Dawson is the heir to quite an estate left to him by his father, who disappeared. He has since started to disguise himself in order to fight the forces of darkness with his inventive mind and gadgeteering, but he still needs lots of training.
Background
A neglected child of wealth, Dawson was exactly what most people expected when they met him. He liked to party and have fun, didn't take most things too seriously, and figured that the most effective way he could solve most problems was by throwing money at them.
That changed when, one day, his father didn't come home. In fact, he didn't go anywhere that anyone could find out. Eventually, he was classified as missing and presumed deceased, and because of that, Dawson inherited his father's entire and impressive estate. On the advice of a friend, he hired an investor to handle the bulk of his money, then set up a system with his bank to where he would have a cycle of money available like an allowance, with more possible through special arrangement. That way, he figured, he wouldn't land himself in trouble with managing his money. But it still bothered him, more than anything, that his father had just vanished.
Eventually, Dawson discovered a few things that both shed some light on the situation and also presented more questions: his father also worked in gadgetry and invention, research and development as they called it, but some of the items Dawson found seemed to indicate that the man might have worked with costumed heroes or villains in that capacity, on the side. The thought of it inspired Dawson to put together a costume, take some of his own inventions, and try to do a little good while he also tried to find out what happened to his father.
SKILLS
COMBAT: Competent - Dawson is pretty good at the occasional dust-up. He tends to rely on his gadgets to carry him through, but he can definitely use his fists well. He's more of a brawler than really trained in martial arts, and that usually gets the job done. He's no world-class expert, but he can account for himself better than most, significantly better than the average person.
GADGETEER: Expert - Dawson has a gift, an absolute genius, for gadgets. He can come up with an idea for a gadget or some need for one and start developing viable plans immediately. While it may take time and resources for him to realize his imaginings, he is very experienced at making his visions into reality. He is also able to analyze other gadgets and similar items for purpose and construction, and he can disassemble and reassemble most such things. If he does not currently have the things he needs to make his plans a reality, he can often still find substitutes to construct something to use for the purpose he needs, though it may not be as durable or even usable more than once. When it comes to gadgets, though, Dawson is top of the class.
LANGUAGE: Novice - Dawson can speak English fluently, but he also can do very well in Spanish, pretty well in French, and tried to learn German at one point but only remembers a handful of words, like "krankenhaus".
ABILITIES
ARMOR: Basic-level Tech - Dawson has some basic body armor that is lightweight and sleek, but it also isn't ridiculously tough. It can stop a bullet and might even prevent a number of injuries caused by impact or trauma, but beyond the force of bullets, it won't help much. It can also turn a blade, which is helpful for him to avoid being stabbed. The armor is typically worn above the waist and under his clothes, over his torso.
COLLECTION: Basic-level Tech - Dawson's father's collection has provided plenty of mystery. Some of the things in there would challenge anyone to find a practical application for them. Others are forbidding in appearance or supposed function. Most of the things that Dawson has found would be of no use to him and only very specialized use for anyone else (which has also in part contributed to the assumption that his father worked with heroes or villains), but some of the things, he may occasionally try to use in the situations that present themselves. Consider these the "just in case" gadgets that will typically only have very limited use.
Examples include something like a glass-cutter, shark repellent, or a small, harmless device that simply drives ants away. None of the items have a direct application of violence, and very few could be used to do harm to other living things. Some would be truly annoying to face, but none are especially dangerous.
GOGGLES: Enhanced-level Tech - Dawson has developed a set of goggles that not only protect his eyes, but which also enhance his sight and allow him to magnify things, see in near total darkness, and even resist hypnotic visual effects, as well as being able to see through certain forms of illusion and subliminal effects.
TWIN GUNS: Enhanced-level Tech - Dawson has, through his inventive innovation, created a pair of tech-enhanced guns. Based off of the design of old pistols, they do not fire projectiles but, instead, possess a dial that can be changed for a number of effects. The guns can stun with a direct beam that stuns most human-sized targets for a few minutes. At the higher setting of stun, they can render a target unconscious for up to an hour. Another setting enables the guns to create a charged mist that will zap anyone caught in it with electricity. It's painful, shocking, and tends to be disarming and can stun and debilitate many foes, though it doesn't run the risk of any truly serious injury. Another setting simply emits a disorienting mist that drastically lowers visibility, like an instant pea souper. The fourth setting unleashes a blinding burst of light. The fifth emits vibration waves, which at their strongest could, given time, perhaps cause an already-compromised or poorly-built structure to collapse. These are generally not directed against living foes, but regardless would take considerable time before causing any injury to even an average human.
The guns are strongest when used in concert, and if using only one gun, there is obviously a lesser effect. All settings are less effective with only one gun, though the stun beams are generally fired separately and so are largely unaffected. However, using the guns together always produces a stronger effect. The mist effect requires sufficient ambient humidity to manipulate, and so it may not be as effective in arid areas. Like their basis, the guns have a safety lock and require regular maintenance, though other than this, there is little learning curve to using them. One need merely rotate the cylinder to select the different modes, and they are marked by numbers.
WATCH: Basic-level Tech - Dawson has a number of wristwatches that can act as two-way radios, pick up various bands of signals including police communications, and if close enough in location may be able to listen in on restricted communication. They also can track tracing devices, detect movement of living things up to 200 feet away (by tracing sources of warmth in motion), and give a weather report. Last but not least of all, they tell time and have all the features standard to a basic watch.
ADVANTAGES
CONTACTS - Dawson has some solid contacts in a variety of industries, including some that his father knew and worked with. He also knows plenty of people in entertainment, artists and creators, musicians, and a wide assortment of people in other fields or with other interests. Familiarity ranges from acquaintance to best friend, so effectiveness may depend on how well he knows them. The broad range of people means that it may be easier for him to find out things, get information on something he doesn't have expertise in, or produce credibility for a stranger.
RESOURCES - Dawson has inherited his father's estate and holdings, which were pretty significant. Because of this, Dawson is quite wealthy; he has also employed an agent to manage investments and make the money continue to work for him.
WEAKNESSES
IMPULSIVE - Dawson, plainly speaking, has poor impulse control. If something seems like it would be fun or interesting, he wants to try it. If he ends up enjoying it, he'll do it again! The problem with this is that he doesn't always think through these things or understand the risks involved with them. What seems like a blast when he hears about it may end up with consequences that weren't obvious from the start.
LIMITATIONS - Dawson is not great at recognizing his limitations. Although in some cases it's admirable, giving him a never-say-die resolve, in other cases it only leads to injury and other unfortunate things.
