Cole McGrath
Context
inFAMOUS was a 2009 PS3 video game. The super-powered protagonist could be played in a good and evil manner. This would have an impact on the setting – a modern city thrown into chaos.
Good game and cool powers… gotta be on WORG ! This is what Cole becomes is played as a Hero !
The profile unavoidably contains S P O I L E R S… better one should play the game before reading the writeup. Come on, just play the game, you know you want to !
Background
- Real Name: Cole MacGrath.
- Other Aliases: The Hero This City Needs, Doctor Cole.
- Marital Status: Divorced.
- Known Relatives: Trish Dailey (ex-wife, deceased).
- Group Affiliation: None.
- Base Of Operations: Empire City.
- Height: 6’0” Weight: 170 lbs.
- Eyes: Blue Hair: Brown.
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Powers and Abilities
Cole has an amazing array of electricity-based abilities. He can use these for offensive and defensive purposes as well as for transportation. His common offensive abilites are:
- Hurling lightning bolts (in DC Heroes RPG terms, Lightning).
- Lightning grenades and summoned lightning storms (Bomb).
- Electric melee (Martial Artist, EV).
He has very fast reflexes (Lightning Reflexes), excellent coordination (DEX) and astounding climbing and mobility skills (Gymnastics, Climbing and Jumping). Furthermore, he cannot take damage from a fall (Breakfall), and often uses this to land into enemy groups like an electric bomb.
In the field
Another useful ability is to create an electric force shield radiating out from his arm, which is strong enough to block most incoming attacks (Force Shield).
By extending his electrical field he can take control of incoming missiles and similar and redirect their course (Reflection/Deflection). By projecting focused bolts from his hands, he can glide through the air (Gliding). And his greatest transportational ability is to electrically ride the rails of a railway or powerlines at great speeds (Running).
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Electrifying
Cole’s more finely tuned control over his lightning field also grants him several other useful abilities. He is a living dynamo with excellent resilience and durability (BODY, Regeneration) and seems immune to any and all electrical effects. Instead of being shocked, he can reuse the energy for his own purposes (Energy Absorption).
Cole basically lives on electricity as he can use it to augment his own healing at will (Schtick). He can also use his more fine-tuned abilities to heal other people (Damage Transference). Since he constantly absorbs electricity from his surroundings it seems Cole cannot exhaust himself physically (Systemic Antidote). It seems that he burns out any drugs he is affected by pretty fast as well.
Should he need more energy or health quickly he can even absorb the life energy of anyone he touches (Vampirism). With some focus he can also create electrical bonds and shackles capable of binding arrested foes until the police can pick them up (Snare).
He constantly senses all electric field around himself (Detect), and can differentiate and find electrical machinery and people. A more impressive use of his abilities is to see traces of electric residues of people (Thermal Vision). This allows him to track down specific targets as well as see past occurrences in electrical terms (Postcognition).
His main problem is that, due to being so charged, Cole is unable to use vehicles about the city, take up weapons, or swim. Still, with all his abilities he doesn’t need to use any of that anyway.
Description
Cole is an athletic male with closely-cropped hair. He usually wears his bike messenger clothing. It comes complete with the messenger bag on his back.
Cole is often seen travelling across Empire City by one of several methods. He is often hounded by adoring citizens who want his help, his autograph or just to photograph him in action.
Personality
Cole is a hero because it seems the right thing to be when Empire City faces its darkest hour. He has no further future plans and takes things as they come. He is rather moody and doesn’t talk needlessly. He doesn’t particularly like being idolized.
Cole is pretty big on revenge. Thus, he would have hunted down Kessler to the end of the world. He really hates to be lied to or being manipulated and then is quite unforgiving.
He was more or less happy with his life as a bike messenger before it all began. But now his powers will be a burden to him until the day he dies. He has to be the city’s only hope.
Having learned that in the original reality he left the city to its own destiny while trying to save his family, he feels lost as to his best course of action and the actions of Kessler, his future self. It seems like whatever choice he would have and will take would lead to Trish’s death, and to him being forced into becoming an involuntary superhero.
