APPROVED: BACKGROUND_1 Circus To The Cave
Richard Grayson was born into a family tradition of acrobatics, and trained in the art all of his life as part of the Flying Graysons of the Haley Circus, instructed by his parents John and Mary. He joined the act at a very young age, having a natural aptitude for it. Life was good and he was happy. It was about the age of twelve that things went bad. He overheard the crimelord Tony Zucco threatening the owner of the circus, demanding they pay him protection or else. They refused, and Richard was the one that ended up paying the highest price. That night at a charity performance for many of the wealthiest in the city, his parents put on a duo routine to begin with that was a lead-up to the full family act. Watching from below, Dick was horrified to see the line snap, and his parents both tumble to their deaths below, dying in front of him. He blamed himself as much as Zucco, because he didn't warn them of what he'd heard.
He was quickly put into the system, living for a time at a juvenile care facility. There were numerous conflicts with older kids, and he was beaten up frequently. Eventually they moved him, transferring him to a Catholic Orphanage in Gotham. Luckily for him this didn't last long. One of the spectators the night his parents died, a well-known playboy by the name of Bruce Wayne, took him in as a ward. Dick didn't want to be adopted and abandon his birth father, and quickly found Bruce's parenting style to be somewhat lacking. In point of fact, he pretty much never saw the older man. He took the 'freedom' to investigate his parents death however, wanting to prove it was Zucco and bring him to justice.
In sneaking out to do so, he ended up running into the supposedly mythical Batman. A run-in with some of Zucco's associates nearly cost him his life, and it was only the intervention of the caped crusader that saved him. He eventually woke up in the Batcave, where he was amazed to find that his neglectful guardian was actually the Batman. Working with him they uncovered proof of Zucco's involvement, the crimelord seemingly dying of a heart attack he could be apprehended, and in the end Batman made him an offer Dick couldn't refuse: Become his partner in crime-fighting.
APPROVED: PSY1 Goals
Richard's goals are pretty straight forward. He wants to improve himself, physically and mentally, to become a better crime fighter. He wants to make the world safer, at least his little corner of it. And he wants to prevent any other children from having to watch their parents die in front of them. While there are other things he wants, such as spending time with friends, they're not actual goals. Just downtime from his real mission in life.
APPROVED: PSY2 Motivations
His motivations are likely similar to Batman's. They both lost their parents at a young age to crime. Unlike Bruce, he had somebody who understood what it was like and could provide an outlet to keep it from festering inside him, so he's not as obsessed. But stopping that sort of pain is what drives him, and at some level, wanting to prove himself to his family and show what he can do. Both the parents that are gone, and the one that came since. As time goes by, another motivation is slowly developing. A desire to prove he's more than just Batman's sidekick. It's not fully formed yet, but it's only a matter of time.
APPROVED: PSY3 Confidence
Richard is a confident person. Why not? He's possibly the finest acrobat on the planet, one of the most skilled crime fighters, has become an expert in a vast array of subjects in a shockingly short amount of time, and seems to naturally draw admiration out of those around him. There are mistakes that have shaken this confidence in the past, left some scars. But the core remains, unwavering and strong.
APPROVED: PSY4 Joyful
This is probably the biggest difference between Dick and Bruce. Dick is actually happy with his life. Yes, his parents are gone and he misses them. But he's at peace with their loss now. It doesn't hold him back or down. He still has an optimistic view on life, and thinks things can better. He thinks that people can change. That the good guys are going to win in the end, and what he does makes a genuine difference. And he enjoys what he does as well, getting a thrill from the danger and excitement, from fighting the good fight.
APPROVED: PSY5 Showman
He never really left his circus roots. The costume he wears is a variation of the one he wore as a Flying Grayson, and he likes to show off even under the most dire of circumstances. He's quick with a quip or joke, and has a tendency to play around with his opponents rather than finishing them quickly. Not in a sadistic way, just a taunting one. People have joked Batman dresses him like he does to draw fire. In truth, he's the way he is because he enjoys being the center of attention even when that attention is hostile.
APPROVED: PSY6 People Person
Richard is more social than the Bat, more willing to meet people and make friends. He enjoys talking with other crime fighters, or even civilians he meets in his public identity. In time this is likely to lead to a wide network of friends and contacts, possibly even better than Bruce's, but for now it mostly just means he's sociable.
APPROVED: ADV1 Tech
While he doesn't own it personally, Richard has access to the vast array of technology that Batman has either purchased or personally fabricated for his war on crime. From cutting edge computer technology to state of the art forensics equipment, it's a formidable resource for a detective and crime fighter.
