[Mutants & Masterminds] A World Less Magical But No Less Fantastic
- Thread starter Davies
- Start date
Davies
Legend
The Unseen Archer
As seen through an effect allowing the perception of invisible creatures
There are two main theories as to the origins of the work known as the Book of the Unseen Archer. The first is that it is of ancient provenance, written in Koine Greek in what is now Anatolia, and one of twelve volumes of a collection known as "The Books of Starry Wisdom", of which the only two other volumes that have survived to the present day are the Book of the Great Scorpion and the Book of Measured Scales, the latter of which is known only by references to it in other works. The other theory is that the Book of the Unseen Archer was written in the early 15th century in Italy in imitation of the Book of the Great Scorpion, and that the Book of Measured Scales is likewise a fraud.
One of the points in favor the latter theory is that the Book of the Unseen Archer is not a grimoire. Rather, the text is itself imbued with magical energy that allows any individual holding it, regardless of whether or not that individual possesses any arcane knowledge, to summon the entity for which it is named, and which is described in its pages. Invisible and inaudible to all beings other than the holder of the text -- hereafter referred to as its "master" -- the Unseen Archer communicates through telepathy, initially treating each new master with formal courtesy and happily undertaking the task for which it was created.
Unfortunately, that task is murder. Attempting to command the Unseen Archer to perform any task that does not allow it to kill at least one sapient being will normally be met with derision on the part of the Archer, and refusal to do it. Repeatedly making such requests causes the Archer to become more and more disgusted with its master, eventually attempting to kill them. If it should succeed in doing so, the Archer immediately dematerializes and returns to the pages of the book, waiting for the next individual to pick it up and have mastery of the Archer conferred upon them.
The Unseen Archer, as the name indicates, normally prefers to kill its targets at a distance, employing what amounts to a huge recurved bow for this purpose. The bolts it lets fly are apparently psychokinetic in nature, and vanish soon after they strike the target (or after missing.) They cannot normally be seen either, and the injury they inflict is often mistaken for a ischemic stroke. The Archer will often attack targets at moments that will cause their fatal injuries to be disguised by other potential causes of death, such as shooting a target that causes them to collapse onto subway tracks just as a train pulls in. The Archer is also capable of attacking a target in hand to hand combat, and can easily tear a typical human being apart in this manner, but will normally only do so when directly ordered to do so, as this is not by any means a subtle means of death.
The Book of the Unseen Archer is often said to be cursed. Supposedly imbued with the malign will of the mage who wrote it and thus called the Unseen Archer into existence, the Book supposedly causes those who own it to become enraptured with committing murder by the Archer, unable to resist the urge to do so, and often developing a god complex in the process. This has not been proved, and the individual who completed the most detailed study of the Book, a former holder of the Blakestone title in the 1980s, owned it for close to fifteen years without ever using it for any purpose. However, accounts of the research mention that protective magic was needed in order to study it safely.
In recent years, the Book surfaced in Japan and came into the possession of a high school student named Mashiro Hayami. He quickly became enraptured by its potential and dreamed of using the murders committed by the Archer to eventually take over the world. Fortunately, he was stopped by the Ghost Sweepers long before that was even a possibility, and the Book is currently in the possession of the Yokoyama Group, ostensibly under tight security. Whether its current owners will be able to resist the possibility of committing a perfect crime remains to be seen.
While invisible, inaudible and inodorous, the Archer does emit a form of radiation that can be discerned or even tracked if identified. When the Archer remains in one place for an extended period, this aura often causes harm to plant and animal life in its vicinity, which can also be a clue to its presence.
The Unseen Archer - PL 10
Abilities:
STR 8 | STA 7 | AGL 3 | DEX 4 | FGT 7 | INT 0 | AWE 2 | PRE 2
Powers:
Alien Resilience: Protection 3; Regeneration 5 - 8 points
Invisible: Permanent Concealment 8 (auditory, olfactory, visual), Innate - 17 points
Large Size: Permanent Growth 3 (12 feet long; Strength +3, Stamina +3, Intimidation +1, Dodge -1, Parry -1, Stealth -3) - 9 points
Keen Senses: Senses 4 (accurate olfactory, visual senses counter concealment [invisibility]) - 4 points
Launched Arrrow: Ranged Damage 8, Accurate 4, Subtle 2, Insidious - 23 points
Swift Running: Speed 4 (30 MPH) - 4 points
Advantages:
Improved Initiative, Power Attack.
Skills:
Deception 6 (+8), Perception 6 (+8), Stealth 8 (+8).
Offense:
Initiative +7
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 8)
Launched Arrow +12 (Ranged Damage 8)
Defense:
Dodge 9, Parry 7, Fortitude 7, Toughness 10, Will 10
Totals:
Abilities 54 + Powers 65 + Advantages 2 + Skills 10 + Defenses 19 = 150 points
Offensive PL: 10
Defensive PL: 10
Resistance PL: 9
Skill PL: 3
Complications:
Obedience--Motivation. Only For Killing. Unnatural Aura.
Book of the Unseen Archer: Heroic Summon 10 (Unseen Archer), Mental Link - 41 points
The first time the master of the Archer orders it to perform a task other than killing a target, the master must make a Persuasion or Intimidation check, while the Archer makes a Will check that sets the DC of the former check. If the Persuasion or Intimidation check succeeds by three or more degrees, the Archer will attempt to accomplish the task without complaint. If it succeeds by fewer degrees, the Archer will attempt to accomplish the task, but will thereafter be treated as Indifferent to the master. If the check fails, the Archer refuses to perform the task, and its attitude becomes Indifferent.
An Indifferent Archer must be have its attitude improved through Persuasion to convince it to perform any task, even killing, and reverts to its worsened attitude after doing so. If already Indifferent and its attitude would worsen, it becomes Unfriendly by default. If already Unfriendly and its attitude would worsen, the Archer becomes Hostile and immediately seeks to kill the master.
One exception to these rules is that the Archer, even if Indifferent or Unfriendly, will always accept the task of killing a target who has Incapacitated it in the past.
As seen through an effect allowing the perception of invisible creatures
There are two main theories as to the origins of the work known as the Book of the Unseen Archer. The first is that it is of ancient provenance, written in Koine Greek in what is now Anatolia, and one of twelve volumes of a collection known as "The Books of Starry Wisdom", of which the only two other volumes that have survived to the present day are the Book of the Great Scorpion and the Book of Measured Scales, the latter of which is known only by references to it in other works. The other theory is that the Book of the Unseen Archer was written in the early 15th century in Italy in imitation of the Book of the Great Scorpion, and that the Book of Measured Scales is likewise a fraud.
One of the points in favor the latter theory is that the Book of the Unseen Archer is not a grimoire. Rather, the text is itself imbued with magical energy that allows any individual holding it, regardless of whether or not that individual possesses any arcane knowledge, to summon the entity for which it is named, and which is described in its pages. Invisible and inaudible to all beings other than the holder of the text -- hereafter referred to as its "master" -- the Unseen Archer communicates through telepathy, initially treating each new master with formal courtesy and happily undertaking the task for which it was created.
Unfortunately, that task is murder. Attempting to command the Unseen Archer to perform any task that does not allow it to kill at least one sapient being will normally be met with derision on the part of the Archer, and refusal to do it. Repeatedly making such requests causes the Archer to become more and more disgusted with its master, eventually attempting to kill them. If it should succeed in doing so, the Archer immediately dematerializes and returns to the pages of the book, waiting for the next individual to pick it up and have mastery of the Archer conferred upon them.
The Unseen Archer, as the name indicates, normally prefers to kill its targets at a distance, employing what amounts to a huge recurved bow for this purpose. The bolts it lets fly are apparently psychokinetic in nature, and vanish soon after they strike the target (or after missing.) They cannot normally be seen either, and the injury they inflict is often mistaken for a ischemic stroke. The Archer will often attack targets at moments that will cause their fatal injuries to be disguised by other potential causes of death, such as shooting a target that causes them to collapse onto subway tracks just as a train pulls in. The Archer is also capable of attacking a target in hand to hand combat, and can easily tear a typical human being apart in this manner, but will normally only do so when directly ordered to do so, as this is not by any means a subtle means of death.
The Book of the Unseen Archer is often said to be cursed. Supposedly imbued with the malign will of the mage who wrote it and thus called the Unseen Archer into existence, the Book supposedly causes those who own it to become enraptured with committing murder by the Archer, unable to resist the urge to do so, and often developing a god complex in the process. This has not been proved, and the individual who completed the most detailed study of the Book, a former holder of the Blakestone title in the 1980s, owned it for close to fifteen years without ever using it for any purpose. However, accounts of the research mention that protective magic was needed in order to study it safely.
In recent years, the Book surfaced in Japan and came into the possession of a high school student named Mashiro Hayami. He quickly became enraptured by its potential and dreamed of using the murders committed by the Archer to eventually take over the world. Fortunately, he was stopped by the Ghost Sweepers long before that was even a possibility, and the Book is currently in the possession of the Yokoyama Group, ostensibly under tight security. Whether its current owners will be able to resist the possibility of committing a perfect crime remains to be seen.
While invisible, inaudible and inodorous, the Archer does emit a form of radiation that can be discerned or even tracked if identified. When the Archer remains in one place for an extended period, this aura often causes harm to plant and animal life in its vicinity, which can also be a clue to its presence.
