Highball
Status: Active, Independent Operator (Hero? Rogue? Trickster? Depends on the day.)
Alias: Highball
Other Aliases: The Fastest Liar Alive, The King of Close Calls, The Bluffmaster
Real Name: Nikau “Nik” Reihana
Age: 24
Home: Wellington, New Zealand
Birthplace: Napier, Hawke’s Bay, New Zealand
Gender: Male
Height: 5'11" (180 cm)
Weight: 170 lbs (77 kg)
Build: Lean, athletic, built for speed and precision
Hair: Dark brown, naturally messy, often looks like he just escaped something (he usually has)
Hair Style: Tousled, like the wind itself is in on the joke
Eyes: Light green, always sparkling with mischief
Ancestry: Māori/Pākehā
Skin: Sun-kissed tan, a few faint scars he claims are from wrestling sharks, dodging meteors, and “that one time I outran a literal time bomb.”
Occupation: ??? (Unknown how he actually makes money, but he always has it)
Background
Nobody really knows how Nikau Reihana ended up in the hero scene. Some say he ran a long con so good even he believed it, others claim he just kept talking until reality itself bent to his will.
What is known: He doesn’t have traditional superpowers, but he moves like a speedster and dodges like the laws of physics forgot about him. One moment he’s in front of you, the next he’s behind you, flipping a coin and smiling like he knew you’d miss. His luck isn’t just improbable—it’s impossible.
Nik grew up in Napier, a kid too smart for his own good, raised on hustles, high-stakes bluffs, and just enough survival instinct to stay out of trouble. Or at least, out of serious trouble. He spent his youth talking, running, and bluffing his way through life, always skating just ahead of consequences.
Then one day, he bet against the wrong people—or the right ones, depending on how you look at it. The story changes every time he tells it. Sometimes it was a villain cartel, sometimes an underground gambling ring, sometimes an AI casino that became self-aware mid-bet.
The most famous (and most ridiculous) story he tells is that he once bet against Death—and won.
The details change depending on who asks, but the core stays the same:
- He met Death.
- They played a game of chance—cards, dice, or something beyond human understanding.
- Nik won.
- Death let him walk away.
Of course, no one believes him.
Not heroes, not villains, not even the most superstitious gamblers in the underground scene.
Yet, he always has a golden poker chip in his pocket, flipping between his fingers.
And—strangely enough—New Zealand hasn’t seen the Grim Reaper in a while.
Nik grew up in Napier, a kid too smart for his own good, raised on hustles, high-stakes bluffs, and just enough survival instinct to stay out of trouble. Or at least, out of serious trouble. He spent his youth talking, running, and bluffing his way through life, always skating just ahead of consequences.
Then one day, he bet against the wrong people—or the right ones, depending on how you look at it. The story changes every time he tells it. Sometimes it was a villain cartel, sometimes an underground gambling ring, sometimes an AI casino that became self-aware mid-bet. Point is? He should’ve lost. But instead? He walked away with a reputation for surviving things no one should.
Now? He’s everywhere and nowhere. Nobody knows if he’s a hero, a rogue, or just a professional escape artist with no regard for safety. But one thing’s for sure: whenever there’s a high-stakes game, a big con, or a situation that seems unwinnable, Highball’s name tends to come up.
Powers, Skills, Abilities, Combat Style & Weaknesses
Powers? Skills? Luck? No One Knows.
- Impossible Reflexes & Agility: Moves like a speedster but isn’t one. He dodges bullets, sidesteps explosions, and casually plucks objects from midair before anyone sees him move.
- Reality-Bending Luck (???): Nik swears he doesn’t have probability powers. And yet…
- Guns jam before they fire.
- Villains trip over their own feet mid-attack.
- Entire catastrophic sequences line up just perfectly so he walks out untouched.
- “Mate, it’s not luck. I just plan really, really well.” (Narrator: He does not.)
- Master of Bluffing & Psychological Warfare:
- Can convince anyone of almost anything, whether through sheer confidence or the sheer absurdity of his circumstances backing him up.
- Once bluffed an AI security system into letting him pass because he “totally had admin access.” It worked.
- Once convinced a gang leader that they were actually working for him, causing a full-scale internal collapse.
Combat Style: "Chaotic Redirection"
- Never fights fair. Ever.
- Dodge-first philosophy: If you can’t hit him, you can’t win.
- Uses smoke, gadgets, and misdirection to keep enemies chasing shadows.
- Weaponized distraction: Keeps talking, smiling, and pushing buttons until his opponents mess up.
- Subtle environmental manipulation:
- Loosens screws, puts trip hazards in just the right places, convinces people their weapons are jammed before they even check.
- By the time you realize you lost, you already lost.
Weaknesses (Because Even He Has Some)
- Too Good at Bluffing:
- Occasionally tricks himself into believing his own nonsense, which can backfire spectacularly.
- “Wait, can I actually do this? …Well, too late to back out now.”
- Luck Is Not Control:
- Whatever lets him pull off impossible escapes? It doesn’t always let him pick how.
- Sometimes he lands gracefully. Sometimes he falls through a ceiling.
- "Look, I got here, didn’t I?"
- Physically Human:
- No super strength. No durability. If he actually gets hit, it hurts.
- Has survived so much nonsense purely through reflexes, trickery, and maybe divine intervention.
- “I’m built different. Not stronger, just… dodgier.”
Equipment
- Gadget Deck: Small, concealable tricks—exploding playing cards, fake-out holograms, smoke pellets, custom lockpicks.
- Golden Poker Chip: No one knows what it does, but he always has it, always flips it between his fingers, and never bets it.
- Concealed Blade & Stun Gadget: Just in case he actually needs to fight.
- Custom Comms Earpiece: For cheating at conversations.
Personality
- Talks Like He’s in a Heist Movie 24/7.
- Never stops smiling. Which is either reassuring or very concerning.
- Impossibly hard to intimidate.
- Drives allies insane with his constant stories and exaggerated bravado.
- Will absolutely make a dramatic entrance when it is not necessary.
- Enjoys getting villains so mad they make mistakes.
Favorite Quotes:
"You don’t need powers when you’ve got style, mate."
"No, really. I did that. You just weren’t looking."
"Luck? Psh. I make my own luck. It’s just better than yours."
"The trick is to always act like you meant for that to happen."
"They say never bet against the house. But me? I am the house."
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