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[Mutants & Masterminds] A World Less Magical But No Less Fantastic
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<blockquote data-quote="Davies" data-source="post: 8139689" data-attributes="member: 30538"><p><span style="font-size: 26px">Koschei</span></p><p><img src="https://photos.smugmug.com/My-First-Gallery/i-b44P4b8/0/41cbbba3/S/da0307e-7b5b6280-3ff3-4058-811b-85648d50943a-S.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " style="" /></p><p></p><p>He's not called that because he's the deadliest man alive. (By all accounts and excluding supers of any moral persuasion, that's probably the Reaper.) He's not even considered to be the most effective assassin active today, because there are plenty of stories of him failing to service the target, whether due to effective defensive preparations on their part or the intervention of factors beyond anyone's control. They gave him the name because of those stories, because just like the stories of Koschei the Deathless always end in his defeat and demise but always begin with him inexplicably alive again, no matter what sort of horrific fate he encounters on his missions, the latter day Koschei always comes back.</p><p></p><p>In his civilian identity, he lives a comfortable and quiet life just outside of Honolulu under the name Jim Lee. He almost doesn't remember the name under which he was born, and under which he nearly died, along with his birth family, during Cerebron's attack. But he was rescued by Li Yin-Sau, a Chinese hitman who happened to be in Hawaii on business and found himself returning to old patterns of behavior in the aftermath. (In the 80s, before a disgrace he never discussed, he had been a police officer in Hong Kong.) With the boy orphaned and no distant relatives interested in taking him in, Yin-Sau found himself in the unexpected role of a father, and did his best.</p><p></p><p>While he trained "Jimmy" in the arts of assassination, it was more because he didn't know what else to teach him than because he hoped that his foster son would follow him into the profession. He was a bit startled at how well the kid ended up taking to these lessons, and how willing and able he was to discuss the ethics of being a hired killer. When Sau-Yin finally passed away of an illness in 2007, his eighteen year-old son waited a year before contacting his father's old fixer and seeking employment. The man passed along a task almost as a joke, expecting to never hear from him again -- it wasn't like there could be another Mathilda, or something like that -- and was stunned when it was completed.</p><p></p><p>Since then, he has operated across Eastern Europe and Asia, especially in Russia -- hence the name. Koschei follows a set of ethics that he and Sau-Yin worked out together in their discussions. The first rule is that he doesn't work through cut-outs. If someone wants to hire him to end another human being's life, that someone can and will tell him to his face that this is what they want -- and why. The second rule is that if the client lies to him -- omissions are sometimes acceptable, deliberate falsehoods never are -- the contract is cancelled immediately. The third rule is that he will not kill people for <em>being</em>, but only for <em>doing</em>. He doesn't have any delusions of serving some higher purpose in his actions, but he does have standards. </p><p></p><p>Thus, he actively avoids contracts with Saturn, even though they could be very lucrative, because of the danger involved and the fact that he'd be killing people for being super-powered, which would no better than killing them for the color of the skin or the people with whom they have sex. Despite his understandable desire to avoid conflict with superheroes, he's ended up fighting them and usually meeting his apparent end as a result many times. In particular, he's crossed paths with Baba Yaga -- their respective aliases almost ensured that -- quite a few times, usually as an adversary but sometimes, interestingly, as an ally. He was as bewildered by these circumstances as she was, but found they actually worked well together. It was ... nice.</p><p></p><p>Now in his early thirties, and feeling much older than that, Koschei really wants to get out of the game and permanently retire to the house in Hawaii. It's a pipe dream, though, and Yin-Sau warned him that the notion of the 'one last job' is always a trap. Still, he's avoided traps before, and maybe it will be the same this time. Incidentally, the notion of him as a genuine immortal has attracted some unwelcome attention, resulting in him being 'interviewed' by seekers after that mirage. They've all either reached the correct conclusion, that it's a myth resulting from clever planning and lots of luck on his part, or they've reached a different sort of conclusion.