The Unseen Archer - PL 10
Abilities:
STR 8 | STA 7 | AGL 3 | DEX 4 | FGT 7 | INT 0 | AWE 2 | PRE 2
Powers:
Alien Resilience: Protection 3; Regeneration 5 - 8 points
Invisible: Permanent Concealment 8 (auditory, olfactory, visual), Innate - 17 points
Large Size: Permanent Growth 3 (12 feet long; Strength +3, Stamina +3, Intimidation +1, Dodge -1, Parry -1, Stealth -3) - 9 points
Keen Senses: Senses 4 (accurate olfactory, visual senses counter concealment [invisibility]) - 4 points
Launched Arrrow: Ranged Damage 8, Accurate 4, Subtle 2, Insidious - 23 points
Swift Running: Speed 4 (30 MPH) - 4 points
Advantages:
Improved Initiative, Power Attack.
Skills:
Deception 6 (+8), Perception 6 (+8), Stealth 8 (+8).
Offense:
Initiative +7
Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 8)
Launched Arrow +12 (Ranged Damage 8)
Defense:
Dodge 9, Parry 7, Fortitude 7, Toughness 10, Will 10
Totals:
Abilities 54 + Powers 65 + Advantages 2 + Skills 10 + Defenses 19 = 150 points
Offensive PL: 10
Defensive PL: 10
Resistance PL: 9
Skill PL: 3
Complications:
Obedience--Motivation. Only For Killing. Unnatural Aura.
Book of the Unseen Archer: Heroic Summon 10 (Unseen Archer), Mental Link - 41 points
The first time the master of the Archer orders it to perform a task other than killing a target, the master must make a Persuasion or Intimidation check, while the Archer makes a Will check that sets the DC of the former check. If the Persuasion or Intimidation check succeeds by three or more degrees, the Archer will attempt to accomplish the task without complaint. If it succeeds by fewer degrees, the Archer will attempt to accomplish the task, but will thereafter be treated as Indifferent to the master. If the check fails, the Archer refuses to perform the task, and its attitude becomes Indifferent.
An Indifferent Archer must be have its attitude improved through Persuasion to convince it to perform any task, even killing, and reverts to its worsened attitude after doing so. If already Indifferent and its attitude would worsen, it becomes Unfriendly by default. If already Unfriendly and its attitude would worsen, the Archer becomes Hostile and immediately seeks to kill the master.
One exception to these rules is that the Archer, even if Indifferent or Unfriendly, will always accept the task of killing a target who has Incapacitated it in the past.
Davies
Legend
Worldweaver
Art by Boris Grozev
Many of those humans -- though not all -- who have travelled beyond the boundaries of their home world have experienced what is called the overview effect, an awareness of the planet Earth as a tiny, fragile ball of life. But if one thinks bigger, then one can imagine somehow seeing the entire solar system as a tiny collection of fragile balls in an even vaster void. But if one thinks bigger, then one can imagine seeing the galaxy or even the entire universe as a tiny place, in which all possible human dreams and aspirations are incredibly petty. And if one thinks even bigger yet ...
Orphaned during the attack of Cerebron, twelve-year-old Kate Becker was taken into the guardianship of a friend of her late parents, who had all worked together for Argus R&D. Had she been a little bit older, Kate might have become a student at a think tank, but as matters stood, she spent the next five years dividing her time between formal studies and part time work alongside her guardian. Her talents came to the attention of the Director General, but something about Zane unsettled her, and she avoided being drawn into her circle.
Her major project in this time was studying the remains of what was thought to be an alien spaceship that had crash landed not far from Roswell, New Mexico, in 1997. The vessel was critically damaged, and its crew seemed to be caught in a state somewhere between life and death. Kate was the researcher to achieve the key breakthrough leading to the understanding that the crew themselves were dead, but that their uniforms, a biological carapace covered in tentacle-like growths, were still alive. One of these symbiotic costumes had just been successfully removed from its corpse when the coup began. The laboratory where this research was proceeding had been judged superfluous, and came under attack.
Thinking quickly if not perhaps deeply, Kate donned the carapace and used its functions to protect her life and those of her coworkers. It was a disturbing experience for the young scientist, and she was glad when it seemed to be over. But then she learned that it was never going to be over, for it was soon revealed that the carapace had bonded to her skin and bone and could not be removed while she still lived. Panicking at the implications of this, she fled the laboratory and went into hiding.
Over the next seven years, Kate found herself increasingly losing herself in the persona she took on in order to keep herself alive and free, that of Mistress Tendril, the brilliant but quite megalomaniacal scientific criminal. She sometimes attempted to portray herself as a victim of circumstances, but her extensive rap sheet made this seem implausible, as did the association she eventually made with the metasupremacist movement. She kept telling herself that all of these were just temporary measures undertaken so that she could eventually free herself from the carapace, but when she finally learned how to do so, Kate came to the sad realization that she was hopelessly addicted to the sensation of power that she experienced when using it. She had no choice to continue on the road she was walking.
And then things got worse. While in San Francisco on other business, Mistress Tendril happened to run afoul of Mephistopheles. During the brawl that followed, the so-called demon employed his "searing gaze" on her, intending to reduce her to a temporary catatonia in which she was left to contemplate her sins. An implausible synergistic effect of this assault on her mind, the latent psychic powers that had warned Kate to avoid Zane, and the hitherto unknown features of the carapace, allowed her mind to exceed all possible limitations.
For what was an eyeblink of reality, Kate Becker saw and knew everything, perceiving the full scale of the multiverse as no beings, perhaps not even the Old Ones, ever had. No mortal mind could recall even one billionth of one per cent of what she experienced in that hour of fugue, but it left her with the ability to perceive the timeline as not even Pythia had. She saw the full history of humanity, from its earliest evolution to the last days of its demise. She witnessed, and perhaps even facilitated, a conversation between Pythia and Ananke that she thinks she deliberately chose not to remember afterwards.
And more, for she now knew that the creatures who had created her carapace had not been extraterrestrial voyagers, but extradimensional ones who had travelled to strengthen the bonds that tied the multiverse together even though they knew that it would all tear itself apart in so short a season. As a consequence, she gained the ability to peer between worlds, expanding the range of her foresight and hindsight considerably. While able to perceive the dim threads that tie the worlds together, she cannot travel along them nor draw upon them, as a certain individual does, but can perceive when this is being done.
To most of those who know her, the villainess who now calls herself Worldweaver has not changed greatly. She still poses as a crazed mad scientist, seeking to avenge herself on anyone and everyone who has ever dared to oppose her or might do so in the future, engaged in countless bizarre schemes. And when these fall apart, as they always do, she makes her escape and retreats to her current safehouse, strips off her carapace and collapses to stare up at the ceiling, doing nothing. It is all meaningless. She acts not to achieve anything, but because she has seen herself acting and must fulfill her role, for the amusement of entities whom even she cannot fully perceive, much less comprehend. Or perhaps for their complete indifference.
Only one thing can jolt her out of either her "mad scientist" persona or the emptiness that replaces it. She can sense the touch of Daath on those who have known that world, and it terrifies her, for she knows that the imminent crisis will begin there, and fears it despite knowing that they can do nothing to her that will not happen regardless. (If it were rational, it would not be a phobia.) There is nothing she can do to prevent what is coming or even slow it down. It became inevitable in 2020, and events since then have only brought it closer. The time travelers have not the perspective to understand that the end of everything can happen despite their knowledge of the "future". The truth is that there is neither future nor past, only an eternal present, and that even that will end soon enough. The end is drawing closer and closer. The end of infinity.
Worldweaver -- PL 11
Abilities:
STR 8/0 | STA 8/0 | AGL 3 | DEX 2 | FGT 6 | INT 7 | AWE 3 | PRE 0
Powers:
Faded Omniscience: Enhanced Advantages 4 (Defensive Roll, Evasion, Improved Initiative 2); Enhanced Defenses 10 (Dodge 5, Parry 5); Senses 10 (Daath awareness, danger sense, postcognition, precognition) - 24 points
Tentacular Carapace: Elongation 6; Enhanced Advantages 8 (Chokehold, Fast Grab, Improved Disarm, Improved Hold, Improved Smash, Improved Trip, Move-by Action); Enhanced Stamina 8; Enhanced Strength 8; Enhanced Strength 4, Limited to lifting (100 tons); Extra Limbs 6; Movement 4 (sure-footed 2, wall-crawling 2); Impervious Toughness 8; Senses 2 (darkvision); Speed 5 (60 MPH) - 80 points
Worldweaving: Remote Sensing 6 (all senses; 60 miles), Dimensional 2 (parallel worlds); Senses 1 (dimensional awareness) - 33 points
Advantages:
All-out Attack, Chokehold, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Fast Grab, Improved Disarm, Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Improved Initiative 2, Improved Smash, Improved Trip, Inventor, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Startle.
Skills:
Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+10), Expertise: Dimensional 2 (+9), Expertise: Science 5 (+12), Intimidation 9 (+9), Perception 6 (+9), Stealth 8 (+11), Technology 6 (+13).
Offense:
Initiative +11
Tentacle Strike +10 (Close Damage 8, Reach 6)
Tentacle Grab +12 (Grab 8, Reach 6)
Defense:
Dodge 10/5, Parry 12/7, Fortitude 8, Toughness 10/8, Will 9
Totals:
Abilities 42 + Powers 137 + Advantages 4 + Skills 20 + Defenses 9 = 212 points
Offensive PL: 10
Defensive PL: 11
Resistance PL: 9
Skill PL: 8
Complications:
Nihilism--Motivation. Fear (Daath and its denizens.) Playing the Part (power hungry mad scientist.)
Note: Inspired by Ranke, a character created by bsdigitalq, part of the Extraordinary Mythos.
Art by Boris Grozev
Many of those humans -- though not all -- who have travelled beyond the boundaries of their home world have experienced what is called the overview effect, an awareness of the planet Earth as a tiny, fragile ball of life. But if one thinks bigger, then one can imagine somehow seeing the entire solar system as a tiny collection of fragile balls in an even vaster void. But if one thinks bigger, then one can imagine seeing the galaxy or even the entire universe as a tiny place, in which all possible human dreams and aspirations are incredibly petty. And if one thinks even bigger yet ...
