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

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Davies
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Re: A World Less Magical But No Less Fantastic

Post by Davies »

Prince Charming
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An Ascendant who achieves the summit of power within their Sphere, becoming its Hierarch, has two options for how they leave that position -- either to wait until someone unseats them, either by straightforward battle or by demonstrating their superiority in some other manner, or to walk the long road of reincarnation, becoming an infant mortal who might one day accomplish something to earn Ascension and from there might become a Hierarch once again. Supposedly, at the end of that road is a prize beyond imagination. However, no Ascendant really believes this to be possible, and all five of the current Hierarchs have been in their positions for thousands of years now.

Orsolya Callixius, oldest daughter of a Baron in the east of Palameros, does not know how she knows these facts. She cannot remember ever not knowing them, but suspects (correctly) that they are things that the Ascendants would rather that mortals not know. Most mortals treat stories about immortal beings who originate as mortals as fancies, tales fit only for children. The choices she has made in her life have been greatly influenced by her knowledge that they are anything but that.

A decade ago, when she was nineteen, Orsolya's father retired from his Baronial title after the death of his wife, intending to spend the rest of his life in a monastery and pass the rule of their tiny domain onto her. For reasons she could not fully explain, Orsolya hesitated to accept this seemingly ideal life, and followed old rumors into a marsh not far from their property, where three old witches supposedly gave wise counsel to those who would answer their riddles. When she finally arrived at their shack, she was a bit confused by the way that she could somehow tell that there was only a single presence within it, despite illusions of a trio. Nevertheless, she answered their first riddle, and then took a moment to consider the question she should ask in return. The simple thing to do would have been to ask whether she should accept the title or reject it, but she found herself asking a different question of broader import: "What question should I ask you?"

She got her answer to that question, and then left without asking anything else. Her life would be the answer to the question she should ask.

The next day, after receiving the title, she promptly abdicated it and passed the barony to her wicked uncle, who had been scheming to seize it for as long as she'd been alive. (He was pleasantly surprised this; somewhat less pleasantly a few years later, when he ended up hanged for treason.) With that out of the way and her red-gold hair dyed pink, she departed to walk the road to adventure with nothing more than her father's court sword and the clothes on her back, and a blessing she didn't fully believe. Despite that, her obviously aristocratic upbringing led to fellow adventurers dubbing her a Princess, but she soon became known as a Prince instead when it became clear that she was no fainting maiden but a brave and deadly fighter. The 'Charming' sobriquet just came naturally.

The Prince has adventured throughout the continent, from Troatis and Al'Aram to Tohrukin and the Great Desert to the west, from the Dread Sea to Newlund in the far north. She has seen things no other mortal has seen; one of the few outsiders to have visited the City of Stone and met the hobfolk within it, she even traveled alongside their great explorer Sellula. Throughout these legendary journeys, she has lived her life heroically, and lived it with style. Her exploits have not always been successful, and sometimes not even meritorious, but she never regrets the choice that she made, and greets everything that comes her way with a smile.

Most recently, she has spent quite a bit of time assisting Galantrian emigres in Tohrukin to settle in to their new lives, even sneaking into the land they fled in hopes of recoverng the treasures -- and occasionally people -- left behind in their flight. Very soon, she will be offered yet another job of that nature, to discover the fate of one Amagda Levent, which will get her involved in a fight alongside Ascendants and visitors from beyond, determining the fate of nations. A typical Midweek, basically.

Prince Charming -- PL 9

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

Powers:
Beyond Destiny: Permanent Concealment 1 (precognition), Innate - 3 points
Blessing of the Fates: Enhanced Advantage 4 (Luck); Luck Control 4 - 16 points
Charmed Life: Enhanced Defenses 6 (Dodge 3, Parry 3), Subtle - 7 points
Longevity: Immunity 1 (aging) - 1 point
Sense Immortal: Senses 2 (ranged detect immortal) - 2 points

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Attractive, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment, Evasion, Fascinate (Persuasion), Fearless 2, Improved Initiative, Languages 4 (many, [Troatian is native]), Power Attack, Precise Attack (Close/Concealment), Seize Initiative, Takedown, Uncanny Dodge

Equipment:
Sword (Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical).

Skills:
Acrobatics 9 (+13), Athletics 8 (+10), Close Combat: Sword 5 (+13), Deception 5 (+12), Expertise: High Society 9 (+10), Expertise: Magic 3 (+10), Intimidation 5 (+12), Perception 8 (+9), Persuasion 5 (+12), Sleight of Hand 4 (+9), Stealth 7 (+11).

Offense:
Initiative +11
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 2)
Sword +13 (Close Damage 5, Crit 19-20)

Defense:
Dodge 11/8, Parry 13/10, Fortitude 6, Toughness 5/3, Will 8

Totals:
Abilities 62 + Powers 29 + Advantages 21 + Skills 34 + Defenses 16 = 158 points

Offensive PL: 9
Defensive PL: 9
Resistance PL: 7
Skill PL: 8

Complications:
Thrills--Motivation. Fame. Impulsive and Carefree. Power Loss (Blessing of the Fates, if she ever behaves in a cautious and prudent manner.) Secret (knowledge she should not possess.)

Her battlecry: "I AM YOUTH! I AM JOY! I AM THE CHICK WHO BROKE OUT OF THE EGG!"
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
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Davies
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Re: A World Less Magical But No Less Fantastic

Post by Davies »

Nephren-ka
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More than two thousand years before the current era, the last king of Egypt's Sixth Dynasty was named Netjerkare Siptah. Closer to his time than to our own, yet still many centuries later, a Greek author would tell a story about this era which claimed that a queen named Nitocris had taken vengeance on her brother's murderers by diverting the Nile to drown them. For a long time in the history of Egyptology, this story was thought to be complete fiction, and later a distortion in which Netjerkare's name was misrepresented as Nitocris, but even then just a silly story.

The silly story covered something far more horrible. Netjerkare Siptah's reign came to an end when he was murdered by the local governors of Egypt, but they were not so foolish to place his younger sister, whose name has not come down to this day, on the throne in his place. Her desire was not for vengeance, but for her brother to return and take back what was rightfully his. Invoking powers she did not fully understand through an ancient song, driven by the twin madnesses of love and hope, she called something down out of darkness between the stars that took up residence in her brother's corpse and rebuilt it to suit itself. Netjerkare -- Nephren-ka -- had awakened, and the chaos of the Seventh Dynasty was his first great triumph.

Eventually, sanity reasserted itself with the start of the dynasty that followed. Fleeing those who sought his end, Nephren-ka took refuge within Earth, sleeping for centuries and rising when there was opportunity to work his will. How many times he did this, how much his actions shaped the history of the World That Burned, may never be known. He rose again in the 1920s and worked much madness, yet suffered a serious defeat that forced him into hiding in 1936, sleeping fitfully before he returned in 1983 as a foe of the Justice Alliance. For more than a decade, he strove to drive the world insane for his own amusement and that of the Old Ones.

And then, in the last years of the twentieth century, the world went mad in a way he had not anticipated, and nuclear war broke out. The death and destruction might have amused Nephren-ka, had a megaton blast not come down not far from where he was lairing in 1997, near Memphis, Tennessee, before he could prepare appropriate wards. He suffered horribly and retreated into a deep sleep, unsure if the world would still be there when he awakened. The process of his awakening began some fifteen years later, when he was finally restored enough to perceive and influence the minds around him.

For the first time in eons, he found himself genuinely surprised when he learned who some of those minds were. Some years before his awakening, the World That Burned had been discovered by interlopers from the extradimensional city known as the Sprawl. They naturally sought to take advantage of the diminished circumstances of the former reality by looting as much as they could, openly employing their technological advantages. As it happened, one group of them discovered the tomb of Nephren-Ka and mistook it for a supply cache, and so became the Dread Pharaoh's first conquests from another world, bringing their master's body back with them to the Sprawl.

There, he continued to seize command of minds, exploiting the Sprawl's medical technology to heal the wounds he'd suffered much sooner than they otherwise might, ending his slumber in six years instead of the decades that it would have taken naturally. He learned much in the process, about the many worlds that the Sprawl sought to plunder. Fate and his own will had delivered him to a place where he might have his way with not just a nation or even a world, but all possible realities.

