Davies' Character Thread: World of Freedom 3.2

[Davies]

Re: Davies' Character Thread: World of Freedom 3.2 -- Dracula, The Patchwork Man, Black Fang, el Lin

Hus'aus-l'yi



Like most of the Deep Ones spawned in the ruins of Y'ha-nthlei in the eight thousand years* after the Unasked Devastation, Hus'aus dreamed of the day that he would avenge the death that the upper-earth men had shot into the sea. Not for him the pointless meanderings of his cousin and playmate Huq'aus, who kept asking ridiculous questions like 'why had the upper-earth men done this?'. As though such considerations mattered at all! No wonder that Hus'aus was accepted into the fraternity of the sorcerer-scientists, and became Hus'aus-l'yi, where foolish Huq'aus became nothing more than a simple soldier.

Of course, when Huq'aus deserted his comrades and fled to the upper-earth, it ceased to matter whether the rest of his family had been loyal; a penance would be done, and it would not be light. Hus'aus-l'yi's talent and accomplishments now mattered nothing at all, and a kind of madness settled on his mind. Where most of the deep ones subjected to such things would simply have accepted them stolidly and then returned to their business, Hus'aus-l'yi continued to know anger. When he was readmitted to the fraternity, he abandoned earlier projects in favor of concentrating on seeking out Huq'aus and taking a personal vengeance on him.

He finally found Huq'aus -- or Aquaos, as the traitor was now known -- and traveled to the great city where he now lived to attack him. To Hus'aus-l'yi's surprise, the upper-earth men with whom Aquaos was associated, Project Freedom, did not abandon the renegade to his fate, but rallied around him and even fought back against Hus'aus! Unprepared for such a large confrontation, Hus'aus-l'yi was driven back into the depths, his anger now all the greater.

But his keen mind was greater even than his anger, and an answer to the problem soon presented itself. Aquaos had numbers on his side, so Hus'aus-l'yi must gain numbers as well. He went to his fraternity and revealed what had happened -- with some slight shading of the truth, such as portraying himself as the one who had come under attack -- and humbly asked for their support in avenging the insult. To his disgust, the elders were unmoved. What matter if a renegade had taken shelter among the upper-earth men? Sooner or later they would turn on their supposed ally and that would be that ... there was no need to speed up the process. After all, it wasn't like the traitor actually knew any valuable secrets.

Hus'aus-l'yi's anger grew even further. He ceased to spend much time in the company of his fellows, instead seeking out ancient submarine ruins in hopes of finding some advantage. On one of these expeditions, he did discover the Crown of the Kraken which he has worn ever since, but it was not the mighty weapon he hoped to find. On another expedition, however, he traveled sufficiently far into the shallows to hear a calling spell coming from Innsmouth, of all places. Vanishingly few among the fraternity would have heeded that call, but Hus'aus-l'yi was driven by obsession and had no hesitation. So he swam up to the surface and confronted the vampire who stood on the shoreline singing the ancient song.

Just what passed between Dracula and the deep one is known only to them. It seems likely that Dracula has offered Hus'aus-l'yi the opportunity to return to his fellows and tell them of conquered coastal cities which now lie defenseless against them. Or perhaps the alliance of monsters he has created will serve as the numbers needed to fight against Aquaos and this Silber Agency that now employs him. Be that as it may, he serves as Dracula's primary magical aide in the vampire lord's current campaign.

* For obscure cultural reasons that certainly aren't as simple as a desire for aggrandizement, the Deep Ones multiply all times in their writings by a factor of one hundred.

Hus'aus-l'yi - PL 11

STR 4 | STA 3 | AGL 2 | DEX 3 | FGT 3 | INT 3 | AWE 8 | PRE 2
Powers: Aquatic (Immunity 3 [Cold, Drowning, Pressure], Movement 1 (Environmental Adaptation: Aquatic), Senses 1 [low-light vision], Swimming 4), Claws (Strength=based Damage 1), Crown of the Kraken (Communication 1 [mental]; Comprehend 2 [languages]; Enhanced Advantages 1 [Fascinate (Intimidation)]; Removable), Magic (Array: Ranged Damage 14, AP: Ranged Cumulative Affliction 9 [Resisted by Dodge; Hindered and Vulnerable, Defenseless and Immobile] Extra Condition, Limited Degree, AP: Teleport 7 [Portal], AP: Remote Sensing 7 [visual, auditory, mental), Mystic Senses (Senses 2 [danger sense, magical awareness]), Mystic Shield (Sustained Burst Area Affects Others Selective Protection 8), Scales (Protection 2), Swim-Speed Spell (Enhanced Swimming 4).
Advantages: Artificer, Fascinate (Intimidation), Ranged Attack 3, Ritualist, Trance.
Skills: Deception 8 (+8), Expertise: Magic 14 (+17), Intimidation 13 (+15), Ranged Combat: Magic 3 (+5)
Offense: Initiative +2, Unarmed +3 (Close Damage 5), Magic +8 (Ranged Damage 14), Magic +8 (Ranged Affliction 9).
Defense: Dodge 9, Parry 5, Fortitude 10, Toughness 13/5, Will 12
Totals: Abilties 56 + Powers 91 + Advantages 6 + Skills 19 + Defenses 20 = 192 points
Complications: Corruption--Motivation. Disabled (sunlight causes blindness). Weakness (dehydration).