Orphaned during the attack of Cerebron, twelve-year-old Kate Becker was taken into the guardianship of a friend of her late parents, who had all worked together for Argus R&D. Had she been a little bit older, Kate might have become a student at a think tank, but as matters stood, she spent the next five years dividing her time between formal studies and part time work alongside her guardian. Her talents came to the attention of the Director General, but something about Zane unsettled her, and she avoided being drawn into her circle.
Her major project in this time was studying the remains of what was thought to be an alien spaceship that had crash landed not far from Roswell, New Mexico, in 1997. The vessel was critically damaged, and its crew seemed to be caught in a state somewhere between life and death. Kate was the researcher to achieve the key breakthrough leading to the understanding that the crew themselves were dead, but that their uniforms, a biological carapace covered in tentacle-like growths, were still alive. One of these symbiotic costumes had just been successfully removed from its corpse when the coup began. The laboratory where this research was proceeding had been judged superfluous, and came under attack.
Thinking quickly if not perhaps deeply, Kate donned the carapace and used its functions to protect her life and those of her coworkers. It was a disturbing experience for the young scientist, and she was glad when it seemed to be over. But then she learned that it was never going to be over, for it was soon revealed that the carapace had bonded to her skin and bone and could not be removed while she still lived. Panicking at the implications of this, she fled the laboratory and went into hiding.
Over the next seven years, Kate found herself increasingly losing herself in the persona she took on in order to keep herself alive and free, that of Mistress Tendril, the brilliant but quite megalomaniacal scientific criminal. She sometimes attempted to portray herself as a victim of circumstances, but her extensive rap sheet made this seem implausible, as did the association she eventually made with the metasupremacist movement. She kept telling herself that all of these were just temporary measures undertaken so that she could eventually free herself from the carapace, but when she finally learned how to do so, Kate came to the sad realization that she was hopelessly addicted to the sensation of power that she experienced when using it. She had no choice to continue on the road she was walking.
And then things got worse. While in San Francisco on other business, Mistress Tendril happened to run afoul of Mephistopheles. During the brawl that followed, the so-called demon employed his "searing gaze" on her, intending to reduce her to a temporary catatonia in which she was left to contemplate her sins. An implausible synergistic effect of this assault on her mind, the latent psychic powers that had warned Kate to avoid Zane, and the hitherto unknown features of the carapace, allowed her mind to exceed all possible limitations.
For what was an eyeblink of reality, Kate Becker saw and knew everything, perceiving the full scale of the multiverse as no beings, perhaps not even the Old Ones, ever had. No mortal mind could recall even one billionth of one per cent of what she experienced in that hour of fugue, but it left her with the ability to perceive the timeline as not even Pythia had. She saw the full history of humanity, from its earliest evolution to the last days of its demise. She witnessed, and perhaps even facilitated, a conversation between Pythia and Ananke that she thinks she deliberately chose not to remember afterwards.
And more, for she now knew that the creatures who had created her carapace had not been extraterrestrial voyagers, but extradimensional ones who had travelled to strengthen the bonds that tied the multiverse together even though they knew that it would all tear itself apart in so short a season. As a consequence, she gained the ability to peer between worlds, expanding the range of her foresight and hindsight considerably. While able to perceive the dim threads that tie the worlds together, she cannot travel along them nor draw upon them, as a certain individual does, but can perceive when this is being done.
To most of those who know her, the villainess who now calls herself Worldweaver has not changed greatly. She still poses as a crazed mad scientist, seeking to avenge herself on anyone and everyone who has ever dared to oppose her or might do so in the future, engaged in countless bizarre schemes. And when these fall apart, as they always do, she makes her escape and retreats to her current safehouse, strips off her carapace and collapses to stare up at the ceiling, doing nothing. It is all meaningless. She acts not to achieve anything, but because she has seen herself acting and must fulfill her role, for the amusement of entities whom even she cannot fully perceive, much less comprehend. Or perhaps for their complete indifference.
Only one thing can jolt her out of either her "mad scientist" persona or the emptiness that replaces it. She can sense the touch of Daath on those who have known that world, and it terrifies her, for she knows that the imminent crisis will begin there, and fears it despite knowing that they can do nothing to her that will not happen regardless. (If it were rational, it would not be a phobia.) There is nothing she can do to prevent what is coming or even slow it down. It became inevitable in 2020, and events since then have only brought it closer. The time travelers have not the perspective to understand that the end of everything can happen despite their knowledge of the "future". The truth is that there is neither future nor past, only an eternal present, and that even that will end soon enough. The end is drawing closer and closer. The end of infinity.
Worldweaver -- PL 11
Abilities:
STR 8/0 | STA 8/0 | AGL 3 | DEX 2 | FGT 6 | INT 7 | AWE 3 | PRE 0
Powers:
Faded Omniscience: Enhanced Advantages 4 (Defensive Roll, Evasion, Improved Initiative 2); Enhanced Defenses 10 (Dodge 5, Parry 5); Senses 10 (Daath awareness, danger sense, postcognition, precognition) - 24 points
Tentacular Carapace: Elongation 6; Enhanced Advantages 8 (Chokehold, Fast Grab, Improved Disarm, Improved Hold, Improved Smash, Improved Trip, Move-by Action); Enhanced Stamina 8; Enhanced Strength 8; Enhanced Strength 4, Limited to lifting (100 tons); Extra Limbs 6; Movement 4 (sure-footed 2, wall-crawling 2); Impervious Toughness 8; Senses 2 (darkvision); Speed 5 (60 MPH) - 80 points
Worldweaving: Remote Sensing 6 (all senses; 60 miles), Dimensional 2 (parallel worlds); Senses 1 (dimensional awareness) - 33 points
Advantages:
All-out Attack, Chokehold, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Fast Grab, Improved Disarm, Improved Grab, Improved Hold, Improved Initiative 2, Improved Smash, Improved Trip, Inventor, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Startle.
Skills:
Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+10), Expertise: Dimensional 2 (+9), Expertise: Science 5 (+12), Intimidation 9 (+9), Perception 6 (+9), Stealth 8 (+11), Technology 6 (+13).
Offense:
Initiative +11
Tentacle Strike +10 (Close Damage 8, Reach 6)
Tentacle Grab +12 (Grab 8, Reach 6)
Defense:
Dodge 10/5, Parry 12/7, Fortitude 8, Toughness 10/8, Will 9
Totals:
Abilities 42 + Powers 137 + Advantages 4 + Skills 20 + Defenses 9 = 212 points
Offensive PL: 10
Defensive PL: 11
Resistance PL: 9
Skill PL: 8
Complications:
Nihilism--Motivation. Fear (Daath and its denizens.) Playing the Part (power hungry mad scientist.)
Note: Inspired by Ranke, a character created by bsdigitalq, part of the Extraordinary Mythos.
Davies
Legend
Madame Winter
Roughly fifty years ago, an uncontrolled dimensional portal opened up in an uninhabited district of the Sprawl for a few moments. As all portals created within the Sprawl open under the control of a megacorp-run lab, this event was of considerable interest and provoked fierce competition to claim the area in question. When the dust settled, the spoils of victory included damaged mechanical parts, a collection of human remains, and one living human female on the verge of death. As she was the only witness to what had happened, the megacorp naturally tried to keep her alive as long as possible, until it became apparent that it would be more economical to download her memories and them upload them to a healthy clone. This was then done, and the original was promptly euthanized.
The clone proved unable to explain much about the means by which the portals had been opened, as she had been an unwitting victim of that process. However, she promptly volunteered her services to work for her "saviors", under the code name Agent Winter, and demonstrated considerable talents as a covert operative, especially after she acquired some cybernetic upgrades. Her natural talents were remarkable enough that her DNA was added to the mixture from which the gengineered operatives were made. One of them, in particular, would be created almost in her image.
Meanwhile, Agent Winter had slowly but surely moved out of operations and into management, slowly rising through the megacorp ranks. Her plan, of course, was to eventually seize control of the corp and then turn it into the dominant force in the Sprawl, and then use the resources of the Sprawl to dominate all other realities and become the effective ruler of the multiverse. It was a great plan, and the only problem was that so many other entities had the same idea, and most of them were significantly more powerful than she was.
Fortunately, the worst of them also attracted attention from other worlds, who came to the Sprawl to stop them. This led to the first meeting between Winter and her "daughter", and Winter was impressed with the talent demonstrated by Baba Yaga and her allies. When they defeated both Nephren-Ka (making him flee into the outer darkness, where he would be a problem for someone else) and Makabre 2400 (taking him back to their world with them) she was very pleased, and pledged that, out of gratitude, she would do all she could to end the exploitative practices of the Sprawl, especially their actions against their world.
Suckers, she thought as she watched them depart. When she finally took power, she probably would leave the World Less Magical alone, at least until they had gotten all they could out of the other worlds of the multiverse. But sentimentality for neither the world of her donor nor for her own offspring influenced her decisions in this regard. Instead, Winter has made this choice based on the fact that relatively minor figures from that world had impacted the Sprawl in an enormous manner, and she is concerned about the prospect that much more powerful ones might wreck it entirely. Better to wait for them to fall to their own failings, and then seize the moment.
In the meanwhile, there are other worlds than this, countless realities just waiting to be squeezed dry. Of course, she has failed to consider that the effects of that first incursion from the World Less Magical are not yet over, and that there are those who will oppose her dreams here, as well. And that Baba Yaga, in particular, knows that if something seems too good to be true, it probably is, and is also not a sentimentalist.
