The World In The Aftermath (Formerly A World Less Magical)

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Davies
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Karen Troy (Hero, Multiversal)

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Karen Troy
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In the parallel universe dubbed The World That Burned, human civilization dealt itself what might well be a mortal wound when the United States of America fought a brief nuclear war with its Soviet rival in the late 1990s. The small number of superheroes who had existed in this world from the 1980s onward, known as the Justice Alliance, attempted to prevent as much of the devastation as they could, but most of them lost their lives in the struggle or its aftermath. Larger than life though they were, the war was larger still than them.

Karen Troy is, as far as she knows, the only second generation super, born two years before the war broke out. Her parents were both founding members of the Alliance; her father gave his life to save Chicago from one of the first nukes. (Sadly, there were three more aimed that way.) Her mother survived but died of cancer -- definitely cancer, not anything else involving a loaded gun and a locked room -- when Karen was seven. She grew up fast, too fast probably, into the role of the protector of Metropolis, Illinois, one of the largest survivor communities unaffiliated with either of the supposed legitimate governments of the United States.

Over the twenty years since her mother died, Karen has gradually grown into a somewhat absurdist, borderline nihilistic attitude. However powerful she might be, she will never be able to protect her community from all the forces that oppose it. Neither the military dictatorship in Denver nor the populist psychopath in Palm Springs seem likely to build a better tomorrow. Trying to defeat one of them will just leave her vulnerable to attacks from the other; defeating them both is a course of self-destruction. Eventually their struggle will crush the life out of Metropolis and whatever other settlements might have survived the war.

Nothing she can do matters ... and therefore, what she chooses to do matters a great deal, and she will spend what time she has left trying to help people. What else has she got to do with her life anyway? To a degree, that worldview is also informed by her awareness of her own personal situation. Her mother was brilliant enough to figure out a way to have children with her father, despite their mutations, but not brilliant enough to ensure that her hybrid child would be able to have children of her own. Karen is therefore the first and last of her kind. She deals with the loneliness this causes her in many ways, not all of them healthy.

Quite recently, though, things have started to change. The arrival of the strange transhumans who call themselves the Vima, who seem to want to help repair the physical damage left over from the war, has given Karen a bit of hope that both MilGov and ProGov can be overcome. Convincing the Vima to help deal with the social damage is a challenge, since they prefer to hug the shadows. Meanwhile, Karen has also met a different group of multiversal travelers, the Discovery Company, who are interested in using Metropolis as a base for their explorations of this reality, and have helped her out on a few occasions.

Of course, there is a downside, for this increase in super activity is drawing out a few villains who had been in hiding all this while. But Karen enjoys challenges. And celebrating after the challenges. And at least some of these jerks are not completely uncute, so ... with the bad gotta take the good, right?

Karen Troy -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR
8/6 | STA 6 | AGL 5 | DEX 4 | FGT 9 | INT 2 | AWE 4 | PRE 4

Powers:
Fists of Iron: Impervious Toughness 6; Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical - 10 points
Guts of Iron: Immunity 1 (radiation); Immunity 4 (cold, disease, heat, poison), Limited to Half Effect - 3 points
Just Plain Fast: Enhanced Advantages 2 (Improved Initiative 2); Leaping 5 (250 feet); Movement 2 (safe fall, wall-crawling); Speed 3 (16 MPH); Swimming 3 (8 MPH) - 17 points
Overdrive: Linked Enhanced Strength 2; Linked Enhanced Speed 2 (60 MPH); Fades - 3 points
Shielded Mind: Impervious Will 8, Limited to mental effects - 4 points

Advantages:
Agile Feint, Attractive, Chokehold, Defensive Roll 2, Evasion, Extraordinary Effort, Fast Grab, Fearless 2, Improved Aim, Improved Hold, Improved Initiative 3, Improvised Tools, Power Attack, Tracking, Uncanny Dodge, Well-informed.

Skills:
Acrobatics 6 (+12), Athletics 8 (+14), Expertise: History 8 (+10), Expertise: Science 8 (+10), Insight 8 (+12), Intimidation 9 (+13), Investigation 7 (+9), Persuasion 7 (+11), Ranged Combat: Throwing 4 (+8), Stealth 5 (+10), Technology 6 (+8), Vehicles 8 (+12).

Offense:
Initiative +17
Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 11/9)

Defense:
Dodge 7, Parry 9, Fortitude 8, Toughness 11/6, Will 8.

Totals:
Abilities 80 + Powers 37 + Advantages 18 + Skills 43 + Defenses 8 = 186 points

Offensive PL: 10
Defensive PL: 10
Resistance PL: 8
Skill PL: 9

Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Enormous Appetites (of all sorts, especially after use of Extraordinary Effort or Overdrive.) Impulsive.