Of course, first Nephren-ka must complete the conquest of the Sprawl itself. While its leaders are largely pathetic, powerless non-entities, some of them have nevertheless managed to avoid becoming his dominated vassals and resist the assassination attempts of those who serve him. As yet, vanishingly few of the denizens of the Sprawl even know that the Dread Pharaoh even exists, viewing the current situation as just a more intense period of intercorporate struggle. It is a vexing situation, and may become even more vexing if he is opposed by that which created him and that which has ever thwarted him -- a voice raised in song, driven by the twin madnesses of hope and love.

Nephren-Ka -- PL 13

Abilities:
STR
9 | STA 7 | AGL 4 | DEX 5 | FGT 7 | INT 13 | AWE 10 | PRE 12

Powers:
Alien: Immunity 31 (aging, life support, mental effects); Protection 6, Impervious 12; Senses 8 (mystical awareness, vision counters all concealment and illusion) - 57 points
Sorcery: Array (46 points)
  • Call of the Wild: Summon Animals 3 (wild beasts), Broad, Horde, Mental Link, Multiple Minions 5, Dynamic - 47 points
  • Darkling Bolts: Ranged Multiattack Damage 14, Incurable, Dynamic - 2 points
  • Lord of Illusions: Illusion 11 (all senses), Resistable (Will), Dynamic - 2 points
  • Mind over Matter: Perception Range Damaging Move Object 11 (50 tons), Dynamic - 2 points
  • Obey Me: Perception Range Progressive Affliction 9 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Compelled, Controlled), Dynamic - 2 points
  • Protean Form: Flight 8 (500 MPH); Insubstantial 2; Morph 4 - 1 point
  • Scrying: Remote Sensing 8 (all senses; 250 miles), Subtle 2, Dynamic - 2 points
Voice of the Mind: Comprehend Languages 3 (speak and be understood in all languages); Mental Communication 3 - 21 points

Advantages:
Improved Hold, Jack-of-all-Trades, Ritualist, Taunt.

Skills:
Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+11), Deception 5 (+17), Expertise: Magic 6 (+18), Insight 4 (+14), Intimidation 3 (+15), Perception 6 (+16), Persuasion 1 (+13), Ranged Combat: Sorcery 7 (+12).

Offense:
Initiative +4
Unarmed +11 (Close Damage 9)
Darkling Bolts +12 (Ranged Multiattack Damage 14)
Mind over Matter -- (Perception Range Damage 11)
Obey Me -- (Perception Range Will 9)

Defense:
Dodge 11, Parry 11, Fortitude 10, Toughness 13, Will 12.

Totals:
Abilities 134 + Powers 135 + Advantages 4 + Skills 18 + Defenses 16 = 307 points

Offensive PL: 13
Defensive PL: 12
Resistance PL: 11
Skill PL: 13

Complications:
Power--Motivation. Sadism. Vulnerability
(sonic and music attacks.)
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
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Davies
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Re: A World Less Magical But No Less Fantastic

Post by Davies »

Astolfine
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Art by macarious

The Duchy of Artheld lies far to the west of the Torm Basin, past the Haglophian Mountains which form the Basin's western border, and the Great Salt Desert beyond them. Vanishingly few travelers have ever ventured that far and returned to speak of what they found there, and most dismiss the tales told of such voyages as lies meant to cadge drinks or coin from the gullible. As it happens, Travis Ritter holds a different view, having heard the same basic tale over and over again from these voyagers, and recognizing something hauntingly familiar about it; a little bit of the world he left behind, impossibly preserved.

Unfortunately, Ritter has never found the time or opportunity to voyage there to confirm or deny the rumors, for there are always other heroic deeds to be done on the near side of the Haglophians, and in the east. But this misfortune is balanced by the fact that there is an emissary of sorts from those distant lands who has made her way to the Basin, to seek her fortune, her fate, or some combination of these. Sometimes allying with Ritter, sometimes drawn into schemes which place her in opposition to him, the gun for hire known as Astolfine is one of the knights without armor of Artheld.

Astolfine has rarely spoken of the reasons she left her home in the west to roam around the Torm Basin. From unguarded comments that she's made in the decade or so that Ritter has known her, while speaking to him and to others who've spoken of her, he's reached the conclusion that she is an exile from her homeland, and not a voluntary one. She will not, under any circumstances, ever speak of the reasons that she might have been forced out of the Duchy. Only the deepest, most violating psychic probing will reveal that she killed a mother and child -- her own mother, and her neverborn half-sibling -- under circumstances that she cannot bear to think about.

Despite that grim origin, Astolfine rarely exhibits much in the way of sorrow or regret, or most other strong emotions. By nature or nurture, she suppresses such things, with her most emotional reactions coming out when she gives in to her most mischievous tendencies. She enjoys inflicting embarrassment and even humiliation on potential opponents (and allies who have lost her good opinion) more than she would enjoy inflicting actual injury or death, though she will deal those out if she must. Astolfine has been known to snicker or even let out a single peal of genuine laughter at the sight of a foe's ruined dignity, whether she caused it or not.

The guns that Astolfine employs are at once much more advanced than many weapons in use in the Torm Basin, and yet much less advanced than the energy weapons that are often used by soldiers of Nerath and other wealthy states. Astolfine has repeatedly turned down opportunities to learn to use the latter, prefrring to rely on what she knows will work. A good part of this is that she is quite capable of creating replacement ammunition to replace that which she expends, using tools she brought with her from Artheld and relatively cheap raw materials, which she would not be able to do with the cartridges that power blasters. At heart, Astolfine is both a bit overly proud of her traditions, and more self-reliant than most people in the World Closer to the Grave can really afford to be.

In addition to her talents as a gunslinger, Astolfine has one other major advantage -- the Voice. She can somehow speak in precisely the right timber to make someone hesitate and be lost, possibly employing some sort of mesmeric talent in the process. She cannot command others actions through this ability, but it works on any opponent who can hear her speak, regardless of whether they understand the language. From off-hand remarks, it seems that Astolfine is a relative novice in the use of these talents, and has spoken soberly of people who were able to heal wounds by shouting at the wounded. Of course, that could be the set-up of an elaborate prank ... but maybe not.


Astolfine -- PL 8

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

Powers:
The Voice: Perception Range Affliction 6 (Resisted by Will; Dazed and Vulnerable, Defenseless & Stunned), Extra Condition, Hearing Dependent, Limited Degree - 12 points

Advantages:
Accurate Attack, All-out Attack, Benefit (Paired Guns), Defensive Roll 2, Equipment 3, Fearless, Improved Aim, Improved Critical (pistol), Improved Initiative, Language 3 (many incuding Tormanan, [Varangais is native]) Precise Attack (Ranged/Cover), Startle, Takedown, Tracking.

Equipment:
Two Pistols (Ranged Damage 3), gunsmithing tools and 2 points of equipment as needed.

Skills:
Athletics 5 (+7), Deception 4 (+6), Expertise: Survival 4 (+7), Intimidation 7 (+9), Investigation 4 (+7), Ranged Combat: Guns 4 (+10), Perception 5 (+7), Sleight of Hand 2 (+8), Stealth 3 (+8), Technology 2 (+5).

Offense:
Initiative +9
Unarmed +5 (Close Damage 2)
Pistol +10 (Ranged Damage 3)
Paired Guns +10 (Ranged Damage 6)

Defense:

Dodge 8, Parry 6, Fortitude 5, Toughness 8/3, Will 9.

Totals:
Abilities 56 + Powers 12 + Advantages 19 + Skills 20 + Defenses 13 = 120 points

Offensive PL: 8
Defensive PL: 8
Resistance PL: 7
Skill PL: 5

Complications:
Survival--Motivation. Nomadic. Outsider. Prankster.
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
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Davies
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Re: A World Less Magical But No Less Fantastic

Post by Davies »

Pallin and Vallesta
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While Feleks and Rafnr the Ruddy are two of the most famous delvers of Bemarris, their reputations in Bemarris are not entirely positive. As often abroad as they are, they are frequently considered 'unreliable' by those who might want to employ their services; that particular characterization is also informed by their tendency to abandon activities that offend their sometimes mercurial sensibilities. Other delvers, less competent ones, are often considered more 'reliable' ... or perhaps more 'dependent on the goodwill of others'.

Of these, one of the most recently famous is Pallin, a denizen from one of the farming villages surrounding Bemarris. His story is entirely typical; two years ago both of his parents died during a brutal winter, and while their neighbors were willing to take him in for a few months, he chose to leave for the city when spring came. Unable to find more sensible work, he became a dungeon delver to feed himself, and found that he had something of a knack for it. So he's kept at it, and gained a reputation for efficiently bringing back bounties from the darkness underneath.