[Davies]

Re: Davies' Character Thread: World of Freedom 3.2 -- Dracula, The Patchwork Man, Black Fang, el Lin

With special thanks to Tattooedman ...

The Harvester



The story goes like this: Born in 1959, with severe disfigurements and mental handicaps, Declan Culverton was raised by his single mother, Lillian, in isolation, homeschooling him and sheltering him from the world. When he was 11 years old, Declan’s mother was unable to get a babysitter for him, which forced her to bring him to Camp Avon Lake in New Jersey, where she worked as a cook. Unfortunately Declan was bullied by the other campers because of his handicaps. Declan attempted to escape from his tormentors only for the cruel children to catch up to him at the dock and throw the disfigured boy into the lake where he drowned. The counselors who were supposed to be watching the children were instead having drug- and alcohol-fuelled sex in the woods. Even though Declan's body was never found, the camp was closed because of the ensuing police investigation, which ruled Declan’s death an accident, but reopened a few years later.

Many of the previous members of the camp’s staff returned, among them Declan’s mother as well as the two counselors she held responsible for Declan’s death. Suffering a mental breakdown, Lillian went on a homicidal rampage killing several of the counselors at the camp to avenge her son. After slaughtering most of them in cold blood, Lillian was beheaded by one of the survivors with a machete. After the counselors fled the camp, Declan (who had somehow survived his near-drowning), perhaps directed by voices only he could hear, collected the discarded machete and his mother's remains.

Over the following decades, Declan would live as a hermit in the woods surrounding Avon Lake. Living among the dilapidated cabins of the camp, stealing what he needed from nearby residences while killing those who trespassed upon his territory, disposing the bodies of his victims to make it seem as if they had simply disappeared. The locals soon became aware of Declan and avoided going near the old campgrounds, correctly believing that if they left him alone he would do likewise.

A few years after, a tabloid reporter got a hold of the story after another group of teenagers mysteriously disappeared and began doing research on the area. It didn’t take him very long to realize what he’d discovered – a serial killer was living in the Avon Lake area. In his published story, he named Declan “the Harvester” in reference to the killer’s supposed purpose being to harvest the souls of his victims. The article inspired a movie, which had several sequels all supposedly recounting the many horrible murders of the Harvester.

Yet again -- all lies.

Well, not all. He was born Declan Culverton in 1959 and he did suffer disfigurements and mental handicaps, and he did almost drown, and his mother did kill all those camp counselors (though her reasons for doing so aren’t known for certain). Declan did become a hermit in the woods surrounding Avon Lake, but he never killed anyone himself. The stories about all the supposed killings in the Avon Lake area were nothing more than urban legends, and in one case the result of a group of teenagers accidentally discovering a portal to another world from which they never returned. (Long story, doesn't pertain.)

And then everything changed. Around the time of his most recent visit to Freedom City, Dracula also scouted a variety of locations of interest to him all along the east coast of the United States. Among these was Avon Lake. It took him only a short time to determine that the stories about the Harvester were nothing more than stories, and on something of a whim he decided to change that. Capturing the hapless Declan, he performed a ritual that bound one of the many spirits known as the Wild Huntsman to his captive, granting him superhuman abilities at the cost of what little mental stability Declan had managed to retain.

Satisfied with the results of his labor, Dracula withdrew to allow the Harvester to begin his harvest. The spiritual energy of the killings would be transferred to Dracula, facilitating his black magic without the need for bloody ceremonies. Unfortunately, the results of the experiment proved to be less helpful than Dracula imagined, as vanishingly few people trespassed on the Harvester's hunting ground, thanks to the legends warning people against doing so. Thus, the lord of the un-dead found himself defeated by the Next Gen, and fled swallowing curses once more.

