocate to someplace safer. His response will inevitably be 'sell it to who?' (considering the property values) even though his adrenaline junkie tendencies likes the danger.
• There is a non-emergency EMS facility that's literally within walking distance from there - seriously, Freedom EMS (on W. Kinzie Street, which is considered the northern border of W. Grayson Park, is like 4-minutes away on foot - but I actually think the (very low-rated) West Suburban Medical Center at 3 Erie St., Oak Park, is probably a better fit. It's evidently about 2.6 to 2.7 miles away from where he lives and is on the very edge of the Oak Park neighborhood, right up against Beltway which we've established is high crime.
• Evidently, the 11th District is his local police precinct, though the 18th District is where the hospital falls in, so he'll probably deal with them a lot.

Traits (500 pts)

ST 19 [90]; DX 18 [160]; IQ 13 [60]; HT 16* [60].
Damage 2d-1/3d+1; BL 72 lb; HP 20 [2]; Will 13 [0]; Per 13 [0]; FP 16 [0].
Basic Speed 10.00 [30]; Basic Move 10 [0]; Dodge 14†.

Social Background

TL: 8 [0].
CF: Western (Native) [0].
Languages: Arabic (Accented) [4]; Russian (Accented) [4].

Templates and Meta-Traits

Military Hand-To-Hand - MCMAP - U.S. Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (Martial Arts; p. MA183) [0].

Advantages

Combat Reflexes [15]; Courtesy Rank 2 (Chief Petty Officer) [2]; Danger Sense [15]; Fit [5]; High Pain Threshold [10]; Luck (Aspected (Combat)) [12]; Night Vision 7 [7]; Regeneration (Slow: 1HP/12Hr) [10]; Super Jump 1 [10].
Perks: Naval Training; Permit (CCW). [2]

Disadvantages

Code of Honor (Soldier's) [-10]; Duty (SEAL Handler; 6 or less (quite rarely)[-2]; Increased Consumption 1 [-10]; Obsession (make My City a a better place) (long-term goal) [-10]; Overconfidence (12 or less) [-5]; Overweight (due to heavier muscle, not fat) [-1]; Secret Identity (Possible Death) [-30]; Selfless (15 or less) [-2]; Sense of Duty (The people of My City; Large Group) [-10]; Supernatural Feature (Extra Body Heat) [-5]; Vow (Never kill a human. Again.) [-10].
Quirks: False Claim:"I was just a corpsman in the Navy."; Minor Delusion: This is the last time I'm donning the suit; No Patience for Red Tape (Quirk-Level Impulsive); Out of touch with popular culture ... and it shows.; Slightly Unusual Biochemistry. [-5]