Of course, the source of that 'something of a knack' is not what it seems, for an untrained farm boy would surely only have found a brutal, nameless death in the dungeon. Pallin was lucky enough to cross paths with a wizard before he began his adventures, and receive her favor and blessing, granting him slightly enhanced physical attributes and an enchantment that allowed him to cast a magical arrow from his hand. He is entirely aware of how much of an advantage he's been given with these, and always prioritizes helping his patron over other considerations. Fortunately for him, she never requests anything of him that would prevent him from fulfilling someone else's requests.

The wizard Vallesta is not nearly as powerful or as skilled as Cagana the Crazed or Valensian Ral, but is also not as physically twisted as either of them, and thus can move freely within the city. Or rather, she seems less physically twisted, but if it were known that a soul nearly seven hundred years old dwells within her seemingly youthful body, she might seem much more so. Long ago, while studying under a wizard in her homeland, far to the east, she was cursed to live as she was until such time as she truly learned what magic truly is.

This 'curse' has not only prolonged her youth, it has made her invulnerable. (Or so she thinks; in fact, she can be harmed by sufficient force, but heals most wounds so quickly that scars cannot even form.) Having conducted auguries, Vallesta believes that here, within Bemarris, she will find the answer which grants her the mastery of magic that she has sought, and will use whatever means she has to in order to find it. Fate has delivered her a worthy agent in the form of Pallin, who survived a dangerous magical experiment she conducted that linked the two of them, granting him the ability to use a spell she'd developed long before.

While Pallin began as only a means to an end for her, she has grown fond of him in some ways ... though give a choice, she would always choose to have greater power over something like friendship. It is quite possible, though, that such callousness is actually an obstacle to her goals, though she doesn't yet realize that.

Pallin -- PL 7

Abilities:
STR
2 | STA 2 | AGL 4 | DEX 3 | FGT 5 | INT 1 | AWE 2 | PRE 3

Powers:
Flame Arrow: Ranged Damage 5 - 10 points

Advantages:
Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment, Evasion, Hide in Plain Sight, Luck 3, Power Attack, Trapfinding 2*.
* Grants +2 circumstance bonus to Perception checks to find traps and uses Dexterity for Technology checks.

Equipment:
Starforged Knife (Strength-based Damage 1, Improved Critical 2), armored clothes (Protection 1).

Skills:
Acrobatics 3 (+7), Athletics 5 (+7), Close Combat: Knife 4 (+9), Expertise: Magic 2 (+5), Expertise: Streetwise 3 (+4), Investigation 3 (+4), Perception 4 (+6), Persuasion 2 (+5), Ranged Combat: Magic 4 (+8), Stealth 3 (+7), Technology 3 (+6).

Offense:
Initiative +4
Unarmed +5 (Close Damage 2)
Knife +9 (Close Damage 3, Crit 18-20)
Flame Arrow +8 (Ranged Damage 5)

Defense:
Dodge 7, Parry 9, Fortitude 5, Toughness 5/4/3/2, Will 7

Totals:
Abilities 44 + Powers 10 + Advantages 11 + Skills 18 + Defenses 15 = 98 points

Offensive PL: 7
Defensive PL: 7
Resistance PL: 6
Skill PL: 2

Complications:
Adventure--Motivation. Friend (Vallesta.) Obligation (also Vallesta.) Power Loss/Weakness (Flame Arrow, if Vallesta is annoyed; also loses 2 ranks from all physical abilities and Fighting.)


Vallesta -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR -1 | STA 7 | AGL 1 | DEX 0 | FGT 2 | INT 4 | AWE 6 | PRE 6

Powers:
Invulnerable: Immunity 11 (aging, life support); Protection 7, Impervious 14; Regeneration 10 - 42 points
Mystic Senses: Senses 2 (acute mystic awareness) - 2 points
Shielded Mind: Impervious Will 9, Limited to mental effects - 5 points

Advantages:

Attractive, Benefit 2 (independently wealthy), Equipment 3, Languages 4 (several including Tormanan, [unknown native]), Ritualist, Startle, Taunt, Well-informed.

Skills:
Deception 4 (+10), Expertise: Magic 6 (+12), Insight 4 (+10), Intimidation 4 (+10), Investigation 7 (+11), Perception 5 (+11)

Offense:
Initiative +1
Unarmed +2 (Close Damage -1)

Defense:
Dodge 3, Parry 4, Fortitude 9, Toughness 14, Will 9

Totals:
Abilities 50 + Powers 49 + Advantages 10 + Skills 15 + Defenses 9 = 133 points

Offensive PL: 1*
Defensive PL: 9
Resistance PL: 9
Skill PL: 7

Complications:
Ambition--Motivation. Pretense of Friendship (possibly the real thing?) Prejudice (wizard.)
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
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Davies
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Re: A World Less Magical But No Less Fantastic

Post by Davies »

Iridescent
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Like many of the superheroes of World More Grim, Kelly Sue Red Owl does not have a secret identity. The public is well-aware that she divides her time between a mundane career at the Smithsonian and a more active one as a costumed superhero, frequently called upon by the DC Police to assist them in dealing with supercriminals. However, that's pretty much all they know, as Iridescent doesn't give interviews or talk to the press. In particular, she has never discussed how she developed the power she calls 'colorweaving', the ability to project a variety of different energy types whose effects vary depending on their color.

A few dogged investigators have traced her origins back to the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, where there are many people who will confirm that a young girl who possessed these powers grew up there in the 80s, and nobody ever made much of a big deal about it. This has struck more than one investigator as odd, but no obvious holes have been found in the official account. This is just as Red Owl wants, though she regrets exploiting the people at Pine Ridge in this way. The truth of the matter is that she does have a secret, and a big one at that. Red Owl was born more than a century before her supposed birthdate, and was seventeen years old when her entire family died at Wounded Knee Creek. She herself took lethal wounds in the massacre, and might have died herself if the civilians hired to bury the dead had not been more than what they seemed.

The exact origins of the unaging transhuman beings known as the Vima is not clear. They themselves believe that they were created by those they call the Primordials, identifying them with the forebears of the Olympians, whom they call Titans. (There has been a long-standing rivalry between the two groups of superbeings.) Their self-appointed purpose is to protect the Earth and its peoples from the shadows. The Vima are unlike the Olympians in one key respect; they cannot reproduce themselves but must create new Vima from human beings who agree to the procedure. Their society may underlie many tales of immortal beings who recruit new members, such as the Eight Immortals of Taoist alchemy.

On discovering that Red Owl had survived the massacre and the blizzard that followed it, the Vima offered her the opportunity to join them. Not fully understanding what she was agreeing to, Red Owl nevertheless did so and was transported to the group's hidden fortress in Labrador. There she underwent a number of processes that transformed her into a unaging transhuman, and began to build a new life for herself, studying with the Vima's masters. She developed her 'colorweaving' powers gradually, and is quite famous among the Vima for the versatility of her powers.

A century after Wounded Knee, Red Owl finally felt comfortable enough in her new identity to start living openly among humans once again, and created the identity of "Kelly Sue Red Owl" with the help of other Vima. She soon found a job at the Smithsonian, working to gradually return what had been taken from indigenous peoples around the world to them while also educating about their history and traditions. It was a fairly good life, and she could be proud of herself, but Red Owl often found herself a bit dissatisfied at how mundane it was after all that she had experienced.

In the twenty-first century, everything began to change. A few months after Shadowraptor made his debut in 2007, Red Owl happened to witness what she took for a gay bashing incident committed against a young man. Rescuing the victim, she attempted to use her powers to heal, but found that the victim's injuries were more serious than she could treat. Somewhat impulsively, she flew to Labrador and placed Charlie Dozier into the Rebirthing Matrix, and was surprised when her new friend emerged as a young woman of the Vima. This development, and the fact that Red Owl did this on her own initiative, has unsettled some of the more conservative Vima. Charlie's education has been placed in Red Owl's hands, and it is largely at her urging that her mentor has begun to act as a 'superhero' under the alias Iridescent.