APPROVED: ADV2 Tools
Having learned the power of obsessive planning from the Batman, Dick keeps a utility belt around at pretty much all times. He also has access to many of the tools stored in the various Bat-Vehicles, as well as many stored in the Bat-Cave. Lock picking equipment, hacking tools, cutting torches of various types, light sources, field forensics equipment, cameras and other recording devices, tracers, communicators, a rebreather, and the famous grapple-gun. He also is always sure to carry a can of Bat Shark Repellent, just in case.
APPROVED: ADV3 Headquarters
Dick at the moment operates out of the Batcave, an underground facility that stores the vehicles and equipment Batman has developed over the years, as well as an emergency medical facility. He spends a lot of time here, though more of it using the training facilities than using the computers or other criminal analysis equipment, which is often monopolized by Batman.
APPROVED: ADV4 Weapons
Richard has been trained by the Batman in the use of various weapons. There is of course his variation on the classic batarang, which he half-jokingly calls birdarang, weapons somewhat like a cross between a boomerang and shiruken with sharp edges. He also carries various explosives and shaped charges, as well as things like smoke pellets and knockout gas. He's more likely than Bruce to carry melee weapons, and in particular is fond of using collapsible escrima sticks.
APPROVED: ADV5 Vehicles
While Richard has access to the same vehicles Batman uses, including the Batmobile and Batplane, his only vehicle he himself built and owns is the Birdcycle. A custom designed motorcycle, it has numerous built in gadgets and weapons, and like the Batvehicles, is installed with a slave unit to let it operate remotely.
APPROVED: ADV6 Allowance
Richard is given a regular supply of capital by Bruce. While this is technically an allowance, he prefers to think of it as a salary. It doesn't compare to the billions that Bruce is worth, but it's more than enough for his personal expenses, and lets him devote at least some of the resource towards developing his own equipment, the Birdcycle being the main example so far.
APPROVED: ADV7 Circus Contacts
Dick grew up in Haley's Circus. He knows many people in the business, and can blend in naturally with the culture. While it might not come up often, this is a resource he's been sure to maintain. At least partly to remember his departed parents.
APPROVED: ADV8 Alfred
Dick is under the care of the incomparable Alfred Pennyworth, world's greatest manservant and surrogate grandfather figure. Whether it's Alfred's military medical training or just some sage advice, he's a resource and family member that Richard has been glad to have around on numerous occasions.
APPROVED: ADV9 Natural Magnetism
People seem to naturally fear the Batman. In Richard's case, it tends to be the opposite. There's something about him that others just seem to like, a natural charisma that makes him adept at swaying others. It seems this is especially true of those of the female persuasion, who are often drawn to him for some reason. Maybe it's his tendency towards wearing tight pants.
APPROVED: SKILL1 Conditioning
After both a lifetime in the circus and his intense training under Batman, Richard possesses peak athletic ability. His strength, agility, reflexes and endurance are all close to as high as you can get without being truly superhuman. He spends much of his time honing his body through rigorous training regimens, more so even than he does his mind.
APPROVED: SKILL2 Acrobatics
With an immense natural talent and a lifetime of practice, Richard Grayson very well may be the greatest non-powered acrobat on the planet. He's capable of feats of agility and flexibility that many people would consider impossible, moving through the skyscape of Gotham like a bird and leaping from buildings without fear.
APPROVED: SKILL3 Intimidation
Spending time around the Batman rubs off. In his role has Robin, he's had the opportunity to watch the master of playing on criminal fear at work countless times, and even applied the skills himself on numerous occasions. He's not as intimidating as the Batman. He doesn't have the natural grimness to him that Bruce does. But he can certainly get the job done, as many Gotham criminals could attest. When he first started, criminals found the sight of a boy in red and yellow more amusing than alarming. That didn't last long.
APPROVED: SKILL4 Interrogation
Richard has been taught by Batman the art of working information out of a subject. While he generally played the part of the more reasonable interrogator opposite Batman's more threatening, he's adept at taking what he knows or can read off of somebody to pressure them into telling what he wants. Sometimes this is by being reasonable about it, even friendly. Sometimes it's by making them too afraid to keep their mouth shut. He's no Batman, but he's able to do what's needed.
APPROVED: SKILL5 Investigation
Having the world's greatest detective teaching you means you learn fast. But the skills of investigation are one that Bruce has been practicing since he was a small child, and Dick has only been learning a few years. His powers of analysis and deduction are probably better than most police detectives, but he's nowhere near the level of his mentor. He's continuing to hone his craft diligently though, hoping to someday match his mentor.
