John Murdoch

Whether this is aided by his Tuning ability or not is unknown, but John Murdoch shows a high degree of physical capability. He seems to be near peak physical condition for a human being. He can lift and push weights towards upper human limits, run nearly as fast as an Olympic sprinter -- and keep running for longer than it looks like he should be able to -- and endure exertion on par with people who've trained their endurance. Mind you, none of this is done with the same kind of flair one might expect from people who've trained in it... but he can accomplish it.

John Murdoch's telekinesis is his main method of defending himself, and is quite powerful. The larger the object he's trying to affect, the more effort and concentration it takes to move it; if his concentration is suddenly broken (such as with loud noises, grabbing him, pushing him, etc.), it will likely interrupt him. His telekinesis is strong enough to blow through level 5 bulletproof glass with little effort (equivalent to sustained damage from an AK-47, but in a single blow), yet precise enough to break JUST the pins of a lock to allow him to open it. He needs to be able to see the item reasonably clearly to affect it; e.g., he can't telekinetically grab someone in complete cover, but he could throw something at the place they're hiding or simply try to destroy their cover.

Unlike his telekinetic abilities, John's telepathic abilities are much less developed, and tend to be little more than a low level of empathy. He can understand the very basic feelings of others within his sight, and he can evoke specific feelings in others -- anger, happiness, sleepiness, etc. Tiered individuals tend to be much stronger to this sort of influence than non-tiered individuals, but there's no real telling how any one human is going to react to this.

With a thought, John can alter the city he lives in, from small changes like switching out a coffee shop for a nightclub or creating/moving/deleting a door, to adding/subtracting/changing whole neighborhoods. He can't create people, but he can populate environments with animals typical of them -- for example seagulls, fish, etc., on a beach; birds, squirrels, etc. in a park. John can't create an environment or animal if he's never seen it, and he has trouble creating technology he doesn't know how to work. And he thinks the people have had enough disruptions to their lives (even if most don't remember it), so short of a major catastrophe, he's not going to want to create huge, sweeping changes in the city.

It's not precisely correct to say that John Murdoch merely has amnesia. The humans that the Strangers used for their failed experiment have all had their memories switched around from person to person so much that it would be impossible for John to unravel it all. This makes him a little unstable, since it's hard to pin down "who" oneself is without knowing where one's been (mentally). This makes him prone to mood swings and explosive outbursts in times of stress.

Lacking memories, John has no basis for his self-confidence apart from his defeat of the Strangers, and he chalks that more up to Dr. Schreber's plan and preparation more than his own ability to carry it out. This lack of self-confidence, particularly when he must act alone, means that he can hesitate in critical moments when he needs to take immediate, decisive action.

John Murdoch's experiences with the Strangers have given him an intense dislike of mind control, slavery, and oppression in general. He's always going to want to instantly free those under such oppression, and he doesn't generally have much of a plan going in beforehand. It can easily make him seem like just another anti-establishment anarchist. He's fully unwilling to deal with people he views as deniers of free will, and if forced to, will generally be as rude and unhelpful as the situation allows.

Integrity and determination are great qualities when one's very core beliefs are being assaulted by horrible knowledge. Being able to stick to your guns is great in most situations... but John Murdoch often takes this too far. It's almost impossible to steer him away from his chosen course of action once he's decided upon it. In fact, he often takes such attempts as attacks besides. Once he's decided on a course of action, he generally keeps at it until he's accomplished it, even if he can't accomplish it the way he first thought he would.