Madame Winter -- PL 8
Abilities:
STR 0 | STA 1 | AGL 0 | DEX 3 | FGT 4 | INT 5 | AWE 4 | PRE 4
Powers:
Boosted Reflexes: Enhanced Advantages 6 (Defensive Roll, Evasion, Improved Initiative 3, Uncanny Dodge); Enhanced Defenses 6 (Dodge 3, Parry 3) - 12 points
Cyberlink: Radio Communication 3 (Sprawlwide); Comprehend Machines 2 - 18 points
Panimmunity: Immunity 1 (disease) - 1 point
Shielded Mind: Impervious Will 9, Limited to Mental Effects - 5 points
Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Assessment, Benefit 4 (multimillionaire), Chokehold, Connections, Contacts, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 8, Improved Aim, Language 3 (English, French, German, Sprawl Patois, others, [Russian is native]), Ranged Attack 2, Well-informed.
Equipment:
Blaster Pistol (Ranged Damage 5), Body Armor (Protection 4, Subtle), and 25 points of equipment as needed.
Skills:
Deception 9 (+13), Expertise: Business 5 (+10), Expertise: Civics 6 (+11), Expertise: Current Events 4 (+9), Expertise: Streetwise 4 (+9), Insight 8 (+12), Intimidation 6 (+10), Investigation 6 (+11), Perception 6 (+10), Persuasion 4 (+8), Ranged Combat: Blaster 4 (+7), Technology 4 (+9).
Offense:
Initiative +1
Unarmed +4 (Close Damage 0)
Blaster Pistol +9 (Ranged Damage 5)
Defense:
Dodge 7/4, Parry 7/4, Fortitude 3, Toughness 7/5/3/1, Will 9
Totals:
Abilities 42 + Powers 36 + Advantages 24 + Skills 33 + Defenses 11 = 146 points
Offensive PL: 7
Defensive PL: 7
Resistance PL: 6
Skill PL: 8
Complications:
Power--Motivation. Enemies (many.) Pretense of Honor and Humanity.
Note: It is fairly likely that Madame Winter has her memories backed up and at least one (and probably more than one) clone stored against the possibility of her death. As these clones will not have her cybermods, she does not qualify for an Immortality effect.
Roughly fifty years ago, an uncontrolled dimensional portal opened up in an uninhabited district of the Sprawl for a few moments. As all portals created within the Sprawl open under the control of a megacorp-run lab, this event was of considerable interest and provoked fierce competition to claim the area in question. When the dust settled, the spoils of victory included damaged mechanical parts, a collection of human remains, and one living human female on the verge of death. As she was the only witness to what had happened, the megacorp naturally tried to keep her alive as long as possible, until it became apparent that it would be more economical to download her memories and them upload them to a healthy clone. This was then done, and the original was promptly euthanized.
The clone proved unable to explain much about the means by which the portals had been opened, as she had been an unwitting victim of that process. However, she promptly volunteered her services to work for her "saviors", under the code name Agent Winter, and demonstrated considerable talents as a covert operative, especially after she acquired some cybernetic upgrades. Her natural talents were remarkable enough that her DNA was added to the mixture from which the gengineered operatives were made. One of them, in particular, would be created almost in her image.
Meanwhile, Agent Winter had slowly but surely moved out of operations and into management, slowly rising through the megacorp ranks. Her plan, of course, was to eventually seize control of the corp and then turn it into the dominant force in the Sprawl, and then use the resources of the Sprawl to dominate all other realities and become the effective ruler of the multiverse. It was a great plan, and the only problem was that so many other entities had the same idea, and most of them were significantly more powerful than she was.
Fortunately, the worst of them also attracted attention from other worlds, who came to the Sprawl to stop them. This led to the first meeting between Winter and her "daughter", and Winter was impressed with the talent demonstrated by Baba Yaga and her allies. When they defeated both Nephren-Ka (making him flee into the outer darkness, where he would be a problem for someone else) and Makabre 2400 (taking him back to their world with them) she was very pleased, and pledged that, out of gratitude, she would do all she could to end the exploitative practices of the Sprawl, especially their actions against their world.
Suckers, she thought as she watched them depart. When she finally took power, she probably would leave the World Less Magical alone, at least until they had gotten all they could out of the other worlds of the multiverse. But sentimentality for neither the world of her donor nor for her own offspring influenced her decisions in this regard. Instead, Winter has made this choice based on the fact that relatively minor figures from that world had impacted the Sprawl in an enormous manner, and she is concerned about the prospect that much more powerful ones might wreck it entirely. Better to wait for them to fall to their own failings, and then seize the moment.
In the meanwhile, there are other worlds than this, countless realities just waiting to be squeezed dry. Of course, she has failed to consider that the effects of that first incursion from the World Less Magical are not yet over, and that there are those who will oppose her dreams here, as well. And that Baba Yaga, in particular, knows that if something seems too good to be true, it probably is, and is also not a sentimentalist.
Madame Winter -- PL 8
Abilities:
STR 0 | STA 1 | AGL 0 | DEX 3 | FGT 4 | INT 5 | AWE 4 | PRE 4
Powers:
Boosted Reflexes: Enhanced Advantages 6 (Defensive Roll, Evasion, Improved Initiative 3, Uncanny Dodge); Enhanced Defenses 6 (Dodge 3, Parry 3) - 12 points
Cyberlink: Radio Communication 3 (Sprawlwide); Comprehend Machines 2 - 18 points
Panimmunity: Immunity 1 (disease) - 1 point
Shielded Mind: Impervious Will 9, Limited to Mental Effects - 5 points
Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Assessment, Benefit 4 (multimillionaire), Chokehold, Connections, Contacts, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 8, Improved Aim, Language 3 (English, French, German, Sprawl Patois, others, [Russian is native]), Ranged Attack 2, Well-informed.
Equipment:
Blaster Pistol (Ranged Damage 5), Body Armor (Protection 4, Subtle), and 25 points of equipment as needed.
Skills:
Deception 9 (+13), Expertise: Business 5 (+10), Expertise: Civics 6 (+11), Expertise: Current Events 4 (+9), Expertise: Streetwise 4 (+9), Insight 8 (+12), Intimidation 6 (+10), Investigation 6 (+11), Perception 6 (+10), Persuasion 4 (+8), Ranged Combat: Blaster 4 (+7), Technology 4 (+9).
Offense:
Initiative +1
Unarmed +4 (Close Damage 0)
Blaster Pistol +9 (Ranged Damage 5)
Defense:
Dodge 7/4, Parry 7/4, Fortitude 3, Toughness 7/5/3/1, Will 9
Totals:
Abilities 42 + Powers 36 + Advantages 24 + Skills 33 + Defenses 11 = 146 points
Offensive PL: 7
Defensive PL: 7
Resistance PL: 6
Skill PL: 8
Complications:
Power--Motivation. Enemies (many.) Pretense of Honor and Humanity.
Note: It is fairly likely that Madame Winter has her memories backed up and at least one (and probably more than one) clone stored against the possibility of her death. As these clones will not have her cybermods, she does not qualify for an Immortality effect.
Davies
Legend
Jules Pendrake
A bit more than two decades ago, a daughter was born to the royal family of one of the many petty kingdoms of Don, an large island on the World More Sorcerous. Her birth was the fulfillment of a prophecy made by the great sage Mardwyn, who appeared to the king and queen shortly afterward and commanded them to give her into his care, which they did reluctantly. Two days later, the great sage appeared before them again and repeated the command, and all three were startled to learn that the child of prophecy had been kidnapped by an imposter.
That imposter, a wicked aunt for once, knew that there was nowhere in the world she would be able to hide the child from Mardwyn, and so decided to hide her beyond the world. She had made some tentative contacts with visitors from another world, and gave the baby girl to them. When Mardwyn at last caught up with her, she had erased all knowledge of these events from her own mind and could tell him nothing of help, leaving him stymied. The aunt was punished for her deeds, but this only strengthened her determination to avenge herself.
Of course, none of this is known to the woman registered under the name Jules Pendrake in the databases of the Sprawl. As far as she or anyone else knows, she is the product of genetic engineering, and given a name, instead of a number, at the whim of one of the executives responsible for the project. She grew up to become one of the best corporate security operatives that the Sprawl has ever seen, mercilessly defending their operations from anyone, from freelancers to rival corps, who tried to hinder them. Never once did she question the idea that the stability that her corp -- not all the other ones, just hers -- provided was worth all of this.
And then a psychopathic monster from another world took over her corp, and Jules was forced to flight. Over the course of the next two years, she was exposed to a great deal of the realities of the Sprawl; chiefly, that there was very little difference between the corp that had raised her and the others, and that the stability that any of them provided was largely illusory. She also learned about cooperating with people she had been trained to view with contempt. Ultimately, Nephren-Ka was defeated and set to flight, but she had very little to do with that.
In the aftermath, she found herself disgusted that the corp leadership intended to get things back to normal, without having learned anything from any of the events that had happened in this interlude. Jules promptly quit. Of course, as she was under a lifetime contract, that was something she could not legally do, so she did it illegally. She has ended up holed up with the android investigator known as Wilmarth, providing muscle for her brains.
Having learned about the existence of people who fight for justice on various worlds that the Sprawl has sought to exploit, Jules intends to become such a figure in the Sprawl. She has a long way to go before she gets there; nothing in her life experience has taught her anything about showing mercy to enemies, or compassion to the weak. To her credit, though, she recognizes this failing and is trying to correct it. While Wilmarth is possibly even more cynical, she also has a better understanding of such matters, and Jules is trying to learn from her example.
She genuinely hopes that maybe she -- or maybe they -- can light up the night.