On his recent arrival in New York to begin his latest campaign, Dracula caused the Harvester to be transported there to join him. He dispatches the Harvester to randomly kill people; most often to help prepare for rituals that require large amounts of human sacrifices, but other times simply for the Count's personal enjoyment of watching the Harvester work. At this point it seems that the legend of the Harvester will continue unless someone is able to figure out a way undo the ritual that first bonded the spirit of the Wild Huntsman to its host and permanently put the destructive being to rest.

The Harvester -- PL 11

STR 8 | STA 12 | AGL 1 | DEX 1 | FGT 8 | INT -1 | AWE 3 | PRE 0
Powers: Inhuman Hunter (Immunity 10 [interaction skills; mental damage], Senses 2 [darkvision]), Keeps Coming Back (Immortality 1; Regeneration 2, Persistent, Regrowth), Master of Improvised Weapons (Strength-Based Damage 3, Improved Critical 2, Penetrating 4, Removable).
Advantages: All-Out Attack, Close Attack 3, Fearless, Hide In Plain Sight, Improved Critical 2 (Improvised Weapon), Improved Initiative 2, Improved Smash, Power Attack, Skill Mastery [Stealth], Startle, Takedown 2, Tracking.
Skills: Athletics 5 (+13), Expertise: Survival 9 (+8), Insight 6 (+9), Intimidation 15 (+15), Perception 7 (+9), Ranged Combat: Thrown Objects 9 (+10), Stealth 13 (+14).
Offense: Initiative +9, Unarmed +11 (Close Damage 8), Improvised Weapon +11 (Close Damage 11), Thrown Object +10 (Ranged, Variable).
Defense: Dodge 9, Parry 10, Fortitude 15, Toughness 12, Will 7.
Totals: Abilities 64 + Powers 25 + Advantages 15 + Skills 32 + Defenses 17 = 153 points
Complications: Obsession (Hunting prey). Psychopath--Motivation. Weakness (anti-fairy traditions).

[Davies]

Re: Davies' Character Thread: World of Freedom 3.2 -- Ta-heru-ah, Hus'aus-l'yi, The Harvester

Dream Demon



In the late 1960s, there lived a man named Garry Potter who worked as a janitor at the Willow Point school in the small town of Summerland, New York. When the town suffered a rash of child disappearances in 1968, Potter was implicated as a suspect and arrested for the crimes, but released on bail owing to a lack of evidence. Owing to a rumor that the charges against Potter were going to be dismissed due to a legal technicality, a group of concerned parents took up arms against Potter and attacked him at his workplace. In the ensuing melee, Potter was set on fire and burned to death. None of the vigilantes would admit who was responsible for this, and in the end no one was ever convicted for Garry Potter's death.

A decade later, however, the same reporter who "discovered" the Harvester visited Summerland and reported the town's unusually high rate of suicide, homicide, and disappearance, which had if anything increased after the death of Garry Potter. The alleged killer had become a creature of local folklore, even featuring in children's songs. The reporter speculated that the ghost of Potter was haunting the town, either metaphorically or literally. And just as with the Harvester, this speculation gave birth to a series of movies that portrayed Garry Potter as a malevolent ghost that haunted the teenagers of Summerland and other parts.

Was Garry Potter the Summerland murderer? Almost certainly. After his death, clothes said to have been worn by the disappeared children were found in his house. But the question of whether he continued to haunt Summerland after his death is a different matter.

The creature responsible for that haunting was a species of fairy known as a nightmare. Where it had come from is unknown, as is how long it had been bedeviling humanity. What was important was that in Summerland, the creature found a particularly rich feeding ground owing to the horror of the recent murders and the guilt (or in some cases sadistic enjoyment) experienced by the parents who'd been in on the death of Potter. So it began to feed, sometimes posing as Garry Potter in the horrific dreams that it inflicted on the people of Summerland.

In 1979, however, a young woman paused briefly in Summerland as she fled south from Freedom City. The nightmare settled in her dreams and discovered that she feared a vampire of all things, and so filled her dreams with the idea of the vampire catching her until she could bear it no more and killed herself. The nightmare's enjoyment of its crime was sadly interrupted when the vampire -- indeed, the vampire, Dracula -- arrived in pursuit of the young woman, and was not best pleased by the fact that her 'escape' from him had been facilitated by another creature of the night.