</p><p></p><p><strong>Koschei -- PL 8</strong></p><p><strong></strong></p><p><strong>Abilities:</strong></p><p><strong>STR</strong> 2 | <strong>STA</strong> 3 | <strong>AGL</strong> 3 | <strong>DEX</strong> 4 | <strong>FGT</strong> 5 | <strong>INT</strong> 2 | <strong>AWE</strong> 3 | <strong>PRE</strong> 1</p><p></p><p><strong>Advantages:</strong></p><p>Accurate Attack, Assessment, Benefit (Alternate Identity), Connections, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 8, Evasion 2, Improved Aim, Improved Critical 2 (Sniper Rifle), Languages 3 (many, [English is native]) Power Attack, Precise Attack 2 (Ranged; Cover and Concealment), Takedown, Ultimate Aim, Uncanny Dodge.</p><p></p><p><em>Equipment:</em></p><p>Concealed body armor (Protection 1, Subtle) and 17 points of equipment as needed.</p><p><strong><em>Arsenal:</em></strong> Array (16 points) <ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> <strong><em>Flash-Bang Grenades:</em></strong> Ranged Burst Area Affliction 4 (Resisted by Fortitude; Vision & Hearing Impaired, Vision & Hearing Disabled, Vision & Hearing Unaware) - 16 points</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> <strong><em>Heavy Pistol:</em></strong> Ranged Damage 4 - 1 point</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> <strong><em>Sleep Gas Grenades:</em></strong> Ranged Cloud Area Affliction 4 (Resisted by Fortitude; Fatigued, Exhausted, Asleep) - 1 point</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> <strong><em>Smoke Grenades:</em></strong> Ranged Cloud Area Concealment Attack 4 - 1 point</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> <strong><em>Sniper Rifle:</em></strong> Ranged Damage 5, Improved Critical - 1 point</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul"> <strong><em>Tear Gas Grenades:</em></strong> Ranged Cloud Area Affliction 4 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed & Visually Incapacitated, Stunned & Visually Disabled, Incapacitated), Extra Condition - 1 point</li> </ul><p><strong>Skills:</strong></p><p>Acrobatics 8 (+11), Athletics 8 (+10), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+9), Deception 9 (+10), Expertise: Military 6 (+8), Expertise: Streetwise 8 (+10), Insight 8 (+11), Intimidation 6 (+7), Perception 8 (+11), Ranged Combat: Guns 7 (+11), Sleight of Hand 6 (+10), Stealth 9 (+12), Technology 8 (+10), Vehicles 5 (+9).</p><p></p><p><strong>Offense:</strong></p><p>Initiative +7</p><p>Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 2)</p><p>Pistol +11 (Ranged Damage 4)</p><p>Sniper Rifle +11 (Ranged Damage 5, Crit 17-20)</p><p></p><p><strong>Defense:</strong></p><p>Dodge 10, Parry 9, Fortitude 5, Toughness 6/5/4/3, Will 7</p><p></p><p><strong>Totals:</strong></p><p>Abilities 46 + Advantages 24 + Skills 50 + Defenses 17 = 137</p><p></p><p><strong>Complications:</strong></p><p><strong><em>Professionalism--Motivation. Ethics</em></strong> (skewed ones, but his.) <strong><em>Reputation</em></strong> (the killer who cannot die.) <strong><em>Secret Identity. Wants to Retire.</em></strong></p><p></p><p><span style="font-size: 9px">"Sometimes, dogs are better than men."</span></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Davies, post: 8139689, member: 30538"] [size=150]Koschei[/size] [img]https://photos.smugmug.com/My-First-Gallery/i-b44P4b8/0/41cbbba3/S/da0307e-7b5b6280-3ff3-4058-811b-85648d50943a-S.jpg[/img] He's not called that because he's the deadliest man alive. (By all accounts and excluding supers of any moral persuasion, that's probably the Reaper.) He's not even considered to be the most effective assassin active today, because there are plenty of stories of him failing to service the target, whether due to effective defensive preparations on their part or the intervention of factors beyond anyone's control. They gave him the name because of those stories, because just like the stories of Koschei the Deathless always end in his defeat and demise but always begin with him inexplicably alive again, no matter what sort of horrific fate he encounters on his missions, the latter day Koschei always comes back. In his civilian identity, he lives a comfortable and quiet life just outside of Honolulu under the name Jim Lee. He almost doesn't remember the name under which he was born, and under which he nearly died, along with his birth family, during Cerebron's attack. But he was rescued by Li Yin-Sau, a Chinese hitman who happened to be in Hawaii on business and found himself returning to old patterns of behavior in the aftermath. (In the 80s, before a disgrace he never discussed, he had been a police officer in Hong Kong.) With the boy orphaned and no distant relatives interested in taking him in, Yin-Sau found himself in the unexpected role of a father, and did his best. While he trained "Jimmy" in the arts of assassination, it was more because he didn't know what else to teach him than because he hoped that his foster son would follow him into the profession. He was a bit startled at how well the kid ended up taking to