APPROVED: SKILL6 Martial Artist
While he doesn't yet have the breadth or depth of skill that Batman does, Richard is a highly capable martial artist all the same. He seems to have a natural talent for it, as he does many physical skills, and has picked up elements of nearly a dozen different styles, such as Aikido, Boxing, Capoeira, Eskrima, Hapkido, Judo, Ninjitsu, Savate, Taijquan and Wing Chun. He tends towards a more acrobatic and sometimes more showy style of fighting than Batman, and enjoys learning the arts for their own sake in addition to their practical use in the field. Not a true master yet, he's still more than capable of handling most opponents he runs into.
APPROVED: SKILL7 Weapon Use
Richard has been trained in the use of various weapons, primarily throwing weapons such as variations on the standard batarang. He's quickly become an expert marksman with these, able to hit targets at considerable distance, sometimes without even looking. He's also becoming increasingly adept in the use of Escrima sticks, as well as how to handle a sword. The latter doesn't really come up much but he figures it's still good to know.
APPROVED: SKILL8 Stealth
He's become highly adept in the art of stealth, learning Batman's trick of seemingly disappearing into thin air. Able to break into the most secure of buildings, there's even been one or two occasions where he managed to sneak up on Bruce himself.
APPROVED: SKILL9 Technology
He's learning about technology of various sorts. His best skills in this area revolve around hacking, and he's able to break into highly encrypted systems of various sort. But he's learning about numerous other areas as well from his mentor. Far from a master of all of them, he tends to be able to work out enough to manage something when needed. In a similar vein, he's becoming an adept driver and pilot, especially of his own custom-made Birdcycle.
APPROVED: SKILL10 Escapologist
Richard was taught numerous tricks for getting out of restraints, knots, locks and the like. These skills are often useful since he tends to be caught more easily than Batman, and he's become particularly adept with them. On the flipside, knowing how to get out of such things has given him a lot of insight in how to put people into them too. He's talented at restraining criminals with whatever's handy.
APPROVED: SKILL11 Willpower
Richard has an indomitable will, if not nearly as strong a one as the Bat. As a mundane human performing in the superpowered vigilante game, he needs one to keep himself going strong and survive what he endures. It only grows stronger with time, and will likely continue to.
APPROVED: SKILL12 Actor
A natural showman, he's adept at playing a part. There's less difference between Dick Grayson and Robin than there is between Bruce Wayne and Batman, but enough of one that it takes a certain amount of skill to keep them separate. He's still working on his disguises, and hasn't actually come up with specific personas as yet, but is working on that as well.
APPROVED: SKILL13 Intelligence
Dick is a sharp boy. While he's nowhere near as knowledgeable as his mentor, the Bat has put him on a similar series of studies to what he himself once went through, albeit at an accelerated pace, and he has at least some knowledge of numerous different subjects. That breadth of knowledge has helped him out more than a few times, and no doubt will again.
APPROVED: FLAW1 Secret Identity
Richard Grayson and Robin are obviously two different people. That's a lie that Dick is doing his best to keep people believing, as hard as it might be at times. It's a secret that could potentially be used against him if discovered, and one that could lead to his arrest for vigilantism if it became public knowledge.
APPROVED: FLAW2 Driven
Having seen his parents die in front of him, Richard never wants to let another child go through that if he can help it. It's one of the biggest things that keeps him going out night after night fighting the endless war on crime, despite the risk to himself.
APPROVED: FLAW3 Heroic
Dick is a hero at heart. He does the right thing, even when it costs him. He'd give his life to save an enemy. And he would never intentionally take a life. While many would see this as good, and it is, it's also a weakness of sorts that villains have and will attempt to exploit.
APPROVED: FLAW4 Enemies
Richard has made more than his fair share of enemies in his time wearing the mask, sadists and madmen, mobsters and murderers. While the biggest target will always be painted on the Bat, there are many who see the one on the Bird as easier to hit and go for it first.
APPROVED: FLAW5 Overconfident
Talented and mentored by one of the best there has ever been, Dick can be a bit overconfident in his own abilities at times, and is definitely a show-off. Leaping into danger that even those with powers might hesitate at, taking on foes that might be out of his league. He's not suicidally foolish, but he does at times bite off more than he can chew in the rush for both justice and attention.
APPROVED: FLAW6 Lusty
Richard… appreciates women. Especially beautiful women. He tries not to let it control him, but he can't help looking and admiring. He might take it easy on woman even if it's not wise, as it certainly isn't with some in the Rogues Gallery. A pretty face and a shapely leg might be used to try and distract or manipulate him. And it might work. Especially redheads.