The nightmare was certain that the vampire couldn't harm it, underestimating the lengths which Dracula was willing to go in order to pursue a vendetta. Employing magic, Dracula was able to confront the creature of dreams in his own idiom, where the nightmare found himself outmatched. Binding the fairy to his service, Dracula occasionally used the nightmare as a weapon against his enemies in the next few weeks, before he was finally forced to flee back to Transylvania, abandoning the nightmare in the process.

Somewhat chastened, the nightmare eventually returned to its habits, but elected to move on from Summerland when a group of ghost hunters visited the town. The movies made about Garry Potter eventually allowed him access to the dreams of many places across the nation, and it fed very well in the two decades that followed. Occasionally other would-be monster hunters or even superheroes would try to do something about the creature, and sometimes they even succeeded in preventing it from taking some of its victims. But they never managed to capture it, and it could always find more.

Then Dracula returned, and called the dream demon (as it now thought of itself) back to his service. It came reluctantly but aware that torment awaited it if it did not obey. Since then, Dracula has used it as an assassin when a touch of subtlety is necessary, but more often simply as an agent to change people's minds. The dream demon is less than happy about the fact that it doesn't get to finish the job as much as it would like, and would certainly be open to discussions about how it could regain its freedom ...

Dream Demon -- PL 12

STR 4 | STA - | AGL 2 | DEX 1 | FGT 4 | INT 3 | AWE 5 | PRE 3
Powers: Born and Reborn From Dreams (Immortality 2; Impervious Protection 8; Regeneration 1), Dream Mastery (Array: Perception Ranged Affliction 12 [Resisted and Overcome by Will; conditions vary], Dynamic, Variable Conditions, Variable Descriptor 1 (nightmares), Feedback, Limited to Sleeping Targets, DAP: Illusion 12 [all senses], Feedback, Limited to One Sleeping Target, AP: Accurate Extended Teleport 12, Medium [dreaming minds]), Illusory Nature (Concealment 10, Materializing*; Immunity 30 [Fortitude saves]; Insubstantial 4, Materializing*; Morph 2)
Advantages: Assessment, Improved Initiative, Speed of Thought, Startle
Skills: Deception 10 (+13), Intimidation 12 (+15)
Offense: Initiative +7, Unarmed +4 (Close Damage 4), Dream Mastery (Perception Affliction 12)
Defense: Dodge 6, Parry 6, Fortitude -, Toughness 8, Will 12.
Totals: Abilities 34 + Powers 142 + Advantages 4 + Skills 11 + Defenses 13 = 204 points
Complications: Compelled to Obey Dracula. Sadism--Motivation.

* This is basically quick code for "character is normally subject to these conditions, but can become (unconcealed/substantial) as a free action for a Sustained duration".

[Davies]

Re: Davies' Character Thread: World of Freedom 3.2 -- Ta-heru-ah, Hus'aus-l'yi, The Harvester

Glasya Lebolas



There was once an extraordinarily foolish young woman who thought it would be a fine idea to summon the devil to Earth. Fortunately (for everyone else) the devil -- or Asmodeus, to use his professional name -- wasn't interested in destroying the world at that moment. He was interested in creating an agent on Earth-Prime, and so he took the foolish young woman to him -- to describe things far more delicately than they probably should be. Nine months later, a daughter was born and given the name Glasya. Her mother did not survive the birth, but the child was raised in comfort by servants of her father.

As she grew up, Glasya trained in the powers that were her heritage, and studied the arcane arts as well. In the process, she developed a somewhat unique outlook on life. While believing in her father's cause of universal damnation, and looking forward to the day when he would raise her up to stand at his side in the depths of Hell, she also believed that, from a purely mortal point of view, the path of righteousness was the correct one. When she was raised up she would no longer be mortal and it would no longer matter, but as long as she was and it did, Glasya would enjoy herself by doing good.

So it was that, at an appropriate age, she sought to further her education by becoming a student at Claremont Academy, under the name "Jill Asia". Duncan Summers was understandably suspicious of her motives, but consented in the end. Glasya made many friends during her first few weeks there, and soon enough found herself becoming one of the second team of Next Gen. The adventures she went on were exhilarating, and she was able to stretch the limits of her abilities considerably.

But just a year later, her father spoke to her and told her that her youth was done and she would be traveling to Hell to join him immediately. Startled by the suddenness, Glasya nonetheless agreed and descended into Hell. Her reception was not exactly what she was expecting. Rather than meeting with her father, she was escorted by his functionaries to a very comfortable set of rooms in the palace and told to remain there until further notice. Of course, she did so.