Jules Pendrake -- PL 9
Abilities:
STR 6 | STA 6 | AGL 7 | DEX 3 | FGT 11 | INT 4 | AWE 4 | PRE 4
Powers:
Superhuman: Leaping 3 (60 feet); Regeneration 2; Speed 3 (16 MPH) - 8 points
Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Defensive Attack, Equipment 8, Fast Grab, Fearless 2, Improved Defense, Improved Disarm, Improved Grab, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Leadership, Power Attack, Takedown.
Equipment:
Blaster Rifle (Ranged Damage 8).
Skycycle: Size Medium; Strength 4; Speed 7 (air); Defense 15; Toughness 5; Features Remote Control, Senses 3 (direction sense, radio, time sense), Subtle Flight - 24 points
Skills:
Acrobatics 6 (+13), Athletics 8 (+14), Close Combat: Unarmed 1 (+12), Deception 6 (+10), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+10), Insight 8 (+12), Intimidation 6 (+10), Perception 8 (+12), Ranged Combat: Blaster 6 (+9), Technology 7 (+11).
Offense:
Initiative +11
Unarmed +12 (Close Damage 6)
Blaster Rifle +9 (Ranged Damage 8)
Defense:
Dodge 10, Parry 12, Fortitude 9, Toughness 6, Will 9
Totals:
Abilities 90 + Powers 8 + Advantages 20 + Skills 31 + Defenses 12 = 161 points
Offensive PL: 9
Defensive PL: 9
Resistance PL: 9
Skill PL: 9
Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Lacking in Mercy, Compassion, and Forgiveness. Hunted by the Authorities.
There is a city that this darkness can't hide,
There are the embers of a fire that's gone out
But I can still feel the heat on my skin,
And this mess that we're in, well you and I,
Maybe you and I
Can light up the night.
A bit more than two decades ago, a daughter was born to the royal family of one of the many petty kingdoms of Don, an large island on the World More Sorcerous. Her birth was the fulfillment of a prophecy made by the great sage Mardwyn, who appeared to the king and queen shortly afterward and commanded them to give her into his care, which they did reluctantly. Two days later, the great sage appeared before them again and repeated the command, and all three were startled to learn that the child of prophecy had been kidnapped by an imposter.
That imposter, a wicked aunt for once, knew that there was nowhere in the world she would be able to hide the child from Mardwyn, and so decided to hide her beyond the world. She had made some tentative contacts with visitors from another world, and gave the baby girl to them. When Mardwyn at last caught up with her, she had erased all knowledge of these events from her own mind and could tell him nothing of help, leaving him stymied. The aunt was punished for her deeds, but this only strengthened her determination to avenge herself.
Of course, none of this is known to the woman registered under the name Jules Pendrake in the databases of the Sprawl. As far as she or anyone else knows, she is the product of genetic engineering, and given a name, instead of a number, at the whim of one of the executives responsible for the project. She grew up to become one of the best corporate security operatives that the Sprawl has ever seen, mercilessly defending their operations from anyone, from freelancers to rival corps, who tried to hinder them. Never once did she question the idea that the stability that her corp -- not all the other ones, just hers -- provided was worth all of this.
And then a psychopathic monster from another world took over her corp, and Jules was forced to flight. Over the course of the next two years, she was exposed to a great deal of the realities of the Sprawl; chiefly, that there was very little difference between the corp that had raised her and the others, and that the stability that any of them provided was largely illusory. She also learned about cooperating with people she had been trained to view with contempt. Ultimately, Nephren-Ka was defeated and set to flight, but she had very little to do with that.
In the aftermath, she found herself disgusted that the corp leadership intended to get things back to normal, without having learned anything from any of the events that had happened in this interlude. Jules promptly quit. Of course, as she was under a lifetime contract, that was something she could not legally do, so she did it illegally. She has ended up holed up with the android investigator known as Wilmarth, providing muscle for her brains.
Having learned about the existence of people who fight for justice on various worlds that the Sprawl has sought to exploit, Jules intends to become such a figure in the Sprawl. She has a long way to go before she gets there; nothing in her life experience has taught her anything about showing mercy to enemies, or compassion to the weak. To her credit, though, she recognizes this failing and is trying to correct it. While Wilmarth is possibly even more cynical, she also has a better understanding of such matters, and Jules is trying to learn from her example.
She genuinely hopes that maybe she -- or maybe they -- can light up the night.
Jules Pendrake -- PL 9
Abilities:
STR 6 | STA 6 | AGL 7 | DEX 3 | FGT 11 | INT 4 | AWE 4 | PRE 4
Powers:
Superhuman: Leaping 3 (60 feet); Regeneration 2; Speed 3 (16 MPH) - 8 points
Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Agile Feint, All-out Attack, Defensive Attack, Equipment 8, Fast Grab, Fearless 2, Improved Defense, Improved Disarm, Improved Grab, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Leadership, Power Attack, Takedown.
Equipment:
Blaster Rifle (Ranged Damage 8).
Skycycle: Size Medium; Strength 4; Speed 7 (air); Defense 15; Toughness 5; Features Remote Control, Senses 3 (direction sense, radio, time sense), Subtle Flight - 24 points
Skills:
Acrobatics 6 (+13), Athletics 8 (+14), Close Combat: Unarmed 1 (+12), Deception 6 (+10), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+10), Insight 8 (+12), Intimidation 6 (+10), Perception 8 (+12), Ranged Combat: Blaster 6 (+9), Technology 7 (+11).
Offense:
Initiative +11
Unarmed +12 (Close Damage 6)
Blaster Rifle +9 (Ranged Damage 8)
Defense:
Dodge 10, Parry 12, Fortitude 9, Toughness 6, Will 9
Totals:
Abilities 90 + Powers 8 + Advantages 20 + Skills 31 + Defenses 12 = 161 points
Offensive PL: 9
Defensive PL: 9
Resistance PL: 9
Skill PL: 9
Complications:
Justice--Motivation. Lacking in Mercy, Compassion, and Forgiveness. Hunted by the Authorities.
There is a city that this darkness can't hide,
There are the embers of a fire that's gone out
But I can still feel the heat on my skin,
And this mess that we're in, well you and I,
Maybe you and I
Can light up the night.
RainOnTheSun
Explorer
I appreciate some cyberpunk in my superheroes. Or some superheroes in my cyberpunk. Something like that.
Davies
Legend
Mephistopheles
Art by Azra Wheeler.
The first time that the Entropic known as Mephistopheles, then recently Ascended, traveled to the World More Grim, it was something of an accident. Having stumbled across a portal linking that world to the Pyt of Entropy, he passed through it out of simple curiosity, and so encountered one Johann Faust, an alchemist and magician native to the world on the other side. It amused him to travel with the peripatetic scholar for some time, until it so happened that Faust blew himself up in an alchemical experiment. Mephistopheles was not responsible for that event, and was actually a bit saddened. But such was the fate of all mortals, eventually, and at last he returned to his own reality, shortly after the local Ascendant indicated that he was unwelcome.
Centuries passed in which Mephistopheles pursued the goals of the Sphere of Entropy with what his fellows (those who were not bitterly jealous, at least) had to admit was style and grace, seeming to only care about his schemes. The truth was that he often found excuses to peer across the dimensional vortex at that strange other world, keeping it always in his thoughts. While he might at first have entertained ideas about corrupting it, as expected of an Entropic, he started to find himself taking relatively little joy in his work. It was just the same thing, over and over again, and increasingly he found himself wanting something new.
So, about a decade or so ago, he figured out how to transfer his home plane from the Pyt to one of the mystical dimensions surrounding the World More Grim, with the assistance of one of the more powerful Ascendants of Creation. (Removing an enemy piece from the board counts as a victory however you do it, after all.) Having done so, Mephistopheles relocated himself as well. He arrived in the city known as Chicago, amazed by how much the species of this world had done in so short a time.
While Merlin came after him almost immediately, Mephistopheles eventually managed to persuade the local that he had no interest in challenging his authority, and was only after a bit of harmless entertainment. Merlin exacted a binding pledge that he would assist in defending the world from any threats that came from beyond it, to which the Entropic calmly surrendered. He has occasionally sought out ways that he might free himself from that pledge, but mostly so that he might have that option available to him if it becomes clear that he must fight a losing battle. Regardless, he has not found any method other than returning to his original reality, which might be beyond his abilities.
Mephistopheles is certainly not a hero, but is not exactly a villain, either. He enjoys encouraging people to indulge in their worst instincts and accompanying them as they do, but also enjoys bringing about the ruination of those whose actions, however amusing, cause harm to others. Individuals who prove able to resist his corruption are treated with a great deal of respect and even sympathy, though this is because he rarely expects them to last all that long. Nearly all of the Superhuman Crew have passed that test, and so he occasionally acts to covertly support their activities, often disguising himself as a stranger to them when he does ...
Mephistopheles -- PL 12
Abilities:
STR 8 | STA 10 | AGL 4 | DEX 4 | FGT 10 | INT 3 | AWE 4 | PRE 4
Powers:
Bat Wings: Flight 5 (60 MPH), Wings - 5 points
Hellfire Mastery: Array (25 points)
Many Voices: Comprehend Language 3 (speak, understand, understood) - 9 points
Sense Immortal: Senses 2 (ranged detect immortal) - 2 points
Supernatural Resistance: Immunity 15 (fire damage, life support); Impervious Toughness 8 - 23 points
Advantages:
All-out Attack, Attractive, Benefit 2 (independently wealthy), Daze (Deception), Defensive Attack, Equipment 5, Fascinate (Persuasion), Fearless 2, Ritualist.
Equipment:
Home Plane: Size Huge; Toughness 12; Features Combat Simulator, Communications, Concealed, Deathtraps, Defense System, Grounds, Isolated, Library, Living Space, Power System, Personnel, Security System (DC 30), Workshop - 21 points.
