Upgrade your account to a Community Supporter account and remove most of the site ads.

Reply to thread

Message: <blockquote data-quote="Davies" data-source="post: 8384582" data-attributes="member: 30538">El Gato<img src="https://photos.smugmug.com/My-First-Gallery/i-nBhjXzp/0/ce7f7d43/M/Hellcat-Patsy-Walker-Marvel-Comics-Return-h3-M.jpg" alt="" class="fr-fic fr-dii fr-draggable " data-size="" style="" />Growing up in Denver in the early 60s, Carmen Alejo was always aware that she had an unusual talent in the form of a sense for danger. Not until she turned fifteen did she develop the rest of her mutations, with her fingernails growing into sharp claws over the course of a week and her strength, endurance and agility all increasing rapidly. She managed to hide these divergences from her friends and family, but she knew that she had to do something with these talents. Neither criminality nor heroics really appealed to her all that much, though, so she took her time developing a costume, practiced her skills, and waited to see what else fate would throw her way.Only a few months later, she was out exercising in her costume when she happened on the scene of a fight between Madame Menagerie and her nemesis, Ullr, who both happened to be in Denver that weekend. The Madame seemed to be on the ropes for once, and -- somewhat ironically, given her image -- Carmen felt inclined to come to the aid of the underdog. (Well, given the Madame's tiger image, maybe it wasn't so surprising after all.) She turned the tide of the battle in Madame Menagerie's favor, and the superhero thanked her and encouraged her to continue fighting the good fight. Carmen kept her doubts to herself.Only a few months after that, Madame Menagerie was dead. Watching the news about her state funeral, Carmen realized that now she had to make good on what the older woman had said to her. That day, she officially became El Gato, the masked defender of Denver, with some ideas of one day joining the Institute in the Madame's place. Of course, fate had a few more tricks to play on that score.In 1974, El Gato was one of the younger heroes who attempted to join the Institute in its last days, and went through the confusion and tumult that followed. In the aftermath, embarrassed and ashamed, all that she wanted to do was go home to Denver and forget this had ever happened. Yet something in Alphatron's words about their 'fraternity' resonated with her, and she agreed to at least keep in contact with him, even if she thought the team idea was pretty played out.Three years later, El Imán went on a rampage in Denver, and El Gato knew that fighting him directly was beyond her abilities. So she contacted Alphatron and asked for his help, watching them fight while trying to protect the civilians on the ground below. She wasn't watching them when they exploded, but she certainly saw the aftermath. No one else ever knew that she'd brought this about, or that she felt enormous guilt over what had happened because of it.In the years afterward, the thrillseeking and wisecracking El Gato vanished, replaced by a grim figure who acted as the self-appointed 'sheriff' of Denver and policed the various small groups of mutants that grew up in the aftermath. She served as a member of the Mile High Marauders when they were established in 1983, and remained with them right up until they fell apart in 1991. In the interim, she also developed a strong enmity with the local vampire, Carmilla, frequently managing to thwart her schemes even if she never quite managed to destroy the monster. El Gato was also one of the first superheroes to come to blows with a young Jodie Crowley.She left Denver for an extended period between 1988 and 1991, returning in even more of a bad mood than usual, which contributed to the Marauders falling apart. El Gato barely noticed this, continuing her lonely vigil. Sometime in this period, she started the custom of referring to the superpower communities of Denver as 'frats', which continues right up until the present day. As the second age of superheroes got underway, she was a bit amazed that she was regarded as one of the founders of Denver's community, but used this authority to keep them from harming those uninvolved in their internecine squabbles.She was killed during Cerebron's invasion, blasted to cinders by a heavy drone. What almost no one knows is that, shorty before her death, she crossed paths with Trouble, who had only just realized her connection to the invaders. On learning this, El Gato 'encouraged' (really commanded) Trouble to head further north and join up with some of the more powerful heroes who were planning on taking the fight to the invaders. "All I have are these claws, and they won't be much use there," she said.No one gave El Gato a state funeral. No one has built any statues to her. But it seems likely that she sleeps the sleep of the just.El Gato -- PL 7Abilities:STR 3 | STA 3 | AGL 4 | DEX 1 | FGT 7 | INT 1 | AWE 3 | PRE 2Powers:Catlike Balance: Leaping 2 (30 feet); Movement 1 (Safe Fall) - 4 pointsCatlike Senses: Senses 4 (acute tracking olfactory, danger sense, low-light vision) - 4 pointsClaws: Strength-based Damage 1, Improved Critical - 2 pointsAdvantages:All-out Attack, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Hide in Plain Sight, Improved Initiative, Improved Trip, Instant Up, Move-by Action, Uncanny Dodge.Skills:Acrobatics 3 (+7), Athletics 5 (+8), Close Combat: Claws 2 (+9), Deception 6 (+8), Insight 4 (+7), Intimidation 6 (+8), Perception 6 (+9), Stealth 4 (+8).Offense:Initiative +6Unarmed +7 (Close Damage 3)Claws +9 (Close Damage 4, Crit 19-20)Defense:Dodge 7, Parry 9, Fortitude 6, Toughness 5/3, Will 6Totals:Abilities 48 + Powers 10 + Advantages 9 + Skills 18 + Defenses 11 = 96 pointsOffensive PL: 7Defensive PL: 7Resistance PL: 6Skill PL: 4Complications:Thrills--Motivation. Loner. Nemesis (Carmilla.) Secret Identity. Temper.Note: By the mid 80s and early 90s, the PL 8 version of el Gato had developed a Healing Factor (Enhanced Stamina 2; Immunity 3 (aging, disease, poison); Regeneration 5.) She also learned a number of Languages (notably Mandarin) and improved all her skills by two ranks. Her motivation changes to Reluctant Responsibility. By 2000, she was PL 9 and had improved her active defenses by two ranks as well.</blockquote>

Verification