肯定も否定もしないのです ただもう一歩歩きたいだけ
"I neither affirm nor deny; I just want to take another step."
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
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Davies
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Re: The World In The Aftermath (Formerly A World Less Magical)

Post by Davies »

Next week will be four more revised characters from the World in the Aftermath, plus one recent legacy, plus some context that ties a few of the profiles together ... and then, as I'm feeling a bit burnt out, I think I'm going to take an extended break.
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
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The Magnificent Seven (Heroes)

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The Magnificent Seven

For some people, at least some of the time, the surest way to get them to go from not wanting something at all to wanting that thing a great deal is to tell them that they cannot have it. So it was, recently, with Marc Bolton, aka Cadmus. If he had ever given any thought as to why he had never received an invitation to join the Powerhouse, he dismissed it as the circumstances never coming up. Then he noticed a pattern, or rather the disruption of a pattern. Basilea steps down to be replaced another shield-wielding warrior in Prydwen. El Dorado goes off into space, and his role is filled by La Donna Universale, another device-wielding scientist. And then Minuteman, a powered armor-type, takes a break ... and they get a mystical martial monkey to fill in. As someone wise once said, "Huh?"

Despite that, Bolton still figured that the whole thing was none of his business. It would not be until after the invasion, when he consulted with John Wright regarding some new miniaturized systems for the Cadmus suit that the subject came up again, with Bolton mentioning his confusion in passing. Wright felt obligated to explain the situation to him, revealing that the group had decided a few years earlier, that they could not in conscience ask Cadmus to join the team while he was "employed" by a major weapons dealer. Bolton had never considered that possibility, and while he seemed to accept the explanation casually, he was more angered by it than he gave on. Because now he wanted something.

Being who and what he was, Bolton decided to use that anger to build something up rather than tear something down, and began planning to create a team intended to compete with the Powerhouse. He soon had a lengthy list of potential members, as well as arranging the construction of a headquarters for them in San Simeon. Before beginning the process of recruiting them, though, he felt that he ought to have a name ready, and here he struggled a bit, just as he had when coming up with a name for his armor. While listening to a playlist of favorite music, he briefly considered "The Superpower Crew" after Dylan came up, but decided that it was too generic. Then a certain well-known piece by Elmer Bernstein came up. Bolton wrote "The Magnificent" on the paper before him, hesitated, shrugged, and added "Seven" to it, then nodded.

What they are going to do if they ever end up recruiting a new member while still maintaining that number is not all that clear. Regardless, the Magnificent Seven have been assembled, and have had their first victory, after Montana finally showed her true colors and went on a rampage. After she was defeated, and the investigation into her mysterious backers begun, the state government swiftly extended the new team the same accreditation their fallen giantess had once enjoyed. Which is nice, but Bolton thinks bigger than that and is planning to make similar arrangements with the state governments of Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and Oregon, as a sort of "west coast Powerhouse". (Of course, as the Powerhouse operates globally, that is a ridiculous idea, but Bolton has his whimsical moments.) This is probably going to be an uphill battle, of course.

Current Membership
Caballero
Cadmus
Exile
Firefly
The Red Archer
Scanner
Tlaloc


Red Archer: "Don't most of the Magnificent Seven get killed, though?"
Cadmus: "Well, aren't you just a bundle of sunshine."
Red Archer: "It's an understandable concern, right?"
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
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Exile (Hero)

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Exile
Image

In Hespera, Nzarde spent most of her time trying to avoid change. Change was something that people associated with her mother, and if Nzarde wanted to present herself as a viable alternative as Queen, she needed to court those who were opposed to the changes to Hespera that her mother had fought to bring about. Ultimately, due to forces beyond her control, none of her efforts came to anything, and she was sent away from the only home that she had ever known with a poisoned gift in the form of her shield. Perhaps those of her followers who abandoned her are now being rewarded by having even more changes forced down her throat by the one who did become queen. That would be just.

Meanwhile, since becoming Exile, Nzarde has surprised herself by realizing how much she likes change. In the year since her exile began, she has gone through five different costumes -- more than some "superheroes" go through in their entire careers. This has also lead to her experimenting with changing her look in other ways, as well, such as how she recently dyed her hair with henna. It was entirely spontaneous, she woke up one morning a few weeks ago, looked at herself in the mirror and decided that she wanted red hair.

Now that she is in the outside world, she is discovering many of the reasons that her mother seemed to prefer this place to their homeland. The different kinds of music, of story-telling, of clothing, of food -- it can be almost dizzying at times. And this place, California, is just one small part of the brave new world! There is still so much to see and do, and sometimes she can almost find herself feeling happy that she has twenty years to see and do it all before she will be allowed to go back. (Of course, thinking that invariably ruins whatever good mood she might be feeling.)

Joining the Magnificent Seven -- the name is apparently a reference to something, and she plans to investigate as soon as she has a spare moment -- is another change that she could never have predicted at the start of this. As Exile, she avoided other superheroes, especially those associated with her mother. (She was unsure what would be worse, if they expected her to be just like Sharana or if they were expecting the exact opposite.) But it was not really possible, especially when those soldiers descended from space in the invasion; fighting alone would have been the act of a fool, so she worked with others, and found it worthwhile.

So when Bolton approached her, Nzarde found his arguments somewhat enticing. She realizes that a good portion of the reason he contacted her was to borrow a bit of the credibility she herself is borrowing from her mother, but if he can get better use out of it than she has sometimes managed, so be it. Of her other teammates, the one who claims the name of the Mexican storm god seems most interesting, and watching him fly is making her consider a new change. Bolton would probably be willing to arrange for her to use some sort of flight device, she thinks ...