To her surprise, Glasya soon discovered that the Next Gen, operating under the belief that she had been kidnapped to hell instead of coming voluntarily, were assaulting the palace to "rescue" her. Amazed by their audacity, she decided to appeal to her father to simply send them back to Earth-Prime rather than decorating the palace wall with their heads when their attack inevitably failed. She left her room to do so and traveled in secret to the heart of the palace, her father's throne room.

It was there that she overheard her father talking with his closest adviser and discovered the true reason that she had been brought to Hell. Asmodeus had no intention of raising her up to rule at his side. He'd never had any such intention. The very reason she had been conceived was to act as a decoy for his true daughter, also named Glasya, but born of a coupling between him and the Abyssal Bensozia (an Abyssal, of all things!) The existence of the girl called 'Jill Asia' had never been anything but a long, silly joke.

For a brief moment, Glasya found herself aghast that her father could have done such a thing, could have lied to her in such a way. And then she remembered that she was mortal, just like her mother had been, and that he had probably done far worse things to other mortals in the past. And she laughed once ... the last laugh of her life, thus far. Glasya fled the palace, fighting her way out through its defenders, her mortal semblance tearing so that she looked far more diabolical. She reconnected with her friends and together they escaped from Hell.

Through practice, Glasya learned to restore her mortal semblance, but it would never be as lasting as it had been. She continued to serve as a member of the Next Gen until her graduation, at which point she departed to serve as a shadowy warrior against the designs of her father and other demons. She holds no illusions that she can win some sort of redemption in such a manner. In truth, she doesn't really want any. (And in the deepest, darkest parts of her soul, she yearns to pay Asmodeus and his kind back by seizing enough power for herself so that she can rule in Hell over them all.)

Glasya knew the current Raven when he used the name Elite, and he was one of the friends who assaulted Hell for her. If he contacted her for assistance in the matter of monsters besieging New York, she would certainly travel to his side to assist him in any way that she could. Especially if she could gain some new power from the monsters that would bring her closer to her secret ambition ...

Glasya Lebolas -- PL 10

STR 7 | STA 7 | AGL 3 | DEX 3 | FGT 9 | INT 2 | AWE 3 | PRE 4
Powers: Fearsome Presence (Selective Perception (Visual) Area Affliction 4 [Resisted and Overcome by Will; Impaired, Disabled, Paralyzed), Subtle), Hellfire Control (Array: Ranged Damage 9, Accurate, Affects Insubstantial 2, AP: Cone Area Damage 10, AP: Create 7, Movable, AP: Perception Ranged Affliction 10 [Resisted by Will; Entranced, Compelled, Controlled], Visual Sense-Dependent, AP: Extended Teleport 7), Mortal Semblance (Morph 1), Otherworldly (Senses 2 [darkvision]), Staff of Smiting (Strength-Based Damage 4, Removable), Toughness (Immunity 15 [fire damage, life support]; Impervious Protection 4).
Advantages: Agile Feint, Benefit 2 (wealthy), Power Attack, Ritualist.
Skills: Acrobatics 6 (+9), Deception 4 (+8), Expertise: Magic 8 (+10), Insight 6 (+9), Intimidation 8 (+12), Perception 6 (+9), Persuasion 4 (+8), Ranged Attack: Hellfire 6 (+9), Stealth 6 (+9).
Offense: Initiative +3, Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 7), Staff +9 (Close Damage 11), Hellfire +11 (Ranged Damage 9).
Defenses: Dodge 9, Parry 9, Fortitude 9, Toughness 11, Will 11
Totals: Abilities 76 + Powers 71 + Advantages 5 + Skills 27 + Defenses 16 = 195 points
Complications: Justice--Motivation. Power-hungry. Weakness (religious symbols).

[Davies]

Re: Davies' Character Thread: World of Freedom 3.2 -- Ta-heru-ah, Hus'aus-l'yi, The Harvester

Aquaos



Like most of the Deep Ones spawned in the ruins of Y'ha-nthlei in the eight thou-- ahem. eighty years after the Unasked Devastation, Huq'aus grew up being constantly told that it was the duty of his generation to one day avenge the death that the upper-earth men had shot into the sea. Unlike the other spawn, however, Huq'aus found himself moved to ask questions about this. Questions like 'why had the upper-earth men done this?', and 'what if they are sorry now that they did this?' and 'if we try to hurt them will they not do it again?' He was always told that such questions were ridiculous, that they did not show intelligence but recalcitrant stupidity. No wonder, then, that while his cousins and playmates were being admitted to professional fraternities, he was shunted off to become a simple soldier.