It doesn’t help that his future self was responsible for the near-destruction of Empire City either, although he is now intent on changing that future so it doesn’t come to pass. Still, he might become the villain Kessler one day in the future.
Other traits
Cole used to live with his girlfriend, Trish, until the accident which gave him his powers and killed Trish’s sister. This put a large dent in their relationship until he proved himself by saving the city. However, soon after they had reconciled, Trish was killed by Kessler.
He was basically blackmailed into working with FBI Agent Moya Jones. Once it became clear that she was not whom he thought she was he cut her out completely from his heroic life. She will, however, probably remain a connection should he require her assistance. NSA Agent John would likely have grown into a good friend, but he died prematurely.
The chief of the Empire City prison, Warden Harms remains a useful contact, although they have only a professional relationship. His best friend used to be Zeke “Jedediah” Dunbar, until he betrayed Cole due to jealousy. Their relationship remains strained at best, and Cole is basically alone in the big city.
Quotes
“Thanks, scumbag, you’ve been really helpful !”
“Don’t you worry. I’ll be ready.”
Game Stats — DC Heroes RPG
Tell me more about the game stats
Cole MacGrath
| Dex: 07 | Str: 05 | Bod: 06 | Motivation: Unwanted Power |
| Int: 04 | Wil: 04 | Min: 04 | Occupation: Ex-bike messenger, Superhero |
| Inf: 04 | Aur: 05 | Spi: 04 | Resources {or Wealth}: 004 |
| Init: 019 | HP: 050 |
Powers:
Bomb: 09, Damage Transference: 05, Detect (Electricity): 09, Energy Absorption: 10, EV 07, Force Shield: 06, Gliding: 03, Jumping: 02, Lightning: 06, Postcognition: 09, Regeneration: 02, Reflection/Deflection: 08, Running: 06, Snare: 06, Systemic Antidote: 03, Thermal Vision: 08, Vampirism: 04
Notes:
- All Powers are actually lightning-based.
- Initially, his Reflection/Deflection power only had the Deflection component, although he later learned the Reflection part as well.
- Systemic Antidote includes increased endurance and stamina.
- Thermal Vision actually sees electric residues, not thermal.
Bonuses and Limitations:
- All Powers are Contingent on Lightning (-1).
- Bomb has Range (+3).
- Bomb is Fatiguing (-1) and may also affect Cole if misused (-1).
- Deflection has a Range of 2 APs only (-1) and is Fatiguing (-1).
- Energy Absorption is only useable against electricity (-1).
- Energy Absorption has a Range of 0 APs only (-1).
- EV has Area Effect if Cole attacks a group or object by falling into it from high.
- Force Shield is Fatiguing (-1).
- Lightning may be used with a full Range of 08 APs, but is then Fatiguing.
- Running may only be used along conductive lines (-1).
- Snare has a Range of Touch only (-1).
- The Duration of all Snare attacks is Doubled (+1).
- Vampirism has a Range of Touch only (-1).
Skills:
Accuracy (Bomb, EV, Lightning, Reflection/Deflection, Snare): 08, Acrobatics: (Breakfall, Gymnastics, Climbing): 10, Martial Artist: 06, Vehicles (Bike): 04
Advantages:
Area Knowledge (Empire City Sewer Systems), Iron Nerves, Lightning Reflexes, Local Hero (Empire City), Schick (Conditional Recovery (getting RAPs on Energy Absorption)).
Connections:
NSA Agent John (Low; previously only), FBI Agent Moya Jones (Low), Warden Harms (Low), Zeke ’Jedediah‘ Dunbar (Low).
Drawbacks:
Fatal Vulnerability (Cole is attacked by his own Lightning power as long as he is immersed in water and in this case his Energy Absorption does not function), Guilt (Failure to save Trish, possibly becoming Kessler and indirectly being responsible for the near-destruction of Empire City), Misc. Drawback (Electric dynamo – Since Cole is vivified electricity he cannot dampen his powers enough be able to use vehicles or weapons; he will likely short-circuit or overcharge any vehicle or weapon that he touches), Mistrust (until the very end only).
Source of Character: inFamous game on the PS3 console.
Helper(s): wikipedia.org, gamespot.com .
Writeup completed on the 16th of June, 2010.