Exile -- PL 12

Abilities:
STR
7 | STA 8 | AGL 4 | DEX 5 | FGT 12 | INT 1 | AWE 5 | PRE 3

Powers:
Adamantine Shield: Strength-based Ranged Damage 2; Strength-based Damage 2; Enhanced Defenses 4 (Dodge 2, Parry 2); Removable (-3 points) - 14 points
Hesperan Biology: Immunity 3 (aging, disease, poison) - 3 points
Hesperan Telepathy: Mental Communication 3 (regional); Mind Reading 6, Limited to Surface Thoughts, Communication Dependent - 18 points
More-Than-Hesperan Strength: Enhanced Strength 5, Limited to Lifting (100 tons) - 5 points
More-Than-Hesperan Swiftness: Leaping 7 (900 feet); Speed 6 (120 MPH); Swimming 6 (30 MPH) - 19 points

Advantages:
All-out Attack, Close Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment, Improved Defense, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 4, Set-Up, Skill Mastery (Athletics), Teamwork.

Equipment:
Commlink.

Skills:
Acrobatics 8 (+12), Athletics 6 (+13), Close Combat: Shield 2 (+14), Expertise: History 7 (+8), Expertise: Military 6 (+7), Insight 6 (+11), Intimidation 8 (+11), Perception 6 (+11), Persuasion 6 (+9), Ranged Combat: Throwing 5 (+10), Vehicles 6 (+11).

Offense:
Initiative +8
Unarmed +13 (Close Damage 7)
Shield Strike +15 (Close Damage 9)
Thrown Shield +12 (Close Damage 9)

Defense:
Dodge 14/12, Parry 14/12, Fortitude 11, Toughness 10/8, Will 8.

Totals:
Abilities 90 + Powers 59 + Advantages 14 + Skills 33 + Defenses 15 = 211 points

Offensive PL: 12
Defensive PL: 12
Resistance PL: 10
Skill PL: 8

Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Outsider (legal problems when she crosses a border.) Reputation (violent successor.)
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
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Davies
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Caballero (Hero)

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Caballero
Image
In costume
Image
Out of costume

Even after parting ways with the Avatar and heading back to Portland with Patty and her friend, Lonnie Lawson was still only partially reconciled to the idea of once more becoming a superhero. His goals, for the past few years, had largely involved avoiding situations that needed a superhero, even if his success in achieving that had been sporadic at best. He wanted to help the Red Archer as much as he could, but lacked a lot of the tools that he had used to help in the past.

Ultimately, he did wind up accompanying Patty and Leah in the field on several occasions over the following year, usually wearing just a full face mask and hoodie and using no alias. On one occasion, when asked who he was, he sarcastically referred to himself as, "Mask -- like Masque, but less pretentious." (He was sooo glad that the press never picked that up, particularly after Leah gave him hell for it.) For the most part, though, he focused his efforts on doing legwork for Xenia, keeping the Arrow tuned up, and otherwise supporting the two of them behind the scenes.

Lonnie was present, wearing his hoodie and mask and planning on keeping his trap shut, when Marc Bolton made his pitch to Songbird and the Red Archer. Leah turned him down flat, as she had enough trouble looking after Portland and viewed the idea of working all over the west coast as hubris. Patricia was more ambivalent, wanting some time to think it over, which Bolton agreed to give her. Then things got weird, for the inventor turned to look at Lonnie and said, "So what do you think, Talon?" Stunned that someone had figured out who he used to be, Lonnie stammered out that he was out of the business, even though he knew that Bolton would know that was a half-truth at best.

Bolton wheeled over to him and handed him a tablet displaying a new set of protective gear he had designed, taking some inspiration from the Twilight suit used by that guy up in Seattle. It was, Bolton explained, designed to give Argus agents a bit of an edge on their opposition, without turning them into superpowers. But if worn by someone who already had superpower levels of speed, strength and toughness, and had a fair amount of experience already? It might give someone like that more than a bit of an edge.

Lonnie is still getting accustomed to the differences between this suit and the one that he wore when he was Talon, but he is finally starting to feel like a superhero again. However, he still mostly acts in a support role on the team, scouting out their opposition and infiltrating enemy positions rather than acting as a front-line combatant. (Cadmus and Exile have that covered between them.) He has the uncomfortable feeling that his decision to go along with the proposal is what tipped Patty into agreeing with it as well, but she seems just as excited to be operating on this scale as he is, so he only worries about her some of the time.

The rest of the team seem all right, particularly Firefly, who has the skills to get into pretty much any location that stymies his own, and has an inquisitive mind that reminds Lonnie of Av. (Whom he is worried about, too, but he has seen nothing to make him think that the Avatar has stopped being his own master.) Cadmus is the only one who worries him. The leader of the team is the one that he knows the least about, despite Bolton assuring them that they can trust whoever is wearing the suit as much as they would trust him. Almost as though ...

... nah, that would be too crazy.