Huq'aus found himself surprisingly okay with this. He'd always been a little bit stronger than any of his fellows, and in the soldiery he was able to put that strength to good use defending the city against the under-water men who sometimes raided it. In times of peace, he and his fellows were put to use doing the hard labor needed to return Y'ha-nthlei to its former splendor, and he was fine with that too. He kept getting stronger, and some of the soldiers claimed that he must have Father Dagon's blessing. Huq'aus didn't know about that, since he was happy with the way his life was, and the thought of growing into a giant among the Deep Ones didn't really appeal to him.

One day, though, the leader of his unit decided that Huq'aus was going to exercise that strength by being at the forefront of a raid on an upper-earth men vessel traveling between two of the islands in the far north. The objective briefing alone was enough to awaken all Huq'aus' old doubts about the course of vengeance, but he stolidly followed orders, leading the warriors up the side of the vessel so that they could attack the passengers and crew. But when it finally came down to it, when he was confronted by the notion of attacking a screaming human clutching a much smaller screaming human to herself -- a mother and child, he realized suddenly -- his nerve broke.

He hid the upper-earth men as best he could, then sought out his unit leader and attacked him by surprise. Easily knocking the leader out, he threw him back in the sea, knowing that the rest of the unit would follow the leader while he dove off the other side of the vessel and swam away, a deserter. Huq'aus had no idea where he was going now. All hands would be turned against him. In swimming out to the depths of the ocean, he perhaps hoped to find something bigger than himself that could swallow him up like a minnow. And in a way, that's just what he did find.

For a voice spoke to him and told him that he was going the wrong way. Huq'aus, as politely as he could, inquired as to whether he was talking to Father Dagon, as some of the sorcerer-scientists were supposed to do. The voice, getting a little louder, told him that he was not, that he was talking to someone vastly older, who had very definite plans for the only Deep One in thousands of years to be born without the Unspeakable One's corruption. And that Huq'aus should swim on a certain bearing, until he could swim no more, and then walk.

So he did. He swam until he reached the harbor of Freedom City, then came ashore and walked. The upper-earth men were understandably a bit skeptical of his peaceful intentions, and he found himself jailed, then released into the care of something called Project Freedom. His time with the organization was relatively brief. Harriet Wainwright found that his uses were minimal outside of the water, and the difficulties of keeping him constantly hydrated away from the water, not to mention protecting his eyes from the sunlight, were considerable. Wainwright found a solution to the problem by 'trading' him to the Silber Agency in exchange for certain needed materials.

In the Silber Agency, he flourished. Agency doctors were able to operate on his eyes so that sunlight no longer blinded him, while leaving his ability to see in utter darkness intact. He's become one of their top operatives, the head of their small Maritime Security division, in fact. While Aquaos -- the human pronunciation of his name -- still worries about the vengeance of the Deep Ones, having had their tenacity demonstrated to him when he returned to visit an old friend from Project Freedom and had to fight an even older friend, he's determined to act as a protector of the surface, and dreams of the day when he can be an ambassador of peace to his old homeland.

Aquaos -- PL 10

STR 9 | STA 7 | AGL 4 | DEX 3 | FGT 8 | INT 0 | AWE 1 | PRE 0
Powers: Aquatic (Immunity 3 [cold, drowning, pressure], Movement 1 [environmental adaptation: aquatic], Senses 8 (accurate extended hearing, darkvision, direction sense, distance sense, ultrahearing), Swimming 8), Claws (Strength-based Damage 1), Hydro-Blast (Ranged Damage 10, Quirk: Must be in contact with water), Scales (Protection 2).
Advantages: Assessment, Close Attack 2, Defensive Roll, Evasion, Fearless, Improved Initiative, Move-By Action, Uncanny Dodge
Skills: Athletics 8 (+17), Deception 6 (+6), Insight 8 (+9), Perception 8 (+9), Persuasion 8 (+8), Ranged Attack: Hydro-Blast 6 (+9)
Offense: Initiative +8, Claws +10 (Close Damage 10), Hydro-Blast +9 (Ranged Damage 10)
Defenses: Dodge 8, Parry 9, Fortitude 11, Toughness 11/9, Will 8
Totals: Abilities 64 + Powers 43 + Advantages 9 + Skills 22 + Defenses 17 = 155 points
Complications: Doing Good--Motivation. Prejudice (looks like a monster). Weakness (dehydration).

