Context

This character is an original creation. We often call these “homemades” or “homebrewed” – think home cooking or craft beer.

Many of these characters were created to take part in tabletop role-playing game sessions. Others were invented as a creative writing exercise, often as part of a community event.

This specific character is based on DC’s “Tangent” concept – sharing the name of a well-known DC characters but being a different person on a different world.


Background

  • Alter ego: Joan Quent (pronounced /yu-AN KENT/).
  • Marital Status: Single… but not for long.
  • Known Relatives: Francesc Quent (foster father), Joana Borrull (foster mother), Luisa Via (girlfriend).
  • Group Affiliation: Justice League, TV3.
  • Base Of Operations: Lyon, France (JL); Barcelona, Spain (TV3).
  • Height: 6’0” Weight: 190lbs. Age: 27-28
  • Eyes: Brown Hair: Dark, very short


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Powers and Abilities

Joan doesn’t still know the origin of his powers, but the fact is that he has many water related abilities. He can control water at will, and move under water like on dry land, with no breathing problems.

His own body also acquired liquid-like properties. He first thing he discovered is that he could, by transforming in a water-like being, elongate his body up to 50 meters. But he could usually be as equally damaged as before. Later he discovered that his water organism could resist most fatal blows without suffering much damage.

His latest discovery was the power to bring into existence great amounts of water through his hands. This is done either as a pouring or as a powerful blast (on his early days he could create some ice, but it was a fatiguing feat). Through investigation, Aquaman is searching for new applications of his water powers, and he could develop new ones.

Joan is also a competent, although inexperienced, TV and press journalist.


History

Joan Quent was adopted on the 30th September, 1971, by Francesc Quent and Joana Borrull. That day is his birthday, for him, although he hasn’t been able to know who his birth parents were. He wasn’t a bright schoolboy, only excelling at sports. He loved swimming and make lots of contacts between the people at the swimming championships.


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When he was 18 he stopped competing and entered the Catalan TV, TV3, to earn money while he was at the university. He still works there. While he studied journalism he met Luisa Via, his eternal girlfriend, and his friends Daniel Casas and Marc Espenser.

But besides the normal life that Joan wanted to live, he wasn’t a normal man : he held great power over water. Perhaps the “H20 elixir” that was poured over him on a laboratory during his college days was related. The scientists insisted that it wouldn’t affect human beings and was only meant to make quantifying of water percentage in a given body easier.

But Joan began to see strange changes on him : or perhaps they had began before ? Perhaps he was as good a swimmer because he already had powers ?

It didn’t matter : he wasn’t normal, but he wanted to be. On the other hand, there were times were his abilities could be used to help others. So he improvised a first blue and yellow suit to not be regarded as Joan Quent if he ever had to use his powers in public.

The shape of water

He returned Barcelona after the summer holidays of 1998. He discovered he had been burgled, and his house was empty. While he was searching for a phone to call police, a woman commanding giant sea-weeds covered the port and began robbing the yachts and other ships there.

Joan Quent had never seen another powered being, but this was clearly evil. After chasing Eva Sporas (that was her name) and sending her to jail, he had won two things. The public’s attention and an arch-enemy for life.

But the day hadn’t finished. Aquaman had to battle some laser-firing robots that almost killed a man. The victim told him to search for others “like him” to protect “a princess”. He took the man to a hospital, but somebody broke in there and finished the patient.

Quent took the remains of a robot to cybernetics Professor Karl Konder. The academic said it hadn’t seen something similar in his whole life. The robot was a matter of either a genius… or an alien race.

Others like you

Searching for a new suit, Aquaman traveled to England to meet Sir Charles Ausworth Clarington. Clarington Enterprises was developing a new “insta-change” fabric. They revealed their identities to each other, as Sir Charles was also a powerful telepath… Superman.

Their new alliance had to run to arrive to the states as the New York City Hall was being attacked. See the (T) The Flash write-up for further information on the subject).

Aquaman got a new suit with some edge in his new crimefighting career with the League. He managed to be sent to Lyon by her boss, Laura Blanc, so he could cover his absence for a while.