Iridescent strives to maintain friendly relations with other superheroes, but has politely turned down invitations to permanently join both the Superhuman Crew and RAH Inc., though she was grateful of the assistance of the former while dealing with a recent riot in DC. This has inspired one of her old rivals, a matter-manipulating Vima named Thélgo to join the latter group, which has led to some awkward and uncomfortable confrontations. However, Thélgo has also been of great help to Iridescent and Charlie in fighting the ancient Vima criminal known as Dulkharnein the Life-Drinker. As yet, none of the factions of the World More Grim are aware of the immortals living among them ... but that could very easily change now that their ancient rivals, the Olympians, are becoming more active.

Iridescent -- PL 11

Abilities:
STR
2 | STA 4 | AGL 5 | DEX 6 | FGT 5 | INT 3 | AWE 4 | PRE 5

Powers:
Colorweaving: Array (24 points)
  • Red/Heat Blast: Ranged Damage 12 - 24 points
  • Orange/Tractor Beam: Move Object 12 (100 tons) - 1 point
  • Yellow/Blinding Light: Ranged Cumulative Affliction 12 (Resisted by Fortitude; Visually Impaired, Visually Disabled, Visually Unaware), Limited to One Sense - 1 point
  • Green/Grapple Beam: Ranged Affliction 12 (Resisted by Dodge, Overcome by Damage; Hindered & Vulnerable, Defenseless & Immobile), Extra Condition, Limited Degree - 1 point
  • Blue/Stun Bolt: Ranged Cumulative Affliction 8 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated) - 1 point
  • Indigo/Healing Ray: Ranged Healing 8 - 1 point
  • Violet/Antipsi: Nullify Psychic Powers 12, Broad - 1 point
Instant Change: Feature 1 (change from any clothes to costume) - 1 point
Levitation Field: Linked Flight 14 (32,000 MPH); Linked Sustained Protection 10 - 38 points
Vima: Immunity 11 (aging, life support); Regeneration 10; Senses 2 (darkvision) - 23 points

Advantages:
Agile Feint, Connections, Defensive Attack, Improved Initiative, Jack-of-all-trades, Languages 2 (English, French, Spanish, [Lakota is native]), Power Attack, Precise Attack (ranged/cover), Teamwork, Uncanny Dodge.

Skills:
Acrobatics 5 (+10), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+7), Expertise: Art 5 (+8), Expertise: History 8 (+11), Expertise: Survival 5 (+8), Insight 8 (+12), Investigation 6 (+9), Perception 6 (+10), Persuasion 5 (+10), Ranged Combat: Color 4 (+10).

Offense:
Initiative +9
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 2)
Heat Blast +10 (Ranged Damage 12)
Blinding Light +10 (Ranged Fortitude 12)
Grapple Beam +10 (Ranged Affliction 12, Resisted by Dodge)
Stun Bolt +10 (Ranged Fortitude 8)

Defense:
Dodge 8, Parry 7, Fortitude 9, Toughness 14/4, Will 12

Totals:
Abilities 66 + Powers 92 + Advantages 11 + Skills 27 + Defenses 18 = 214 points

Offensive PL: 11
Defensive PL: 11
Resistance PL: 11
Skill PL: 7

Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Friendship (Charlie Dozier.) Inhuman (bleeds light.) Rivalry (Thélgo.) Secret (Vima.)

Note: Character concept by Voltron64.
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
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Davies
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Re: A World Less Magical But No Less Fantastic

Post by Davies »

Sanjurou Satsuki
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Kyoto, the capital of Japan for eleven centuries, is home to an enormous amount of Japan's enduring cultural heritage. One can scarcely walk down any given block in the city without encountering some site of historical significance. Needless to say, this results in a great deal of tourism, both from within Japan and without ... and needless to say, where there are tourists, there are those who prey on them, and on any unfortunate locals who happen to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Since 2018, however, Kyoto's nights have become just a bit safer thanks to the presence of one of the country's few vigilantes. On those few occasions when she has answered questions about herself, she claims the name Sanjurou Satsuki, though she's quick to point out that she's only twenty-five years old. (It's a joke that only works in Japanese.) Garbed in a white kimono that seems to miraculously clean itself, Satsuki usually just uses her fists and feet to deal appropriate punishment to street criminals, reserving her sword for those mystical threats that she comes across during her nightly patrols. She has never been sighted during daylight.

Her activities, and the fact that she had dealt with a number of developing supernatural phenomena before they came to the awareness of those who were supposed to be dealing with them, naturally attracted the interest of the Ghost Sweepers within a year of her debut. If she could be recruited and her talents put to work for the national interest, she should be; if not, and if it turned out that she was a potential threat, she needed to be neutralized. So an investigation began, and evidence soon turned up that seemed to support the worst fears.

While disguised, it was fairly easy for the team's detective to identify "Satsuki's" civilian identity -- Shindou Kaede, a college drop-out who operated a small cigarette shop in Kyoto, having inherited it from her late uncle. She had no history of martial arts training, and seemed entirely focused on operating the shop, uninterested in the world around her. And yet psychic scanning failed to work on her, suggesting that she might be the victim of possession or some other form of mind control.

With the investigation complete, the Ghost Sweepers moved on to a confrontation, with Megan Excalibur taking point. She approached "Satsuki" while the latter was returning from a night's patrol, and asked to speak with her. Satsuki declined to acquiesce to this request, and they moved on to the inevitable swordfight. It was a great duel, ranged all over, they were both masters, you get the idea. Ultimately, the entire thing was a set-up meant to lure the target into range of a device that was supposed to nullify possession. She was caught squarely in its blast.

"Was that supposed to do something?" Satsuki asked a moment later.

The truth came out fairly quickly. While Shindou Kaede was the victim of possession, her supposedly mundane identity was the result of that possession -- specifically, by the 'ghost' of her late uncle, who apparently wanted nothing more than to continue running his cigarette store even after he'd died. During the day, his personality overrided her own, with her own mentality retaking control after he closed down the shop for the day. Kaede accepted this situation as a way to show respect to the dead, since she and her uncle had always gotten along better than either did with other members of their family. Meanwhile, her own superpowers had developed shortly before she started being possessed, and were apparently straightforward psychic talents.

After all this was cleared up, Satsuki was offered a position with the Ghost Sweepers, but politely declined. Their missions took them all over Japan, after all, and she was firmly bound to Kyoto. She agreed to call them in if she ever found herself in a situation where she needed backup, and they parted as respectful friends -- while both she and Megan were convinced that the duel would have gone their way if it had continued.

Sanjurou Satsuki -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR
2 | STA 3 | AGL 6 | DEX 4 | FGT 8 | INT 2 | AWE 4 | PRE 2

Powers:
Mind's Edge: Strength-based Damage 3, Affects Insubstantial 2, Improved Critical 4, Penetrating 5; Easily Removable (-4 points) - 10 points
Parkour: Leaping 4 (120 feet); Movement 1 (environmental adaptation [urban]); Movement 4 (safe fall, sure-footed 2, wall-crawling 1), Limited to urban Environments - 10 points
Strange Mind: Immunity 20 (mental effects), Limited to half effect - 10 points
Uncanny Senses: Senses 5 (accurate hearing, low-light vision, tracking mystic awareness) - 5 points

Advantages:
Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Improved Initiative, Power Attack, Uncanny Dodge.

Skills:
Acrobatics 4 (+10), Athletics 6 (+8), Close Combat: Sword 3 (+11), Deception 6 (+8), Expertise: Magic 6 (+8), Expertise: Streetwise 7 (+9), Insight 8 (+12), Perception 9 (+13), Stealth 5 (+11).

Offense:
Initiative +10
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 2)
Mind's Edge +11 (Close Damage 5, Crit 16-20)

Defense:
Dodge 9, Parry 11, Fortitude 4, Toughness 5/3, Will 9

Totals:
Abilities 62 + Powers 35 + Advantages 7 + Skills 27 + Defenses 12 = 143 points

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

Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Possessed (during the day, functions as a PL 0 Bystander.) Secret Identity.
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
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Re: A World Less Magical But No Less Fantastic

Post by Davies »

Kerero Taicho
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Boku no Hīrō Akademia (or My Hero Academia) is an extremely popular manga and anime franchise that has achieved worldwide recognition, telling an ongoing story of a young man without superpowers in a future world where they are nearly ubiquitous. Its themes draw on the theories that superpowers are becoming more prevalent and more powerful with each passing generation, which are generally dismissed by the scientific community but somewhat better regarded in the underworld, particularly among those familiar with the secret histories of the world. The series is quite popular even among the members of Japan's relatively small costumed superhero community ... save for one superhero who finds it a bit embarrassing, and particularly dislikes all the erotic fanart of one of the characters. And she's really getting tired of getting asked questions about whether she can do anything with her mucous. (The answer is no, okay?)