Caballero -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR
5 | STA 5 | AGL 6 | DEX 6 | FGT 8 | INT 3 | AWE 3 | PRE 1

Powers:
Knight Armor: Removable (-4 points)
* Air Supply: Immunity 2 (suffocation) - 2 points
* Body Armor: Impervious Protection 4 - 8 points
* Camouflage: Partial Visual Concealment 2 - 2 points
* Jump Jets: Leaping 4 (120 feet); Speed 3 (16 MPH) - 7 points
* Sensors: Senses 2 (darkvision) - 2 points
* Striking Surfaces: Strength-based Damage 2 - 2 points

Advantages:
Defensive Roll, Equipment 5, Evasion, Improved Initiative, Instant Up, Jack-of-all-trades, Non-Lethal Tactics, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 6.

Equipment:
Commlink and 2 additional points of equipment.
Utility Belt: Array (18 points)
  • Techno-Bolos: Ranged Cumulative Affliction 6 (Resisted by Dodge; Hindered and Vulnerable, Defenseless and Immobilized), Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 18 points
  • Throwing Darts: Strength-based Ranged Multiattack Damage 6 (includes Strength 5), Accurate - 1 point
  • Explosives: Ranged Burst Area Damage 5, Triggered 2 - 1 point
  • Meta-Taser: Ranged Cumulative Affliction 6 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated) - 1 point
  • Stun Grenade: Ranged Cloud Area Affliction 6 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed and Visually Impaired, Stunned and Visually Disabled), Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 1 point
Skills:
Acrobatics 6 (+12), Athletics 8 (+13), Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+11), Deception 7 (+8), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+9), Insight 4 (+7), Intimidation 7 (+8), Investigation 4 (+7), Perception 5 (+8), Sleight of Hand 4 (+10), Stealth 6 (+12), Technology 4 (+7).

Offense:
Initiative +6
Unarmed +11 (Close Damage 7/5)
Techno Bolos +12 (Ranged Affliction 6, Resisted by Dodge)
Throwing Darts +14 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 6).
Meta-Taser +12 (Ranged Fortitude 6)
Stun Grenade -- (Ranged Cloud Area Affliction 6)

Defense:
Dodge 9, Parry 8, Fortitude 6, Toughness 11/9/7/5, Will 7

Totals:
Abilities 74 + Powers 19 + Advantages 18 + Skills 32 + Defenses 8 = 151 points

Offensive PL: 10
Defensive PL: 10
Resistance PL: 7
Skill PL: 8

Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Friend (the Avatar.) Relationship (the Red Archer.) Secret Identity. Still Getting Used To His New Suit.
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
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Firefly (Hero)

Post by Davies »

Firefly
Image
In costume
Image
Out of costume

At twenty-one years of age, Peter Hanawa is the youngest member of the Magnificent Seven. He is also the only one of his teammates without any previous superheroic experience. (His previous experience in the superpower world was of a different nature, as will soon be told.) Despite this, he never allows himself to dwell on any insecurity or uncertainty that any of it might make him feel. There is no time for that. He is having way too much fun for that.

Two years ago, Peter Hanawa was a typical nineteen year old grad student at Cornell, where he was one of several thesis candidates under the supervision of John Wright. While Peter planned to do his thesis on a hypothetically improved version of the hyperdrive that had taken the Constitution to Mars, decades earlier, he happened to examine the thesis Wright had written, which was -- although this was not known to the public -- the basis for the size-warp field that Wright used in his identity as Minuteman. Realizing the implications of this abstruse paper, Peter impulsively decided to build a size-warp field generator of his own, over the course of a weekend.

Once he had turned it on and reduced himself to the same 1.5 inch height as Minuteman, however, Peter realized that he had made a critical and difficult to explain mistake in the circuitry of the generator. Essentially, he was trapped at that height, and nearly fell victim to a number of misadventures in the four hours before Minuteman rescued him. In order to get the younger man out of his panicked state, John Wright exposed his secret identity to Peter, and then made the correction to his belt-mounted generator that allowed him to return to his normal size.

After it was all over, Peter was finally able to process everything that he had just been through. Someone else might have sworn off messing around with size-changing forever. But for Peter, it was an experience that had been every bit as exhilarating as it had been terrifying. His life to that point had largely been a safe one, where he had always done exactly what his parents had wanted him to do; having stepped outside of their plans, Peter knew that he could never go back to that life.

He spent the next two years building the suit that he was going to use for the adventures in shrinking that he planned to have. While inspired by the suit that Wright used, it differed in a number of ways. First, as a power saving measure, it used physical armor instead of a force field for protection. This had the additional benefit of reserving enough power for the thrusters to allow them to function at any size, rather than only when shrunken. It also could not shrink as far as the Wright suit did, and carried a pair of laser weapons instead of meta-tasers.

By the time that he deemed himself ready, having trained himself how to use the suit and its weaponry, John Wright had decided to retire his identity as Minuteman. Impressed -- though privately a bit concerned -- with the work Peter had done, he offered his help in fine-tuning the finished product, which Peter was happy to accept. With those final adjustments, he was ready to begin his adventures as Firefly, the successor to Minuteman. Wright also contacted Marc Bolton about having Firefly join the team he was assembling, so as to ensure that Peter would have backup when he needed it -- and to keep him from going down the darker road that Wright feared these adventures might take.

