Franklin Dodds

**Franklin Dodds** is an extrahuman with the power of electrokinesis. He is a member of the **Rhoades Institute**, and was the first member to be recruited. He is gruff, grumpy, and dedicated to his work and to the cause.

## Description

### Appearance

Franklin stands 6'02" with a muscular build. He has a heavy jaw and a piercing gaze. He dresses professionally, but often looks disheveled and rough due to his alcoholic tendencies and general apathy. He tends to take better care of himself during his manic periods.

### Personality

Franklin is a gruff guy who secretly has a big heart. Generally grumpy, he is often rather brisk and dismissive with others. A police detective and soldier for most of his adult life, Franklin is good at talking with people when he needs to be and possesses a working knowledge of police procedure, deductive reasoning, and combat tactics.

He is often gruff and short with his co-workers, and he knows it. He doesn't really feel that he can help it, though; he's used to working with professionals and other police. Now he has to work with untrained civilians, one of whom is a hyperactive hothead.

Having grown up during the "greatest generation", he is a traditional and conservative man who dislikes the new generation, and hippy counterculture; he sees kids today as ungrateful, ignorant fools who don't value the freedom the last generation fought and died for.

A classic sort of gentleman, Franklin is kind and respectful toward women and is more patient and kind toward children. He avoids cursing in a woman's company and tries to go out of his way to show them courtesy. He loves jazz music and the rat pack, especially Sinatra, and he finds the entire Rat Pack to be the epitome of "cool".

He is able to put himself into almost anybody's shoes, which he uses as a detective to analuze a situation and determine a criminal's profile, including what they may have been thinking and a way to stop them. Despite being off the force for almost a decade, he still approaches most situations like a detective. He has difficulty turning "detective mode" off, however. He's a workaholic and often doesn't leave the office until nearly midnight. He has problems coping with the problems and truths of his personal life, and often tries to drown them in work and whiskey.

He tends to live a spartan life, possessing little beside his beloved car, record collection, and a few other personal items. He still wears his wedding ring, despite being divorced for many years. He is also frugal and prefers to repair things instead of replacing them.

At his core, despite everything, he is an honest and ultimately selfless individual. No matter his mood or social hang-ups, he will always do everything he can and work tirelessly to protect good people and put the bad guys away.

## Biography

### Background

Little is known of Franklin's history. He served as a marine during the Korean War, and served as a police detective for many years. At some point about seven years ago, he left the force and went through a divorce before trying to disappear completely.

Eleven months ago, he was approached by **Dr. Alexander Rhoades** about joining the **Rhoades Institute**. It was a tough sell, but Franklin ultimately agreed to go along to Los Angeles with him. It's been a long year, but Franklin has grown a lot and has finally grasped basic control over his ability. It's his psychological issued that prove more difficult to cope with. He's still working, though.

### Involvement

For details on Franklin's involvement in the campaign, **see the episode guide.**

### Appearances

#### Volume 1

* Chapter 1x01 - **A Girl in Reno**
* Chapter 1x02 - **Spellbound**

## Relationships

### **Anna Babin**

Anna is the newest member of the Rhoades Institute. He is usually a bit warmer toward her, and he's on his best behavior when she is around. While he sees her as being just as capable as any man (and more so in some cases), he still respects her as a woman and as such treats her with respect. He admires her tenacity and recognizes that, underneath her tough exterior, she possesses a kind and gentle heart. He relates to her in that way and he is most protective of her in the field. In some ways, Franklin acts like a father figure to her, albeit unconsciously and he is just as protective as any Papa Bear.

### Dr. Alexander Rhoades

Doctor Alexander Rhoades is Franklin's mentor and, while he wouldn't necessarily say this, he sees Rhoades as his friend, too. Probably his best friend. He connects with Rhoades and agrees with him on a myriad of topics. While they differ in terms of religion and politics, the two often connect over music and their mutual hopeful, optimistic and overall positive view of people. Both men believe in what they're doing and Franklin trusts Rhoades and believes that the doctor knows what he's doing and he agrees with the plan. He is Rhoades' most loyal friend and associate.