Even as a child, Yoshizaki Kumiko was aware that she had some sort of superpower, from the fact that she could hold her breath for a duration that seemed almost indefinite as long as she was under water. She didn't make a big deal out of it; while she learned to swim early and quite well, she knew that this sort of thing would disqualify her from competing in actual matches. So it remained something that she did for fun, and she intended to grow up and get a real job one day.

At fifteen, however, the rest of her power set activated, and over the course of a few days her tongue began to extend to several times its normal length as she turned into a frog-humanoid. This happened during her summer break, but Kumiko still found the experience horrifying. Fortunately, her parents adapted more quickly than she did, and reached out to contact the local representatives of the Futurian Academy. Thus, when the school year started up again, she was being educated in Wales. Unfortunately, she only lasted a year before homesickness, and the oppressive situation in the United Kingdom, convinced her that dropping out was the best option.

While unwilling to continue her heroic academy life, Kumiko was still interested in being a superhero, and felt that the lessons she'd already received left her ready for it. So she created the costume and identity of Kerero Taicho ('Captain Frog', since Sergeant was taken.) The novice heroine made her debut in April of 2014, three months before the first published episode of a certain manga series, and four months before a certain supporting character was introduced.

Initially, Kumiko found it rather flattering to have a character clearly inspired by herself in such a popular and interesting manga. She's become somewhat less enchanted with the notion as she's grown into adulthood and the character has remained a teenager, and as she's learned just how much erotica features that character. She's never considered changing her look or trying to persuade the franchise's creator to change the character's look, however, as it was hers first and the other option would be boorish and impolite. (And she's also aware that it wouldn't stop the production of the fanart, and that there would still be gross sexual fantasy depictions of her even if BHA didn't exist.)

Despite all this, Kumiko considers herself a genuinely fortunate person, as she's been able to be a force for good in a world that often rewards wrong-doing. She's also aware that she was really lucky not to encounter threats she couldn't handle during her first few years of activity, and was able to grow into her present level of competence before she started to encounter them. In recent years, her most persistent opponent has been Hebi-Onna, the second individual to occupy the house of the Snake in the Shēngxiào, one of the group's more blatantly criminal members. She has never mananged to capture Hebi-Onna, but has foiled her plots, and counts that as good enough, since it means that the more powerful members of her enemy's group have not yet taken action against her either.

No, she doesn't make ribbiting noises when she talks, either. That isn't funny.

Kerero Taicho -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR
2 | STA 3 | AGL 6 | DEX 4 | FGT 6 | INT 2 | AWE 2 | PRE 0

Powers:
Amphibious: Immunity 1 (drowning) - 1 point
Keen Senses: Senses 2 (acute olfactory, low-light vision) - 2 points
Long Tongue: Enhanced Strength 3, Limited to Extra Limb; Extra Limb 1 - 4 points
Very Mobile: Enhanced Advantage 2 (Improved Initiative 2); Enhanced Defenses 4 (Dodge 2, Parry 2); Leaping 3 (60 feet); Movement 2 (sure-footed; wall-crawling); Swimming 4 (16 MPH) - 17 points

Advantages:
Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment, Evasion 2, Fast Grab, Improved Defense, Improved Grab, Improved Initiative 2, Move-by Action, Teamwork

Equipment:
Goggles (+2 to resistance checks against visual afflictions), 4 points as neeeded.

Skills:
Acrobatics 6 (+12), Athletics 6 (+8), Close Combat: Unarmed 5 (+11), Expertise: Streetwise 7 (+9), Insight 8 (+10), Perception 9 (+11), Sleight of Hand 8 (+12), Stealth 7 (+13), Technology 6 (+8).

Offense:
Initiative +14
Unarmed +11 (Close Damage 2)
Tongue +11 (Close Damage 5)

Defense:
Dodge 13/9, Parry 11/9, Fortitude 6, Toughness 5/3, Will 7

Totals:
Abilities 50 + Powers 24 + Advantages 10 + Skills 31 + Defense 16 = 131 points

Offensive PL: 8
Defensive PL: 9
Resistance PL: 7
Skill PL: 8

Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Fame (and frequently confused with her fictional counterpart.) Secret Identity. Weakness (drying out.)
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
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Re: A World Less Magical But No Less Fantastic

Post by Davies »

Miyashita Nagisa
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More than a decade ago, when Miyashita Nagisa was only in middle school, she and a group of her friends were accidentally transported to a parallel world where magic was much more prevalent than it is on their own. There they developed magical powers, possibly due to the effects of their slide across dimensions and possibly because some of the local powers-that-be needed agents in a hurry. Nagisa acquired powers associated with deception and trickery, able to easily fool others through illusion and compel them to believe whatever she said. She found herself utterly horrified by what she was asked to do with these talents, and was further traumatized by the loss of a number of her classmates during their 'adventure'.

When the survivors of this incident finally found a way back to Japan, their powers were lost, and Nagisa was enormously relieved by that for a few moments before the weight of her experiences made her collapse. Hospitalized, she wound up isolated from her former friends, and would eventually attend a different high school than the others in her group. By the time she had graduated, it was clear to her that she had been permanently scarred by the episode, as she was no longer able to tell lies in any sort of convincing manner; regardless of how plausible she tried to sound, something in her voice or face would always give the game away.

Uncertain what she wanted to do with her life after graduation, Argus' booth at the career fair attracted her attention -- particularly their off-hand remarks about how they supposedly worked to protect the world from invasions both extraterrestrial and extradimensional. Once she learned more about how the organization worked, Nagisa initially found herself expecting to have a short and unhappy career there, since someone who couldn't lie also couldn't keep secrets. However, her trainer helped her to understand that there were compensations to what she'd endured. First and foremost, she was talented at recognizing the lies that other people told, without developing the cynicism and paranoia that afflicted many people who had that sort of gift.

Consequently, Argus' Tokyo office frequently employed her as a spokesperson when they needed to act more overtly than the organization often preferred, as well as relying on her to sort out the somewhat tangled motivations of their associates. She's done rather well in this position, and risen in the agency's ranks, and was appointed as the office's Chief Administrator in 2020 after her predecessor retired, despite not yet having seen her thirtieth birthday. While her first few months in the role were unsurprisingly shaky, she seems to be settling in well.

Miyashita Nagisa -- PL 6

Abilities:
STR
0 | STA 1 | AGL 2 | DEX 2 | FGT 2 | INT 3 | AWE 4 | PRE 2

Advantages:
Connected, Contacts, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll 2, Equipment 2, Fascinate (Persuasion), Improved Trip, Languages 2 (English, Korean, Mandarin, Spanish, [Japanese is native]), Ranged Attack 2, Second Chance (Insight check to resist Deception), Well-informed.

Equipment:
Smartphone, 8 points of equipment as needed.

Skills:
Athletics 3 (+3), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+4), Expertise: Business 5 (+8), Expertise: Civics 6 (+9), Expertise: Magic 4* (+7), Expertise: Streetwise 4 (+7), Insight 7 (+11), Investigation 5 (+8), Perception 6 (+10), Persuasion 7 (+9), Stealth 3 (+5), Technology 4 (+7), Vehicles 4 (+6).
* INT-based.

Offense:
Initiative +1
Unarmed +3 (Close Damage 0)

Defense:
Dodge 6, Parry 4, Fortitude 3, Toughness 6/1, Will 6

Totals:
Abilities 32 + Powers 0 + Advantages 15 + Skills 33 + Defenses 10 = 91 points

Offensive PL: 3
Defensive PL: 6
Resistance PL: 5
Skill PL: 6

Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Cannot Lie to Save Her Life (Disabled on Deception checks.)
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
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Re: A World Less Magical But No Less Fantastic

Post by Davies »

Hirai Heizo
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The years 2006 to 2009 were a brief golden age for teenaged detectives in Japan, with many famous examples, Hasegawa Naru and Asagiri Sayo not least among them. But the foremost among them, in terms of celebrity if not necessarily in talent, was Futaba Shotaro, sometimes called the Newtype Detective. He had no supernatural powers, but his wits often seemed nearly diabolical at times, even though more cynical observers noted that his reputation owed quite a bit to clever media manipulation and to the fact that his older brother, Yukiyoshi, was employed by the government in some rather nebulous capacity. (Predictably, it was sometimes claimed that Yukiyoshi was the smarter brother.)