On their journey to Egypt, during the League world-around travel to save Helena Wayne, he discovered a “T” like symbol that was familiar to him, as a past memory, inside the Proto-Alexandry Great Library. There he also tested the Zero Hour Machine, that transformed him into his present state, somehow heightening his powers.

He has accepted them and so became a faithful defender of good.


Description

His new Aqua-suit is blue grayish, with a dark blue drop on his chest. It’s skin-tight. It leaves the head uncovered, but includes grey shaded glasses.


Personality

Joan is active and nervous. He love to go out at night with Luisa, even if they don’t have too much time due to their journalist and lawyer jobs. He likes to write short stories for children and adults. Dislikes “yankies” and thinks that French are all a bunch of self-centered morons, but they’re really better than the stiff English.

He hates those who consider themselves heroes : “one has to do what one has to do”. When danger arises, on the other hand, all that is forgotten. If Aquaman must make a work, he does it.


Quotes

“Sometimes you have to be bold enough to look like a coward.”



Game Stats — DC Heroes RPG

Tell me more about the game stats

(T) Aquaman – Post ZH

A 580 + 45 Point Character

Dex: 05 Str: 03 Bod: 04 Motivation: Upholding The Good, former Unwanted Power
Int: 03 Wil: 04 Min: 04 Occupation: Journalist
Inf: 03 Aur: 03 Spi: 04 Resources {or Wealth}: 04
Init: 011 HP: 075

Powers:
Invulnerability*: 07, Stretching (HL): 04, Water Blast: 05, Water Control: 07, Water Freedom*: 05

Bonuses and Limitations:

  • Invulnerability: Linked to Water Control.
  • Stretching: Half Linked to Water Control.
  • Water Blast: Serious Power Burnout (R#03).

Skills:
Acrobatics: 03, Artist (Actor, Photographer, Writer)*: 03, Artist (Cooking): 02, Thief (Locks & Safes, Security Systems, Stealth): 03, Vehicles (Land, Water): 03

Advantages:
Free Access, Language [English, French, Greek], Omni-Connection.

Connections:
Justice League (High), TV3 (Low).

Drawbacks:
Arch Enemy (Eva Sporas), Married, Secret Identity, Uncertainty.

Equipment:

  • AQUASUIT [/BODY/ 07, Cold Immunity: 04, Shade: 07, Ultra Vision: 07, R#02, HP Cost: 95. Limitations: Cold Immunity: Only Underwater (-1). Takes 4 APs to start (-1). Advantages: Insta-Change].
  • (T) AQUA-MOTORBIKE [STR 03 BODY 05, Running: 07, R#02, HP Cost: 40].

About the suit

The suit is made with a shark-skin simile that confers great resilience to pressure and force. It has electrical sensors that amplify light waves, to see under the sea. A water heater system protects the user against cold.

The unstable molecules that allow it to become a working grey suit with a single order also allow the user’s power to “melt” with the suit, thus stretching or water blasting without problems.


Previous Statistics

Before the Zero Hour Machine transformed him, Aquaman had a DEX and MIND of 3, Ice Production (Fatiguing): 1, and Water Control: 8. He didn’t have neither Invulnerability nor Water Blast, nor the Married and Uncertainty drawbacks.


The “Zero Hour Machine”

This was a plot device who allowed the characters a Last Ditch change of their characters (as they were GM made). The rules were:

  • Attributes can be raised/lowered by 1 AP each.
  • Powers, Skills, Advantages, Drawbacks, Wealth and Motivation can be totally changed. Getting some out gives HPs equal to its Character Creation value. Getting some new costs HPs equal to its Character Creation value.
  • Only the HPs involved on the change can be used (the HPs the character had before entering the Zero Hour Machine remain the same and untouched).

The Machine was lost after all the Justice Leaguers who wanted used it.

By KalEl el Vigilant.

Helper(s): Sergio Cantos.

Source of Character: Homemade Tangent Universe.