Skills:
Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+14), Deception 9 (+13), Expertise: High Society 6 (+9), Expertise: Magic 7 (+11), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+9), Insight 4 (+8), Perception 6 (+10), Persuasion 8 (+12), Ranged Combat: Hellfire 6 (+10).
Offense:
Initiative +4
Unarmed +14 (Close Damage 8)
Flame of Damnation +10 (Ranged Damage 12)
Flame of Disintegration +10 (Ranged Weaken Toughness 8)
Flame of Emotion -- (Perception Range Will 12)
Defense:
Dodge 12, Parry 14, Fortitude 13, Toughness 10, Will 7
Totals:
Abilities 94 + Powers 79 + Advantages 14 + Skills 28 + Defenses 18 = 233 points
Offensive PL: 12
Defensive PL: 12
Resistance PL: 10
Skill PL: 8
Complications:
Amusement--Motivation. Adoration of the Worst in Humanity, Respect for the Best. Obligation (defend the world.) Obviously Monstrous (when not disguised.) Vulnerability (magic employed by a person of true faith.)
Note: Mephistopheles, like any Entropic, cannot under any circumstances travel to the World Less Magical, and will be immediately and irrevocably destroyed if he does.
Art by Azra Wheeler.
The first time that the Entropic known as Mephistopheles, then recently Ascended, traveled to the World More Grim, it was something of an accident. Having stumbled across a portal linking that world to the Pyt of Entropy, he passed through it out of simple curiosity, and so encountered one Johann Faust, an alchemist and magician native to the world on the other side. It amused him to travel with the peripatetic scholar for some time, until it so happened that Faust blew himself up in an alchemical experiment. Mephistopheles was not responsible for that event, and was actually a bit saddened. But such was the fate of all mortals, eventually, and at last he returned to his own reality, shortly after the local Ascendant indicated that he was unwelcome.
Centuries passed in which Mephistopheles pursued the goals of the Sphere of Entropy with what his fellows (those who were not bitterly jealous, at least) had to admit was style and grace, seeming to only care about his schemes. The truth was that he often found excuses to peer across the dimensional vortex at that strange other world, keeping it always in his thoughts. While he might at first have entertained ideas about corrupting it, as expected of an Entropic, he started to find himself taking relatively little joy in his work. It was just the same thing, over and over again, and increasingly he found himself wanting something new.
So, about a decade or so ago, he figured out how to transfer his home plane from the Pyt to one of the mystical dimensions surrounding the World More Grim, with the assistance of one of the more powerful Ascendants of Creation. (Removing an enemy piece from the board counts as a victory however you do it, after all.) Having done so, Mephistopheles relocated himself as well. He arrived in the city known as Chicago, amazed by how much the species of this world had done in so short a time.
While Merlin came after him almost immediately, Mephistopheles eventually managed to persuade the local that he had no interest in challenging his authority, and was only after a bit of harmless entertainment. Merlin exacted a binding pledge that he would assist in defending the world from any threats that came from beyond it, to which the Entropic calmly surrendered. He has occasionally sought out ways that he might free himself from that pledge, but mostly so that he might have that option available to him if it becomes clear that he must fight a losing battle. Regardless, he has not found any method other than returning to his original reality, which might be beyond his abilities.
Mephistopheles is certainly not a hero, but is not exactly a villain, either. He enjoys encouraging people to indulge in their worst instincts and accompanying them as they do, but also enjoys bringing about the ruination of those whose actions, however amusing, cause harm to others. Individuals who prove able to resist his corruption are treated with a great deal of respect and even sympathy, though this is because he rarely expects them to last all that long. Nearly all of the Superhuman Crew have passed that test, and so he occasionally acts to covertly support their activities, often disguising himself as a stranger to them when he does ...
Mephistopheles -- PL 12
Abilities:
STR 8 | STA 10 | AGL 4 | DEX 4 | FGT 10 | INT 3 | AWE 4 | PRE 4
Powers:
Bat Wings: Flight 5 (60 MPH), Wings - 5 points
Hellfire Mastery: Array (25 points)
- Flame of Damnation: Ranged Damage 12, Incurable - 25 points
- Flame of Disintegration: Ranged Weaken Toughness 8, Affects Objects - 1 point
- Flame of Emotion: Perception Range Affliction 12 (Resisted by Will; Dazed, Stunned, Incapacitated), Sight Dependent, Variable (emotions) - 1 point
- Flame of Transformation: Healing 10, Self Only; Morph 3 (humanoids) - 1 point
Many Voices: Comprehend Language 3 (speak, understand, understood) - 9 points
Sense Immortal: Senses 2 (ranged detect immortal) - 2 points
Supernatural Resistance: Immunity 15 (fire damage, life support); Impervious Toughness 8 - 23 points
Advantages:
All-out Attack, Attractive, Benefit 2 (independently wealthy), Daze (Deception), Defensive Attack, Equipment 5, Fascinate (Persuasion), Fearless 2, Ritualist.
Equipment:
Home Plane: Size Huge; Toughness 12; Features Combat Simulator, Communications, Concealed, Deathtraps, Defense System, Grounds, Isolated, Library, Living Space, Power System, Personnel, Security System (DC 30), Workshop - 21 points.
Skills:
Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+14), Deception 9 (+13), Expertise: High Society 6 (+9), Expertise: Magic 7 (+11), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+9), Insight 4 (+8), Perception 6 (+10), Persuasion 8 (+12), Ranged Combat: Hellfire 6 (+10).
Offense:
Initiative +4
Unarmed +14 (Close Damage 8)
Flame of Damnation +10 (Ranged Damage 12)
Flame of Disintegration +10 (Ranged Weaken Toughness 8)
Flame of Emotion -- (Perception Range Will 12)
Defense:
Dodge 12, Parry 14, Fortitude 13, Toughness 10, Will 7
Totals:
Abilities 94 + Powers 79 + Advantages 14 + Skills 28 + Defenses 18 = 233 points
Offensive PL: 12
Defensive PL: 12
Resistance PL: 10
Skill PL: 8
Complications:
Amusement--Motivation. Adoration of the Worst in Humanity, Respect for the Best. Obligation (defend the world.) Obviously Monstrous (when not disguised.) Vulnerability (magic employed by a person of true faith.)
Note: Mephistopheles, like any Entropic, cannot under any circumstances travel to the World Less Magical, and will be immediately and irrevocably destroyed if he does.
Davies
Legend
Sao Pai Long
The lands of Ginleng, located far to the east of even the Dragon Empire on the World More Sorcerous, are different from those of the western continent in some respects, while being quite similar to them in others. One of the ways that they are most similar is that both nations have had people with a talent for making weapons of great power for a long time, and that these people have generally exercised that talent, creating powerful weapons that tend to outlive both the person who wields them and the cause in which they were wielded. In Ginleng, currently divided between a pair of feuding self-proclaimed emperors with ambitions of world conquest and immortality, many of the most powerful of these weapons were carefully collected and stored in an enchanted scroll known as the Thousand-Blade Treatise, which was then given to the one individual whom the creator of that artifact thought could be trusted not to use the vast power he had just been given.
For a wonder, this was a wise choice. Sao Pai Long, a humble practitioner of certain esoteric disciplines, had no interest in gaining power or fame, and sought only to keep this collection of nightmares out of the hands of those who would use them and turn an already terrible civil war into one of unthinkable destruction. This required him to leave his homeland and wander beyond it in hopes of finding some place where the Treatise could be safely hidden away or, in the worst case, disposed of in a way that destroyed it. (This was undesirable because Pai Long feared that trying to destroy the weapons would likely also destroy much of the region in question -- and possibly still fail.)
After several years of wandering and a number of adventures, Pai Long was starting to fear that he would never find such a safe haven anywhere in his world. He does not recall if he expressed those words aloud; if not, it still might be that one of those mightier than he decided to answer the implied wish in his thoughts. One moment, he was passing through a mountain pass beneath a night sky. The next, he was still in a mountain pass, but beneath a burning red sun. Pai Long feared that he had taken leave of his senses, or possibly come under some strange attack, but soon came to a clearer understanding of his circumstances.
Once he managed to learn the local language, which only took a few weeks, he took stock of his situation. On the one hand, he had become much weaker, which was unpleasant but not disastrous. On the other, while the Treatise itself was still functioning, most of the weapons within it had become just swords and spears and bows and axes and daggers, well-crafted but not possessed of devastating powers. He had found a place where they could be hidden away, it seemed, but his trained caution led him to experiment a bit before just dumping the contents off and running away. That experiment took the form of selling one of the minor weapons in the Treatise in order to obtain local currency with which to purchase some food.
Two weeks later, he had finally managed to retrieve the weapon from the mad sorcerer who had sought it out, and escaped from the city ruled by said sorcerer. While the weapon itself no longer had any power, it could apparently be used as a key element in rituals that might cause just as much havoc. This world, or at least this part of this world, was no more a safe place than his own land or world had been, and now Pai Long finds himself uncertain of what his next move should be. He has heard of the city of Nerath, which has opposed the sorcerer he fought, and hopes that its science might have an answer to his problem, and has started the long walk there.
Sao Pai Long would laugh at the idea that he is a hero. Nevertheless, he keeps stumbling into matters where someone needs help, and though he will moan at the inconvenience, he never stops helping people as much as he can, either. Neither fame nor riches appeal to him; all that he wants is to finish this task and then find a way to go home and live in as much peace as the world will allow. While he will kill to protect himself or others, he always gives an enemy a chance to walk away before he unleashes punches capable of smashing bone. He uses no weapon; they are superfluous to his requirements. He has some knowledge of magic, and has adapted to the much lower level of power to be drawn upon in this world, but still uses it primarily to heal rather than to harm.