[Davies]

Re: Davies' Character Thread: World of Freedom 3.2 -- Dream Demon, Glasya Lebolas, Aquaos

Carmilla



The exact circumstances under which the Styrian aristocrat Mircalla Karnstein became a vampire at the tender age of eighteen, more than three hundred years ago, are understandably a bit obscure. Most likely one of her several suitors at the time of her death was a vampire. Ironically, another of those suitors was the Baron Vordenburg, a well-known vampire hunter. From remarks she has made since, one scenario has suggested itself, but it remains only a plausible scenario. Discovering the vampire attacking Mircalla, Baron Vordenburg dispatched him but not before the transformation of the vampire's victim had already begun. Baron Vordenburg then took Mircalla into custody to prevent her from harming anyone ... and, if her claims are to be believed, to take advantage of her unliving nature for the satisfaction of his necrophiliac proclivities.

Eventually, Mircalla escaped, and began her own career as a vampire in central Europe. With the assistance of servants under her sway, she established a pattern. One of her servants, posing as her mother, would place her under a deformation of her proper name in the care of an aristocratic family with a daughter who attracted the interest of the vampire, who apparently forswore male company after becoming a creature of the night. She would establish an intimate, passionate friendship with the daughter, who would eventually seem to die of a unrecognized malady, after which Mircalla would move on, vanishing back into the shadows.

It was while engaged in these pursuits in 1837 that she took the name Carmilla and became the "friend" of an English girl named Laura Holley, a bit too soon after she had already murdered the daughter of one General Spielsdorf, who counted the Holley family among his acquaintances. The result was the near destruction of Carmilla -- indeed, the manuscript that Laura wrote soon before her death, which came into the possession of the occult doctor Martin Hesselius, claims that Carmilla did die and in a remarkably final manner. Yet as Laura admitted, she sometimes fancied that she heard Carmilla's footsteps near her ...

For indeed, Carmilla had survived this death by substituting a quickly made vampire who slightly resembled her in her coffin for the vampire hunting party to discover. But the damage was done, and eventually Laura's journal of the affair would be published by the Irish writer J. Sheridan Le Fanu under the title Carmilla, shortly before the author's own mysterious death. The vampire went into hiding, stealing out of her lair only once every decade or so to feed and sleeping the rest of the time. But the impact of the episode cannot be denied, for she stopped engaging in her habit of twisting her name as part of her identity. She was Carmilla, now and forever.

In 1948, events forced Carmilla to the realization that Europe had gotten too hot for her, despite her successful avoidance of involvement in either of the World Wars. Escaping vampire hunters sponsored by both the British and the Soviets, she traveled to America where she established new hiding places, initially planning to resume sneaking out once a decade in pursuit of her prey. But her studies of American culture led her to the realization that her old tricks would fail in this new milieu, and so she began a new plan, again reducing her murders to a minimal amount to avoid attracting the attention of hunters and authorities, and seeking her prey from among those society abandoned rather than the aristocracy.

By now, of course, you may be wondering when the twist in the tale will come, where this apparently villainous figure will somehow be redeemed, perhaps by love. Rest easy, Constant Reader ... it never happens. Carmilla is a thorough villain, who is utterly unsentimental about her victims -- everyone must eat, and it is simply her fate to be required to eat people. If anything, she believes that the illusion of love which she knowingly offers to her victims is better than the reality, with all its compromises and ambiguities.

However, while Carmilla is a villain, she is perhaps a lesser evil than that of Dracula, with whom she crossed paths in the 1920s and whom she regards with loathing and disgust. (It may be that Dracula sought to make her into one of his brides, which would not have gone over all that well.) On learning of his latest grand scheme, she will be concerned that, if it fails, it will bring down destruction on many of those who dwell in the shadows -- such as Carmilla -- or that, if it succeeds, it will destroy the civilization of which she is immensely fond. So she might be a potentially dangerous ally for heroes opposing Dracula, especially if they should number an attractive young woman among themselves.

After all, love will be cruel to who it entices.