Regardless, the light that burns twice as bright burns half as long, and Shotaro vanished while pursuing an investigation in 2008. More than a year later, Yukiyoshi announced to the world that his younger brother had not reported back since his disappearance, and with no further sightings of him, he was declared dead in 2015. Much like some of his contemporaries, he had clearly encountered some situation that a young person was ill-equipped to handle, and suffered a tragic fate.

That was true, but the tragic fate was a stranger one than the general public ever learned. While investigating certain crimes associated with the Tanaka Financial Group, Shotaro was captured and interrogated, then used as a test subject for an experimental toxin designed to cause death and extremely accelerated decomposition. Some unknown factor in his bloodstream prevented his death, but he aged some sixty years in the course of a minute. Fortunately, his mind was left intact, and he was able to feign senility so that his captors chose to release him rather than studying him to determine what had gone wrong.

In the aftermath, and the years since then, Shotaro has built a new reputation for himself as an elderly private investigator under the alias Hirai Heizo. His primary goal, of course, is to uncover the secrets of the Tanaka Group and expose them to the harsh light of public attention, and would ideally like to discover that they have some method of reversing the changes that were done to him. Heizo is aware that the latter is probably a mirage, however; he has noted that his body hasn't aged naturally since he was turned into an old man, which indicates that he has become a superpower of sorts.

While Heizo has trained himself into a crack shot with a meta-taser pistol, he's not any sort of combatant otherwise. For those occasions when he needs physical assistance, he has recruited karateka Fukuen Natsuki, a friend from his youth who is the only person with whom he has shared his terrible secret. While she is by no means a superpower martial artist, she is a very capable bodyguard and medic who takes the task of keeping her boss alive much more seriously than he himself does, and is quite capable of defeating most of the foes that they come across, especially after they've taken a meta-taser shot or two.

Heizo has avoided most dealings with the supernatural or superpowered since his transformation, though he recognizes that he's going to eventually need big-league help to bring Tanaka down. He finds it frustrating that after more than a decade, he's still not completely sure what the company is up to, beyond engaging in human experimentation. The best that he's been able to determine is that all their efforts are directed by a small cabal within its Board of Directors who refer to themselves as 'the Vision', who have been active since around the year 2000 but only began the efforts that attracted his attention in early 2006. They don't seem to be connected to Saturn or Axiom, but just what their actual goal is remains a mystery.

Fortunately, Heizo loves a mystery.

Hirai Heizo -- PL 8

Abilities:
STR
-1 | STA 0 | AGL -1 | DEX 1 | FGT -1 | INT 5 | AWE 4 | PRE 2

Powers:
Elderly but Unaging: Immunity 1 (aging) - 1 point

Advantages:
Contacts, Equipment 3, Improvised Tools, Jack-of-all-Trades, Sidekick 16, Tracking, Well-informed.

Equipment:
Meta-Taser (Ranged Affliction 5 [Fortitude; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated) and 5 points of equipment as needed.

Skills:
Deception 8 (+10), Expertise: History 7 (+12), Expertise: Streetwise 5 (+10), Insight 7 (+11), Investigation 8 (+13), Perception 7 (+11), Persuasion 6 (+8), Ranged Combat: Meta-Taser 6 (+7), Technology 4 (+9).

Offense:
Initiative -1
Unarmed -1 (Close Damage -1)
Meta-Taser +7 (Ranged Fortitude 5)

Defense:
Dodge 5, Parry 3, Fortitude 2, Toughness 0, Will 8

Totals:
Abilities 18 + Power 1 + Advantages 8 + Skills 29 + Defenses 16 = 88 points

Offensive PL: 6
Defensive PL: 3
Resistance PL: 5
Skill PL: 8

Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Old in Body, Young at Heart. Secret Identity.


Fukuen Natsuki -- PL 5
Image

Abilities:
STR
2 | STA 2 | AGL 3 | DEX 2 | FGT 5 | INT 1 | AWE 2 | PRE 1

Advantages:
Assessment, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Fast Grab, Improved Defense, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Improved Smash, Improved Trip, Instant Up, Interpose, Power Attack.

Skills:
Acrobatics 7 (+10), Athletics 6 (+8), Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+8), Deception 5 (+6), Insight 4 (+6), Intimidation 6 (+7), Perception 6 (+8), Sleight of Hand 7 (+9), Treatment 4 (+5), Vehicles 4 (+6).

Offense:
Initiative +7
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 2)

Defense:
Dodge 4, Parry 6, Fortitude 3, Toughness 4/2, Will 6.

Totals:
Abilities 36 + Advantages 13 + Skills 24 + Defenses 7 = 80 points

Offensive PL: 5
Defensive PL: 5
Skill PL: 5
Resistance PL: 5

Complications:
Duty--Motivation. Wants to Improve Her Skills.
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
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Re: A World Less Magical But No Less Fantastic

Post by Davies »

Gomi-Nezumi
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Gomi-Nezumi ("Trash Rat/Mouse") is both the occupant of the house of the Rat in the Shēngxiào, having held that position since the formation of the organization, and the group's primary spy. While ill-suited to any sort of social intrigue, his abilities to reduce himself to a tiny size and to use rats and mice as remote sensors allow him to observe and report on numerous supposedly private conversations, and his skills as an infiltrator and saboteur are nearly unmatched. (He can also summon a swarm of rats to bite and harrass many targets, but it's a fairly minor threat by most standards.) While frequently looked down on by the other members of Shēngxiào, both literally and figuratively thanks to his focus on material gain in an organization which seeks the destruction of the human race, his talents have kept the group functioning far longer than it might otherwise have.

He was born Nozawa Chikao, and none of this was supposed to have happened to him. Up until 2006, he had what he considered to be a fairly good life, working in Fujitsu's research and devlopment department and assigned to a project developing an artificial super-intelligence. Despite what he might sometimes claim, he wasn't the project's leader, or even all that essential to it. If he had been, he probably wouldn't still be alive.

In 2006, the lab where he was working was raided by superpower mercenaries who killed the project head and most of the senior staff; Nozawa was one of the few survivors, and counted himself lucky to have sustained only minor injuries. Unfortunately, the matter didn't end there. When the mercenaries were defeated and captured by the Sea Dragons, they claimed that their actions had been taken in response to the lab's work on systems designed to detect the existence of superpowers, the better to assassinate them. Arrant nonsense, but their other claim was much more serious -- they fingered Nozawa as the one who'd tipped them off about the situation.

His pleas of innocence were disregarded, and he found himself without a job or prospects for finding a new one. Evicted from his apartment, he attempted to take up residence with his elderly parents, but they soon kicked him out after a fight. This left him with nowhere to go, and he became a member of Tokyo's unhoused community, occasionally using his skills to repair their salvaged electronics but more often lost in fantasies of revenge and renewed affluence. This was his condition when Diorite found him, and recruited him for her Shēngxiào.

Over the last decade, Gomi-Nezumi has had many opportunities to learn more about the reasons for his downfall, and worked out what he believes to be the full picture. The mercenaries, unsurprisingly, lied about their motives; they'd been hired to assault the lab by representatives of the Vietnamese-based corporation which was run by the artificial super-intelligence Axiom, in order to put a halt to the research which could have created another ASI. And Nozawa had been randomly selected as a scapegoat.

Discovering all this naturally led to renewed thoughts of vengeance, and his associated discovery that Axiom intended to destroy as much of the mystical side of the world as it could led him to view the Shēngxiào as its natural opponent. He has been able to convince some of the other members of the group of the danger that Axiom represents, but has not succeeded in convincing the group as a whole to start targeting its forces. Like many mystics, they are inclined to denigrate the products of human technology (while employing them for their own benefit) and thus don't regard Axiom as a priority.

This situation, and the lack of respect that he receives, are wearing away at Gomi-Nezumi's loyalty to the group. He remains with the group out of fear of what Diorite might do to him if he ever rebelled, as he's seen her do to other rebellious members of the Shēngxiào. Nevertheless, he represents a major weak link in the organization's leadership that could be exploited to damage it. However, he is still utterly misanthropic and self-serving, and should not be trusted for a moment.