Much like his mentor, Peter Hanawa is immensely curious, but the thrill of discovery is not his primary motivation. He is a much more swashbuckling figure than Wright, enjoying battle -- at least when he is winning -- in a way that Minuteman never did. Hopefully, if he lives, he will grow in maturity and stop taking some of the ridiculous chances that he takes. But possibly not.

Firefly -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR
0 | STA 2 | AGL 2 | DEX 4 | FGT 4 | INT 7 | AWE 3 | PRE 2

Powers:
Microsuit:
Removable (-22 points)
* Armor: Impervious Protection 4 - 8 points
* Communications: Radio Communication 3 (regional); Senses 2 (acute radio) - 14 points
* Microthrusters: Flight 6 (120 MPH) - 12 points
* Sealed Systems: Immunity 10 (life support) - 10 points
* Sensors: Senses 8 (analytical vision, infravision, microscopic vision 4, ultravision) - 6 points
* Spotlight: Environment 1 (light) - 1 point
* Warp-Field: Shrinking 16 (3 inches tall; +8 Dodge, +8 Parry, +16 Stealth, -8 Intimidation, -2 Speed), Continuous, Normal Strength - 48 points
* Wrist-Mounted Lasers: Ranged Damage 5, Penetrating 3 - 13 points

Advantages:
Agile Feint, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Defense, Improved Trip, Inventor, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 2, Uncanny Dodge.

Skills:
Acrobatics 6 (+8), Expertise: Science 5 (+12), Insight 6 (+9), Investigation 3 (+10), Perception 7 (+10), Ranged Combat: Laser 7 (+11), Stealth 0 (+18/+2), Technology 6 (+13).

Offense:
Initiative +2
Unarmed +4 (Close Damage 0)
Wrist-Mounted Laser +13 (Ranged Damage 5)

Defense:
Dodge 12/4, Parry 12/4, Fortitude 4, Toughness 8/6/4/2, Will 8.

Totals:
Abilities 48 + Powers 92 + Advantages 13 + Skills 20 + Defenses 9 = 182 points

Offensive PL: 9
Defensive PL: 10
Resistance PL: 6
Skill PL: 8

Complications:
Thrills-Motivation. Prototype (many systems are untested.) Scientific Curiosity. Secret Identity.
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
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Guardian Ariel (Hero, Revised)

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Guardian Ariel
Image
Art by Kayla Marquez

When Kei Kurama woke up, the fact that she now had superpowers was much less confusing than the news that she had been asleep for nearly three years while some other person walked around in her skin. If the friends that Rossandra had made at the Academy were all a bit distraught that she was gone forever, Kei was no less bewildered by the way that these people acted as though they knew her. There were certainly similarities between them, but Kei was a much quieter and private individual, owing to the secret she had always had to keep from her parents, whose truth -- that they had a son -- was not at all compatible with her own.

Despite the confusion and frequently hurt feelings of the first few months after Kei returned, she nevertheless chose to remain at the Academy, because of the paradoxical acceptance that came with having been possessed by Rossandra. Everyone there had accepted that Rossandra was a woman, and that did not change now that Kei was operating the vehicle. It was not without challenging moments, but Kei came to embrace her identity as Ariel, and forged new friendships with many of those who had known Rossandra, learning about her in the process.

So it was that, when she collapsed, shortly after the start of the current year, and found herself in a dark place, staring up at a wind that began to speak portentously about what was to come, Kei recognized the speech patterns that had been described to her, and interrupted. "You're Rossandra, right?"

The wind, implausibly, coughed. "Well, it's been quite some time since anyone called me that, but, yes, that is who I once was. And now, Kei Kurama, you must --"

"Okay, please don't do this," Kei interrupted again. "You're going to give me some sort of ridiculously vague pronouncement that I'll have to figure out on my own, right? Could you not? Could you just not? Can't you please explain what's going on to me? That's what people do, you know."

"I do know, but I am no longer a person, as such, and ... oh, to the Abyss with it, you're right." And with that, Rossandra, or whatever she had become, explained that the lingering connection between the two of them had grown even stronger now that the place where her consciousness resided -- the plane of existence with which she had eventually merged -- could now be reached from the place where Kei existed. Just like some other people, far away, Kei was being granted even greater powers and the opportunity to become an immortal Ascendant in the new age, by overcoming certain challenges. In her case, she would have to eventually fight and defeat something called Al-Mushtari, hopefully with the help of the other Guardians.

When Kei finally woke up, holding a pendant with a cloud charm in her hand, she not only had a fairly clear idea of what was supposed to happen but an understanding that the others who had been given this calling would probably not know what they were doing. With reluctance, she departed from the Academy to begin the long journey to Vancouver, there to find the Guardians and help them with their challenges as they will help her with her own. Of course, matters being what they are, she has encountered nothing but delays as she runs into difficulties that she recognizes she needs to help resolve, so it may be some time before her journey reaches its first figurative milestone.

Well, at least she actually can chase the wind.