### **Kurt Pinkman**

An impulsive, impatient hothead, Franklin finds living and working with Kurt to be difficult and grating. He often scolds or chides Kurt for being rude or invasive, and he does his best to try to keep the kid on the right track. Despite how irritating Kurt can be, Franklin knows that Kurt is a good kid with his heart in the right place. He tries to be a good influence on Kurt. The two share a playfully antagonistic relationship and while he would never admit it, under pain of death, Franklin actually kind of likes Kurt and he is very protective of him.

## Character Information

### **Paraphrenelia**

* **Revolver:** Franklin carries with him a loaded service revolver, which is a standard firearm used by many American police forces.

### **Background - Investigative**

* **Friends in Low Places:** You have a network of contacts and informants upon whom you can usually rely. These people can usually help you find dirt on people or some other information, keep an eye on movements or get you access to certain hard-to-access places.

### **Proficiencies**

* **Skills:** Athletics, Drive, Empathy, Larceny, Intimidate, Investigation, Riddle, Stealth
* **Tools:** Thieves' Tools, Land Vehicles
* **Merits:** Detective, Firearm Expert

### **Powers**

#### Eletrokinesis - 2

* **Electrogenic:** The human body is an electrical system. The nervous system controls an electrochemical current, while the body processes food to generate electricity, using liquids as a conductive medium. Humans are often been compared to a battery, or an electrical engine. There are even cases where a human being can absorb large amounts of current and survive. Franklin is able to tap into this system, using it to influence other systems and self-generate freeform electricity. On a physiological level, this means Franklin's metabolism is tuned to the production of electricity, and his body is toughened against electrical shock. On a neural level, Franklin's sensory organs are keyed to electricity, gauging its intensity and direction; other unknown neural functions allow him to change intensity and direction.

* ​**Current Redirection:** Franklin can use his ability to short out electronic and technological devices, such as radios, lightbulbs, television sets or even cars. If it runs off of an electrical current, Franklin is able to manipulate the currents and overload it. He can also use this aspect of his power to heat objects to an unbearable temperature very quickly.

* **Electrical Discharge:** By focusing, Franklin is able to generate a massive amount of static electricity in the air around him. The natural current his electrogenic power affords him causes his hands to act like a lightning rod, attracting all of that static electricity. If he then charges his hands with electricity of an opposite current, it causes the particles to react, forming explosive arcs of lightning-like electrical energy. With practice, he is able to harness this discharge as a weapon in combat or like a taser to stun his targets. He can also super-charge his hands with electrical energy, which cause smaller discharges upon impact with a creature or surface.

#### Weaknesses

* **Bipolar:** Franklin suffers from a disorder that causes him to switch back and forth between periods of extreme good moods or extreme bad moods. These changes can be very quick and can come without any warning signs.

* **Post Traumatic Stress Disorder:** Franklin suffers from this anxiety disorder that causes him to suffer nightmares, mood swings and occasional flashbacks from his time serving in the Korean War.

* **Stubborn:** Franklin is a stubborn bastard. It's his way or the highway.
* **Workaholic:** Franklin works compulsively, non-stop, as a coping mechanism. This leads to a very unhealthy lifestyle that is taxing both physically and mentally.

### **Training**

*Investigator - 2*

* **Well-Informed:** You are exceptionally well-informed. When encountering an individual, group, or organization for the first time, or if you hear about some important event, you can make an immediate Investigation skill to see if you have heard something about the subject. You receive only one check per subject upon first encountering/hearing about them, although the DM may allow another once significant time has passed.
* **Profile:** You know how to create a profile of a criminal. By making an Investigation check involving the crime scene or other evidence linked to the suspect. If successful, you combine eyewitnesses accounts with forensic evidence to develop a profile of the suspect’s appearance, mannerisms, and method of operation. This provides advantage made to uncover additional evidence or otherwise locate and capture the suspect—you develop a sense of what the suspect is after and where he or she might strike next.

#### *Ranged Combat - 1*

* **Fighting Style - Gunslinger:** As a bonus action, you can spend 1 hero point to take an attack action in the same motion when you draw your gun.
* **Between the Eyes:** Spend 1 hero point before making an attack roll with a firearm to gain advantage to the shot. If both rolls would hit the target, double your aptitude modifier to the damage.

## Trivia

* Favorite musician is Frank Sinatra.
* Has always wanted to go to France.
* Favorite color is green.
* Dislikes television.
* Favorite movie is *Casablanca*.
* Dislikes dogs. He's more of a cat person.