One of his personal weaknesses is also noteworthy. Understanding that he and his associates have powers that relate to the Chines zodiac led him to learn a bit about the subject, and he learned one aspect of the myth. In some stories about the origin of the concept, it derives from a great race held by the Jade Emperor where he rewarded various animals with places in the calendar based on their arrival at the gate of heaven. The cat failed to arrive due to the schemes of the rat, and this is the reason that cats hate rats. Imputing perhaps a bit too much significance to this myth, Gomi-Nezumi has developed a severe phobia of cats, and believes that Diorite created a cat personification somewhere in the world to be his nemesis. (This does not appear to be the case, but who knows? You're not really paranoid when someone's out to get you.)

Gomi-Nezumi -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR
2 | STA 2 | AGL 2 | DEX 0 | FGT 2 | INT 4 | AWE 4 | PRE 1

Powers:
Rat-Eyes: Remote Sensing 5 (30 miles; auditory, visual), Medium (rat or mouse); Senses 1 (low-light vision) - 11 points
Rat-Size: Linked Continuous Shrinking 12 (6 inches tall; -6 Strength, +6 Dodge, +6 Parry, +12 Stealth, -6 Intimidation, -1 Speed), Normal Strength, Quirk (limited to minimum size); Linked Speed 6 (includes size penalty) - 42 points
Rat-Swarm: Linked Burst Area Damage 4, Concentration; Linked Ranged Environment 1 (impede movement 2) - 14 points

Advantages:
Defensive Roll 2, Evasion, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Move-by Action, Startle.

Skills:
Athletics 4 (+6), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+6), Expertise: Criminal 6 (+10), Expertise: Science 7 (+11), Intimidation 7 (+8), Perception 5 (+9), Stealth 5 (+7/+19), Technology 7 (+11).

Offense:
Initiative +6
Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 2)
Rat-Swarm -- (Burst Area Damage 4)

Defense:
Dodge 13/7, Parry 12/6, Fortitude 6, Toughness 7/2, Will 8

Totals:
Abilities 32 + Powers 67 + Advantages 8 + Skills 19 + Defenses 16 = 143 points

Offensive PL: 4
Defensive PL: 10
Resistance PL: 7
Skill PL: 6

Complications:
Greed--Motivation. Fear (cats.) Hatred (Axiom.) Mild Paranoia. Subject to Orders (and increasingly resentful.)
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
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Re: A World Less Magical But No Less Fantastic

Post by Davies »

Miss Glass
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Before she appeared at the first meeting of what became the Mile High Marauders in 1983, the superpower known as Miss Glass had never been seen in public as far as her new colleagues could determine. She refused to discuss her past or even any name that she might have used other than the one that she gave when she arrived on the scene. To a degree, it could be said that she set the tenor of the group that began to emerge from Denver's superpower community in the early 80s, rejecting any pretensions towards a mundane identity or lifestyle. "I'm hear, I'm clear, get used to it," she said on one occasion.

After her death in 2006, investigators untangling her network of financial dealings worked out some of the backstory. She was born Johanna Josephine Miller, daughter to an Oklahoma oil baron and a Louisiana beauty queen in 1955. She was returning home from a trip to Japan in 1975 when her flight was forced to make an unscheduled emergency landing at Denver International, owing to a fight between superpowers. It was her misfortune to be outside when the final explosion of that battle took place, and she ended up mutated by the forces unleashed.

Over the course of the next few days, her body transformed from organic flesh and bone to an inorganic, glass-like substance, with her hair becoming a substance similar to fiberglass. If damaged, her body would heal itself, but at a much slower rate than living tissue. It wouldn't be long before she learned that she could alter the substance of her body so that she would be either completely transparent, or polarized and bulletproof. Johanna could not, however, resume a mundane human appearance, and so her parents -- horrified by what their daughter had become -- paid her a substantial allowance to stay in Denver and talk to no one.

When her father passed away around the start of the Pythonian Insurgency -- not for the reason you'd expect, he just had a heart attack at the news -- she came into her inheritance and was no longer had to hide herself. Still, Miss Glass waited a year to see whether the insurrection would succeed, and only emerged when it seemed to be successfully opposed. That coincided with the formation of the Mile High Marauders, and she wove herself into the fabric of this new organization, becoming its financial backer, accompanying the team, and frequently insinuating that she could do a better job of leading it than El Gato and Enigma.

Her motivations in this were entirely selfish, as she genuinely feared the possibility of coming under attack by the Pythons (or of being conscripted into fighting them) and sought to have as much backup as possible when and if that happened. Or almost entirely selfish, because more than one of her teammates came to realize that there was a lonely lady hiding behind that supposedly impervious façade, who was unfortunately too proud to admit it. For someone who'd often seemed quite willing to tear the team apart in power struggles, when the Marauders' end came she was the one who was trying to hold it together the most.

She remained in Denver after the group broke up, and maintained a -- admit it -- catty relationship with El Gato until the latter's death, which nevertheless devastated her. In the aftermath, she started to make fewer and fewer public appearances, though she hadn't aged at all since her transformation. In the end, what she'd always feared came to pass; Miss Glass was murdered during Billie Zane's coup attempt, shattered by the successors to the Pythonian Insurgency. By the terms of her will, the pieces of her body were pulverized to a fine dust and poured on the graves of her parents in Oklahoma.

Miss Glass -- PL 9

Abilities:
STR
0 | STA 5 | AGL 3 | DEX 2 | FGT 3 | INT 4 | AWE 3 | PRE 5

Powers:
Glass Body: Immunity 21 (aging, electrical effects, life support); Permanent Concealment 2 (olfactory) - 25 points
Metamorphosis: Array (18 points)
  • Polarization: Environment 1 (light); Strength-based Damage 2; Sustained Impervious Protection 6 - 1 point
  • Transparency: Continuous Concealment 6 (radio, visual) - 18 points
Advantages:
Attractive, Benefit 2 (independently wealthy), Contacts, Daze (Deception), Fascinate (Deception), Eidetic Memory, Languages 2(French, Spanish, possibly others), Teamwork, Uncanny Dodge.

Skills:
Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+7), Deception 7 (+12), Expertise: Business 4 (+8), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+10), Insight 6 (+9), Intimidation 6 (+11), Investigation 6 (+10), Perception 6 (+9), Stealth 5 (+8).

Offense:
Initiative +3
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 2/0)

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

Totals:
Abilities 50 + Powers 44 + Advantages 10 + Skills 25 + Defenses 16 = 145 points

Offensive PL: 5
Defensive PL: 9
Resistance PL: 9
Skill PL: 7

Complications:
Survival--Motivation. Jaded and Cynical. Slow Healer. Strange Appearance.
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
greycrusader
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Re: A World Less Magical But No Less Fantastic

Post by greycrusader »

Interesting take on an Emma Frost analogue (sans the telepathic powers, obviously); were there also notes of Chrysalis from the Wild Cards books in the character? Mostly I picked up on a few similarities on her background, along with another take on a "see-through woman".

All my best.
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Davies
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Re: A World Less Magical But No Less Fantastic

Post by Davies »

greycrusader wrote: Tue Nov 23, 2021 4:58 am Interesting take on an Emma Frost analogue (sans the telepathic powers, obviously); were there also notes of Chrysalis from the Wild Cards books in the character? Mostly I picked up on a few similarities on her background, along with another take on a "see-through woman".
Very much so, and her deadname is derived from Chrysalis' creator. (Denver's superpower history as a whole is actually intended as something of a Wild Cards homage. I spent a lot of time reading those books when I was wayyyy too young to be reading those books.) Thanks!
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
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Davies
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Re: A World Less Magical But No Less Fantastic

Post by Davies »

Monitor
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Lieutenant Bradley "Cygnus" Nicholas was trained as a naval flight officer (NFO) in the last years of the Pythonian Insurgency, completing his training shortly after the situation came to its end. During the war in Syria that followed, he was assigned to serve as the radar intercept officer for Lieutenant Commander Thomas "Wild Card" Junkers, who'd been decorated for his service with JSOT, and flew numerous missions with him. They became close friends, and Junkers even served as Nicholas' best man when he married in 1998. Tragically, however, just a few months later, Junkers was killed in action on their last mission, and Nicholas was left uncertain as to whether he could have prevented the death. Thus, he sought reassignment from flight duty and served as a base officer.

After Cerebron's assault, however, Nicholas came to the conclusion that he had to return to flight duty, despite the objections of his wife. While undergoing retraining with several other officers seeking the same goal, he was tested for compatibility with a new form of operating interface, and scored extraordinarily high. Consequently, Lt. Nicholas was offered the opportunity to train as the pilot of an entirely new sort of flying vehicle -- the first suit of powered armor ever test piloted by the United States Navy, dubbed the Monitor.