Guardian Ariel -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR
2 | STA 2 | AGL 3 | DEX 5 | FGT 6 | INT 3 | AWE 5 | PRE 5

Powers:
Enchanted Costume: Feature 1 (quick change); Flight 6 (120 MPH); Sustained Protection 9; Removable (-4 points) - 18 points
Heart Magic: Array (8 points)
  • "Be Not Afraid": Nullify Fear Effects 8 - 1 point
  • Heart Mending: Healing 8, Others Only - 1 point
  • Heart Sense: Mind Reading 8, Limited to emotions - 8 points
Mystic Awareness: Senses 4 (Mystic Awareness, Acute, Analytical, Radius) - 4 points.
Wind Magic: Array (16 points)
  • Air Bubble: Sustained Immunity 4 (pressure, suffocation, vacuum), Affects Self and Others in Ranged Cloud Area - 1 point
  • Blinding Gust: Ranged Cumulative Affliction 8 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Fortitude; Visually Impaired, Visually Disabled, Visually Unaware), Limited to One Sense - 1 point
  • Lifting Winds: Move Object 8 (6 tons) - 12 points
  • Whispering Wind: Communication 3 (regional; auditory, air), Subtle - 1 point
  • Wind Burst: Ranged Burst Area Affliction 5 (Resisted and Overcome by Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated) - 1 point
  • Wind Lash: Ranged Damage 8 - 1 point
Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Uncanny Dodge.

Skills:
Deception 4 (+9), Expertise: Magic 3 (+8), Insight 6 (+11), Intimidation 4 (+9), Perception 5 (+10), Persuasion 5 (+10), Ranged Combat: Wind Magic 7 (+12).

Offense:
Initiative +5
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 2)
Blinding Gust +12 (Ranged Affliction 8, Resisted by Dodge)
Wind Lash +12 (Ranged Damage 8)
Wind Burst -- (Ranged Burst Area Fortitude 5).

Defense:
Dodge 8, Parry 9, Fortitude 6, Toughness 11/2, Will 10.

Totals:
Abilities 62 + Powers 53 + Advantages 4 + Skills 20 + Defenses 17 = 156 points

Offensive PL: 10
Defensive PL: 10
Resistance PL: 8
Skill PL: 6

Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. A Bit Impatient. Secret Identity.
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
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Davies
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Post by Davies »

Kit sighed. "I wish Peach were here, we could have asked her."
There was a brief silence. "Oh," said a voice, "I'm not that easy to get rid of."
She was in the midst of them. Not Picchu. Or-was it not? She might look human, though very tall, and she might not be winged . . . but there was still a sense of swiftness about her, rather like the sense you got about Picchu when you realized she was going to make a grab at your sandwich and either get a piece of it, or a piece of you. Swiftness, and power, and extreme beauty, so that Dairine and Nita were abashed, and both they and Kit stared at her with all their eyes. All this in a person burning even brighter than the light around them, and about nine feet tall; a person wearing a sweatshirt with the sleeves pushed up, and blue jeans and sneakers, a person with long dark hair, and a sword naked in her hand, and the sword burning; and the fire of the sword and the fire of the sky were the same.
"You're kidding," Dairine said.
The woman laughed. "Often. But not at the moment."


-- From High Wizardry, by Diane Duane.
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
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Davies
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Celene (Hero)

Post by Davies »

Celene
Image

In one moment, so long ago that it might as well have been in another world entirely, there was a woman who had collapsed beneath the weight of her grief and the knowledge that both it and what had caused it were meaningless. In that moment, someone offered her solace in the form of words from a song that would not be written for millions of years. In another moment, a much younger woman, hiding from her father and everything that would come with him when he found her, took a bit of comfort in watching a frankly silly cartoon from the homeland of her mother about a demon hunter. In that moment, she wished, as she watched, that she could be like that. In still another moment, dread Abraxas greeted the red-robed junior Ascendant of Time, whom he believed to be an old ally of his, only to startlingly realize that he had been mistaken when the robe came down and a smiling -- no, smirking -- woman said, "Oy, have you got the wrong supernatural entity."

The same moon watched over all of these events. It would be nice to believe that it will watch over all things, forever, but that would be a mistaken belief. In neither this world, nor any that exist, is there a forever. But there is a "for long enough that it counts."

Sakura Megumi, Megan Excalibur, believed herself to be an empty thing; all of her affectations were meant to cover up that fundamental disbelief in her own value. On meeting a version of herself who was far more like that silly demon hunter who had made the hell of her childhood a little brighter, it was only natural for her to decide that Sakura Motoko deserved to live more than she herself did. If an empty thing like her could bring that about, then, as she said in her last words, "empty things sometimes become useful." And then she died, knowing that she would be forgotten.

Except that certain beings who had not forgotten her had other plans. It is at this point, as is typical of an Ascendant of the Sphere of Time, that her existence becomes somewhat non-linear. She apparently ascended in the moment of her death, and yet Teleute did not grant permission for that ascension until quite a bit after that, following the death of the Mnajimu. She should be only an Initiate of her Sphere, yet she has taken up the station once occupied by one of the Eternals thanks to training and experience undertaken in other times than these. (Or possibly training and experience that she will undertake has been somehow granted to her. It is difficult for beings who only move in two dimensions to understand the lives of those who move in four or more.)