Skills

Acrobatics (H) DX-1 [3]-17; Acting (A) IQ-1 [1]-12; Administration (A) IQ-1 [1]-12; Area Knowledge (My City) (E) IQ [1]-13; Armoury/TL8 (Small Arms) (A) IQ-1 [1]-12; Boating/TL8 (Motorboat) (A) DX-1 [1]-17; Boating/TL8 (Unpowered) (A) DX-1 [1]-17; Brawling (E) DX+1 [7]-19; Camouflage (E) IQ [1]-13; Climbing (A) DX-1 [1]-17; Computer Operation/TL8 (E) IQ [1]-13; Criminology/TL8 (A) IQ [2]-13; Current Affairs (Knight City) (E) IQ [1]-13; Diagnosis/TL8 (Human) (H) IQ [4]-13; Driving/TL8 (Automobile) (A) DX-1 [1]-17; Driving/TL8 (Motorcycle) (A) DX-1 [1]-17; Electronics Operation/TL8 (Communications) (A) IQ-1 [1]-12; Fast-Draw (Tonfa) (E) DX+1 [1]-19†; Fast-Draw/TL8 (Ammo) (E) DX+1 [1]-19†; Fast-Talk (A) IQ-1 [1]-12; First Aid/TL8 (Human) (E) IQ+3 [8]-16; Forced Entry (E) DX [1]-18; Forensics/TL8 (H) IQ-1 [2]-12; Gunner/TL8 (Machine Gun) (E) DX [1]-18; Guns/TL8 (Grenade Launcher) (E) DX [1]-18; Guns/TL8 (Pistol) (E) DX [1]-18; Guns/TL8 (Rifle) (E) DX [1]-18; Guns/TL8 (Shotgun) (E) DX [1]-18; Guns/TL8 (Submachine Gun) (E) DX [1]-18; Hiking (A) HT [2]-16; Housekeeping (E) IQ [1]-13; Interrogation (A) IQ-1 [1]-12; Intimidation (A) Will-1 [1]-12; Judo (H) DX-1 [2]-17; Jumping (E) DX [1]-18; Knife (E) DX [1]-18; Knot-Tying (E) DX [1]-18; Leadership (A) IQ [2]-13; Lockpicking/TL8 (A) IQ-1 [1]-12; Navigation/TL8 (Land) (A) IQ-1 [1]-12; NBC Suit/TL8 (A) DX-1 [1]-17; Observation (A) Per [2]-13; Parachuting/TL8 (E) DX [1]-18; Professional Skill (Police Officer) (A) IQ [2]-13; Research/TL8 (A) IQ-1 [1]-12; Running (A) HT-1 [1]-15; Savoir-Faire (Military) (E) IQ [1]-13; Savoir-Faire (Police) (E) IQ [1]-13; Scrounging (E) Per [1]-13; Scuba/TL8 (A) IQ [2]-13; Seamanship/TL8 (E) IQ [1]-13; Shadowing (A) IQ-1 [1]-12; Soldier/TL8 (A) IQ-1 [1]-12; Stealth (A) DX [2]-18; Streetwise (A) IQ-1 [1]-12; Surgery/TL8 (Human) (VH) IQ-1 [4]-12; Survival (Island/Beach) (A) Per-1 [1]-12; Survival (Jungle) (A) Per-1 [1]-12; Swimming (E) HT [1]-16; Tactics (H) IQ-1 [2]-12; Throwing (A) DX-1 [1]-17; Tonfa (A) DX+1 [6]-19; Urban Survival (A) Per-1 [1]-12.
Techniques: Acrobatic Stand (Acrobatics) (A) [1]-12; Aggressive Parry (Brawling) (H) [2]-13; Armed Grapple (Tonfa) (H) [0]-17; Choke Hold (Judo) (H) [0]-15; Choke Hold (Tonfa) (H) [0]-16; Disarming (Judo) (H) [0]-17; Disarming (Judo) (H) [0]-17; Disarming (Tonfa) (H) [0]-19; Dual-Weapon Attack (Tonfa) (H) [2]-16; Elbow Strike (Brawling) (A) [1]-18; Hand Catch (Judo) (H) [0]-9; Immediate Action (Guns (Pistol)) (A) [2]-11; Immediate Action (Guns (Rifle)) (A) [1]-10; Knee Strike (Brawling) (A) [0]-18; Stamp Kick (Brawling) (H) [2]-17; Sweep (Tonfa) (H) [0]-16.

Footnotes

* Conditional +1 from 'Fit'.

† Includes +1 from 'Combat Reflexes'.

Equipment

1× Assault Vest ($900; 8 lb); 1× Ballistic Helmet (TL 8; $250; 3 lb); 1× Boots, Steel-Toed ($100; 4 lb); 1× Elbow Pads ($20; 8 oz); 1× Knee Pads ($20; 8 oz); 1× Leather Gloves ($30); 1× Riot Gear Leggings ($100; 4 lb); 1× Riot Gear Sleeves ($100; 2 lb); 1× Summer Clothes (+Advanced Camouflage) ($180; 8 oz); 1× Tactical Goggles ($100); 1× Tactical Headset ($200; 1 lb); 1× TASER M26 ($400; 1.1 lb); 1× Tonfa ($40; 1.5 lb); 1× Wicking Undergarment ($30).

Defenses

Parry: 13 (Tonfa). Block: 11 (DX). Dodge: 14. DR: 12/5* (Torso).

Melee Attacks

Aggressive Parry Brawling (13): 2d-5 cr. Reach C.
Brawling • Punch (19): 2d-2 cr. Reach C.
Brawling • Bite (19): 2d-2 cr. Reach C.
Brawling • Kick (17): 2d-1 cr. Reach C,1.
Elbow Strike Brawling (18): 2d-2 cr. Reach C.
Knee Strike Brawling (18): 2d-1 cr. Reach C.
Stamp Kick Brawling (17): 2d cr. Reach C,1.
Tonfa • Butt jab (19): 2d-1 cr. Reach C.
Tonfa • Swing (19): 3d+1 cr. Reach 1.
Tonfa • Thrust (19): 2d-1 cr. Reach C,1.

Ranged Attacks

TASER M26 • Primary (18): 1d-3 pi-. Range 7 yd / 7 yd. RoF 1. Shots 2(3i).
TASER M26 • Follow-up (18): HT-5(0.5) aff. Range 7 yd / 7 yd. RoF –.