Sorry this took me so long. This is only my second M&M character, and the backstory turned out rather longer than I predicted... feel free to make any suggestions you think will improve the character, or point out any errors I might have made.
[sblock=Statistics]Doctor Donald Blake, the Mighty Thor
Abilities: Str 24 (12), Dex 14, Con 26 (10), Int 16, Wis 12, Cha 18
Saves: Tough +8 (impervious when holding Mjolnir), Fort +13, Ref +9, Will +9
Skills: Diplomacy 8+4, Intimidate 12+4, Knowledge (history) 8+3
Feats: All-out Attack, Fearless, Power Attack, Quick Change, Startle, Takedown Attack
Combat: Attack +8, Damage +8 (strike), Damage +8 (blast), Defense +8, Init +2
Powers:
Device "Mjolnir" 8 (easy to lose; power feats: indestructible, restricted x2) [24+3 pp]
- Flight 4 [8 pp]
- Impervious Toughness 8 [8 pp]
- Strike 1 (power feat: mighty) [2 pp]
- Weather Control 8 (cold; power feats: alternate power x6) [16+5 pp]
--- Air Control 8
--- Blast 8 (lightning bolt)
--- Dazzle 6 (auditory and visual)
--- Weather Control 8 (reduced visibility (rain))
--- Weather Control 8 (hampered movement (wet surface))
Enhanced Constitution 16 [16 pp]
Enhanced Strength 12 [12 pp]
Immunity 1 (aging) [1 pp]
Super-Strength 4 (heavy load: 5.6 tons, +4 on Str checks) [8 pp]
Abilities 22 + Saves 20 + Skills 7 + Feats 6 + Combat 32 + Powers 63 = 150/150[/sblock]
[sblock=History]Doctor Donald Blake, noted medieval historian and archaeologist at the King's College London, was born in Norwich in 1849—and, thirty-seven years later, in 1886, he was reborn as the mighty Thor.
It all began in the early months of 1886, when reports trickled into London of a grand discovery in Iceland. In a largely uninhabited region of the country, a pair of travelers stumbled upon a mostly hidden, half-collapsed cavern that turned out to be a burial mound. Initial excavations by local experts suggested that the artifacts were likely a thousand years old, possibly more, and the team quickly stumbled upon a second grave bearing similar items—and then a third—and even more...
Experts in the field from around Europe were quite naturally drawn to this so-called "Nordic Valley of the Tombs," and Doctor Blake was no exception, leading a team of British scholars and archaeologists to contribute to the dig. To the disappointment of many, most of the tombs had been damaged by cave-ins or plundered, and artifacts were few and infrequent. Blake's team, however, uncovered two graves in remarkably good condition.
The first was small, and the rune-carved weapons bearing messages to the deceased—a man apparently named Sonnungur—scattered throughout suggested it was the tomb of a warrior. Only one weapon, a large-headed hammer, bore an inscription not addressed to Sonnungur; instead, carved onto the handle of the hammer, was: "Whoever holds this hammer, if he is worthy, will possess the power of Thor."
The second grave was far larger than the first, with multiple chambers, containing mounds of possessions and the remains of slaves and animals. The team grew weary long before finishing their excavation of this tomb, and made camp before its yawning mouth for the night. Little did they know what horror they had unleashed upon themselves—the burial mound was now the haunt of a draugr, the folkloric corpse of a Norseman who rises to wreak havoc on the living.
The draugr slew three men before the rest of the party was awakened, and others died as they scrambled for guns and digging equipment, which, it seemed, the monster was invulnerable to. Finally, it came down to the creature and Doctor Donald Blake—and, lacking any other weapon close at hand, Blake panicked, and for the first time laid his hands on the hammer from Sunnungur's burial mound...
And in that moment his ordinary clothes became shining armor; his close-cut blond hair grew long and unkempt; his smooth face grew a magnificent beard; his glasses vanished, yet he could see with perfect clarity; his thin form was riddled with muscle. Lightning and thunder split the sky as Donald Blake was granted the power of Thor. And with his newfound strength came an understanding of the power this hammer—Mjolnir—Thor's hammer!—had granted him, and its might made short work of the draugr.
Blake collapsed after the creature was disposed of, weeping, bewildered and confused and afraid—and who can blame him? Had he not just seen six men killed by a walking, slavering corpse? Had he not just been transformed and infused with the power of a heathen god? Had he not just conjured lightning from the hammer in his hands to destroy the foul beast that dripped with the blood of his companions? I think none can truly blame him for his moment of weakness!
And as he collapsed to the ground, the base of the hammer struck the ground—and instantly transformed into a fine walking stick, glossy and black, of the perfect length for Blake to hold. His clothes, too, returned to normal—but his body did not revert to normal. The frail and weak Doctor Donald Blake of the past was replaced by a stronger, tougher, and more muscular model—and one with fantastic hair and beard, as well. Blake, through quick experimentation, discovered that the hammer could be transformed into the walking stick (and his clothing likewise changed) simply by slamming its base into the ground, and that he still had access to the powers of the hammer while it was in the form of a walking stick. When he was separated from the stick, he could not use its powers—the lightning burst, for instance, or the ability to control the weather—but its effects on his own body remained.
This determined, Donald Blake faced his next challenge: explaining the deaths of seven men and his newfound appearance to those who knew him in England.
Speaking with Icelandic authorities about the death of his party members caused no trouble for Blake, for they were unfamiliar with his appearance. Having destroyed the body of the ancient walking corpse, he spun a wild but convincing tale of a large beast that had savaged his party members in the night; he claimed to have fired upon it numerous times, finally driving it off. After being held for a time, and some investigation by the local law enforcement, his story checked out, and he was allowed to return to England.
Almost immediately upon his return, Blake repeated this story to administrators at the College—administrators who did not know him well, and would not notice his vastly changed appearance—and turned over the artifacts he had managed to recover from the dig (except, of course, the hammer) before requesting a lengthy sabbatical.
And so, a year later, having exhausted most of his savings, Doctor Donald Blake returned to London and King's College a new man—or, to be more accurate, two new men. For recently, he had decided that a man with power ought to use that power. After all, he had been judged worthy enough to be granted the power of Thor, and he figured he ought not waste it. And so Donald Blake, using the powers of the hammer Mjolnir to rid the streets of London from all manner of scum and vileness, took up a second identity, that of The Mighty Thor himself![/sblock]