Despite that, the strangest aspect of her new condition is her connection to the enigmatic force that once empowered the guardians of Tanelorn, thought to have been extinguished during the Anachronic Crisis. Her access to that power is limited, requiring the approval of all five Hierarch Ascendants to be fully available to her. As this would require the agreement of a being who would almost rather see the universe end rather than permit the existence of a being more powerful than themselves, as well as that of one about whom there is no almost about the subject, it seems likely that she will never draw on her full power. But perhaps that is not so bad of a thing.

For Celene, as she now styles herself, all of this has forced her to abandon her horrible self-image ... at least a bit. She has seen that she will, or at least might, become something incredible to her imagination, something that brings hope wherever she goes. And if all those people believe in her ... surely she can at least try to believe in her, too.

Her journey will be a long one, full of twists and turns that she cannot yet foresee. Yet the moon will watch over her for long enough that it counts.

Celene -- PL 13/15/18

Abilities:
STR
10/5 | STA 11/6 | AGL 13/8 | DEX 11/6 | FGT 18/13 | INT 6/1 | AWE 7/2 | PRE 10/5

Powers:
Ascendant: Immortality 19 (one round), Only When On Home Plane; Immunity 1 (aging); Movement 1 (dimensional travel to home plane), Reaction (death); Movement 2 (dimensional travel to mystical dimensions), Standard Action - 24 points
Blessed: Enhanced Advantages 4 (Evasion, Improved Defense, Weapon Bind, Weapon Break); Enhanced Defenses 10 (Dodge 5, Parry 5); Luck Control 4 - 26 points
Guardian: Enhanced Agility 5; Enhanced Awareness 5; Enhanced Dexterity 5; Enhanced Fighting 5; Enhanced Intellect 5; Enhanced Presence 5; Enhanced Stamina 5; Enhanced Strength 5; Limited, Only by agreement* - 40 points
Sense Immortal: Senses 2 (ranged detect immortal) - 2 points
Swords of Truth: Strength-based Damage 3, Affects Insubstantial 2, Improved Critical 4, Split Attack** - 10 points

* If two or more Hierarch Ascendants consent, she gains Enhanced Ability 2 and becomes PL 15; in the extremely unlikely event that all five Hierarchs consent, she gains Enhanced Ability 5 and becomes PL 18.
** These are not Removable or Easily Removable, but Celene can use Deception to trick an opponent into thinking they can be disarmed.

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Attractive, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 5, Evasion 2, Fascinate (Persuasion), Fearless 2, Improved Defense, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Luck 6, Move-by Action, Multilingual, Power Attack, Precise Attack (Close/Concealment), Seize Initiative, Takedown, Uncanny Dodge, Weapon Bind, Weapon Break.

Equipment:
Home Plane: Size Medium; Toughness 14; Features Combat Simulator, Concealed, Gym, Isolated, Living Space, Power System, Temporal Limbo 14 - 25 points

Skills:
Acrobatics 9 (+22/+17), Athletics 8 (+18/+13), Close Combat: Sword 5 (+23/+18), Deception 7 (+17/+12), Expertise: Magic 8 (+18/+13), Insight 10 (+17/+12), Intimidation 7 (+17/+12), Perception 14 (+21/+16), Persuasion 7 (+17/+12), Sleight of Hand 8 (+19/+14), Stealth 7 (+20/+15).

Offense:
Intiative +17/+12
Unarmed +18/+13 (Close Damage 10/5)
Sword of Truth +23/+18 (Close Damage 13/8, Crit 16-20)

Defense:
Dodge 21/16/16/11, Parry 23/18/18/13, Fortitude 14/9, Toughness 13/11/8/6, Will 16/11

Totals:
Abilities 92 + Powers 102 + Advantages 31 + Skills 45 + Defenses 15 = 285 points

Offensive PL: 13/18
Defensive PL: 13/18
Resistance PL: 10/15
Skill PL: 12/17

Complications:
Defense of Reality--Motivation. Bound by Fate. Forgotten by Nearly All. LOVES To The Annoy The Pompous.

You can try to resist
Try to run from my kiss
But you know,
But you know that you,
Can't fight the moonlight.
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
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EternalPhoenix
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Re: The World In The Aftermath (Formerly A World Less Magical)

Post by EternalPhoenix »

Empty things are sometimes not quite as empty as they imagine, nor nearly as worthless.
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Davies
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Re: The World In The Aftermath (Formerly A World Less Magical)

Post by Davies »

EternalPhoenix wrote: Fri Apr 07, 2023 10:16 pm Empty things are sometimes not quite as empty as they imagine, nor nearly as worthless.
Very true.

Some updates before I head off for my sabbatical.