these lessons, and how willing and able he was to discuss the ethics of being a hired killer. When Sau-Yin finally passed away of an illness in 2007, his eighteen year-old son waited a year before contacting his father's old fixer and seeking employment. The man passed along a task almost as a joke, expecting to never hear from him again -- it wasn't like there could be another Mathilda, or something like that -- and was stunned when it was completed. Since then, he has operated across Eastern Europe and Asia, especially in Russia -- hence the name. Koschei follows a set of ethics that he and Sau-Yin worked out together in their discussions. The first rule is that he doesn't work through cut-outs. If someone wants to hire him to end another human being's life, that someone can and will tell him to his face that this is what they want -- and why. The second rule is that if the client lies to him -- omissions are sometimes acceptable, deliberate falsehoods never are -- the contract is cancelled immediately. The third rule is that he will not kill people for [i]being[/i], but only for [i]doing[/i]. He doesn't have any delusions of serving some higher purpose in his actions, but he does have standards. Thus, he actively avoids contracts with Saturn, even though they could be very lucrative, because of the danger involved and the fact that he'd be killing people for being super-powered, which would no better than killing them for the color of the skin or the people with whom they have sex. Despite his understandable desire to avoid conflict with superheroes, he's ended up fighting them and usually meeting his apparent end as a result many times. In particular, he's crossed paths with Baba Yaga -- their respective aliases almost ensured that -- quite a few times, usually as an adversary but sometimes, interestingly, as an ally. He was as bewildered by these circumstances as she was, but found they actually worked well together. It was ... nice. Now in his early thirties, and feeling much older than that, Koschei really wants to get out of the game and permanently retire to the house in Hawaii. It's a pipe dream, though, and Yin-Sau warned him that the notion of the 'one last job' is always a trap. Still, he's avoided traps before, and maybe it will be the same this time. Incidentally, the notion of him as a genuine immortal has attracted some unwelcome attention, resulting in him being 'interviewed' by seekers after that mirage. They've all either reached the correct conclusion, that it's a myth resulting from clever planning and lots of luck on his part, or they've reached a different sort of conclusion. [b]Koschei -- PL 8 Abilities: STR[/b] 2 | [b]STA[/b] 3 | [b]AGL[/b] 3 | [b]DEX[/b] 4 | [b]FGT[/b] 5 | [b]INT[/b] 2 | [b]AWE[/b] 3 | [b]PRE[/b] 1 [b]Advantages:[/b] Accurate Attack, Assessment, Benefit (Alternate Identity), Connections, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 8, Evasion 2, Improved Aim, Improved Critical 2 (Sniper Rifle), Languages 3 (many, [English is native]) Power Attack, Precise Attack 2 (Ranged; Cover and Concealment), Takedown, Ultimate Aim, Uncanny Dodge. [i]Equipment:[/i] Concealed body armor (Protection 1, Subtle) and 17 points of equipment as needed. [b][i]Arsenal:[/i][/b] Array (16 points)[list] [*] [b][i]Flash-Bang Grenades:[/i][/b] Ranged Burst Area Affliction 4 (Resisted by Fortitude; Vision & Hearing Impaired, Vision & Hearing Disabled, Vision & Hearing Unaware) - 16 points [*] [b][i]Heavy Pistol:[/i][/b] Ranged Damage 4 - 1 point [*] [b][i]Sleep Gas Grenades:[/i][/b] Ranged Cloud Area Affliction 4 (Resisted by Fortitude; Fatigued, Exhausted, Asleep) - 1 point [*] [b][i]Smoke Grenades:[/i][/b] Ranged Cloud Area Concealment Attack 4 - 1 point [*] [b][i]Sniper Rifle:[/i][/b] Ranged Damage 5, Improved Critical - 1 point [*] [b][i]Tear Gas Grenades:[/i][/b] Ranged Cloud Area Affliction 4 (Resisted by Fortitude; Dazed & Visually Incapacitated, Stunned & Visually Disabled, Incapacitated), Extra Condition - 1 point[/list] [b]Skills:[/b] Acrobatics 8 (+11), Athletics 8 (+10), Close Combat: Unarmed 4 (+9), Deception 9 (+10), Expertise: Military 6 (+8), Expertise: Streetwise 8 (+10), Insight 8 (+11), Intimidation 6 (+7), Perception 8 (+11), Ranged Combat: Guns 7 (+11), Sleight of Hand 6 (+10), Stealth 9 (+12), Technology 8 (+10), Vehicles 5 (+9). [b]Offense:[/b] Initiative +7 Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 2) Pistol +11 (Ranged Damage 4) Sniper Rifle +11 (Ranged Damage 5, Crit 17-20) [b]Defense:[/b] Dodge 10, Parry 9, Fortitude 5, Toughness 6/5/4/3, Will 7 [b]Totals:[/b] Abilities 46 + Advantages 24 + Skills 50 + Defenses 17 = 137 [b]Complications: [i]Professionalism--Motivation. Ethics[/i][/b] (skewed ones, but his.) [b][i]Reputation[/i][/b] (the killer who cannot die.) [b][i]Secret Identity. Wants to Retire.[/i][/b] [SIZE=1]"Sometimes, dogs are better than men."[/SIZE] [/QUOTE]
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