Sao Pai Long -- PL 8
Abilities:
STR 3 | STA 3 | AGL 1 | DEX 1 | FGT 9 | INT 2 | AWE 2 | PRE 2
Powers:
Infused Energy: Array (4 points)
Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Acrobatic Bluff, All-Out Attack, Assessment, Defensive Attack, Daze (Intimidate), Defensive Roll, Evasion, Improved Defense, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Improved Smash, Interpose, Language (Tormanan)*, Power Attack, Precise Shot (Close/Concealment), Prone Fighting, Quick Draw, Ritualist, Startle, Takedown Attack 2, Uncanny Dodge, Weapon Bind, Weapon Break.
* Also speaks a variety of languages that are completely useless on the World Closer to Death.
Skills:
Acrobatics 8 (+9), Athletics 8 (+11), Expertise: Magic 7 (+9), Expertise: Survival 6 (+8), Insight 10 (+12), Intimidation 8 (+10), Perception 6 (+8), Persuasion 8 (+10), Treatment 7 (+9).
Offense:
Initiative +5
Unarmed or Improvised +9 (Close Damage 7)
Defense:
Dodge 7, Parry 9, Fortitude 5, Toughness 5/3, Will 9
Totals:
Ablities 46 + Powers 9 + Advantages 26 + Skills 35 + Defenses 15 = 131 points
Offensive PL: 8
Defensive PL: 7
Resistance PL: 7
Skill PL: 7
Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Humble. Sarcastic. Wanderer.
Note: If Sao Pai Long returns to the World More Sorcerous, he becomes PL9, as his STA, AGL, FGT and AWE all increase by 2 ranks each. He also acquires a collection of magical weapons contained in his Thousand-Blade Treatise, which should be treated as a 21 point array with a large number of slots.
"狂風驟雨催紙傘，遊人浪跡步不休。天地滂沱如何渡，蓑衣褪盡任濁流。"
—"Neither sudden storms nor fierce winds that would ruin an umbrella are enough to halt one's journey. Should I come across murky waters on my travels, I shall continue forward unburdened by that which may hold me back."
The lands of Ginleng, located far to the east of even the Dragon Empire on the World More Sorcerous, are different from those of the western continent in some respects, while being quite similar to them in others. One of the ways that they are most similar is that both nations have had people with a talent for making weapons of great power for a long time, and that these people have generally exercised that talent, creating powerful weapons that tend to outlive both the person who wields them and the cause in which they were wielded. In Ginleng, currently divided between a pair of feuding self-proclaimed emperors with ambitions of world conquest and immortality, many of the most powerful of these weapons were carefully collected and stored in an enchanted scroll known as the Thousand-Blade Treatise, which was then given to the one individual whom the creator of that artifact thought could be trusted not to use the vast power he had just been given.
For a wonder, this was a wise choice. Sao Pai Long, a humble practitioner of certain esoteric disciplines, had no interest in gaining power or fame, and sought only to keep this collection of nightmares out of the hands of those who would use them and turn an already terrible civil war into one of unthinkable destruction. This required him to leave his homeland and wander beyond it in hopes of finding some place where the Treatise could be safely hidden away or, in the worst case, disposed of in a way that destroyed it. (This was undesirable because Pai Long feared that trying to destroy the weapons would likely also destroy much of the region in question -- and possibly still fail.)
After several years of wandering and a number of adventures, Pai Long was starting to fear that he would never find such a safe haven anywhere in his world. He does not recall if he expressed those words aloud; if not, it still might be that one of those mightier than he decided to answer the implied wish in his thoughts. One moment, he was passing through a mountain pass beneath a night sky. The next, he was still in a mountain pass, but beneath a burning red sun. Pai Long feared that he had taken leave of his senses, or possibly come under some strange attack, but soon came to a clearer understanding of his circumstances.
Once he managed to learn the local language, which only took a few weeks, he took stock of his situation. On the one hand, he had become much weaker, which was unpleasant but not disastrous. On the other, while the Treatise itself was still functioning, most of the weapons within it had become just swords and spears and bows and axes and daggers, well-crafted but not possessed of devastating powers. He had found a place where they could be hidden away, it seemed, but his trained caution led him to experiment a bit before just dumping the contents off and running away. That experiment took the form of selling one of the minor weapons in the Treatise in order to obtain local currency with which to purchase some food.
Two weeks later, he had finally managed to retrieve the weapon from the mad sorcerer who had sought it out, and escaped from the city ruled by said sorcerer. While the weapon itself no longer had any power, it could apparently be used as a key element in rituals that might cause just as much havoc. This world, or at least this part of this world, was no more a safe place than his own land or world had been, and now Pai Long finds himself uncertain of what his next move should be. He has heard of the city of Nerath, which has opposed the sorcerer he fought, and hopes that its science might have an answer to his problem, and has started the long walk there.
Sao Pai Long would laugh at the idea that he is a hero. Nevertheless, he keeps stumbling into matters where someone needs help, and though he will moan at the inconvenience, he never stops helping people as much as he can, either. Neither fame nor riches appeal to him; all that he wants is to finish this task and then find a way to go home and live in as much peace as the world will allow. While he will kill to protect himself or others, he always gives an enemy a chance to walk away before he unleashes punches capable of smashing bone. He uses no weapon; they are superfluous to his requirements. He has some knowledge of magic, and has adapted to the much lower level of power to be drawn upon in this world, but still uses it primarily to heal rather than to harm.
Sao Pai Long -- PL 8
Abilities:
STR 3 | STA 3 | AGL 1 | DEX 1 | FGT 9 | INT 2 | AWE 2 | PRE 2
Powers:
Infused Energy: Array (4 points)
- Healing Touch: Healing 8, Others Only, Temporary - 4 points
- Striking Strength: Strength-based Damage 4 - 1 points
Advantages:
Accurate Attack, Acrobatic Bluff, All-Out Attack, Assessment, Defensive Attack, Daze (Intimidate), Defensive Roll, Evasion, Improved Defense, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Improved Smash, Interpose, Language (Tormanan)*, Power Attack, Precise Shot (Close/Concealment), Prone Fighting, Quick Draw, Ritualist, Startle, Takedown Attack 2, Uncanny Dodge, Weapon Bind, Weapon Break.
* Also speaks a variety of languages that are completely useless on the World Closer to Death.
Skills:
Acrobatics 8 (+9), Athletics 8 (+11), Expertise: Magic 7 (+9), Expertise: Survival 6 (+8), Insight 10 (+12), Intimidation 8 (+10), Perception 6 (+8), Persuasion 8 (+10), Treatment 7 (+9).
Offense:
Initiative +5
Unarmed or Improvised +9 (Close Damage 7)
Defense:
Dodge 7, Parry 9, Fortitude 5, Toughness 5/3, Will 9
Totals:
Ablities 46 + Powers 9 + Advantages 26 + Skills 35 + Defenses 15 = 131 points
Offensive PL: 8
Defensive PL: 7
Resistance PL: 7
Skill PL: 7
Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Humble. Sarcastic. Wanderer.
Note: If Sao Pai Long returns to the World More Sorcerous, he becomes PL9, as his STA, AGL, FGT and AWE all increase by 2 ranks each. He also acquires a collection of magical weapons contained in his Thousand-Blade Treatise, which should be treated as a 21 point array with a large number of slots.
"狂風驟雨催紙傘，遊人浪跡步不休。天地滂沱如何渡，蓑衣褪盡任濁流。"
—"Neither sudden storms nor fierce winds that would ruin an umbrella are enough to halt one's journey. Should I come across murky waters on my travels, I shall continue forward unburdened by that which may hold me back."
Davies
Legend
Kent Wildman
Born in 1951 on the Isle of Leighton (a large island, roughly the size of Hispaniola, that exists -- or rather existed -- at the approximate coordinates of Bermuda) Kent Wildman demonstrated superhuman -- exotic, in that world's parlance -- abilities in his early teens. His generation was the first to have a large number of exotics born in it, though there had been a handful in previous generations, with his own parents among them. No one, then or now, was sure what caused their numbers to increase, but Kent found himself certain that he needed to do something to protect the mundane citizens from criminal exotics and to inspire law-abiding exotics to do the same. And so he became Kid Challenger, one of the first superheroes of his world, soon joined by many others as the Crime-Busters.
They did very well for a while, but events in the early seventies shattered their team and sent many of them, including Kent, on paths of self-destructive behavior. But by the mid-eighties, he had once more joined with old allies and new, all striving to make a difference in their world that seemed about to break. Unfortunately, despite their efforts, by 1993 the world was broken, with the start of a nuclear war. In these last desperate moments, Kent and his friends and family agreed to a proposal by Alexander McGovern, their most brilliant scientist, to activate a device that would theoretically create a dome over the Isle to protect it from the effects of the bombs.
It did more than that, tearing the entire island and a chunk of the ocean surrounding it away from the planet and into another dimension, one of intensely bright light. The shield kept those within it alive, but something about the radiance surrounding them affected all animal life within the dome, transforming every one of them into exotics. For those few who witnessed the activation of the shield, it did more, enhancing them to almost godlike levels of ability. All of them had the sense that they had been charged to act as "guardians" -- all but one, at least, but more of her later.
The first few years of this existence were extremely difficult, but through hard work, the Isle of Leighton once more became a decent place to live. It was discovered how to open portals to other worlds, and the guardians and other citizens traveled trough them to explore and to make arrangements to purchase needed resources that they could not create for themselves. They also frequently found themselves involved in local troubles, generally trying to resolve them in as peaceful a way as possible. After a while, a movement to change the name of their home arose; drawing on some obscure paperback novels from their original world, they renamed the place Tanelorn.
It has been at least a generation since then, though just how much time has passed is not clear; even atomic clocks give different answers. Kent has settled into the role of the Sheriff of Tanelorn, working to keep the peace between many different agendas and factions while also helping to train the younger citizens of the bubble to serve as heroes. He generally leaves the actual adventuring to the other guardians these days, but will help out whenever he is called upon, especially when one particular individual gets involved.