Cadmus:
Having learned of the reason that the Powerhouse had never invited Cadmus to join, Marc responded by forming a team of his own. He is acting as the primary sponsor for the group while also serving as a member, but his identity as Cadmus remains a secret to the rest of the team, so far. Add Equipment 4 (Stately Manor headquarters).
The Red Archer:
Between the removal of Spectra and her influence and some persuasive efforts by Marc Bolton, the police are no longer actively pursuing the Red Archer or Songbird. Patricia has returned this favor by joining the Magnificent Seven along with Lonnie. She is now PL 10; increase her Defensive Roll to 2 ranks, her Dodge to 11 and her Parry to 10. Remove the Wanted by Police complication. Bolton is her new supplier of replacement arrows, and is making noises about improving their design.
Scanner:
After a dangerous conflict with the hostile robot known as Proctor, Scanner has finally realized the dangers of his complacency. He responded to this challenge by accepting an invitation from Marc Bolton to join the team he was assembling, on the theory that having allies with whom he could train might help him to develop further. (It has; on top of adding a commlink to his Equipment, add Ranged Attack to his advantages, making him PL 10.) Scanner has also relocated from Milwaukee to Las Vegas as part of the overall plan that Bolton is aiming towards.
Tlaloc:
Tlaloc accepted an invitation from Marc Bolton to join the Magnificent Seven, and his good reputation in New Mexico and Arizona seems likely to help the team receive acknowledgement from the governments of those states. Add Equipment 1 (commlink).
Songbird:
The removal of Spectra and her influence, and some additional influence by Marc Bolton, has resulted in the end of her outlaw status in Portland; remove Wanted by Police from her complications, but Songbird still has a Reputation. She turned down the invitation from Bolton to join the Magnificent Seven, preferring to focus on Portland and its issues. Her training has increased her STA to 3, her Dodge to 11 and Parry to 13, making her PL 9. She recently power stunted Cone Area 2 Affliction 8 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed & Hearing Impaired, Stunned & Hearing Disabled, Stunned & Hearing Unaware), Extra Condition, Limited to One Sense. More recently yet, Leah was contacted by Amari who wants to set up some sort of meeting; she has no idea what that might be about.
Montana:
After turning down an invitation from Cadmus to join the new team he was putting together, Montana discovered that she was now under investigation by the California Bureau of Investigations. Panicking, she went on a rampage, opposed by that very team. Defeated, she has found herself arrested, nullified and awaiting trial, terrified that her sponsors are going to close off the loose end that she represents now that she is powerless. The irony is, she has nothing to worry about, having never quite grasped how small-time her employers are in the grand scheme of things.
Action Figure:
During his initial period of retirement, while repairing his suit, John Wright also worked on a method of suppressing the innate size reduction field generated by her cells. Just before his last outing as Minuteman, he presented Jeanne Martell with a device that did so in belt form as a gift. She thanked him and left. In the aftermath of his retirement, she showed up at his lab, surprising him as he had never expected to see her again. When he expressed that sentiment, she wondered aloud how someone so smart could be so dumb, declared her own retirement from supervillainy, and jumped his bones. Add Macrobelt: Continuous on Shrinking, Removable (-1 point) to her powers.
Rose Madder:
The dissolution of the Ultra Girls has startled Rose, leaving her uncertain what her next move should be. She has been distracted from these considerations by the way that a recent battle between herself, Jaana and a werewolf has resulted in the two of them coming under attack by other werewolves and by vampires, for no clear reason.
Jaana Auringvalo:
A recent battle between herself, Rose and a werewolf has resulted in the two of them coming under attack by other werewolves and by vampires, for no clear reason. Also, the Ultra Girls have broken up and Rose is acting all weird about it.[
The Brotherhood of the Wolves:
In the early months of this year, Rotekralle came into conflict with Rose Madder and Jaana Auringvalo … a conflict that proved fatal for the werewolf. Fenris has ordered the remaining members of the Brotherhood to hunt down the killers. He is also secretly preparing to perform the ritual that empowered the Brotherhood for a second time, though this can only happen if all but one of the werewolves in question are dead.
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
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Davies
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Re: The World In The Aftermath (Formerly A World Less Magical)

Post by Davies »

So I've been doing this for three years, now. I frequently find myself wondering if there's anything more to say about these worlds and those who reside in them, and yet almost as soon as I take a break (like this most recent one) I start thinking about this, that and the other.

Apparently, here, too, there are always more tales.

So posting will resume on Monday, with a trip that starts in the Unclaimed Territories, swings up to the Technate before coming back to Earth to meet some more of its resident aliens.
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
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Tattooedman
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Re: The World In The Aftermath (Formerly A World Less Magical)

Post by Tattooedman »

Always look forward to your postings.
Jabroniville wrote: Tue Jul 13, 2021 11:45 pm
LOl- "The Tattooed Man"? What kind of ABSOLUTE DILDO would refer to himself as "The Tattooed Man" :P!?!
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EternalPhoenix
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Re: The World In The Aftermath (Formerly A World Less Magical)

Post by EternalPhoenix »

Can't wait to see your take on you know who.
The Phoenixverse (A 2e OC 'verse!)
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You, Dear Reader, may comment on any build at any time. I will be happy regardless.
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Davies
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Re: The World In The Aftermath (Formerly A World Less Magical)

Post by Davies »

EternalPhoenix wrote: Sat May 13, 2023 10:10 pm Can't wait to see your take on you know who.
Tattooedman wrote: Sat May 13, 2023 9:58 pm Always look forward to your postings.
Thank you both.

He'll be at the top of week 3.
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
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