The Monitor project had its origins during the Pythonian Insurgency, when the situation seemed dire enough that both the Army and the Navy dusted off the old plans for Peter Sullivan's armored flying suit. With advances in technology since the 1960s, the concept was no longer quite so expensive as it had been back then -- though still on the high end -- and seemed a worthwhile project. The Army's program was ultimately abandoned, but the Navy project continued even after the Insurgency's end, with the first prototypes finally ready to debut in 2002. Now came the task of finding qualified operators.

Lt. Nicholas was one of only four graduates from the training program (all of whom were NFOs like himself, where aviators struggled with the new interface) and seemed to possess an almost superpower-like talent for operating the Monitor. When the decision was made to integrate the Monitor's program into the developing United Superheroes of America organization, the brass elected to make him the Navy's sole representative on the team, holding the other three candidates (and their suits) in reserve. Events would later modify that decision to the tune of assigning another enlisted woman to the team.

Under the operations moniker "Monitor", Lt. Nicholas performed fairly well, acting primarily as a reconnaissance officer for the team. He got along well with all of his teammates, aside from a few early clashes with the American Angel when the latter's Army methodologies clashed with Monitor's Navy approach, but they quickly realized that they had to work together or suffer public humiliation. However, Nicholas privately wasn't thrilled to be assigned to the team, but his wife was even less happy with the situation. She sought and received a divorce, receiving custody of their daughter. That increased his disaffection.

When the United Superheroes program was shut down after three years, he breathed a sigh of relief, and was also glad to be reassigned from the Monitor program in general. Frankly, after nearly fifteen years in the Navy and with no signs of promotion, Nicholas decided to take the early retirement offer open to him and look for work in the civilian aviation industry, and possibly look into negotiating a joint custody arrangement of his daughter now that he was out of the military. Unfortunately, fate had other things in mind for him.

How, exactly, Thomas Dore managed to obtain a damaged prototype of the Monitor and arrange for it to be repaired and refurbished as a working model without breaking a dozen or more laws was something that Nicholas decided not to examine too closely. Despite all that, and despite having found being a superhero to be tiring and thankless work, he was still susceptible to Dore's persuasion that operating this thing was his first, best destiny. Consequently, he joined up with Heroic Enterprises, intending only to stay with the company for a few years, look after his friends from the other team, and build up a comfortable nest egg for his eventual retirement.

Five years later, he was killed in action during the affair that led to Heroic Enterprises becoming persona non grata in California. The sabotage which disabled his suit at a crucial moment, resulting in his death, has never been discovered.

Monitor -- PL 10

Abilities:
STR
8/2 | STA 2 | AGL 2 | DEX 3 | FGT 4 | INT 4 | AWE 3 | PRE 1

Powers:
Battlesuit:
Removable (-16 points)
* Armored Shell: Protection 10, Impervious 8 - 18 points
* Comm System: Radio Communication 4 - 16 points
* Life Support System: Immunity 10 (life support) - 10 points
* Sensors: Senses 17 (accurate extended radio, analytical extended auditory, direction sense, distance sense, extended infravision, extended ultravision, extended vision, time sense, ultrahearing) - 17 points
* Servo-Motors: Enhanced Strength 6 - 12 points
* Turbines: Flight 7 (250 MPH), Aquatic - 15 points
Multi-grenade Launcher: Array (18 points); Easily Removable (-8 points)
  • EMP: Burst Area Nullify Electronics 6, Simultaneous - 18 points
  • Flash-bang: Ranged Burst Area Affliction 6 (Resisted by Fortitude; Perception Impaired, Perception Disabled, Unaware), Quirk (hearing and auditory only) - 1 point
  • Fragmentation: Ranged Burst Area Damage 6 - 1 point
  • Tear Gas: Ranged Cloud Area Affliction 5 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed & Visually Impaired, Stunned & Visually Disabled, Incapacitated), Extra Condition, Limited Degree on Extra Condition - 1 point
Advantages:
Assessment, Evasion, Improved Defense, Improved Initiative, Languages 2 (Korean, Mandarin, Russian, Spanish), Move-by Action, Skill Mastery (Perception), Teamwork.

Skills:
Acrobatics 6 (+8), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+8), Expertise: Military 6 (+10), Insight 6 (+9), Investigation 5 (+9), Perception 8 (+11), Stealth 5 (+7), Technology 6 (+10), Vehicles 6 (+9).

Offense:
Initiative +6
Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 8/2)

Defense:
Dodge 6, Parry 8, Fortitude 6, Toughness 12/2, Will 7

Totals:
Abilities 42 + Powers 84 + Advantages 9 + Skills 26 + Defenses 16 = 178 points

Offensive PL: 8
Defensive PL: 10
Resistance PL: 7
Skill PL: 6

Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Family (daughter.) Hidebound (operates by the book, and fails to update the book.)
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
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Davies
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Re: A World Less Magical But No Less Fantastic

Post by Davies »

The January Man
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From 1997 to 2006, a man who went by the name Paul Hardison, also known by the nickname 'the January Man' (though never in his hearing) was reputedly the boss of the Chicago Outfit. Little definite is known about his background, but it is believed that he was actually born Paoli Accardo in Oak Park, Illinois, around 1938, and was distantly related to former Outfit boss Tony Accardo. (Rumors that he was the illegitimate son of the elder Accardo should probably be discounted.) While arrested for numerous crimes in the sixties and seventies, he had always been released due to a lack of evidence.

It's also not clear when exactly he suffered the facial scarring that inspired his nickname, as no photos of him without it are known to exist. After his death, there arose an account which claimed that he had secretly provided state prosecutors with evidence that ensured that John DiFronzo's 1993 conviction was upheld rather than overturned, leaving control of the Outfit in those hands from which he took it. However, DiFronzo's girlfriend responded by splashing his face with a corrosive substance that left him permanently scarred. This account seems extremely unlikely; had rumors of such treachery been circulating during his rise to power, Hardison would likely have suffered a much more severe fate.

Regardless, it was the January Man's misfortune to be directing the Outfit at the start of the career of Darkwing, and later that of Jack as well. It is a coin toss as to which of those two whom he despised more, and the frustration that he felt at their respective repeated escapes from the final fates that he tried to arrange for them boiled over into his dealings with other mobsters, often making him behave in an extremely erratic manner that contrasted greatly with his usual cold reserve. There are even reports that he tried to handle the matter personally on some occasions, though this worked no better for him than any other strategy.

In 2004, the January Man was finally arrested and charged with various racketeering offenses. His schemes were not finished, however, and he arranged a deal with prosecutors by which he would serve as informant about Chicago's various superpower residents in exchange for the most serious charges being dismissed. This offer was accepted; to ensure the security of their source, Hardison was 'revealed' to have superpowers himself and assigned to serve his sentence in a supertech prison facility in New Mexico.

It seems likely that his intention was to arrange his escape from there with the help of authentically superpowered inmates. However, the January Man had outsmarted himself, and died when the facility was destroyed during Billie Zane's coup.

The January Man -- PL 7

Abilities:
STR
1 | STA 2 | AGL 2 | DEX 3 | FGT 4 | INT 5 | AWE 5 | PRE 4

Advantages:
All-out Attack, Benefit 4 (crime lord, millionaire), Connected, Contacts, Daze (Intimidation), Defensive Roll, Equipment 4, Improved Initiative, Leadership, Startle, Well-informed.

Skills:
Athletics 4 (+5), Close Combat (Unarmed) 3 (+7), Deception 6 (+10), Expertise: Crime 6 (+11), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+11), Insight 6 (+11),
Intimidation 8 (+12), Investigation 4 (+9), Perception 4 (+9), Persuasion 4 (+8), Ranged Combat: Guns 6 (+9), Sleight of Hand 4 (+7), Stealth 6 (+8), Vehicles 3 (+6).

Offense:
Initiative +6
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 1)
Heavy Pistol +9 (Ranged Damage 4)

Defense:
Dodge 9, Parry 7, Fortitude 5, Toughness 4/2, Will 9

Totals:
Abilities 52 + Advantages 17 + Skills 35 + Defenses 17 = 121 points

Offensive PL: 7
Defensive PL: 7
Resistance PL: 7
Skill PL: 7

Complications:
Greed/Power--Motivation. Distinctive Scars.
"I'm sorry. I love you. I'm not sorry I love you."
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