Before the shift, his worst enemy was his half-sister, Jessica Drummond, a madwoman as devoted to anarchy as he was to the rule of law. They fought countless bloody battles against each other over the years. However, a strange bond existed between the two of them that neither fully understood, and they had come to realize that neither of them could die as long as the other lived. That bond also caused her to be empowered as a guardian even though she was not present when the shield was activated. Since then, Drummond has continued her rampage across other worlds, frequently coming into conflict with the other guardians. Bewilderingly, she also sometimes assists them, as the mood takes her.
The powers that the guardians possess only function during a state of "dimensional crisis", which can best be described as "when parts of different realities are in contact with each other". Tanelorn is in a constant state of dimensional crisis, and any world with a portal to that realm also enters into that state -- though only for a small area of it, consisting of about a mile around the portal, at maximum. Areas around portals to other worlds also become crisis zones, but somewhat smaller ones.
In terms of his personality, Kent Wildman is something of an enigma. He strives to be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent ... but there is also a shadow hanging over him. He sometimes wonders how much of who and what he is was shaped not by his own choices, but by those made by others on his behalf, and whether he is just a pawn being used by powers he does not fully understand. The situation with Jessica is the perfect example of this; he cannot understand why they are bonded in the way that they are, and sometimes feels personally responsible for her misdeeds, on the theory that he is keeping her alive because of his continued life. However, he truly does want to live, for the sake of his home and for those he loves, such as his wife and adopted children, and many friends.
How all this will work out is beyond his understanding, even with his mind enhanced as it is. He just hopes to live up to the awesome responsibility he has been given, and help to make all worlds better places. He also sometimes wonders why the portals that they open up always make a strange noise, like a key being dragged along a piano string. Well, it probably makes sense to someone.
Kent Wildman -- PL 15
Abilities:
STR 10/5 | STA 10/5 | AGL 11/6 | DEX 9/4 | FGT 13/8 | INT 8/3 | AWE 9/4 | PRE 7/2
Powers:
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 - 80 points
Lifelink: Immortality 14 (4 minutes), Quirk (only as long as Jessica Drummond is alive) - 27 points
Mobile: Speed 5 (60 MPH); Leaping 7 (900 feet); Movement 3 (swinging, wall-crawling 2) - 18 points
Striking Strength: Strength-based Damage 3 - 3 points
Advantages:
All-out Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment, Improved Initiative, Inspire 2, Interpose, Jack-of-all-trades, Leadership, Move-by Action, Teamwork.
Equipment:
Commlink and 4 points of equipment as needed.
Skills:
Acrobatics 6 (+17/+12), Athletics 6 (+16/+11), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+17/+12), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+14/+9), Investigation 6 (+14/+9), Insight 6 (+15/+10), Perception 6 (+15/+10), Persuasion 8 (+15/+10), Technology 6 (+14/+9).
Offense:
Initiative +15/+10
Unarmed +17/+12 (Close Damage 13/8)
Defense:
Dodge 15/10, Parry 17/12, Fortitude 14/9, Toughness 12/10/7/5, Will 15/10
Totals:
Abilities 74 + Powers 126 + Advantages 11 + Skills 27 + Defenses 18 = 256 points
Offensive PL: 15/10
Defensive PL: 15/10
Resistance PL: 15/10
Skill PL: 12/7
Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Friends and Family. Nemesis. Power Loss (Guardian, outside of dimensional crises.)
Note: Kent Wildman of Tanelorn is a parallel world counterpart for Ken Hazzard of the World Less Magical. Should he ever learn of this, he will be quite surprised, as he has never encountered any parallel world counterparts of himself before.
Born in 1951 on the Isle of Leighton (a large island, roughly the size of Hispaniola, that exists -- or rather existed -- at the approximate coordinates of Bermuda) Kent Wildman demonstrated superhuman -- exotic, in that world's parlance -- abilities in his early teens. His generation was the first to have a large number of exotics born in it, though there had been a handful in previous generations, with his own parents among them. No one, then or now, was sure what caused their numbers to increase, but Kent found himself certain that he needed to do something to protect the mundane citizens from criminal exotics and to inspire law-abiding exotics to do the same. And so he became Kid Challenger, one of the first superheroes of his world, soon joined by many others as the Crime-Busters.
They did very well for a while, but events in the early seventies shattered their team and sent many of them, including Kent, on paths of self-destructive behavior. But by the mid-eighties, he had once more joined with old allies and new, all striving to make a difference in their world that seemed about to break. Unfortunately, despite their efforts, by 1993 the world was broken, with the start of a nuclear war. In these last desperate moments, Kent and his friends and family agreed to a proposal by Alexander McGovern, their most brilliant scientist, to activate a device that would theoretically create a dome over the Isle to protect it from the effects of the bombs.
It did more than that, tearing the entire island and a chunk of the ocean surrounding it away from the planet and into another dimension, one of intensely bright light. The shield kept those within it alive, but something about the radiance surrounding them affected all animal life within the dome, transforming every one of them into exotics. For those few who witnessed the activation of the shield, it did more, enhancing them to almost godlike levels of ability. All of them had the sense that they had been charged to act as "guardians" -- all but one, at least, but more of her later.
The first few years of this existence were extremely difficult, but through hard work, the Isle of Leighton once more became a decent place to live. It was discovered how to open portals to other worlds, and the guardians and other citizens traveled trough them to explore and to make arrangements to purchase needed resources that they could not create for themselves. They also frequently found themselves involved in local troubles, generally trying to resolve them in as peaceful a way as possible. After a while, a movement to change the name of their home arose; drawing on some obscure paperback novels from their original world, they renamed the place Tanelorn.
It has been at least a generation since then, though just how much time has passed is not clear; even atomic clocks give different answers. Kent has settled into the role of the Sheriff of Tanelorn, working to keep the peace between many different agendas and factions while also helping to train the younger citizens of the bubble to serve as heroes. He generally leaves the actual adventuring to the other guardians these days, but will help out whenever he is called upon, especially when one particular individual gets involved.
Before the shift, his worst enemy was his half-sister, Jessica Drummond, a madwoman as devoted to anarchy as he was to the rule of law. They fought countless bloody battles against each other over the years. However, a strange bond existed between the two of them that neither fully understood, and they had come to realize that neither of them could die as long as the other lived. That bond also caused her to be empowered as a guardian even though she was not present when the shield was activated. Since then, Drummond has continued her rampage across other worlds, frequently coming into conflict with the other guardians. Bewilderingly, she also sometimes assists them, as the mood takes her.
The powers that the guardians possess only function during a state of "dimensional crisis", which can best be described as "when parts of different realities are in contact with each other". Tanelorn is in a constant state of dimensional crisis, and any world with a portal to that realm also enters into that state -- though only for a small area of it, consisting of about a mile around the portal, at maximum. Areas around portals to other worlds also become crisis zones, but somewhat smaller ones.
In terms of his personality, Kent Wildman is something of an enigma. He strives to be trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent ... but there is also a shadow hanging over him. He sometimes wonders how much of who and what he is was shaped not by his own choices, but by those made by others on his behalf, and whether he is just a pawn being used by powers he does not fully understand. The situation with Jessica is the perfect example of this; he cannot understand why they are bonded in the way that they are, and sometimes feels personally responsible for her misdeeds, on the theory that he is keeping her alive because of his continued life. However, he truly does want to live, for the sake of his home and for those he loves, such as his wife and adopted children, and many friends.
How all this will work out is beyond his understanding, even with his mind enhanced as it is. He just hopes to live up to the awesome responsibility he has been given, and help to make all worlds better places. He also sometimes wonders why the portals that they open up always make a strange noise, like a key being dragged along a piano string. Well, it probably makes sense to someone.
Kent Wildman -- PL 15
Abilities:
STR 10/5 | STA 10/5 | AGL 11/6 | DEX 9/4 | FGT 13/8 | INT 8/3 | AWE 9/4 | PRE 7/2
Powers:
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 - 80 points
Lifelink: Immortality 14 (4 minutes), Quirk (only as long as Jessica Drummond is alive) - 27 points
Mobile: Speed 5 (60 MPH); Leaping 7 (900 feet); Movement 3 (swinging, wall-crawling 2) - 18 points
Striking Strength: Strength-based Damage 3 - 3 points
Advantages:
All-out Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment, Improved Initiative, Inspire 2, Interpose, Jack-of-all-trades, Leadership, Move-by Action, Teamwork.
Equipment:
Commlink and 4 points of equipment as needed.
Skills:
Acrobatics 6 (+17/+12), Athletics 6 (+16/+11), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+17/+12), Expertise: Streetwise 6 (+14/+9), Investigation 6 (+14/+9), Insight 6 (+15/+10), Perception 6 (+15/+10), Persuasion 8 (+15/+10), Technology 6 (+14/+9).
Offense:
Initiative +15/+10
Unarmed +17/+12 (Close Damage 13/8)
Defense:
Dodge 15/10, Parry 17/12, Fortitude 14/9, Toughness 12/10/7/5, Will 15/10
Totals:
Abilities 74 + Powers 126 + Advantages 11 + Skills 27 + Defenses 18 = 256 points
Offensive PL: 15/10
Defensive PL: 15/10
Resistance PL: 15/10
Skill PL: 12/7
Complications:
Responsibility--Motivation. Friends and Family. Nemesis. Power Loss (Guardian, outside of dimensional crises.)
Note: Kent Wildman of Tanelorn is a parallel world counterpart for Ken Hazzard of the World Less Magical. Should he ever learn of this, he will be quite surprised, as he has never encountered any parallel world counterparts of himself before.
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