Carmilla Karnstein -- PL 10

STR 6 | STA - | AGL 1 | DEX 2 | FGT 5 | INT 2 | AWE 3 | PRE 5
Powers: Blood Drain (Weaken Stamina 12 [Resisted by Fortitude], Grab-Based, Limited to Draining 1 rank per round), Blood Link (Mental Communication 3, Limited to anyone who drinks her blood; Mind-Reading 5, Sensory Link, Limited to anyone who drinks her blood), Undead Invulnerability (Immortality 6, Limited [remains must be exposed to moonlight]; Immunity 30 [Fortitude effects]; Impervious Protection 12, Limited [not against holy weapons], Regeneration 10, Source [blood]).
Advantages: Attractive, Benefit 2 (Wealth), Daze (Deception), Fascination (Persuasion), Improved Initiative, Power Attack.
Skills: Close Combat: Unarmed 3 (+8), Deception 7 (+12), Expertise: Popular Culture 8 (+10) Insight 6 (+9), Intimidation 9 (+14), Perception 8 (+11), Persuasion 12 (+17), Stealth 9 (+10).
Offense: Initiative +5, Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 6), Blood Drain +8 (Close Weaken Stamina 12).
Defense: Dodge 6, Parry 8, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 12, Will 9
Totals: Abilities 38 + Powers 74 + Advantages 7 + Skills 31 + Defenses 14 = 164 points.
Complications: Survival--Motivation. Compulsion (Must be invited into any dwelling she does not own). Power Loss (All powers except Undead Invulnerability cannot be used in daylight hours.) Weakness (Can be held back by a holy symbol in the hands of a believer, impaired while listening to hymns sung by the faithful).

[Davies]

Re: Davies' Character Thread: World of Freedom 3.2 -- Dream Demon, Glasya Lebolas, Aquaos, Carmilla

Gigantosaur



This is Dracula's ultimate goal. With the help of his servants, he can easily reduce thousands and even a few millions of people to terrified servitude, but he thinks bigger than that. His dream is a world like what he imagines his ancestor experienced, where people quake in fear of the unknown that lives right next door, let alone the terrors that live so far away that no one they know has ever seen them. A dark age, where monsters rule, where just beyond the borders of the known you will find it written ... here there be dragons.

He has chosen New York not only because it is the center of the world, but also because it is the headquarters of the United Nations and thus of UNISON, who are the administrators of Kaiju Island. With the powers of the Dream Demon, he will seize control of UNISON and have unfettered access to the island. With the Lemurian sorcery of Hus'aus-l'yi, bolstered by countless sacrifices taken by the Harvester, they will devise a means to control the monsters there and summon more of them, many, many more of them, from the world on the other side of the gateway. Cities will burn. Nations will fall. And through it all, the Prince of Darkness will observe from his position atop the crown of the mightiest kaiju of them all, the king of monsters mastered by the king of vampires.

(In case it's not obvious, Dracula is a special kind of crazy.)

Gigantosaur -- PL 14

STR 19 | STA 18 | AGL 0 | DEX –1 | FGT 7 | INT –4 | AWE 3 | PRE 0
Powers: Aquatic (Movement 1 [environmental adaptation: aquatic], Swimming 5), Bite (Strength-based Damage 2), Massive (Growth 16, Permanent, Innate), Massively Tough (Immunity 30 [cold, disease, drowning, heat, mental effects, pressure, radiation damage], Protection 2, Impervious Toughness 16), Saurian Senses (Senses 4 [low-light Vision, acute Smell, track, ultra-hearing]), Swallow Whole (Cumulative Progressive Affliction 15 [Resisted by Dodge; Hindered and Vulnerable, Defenseless & Immobilized], Extra Condition, Grab-Based, Feedback, Limited Degree; Damage 12, Penetrating 12, Secondary Effect, Reaction [successfully immobilized target]).
Advantages: Improved Grab, Improved Initiative, Power Attack.
Skills: Perception 8 (+11).
Offense: Init +4, Bite +7 (Close Damage 21), Claw +7 (Close Damage 19), Swallow Whole +7 (Close Affliction 15).
Defenses: Dodge 1, Parry 3, Fortitude 20, Toughness 20, Will 6.
Totals: Abilities 20 + Powers 194 + Advantages 3 + Skills 4 + Defenses 17 = Total 238 points.
Complication: Animal Instincts--Motivation

[Davies]

Re: Davies' Character Thread: World of Freedom 3.2 -- Glasya Lebolas, Aquaos, Carmilla, GIGANTOSAUR

Seeker



He only answers to the name Seeker. Sometimes, when he wants people to be more casual around him, he'll tell them to call him "Don". Or "Bill". Or "Matt". But he's always forthright about these not being his real name.

Very little is known about his life. He came out of nowhere to become one of Australia's most noteworthy crimefighters in the mid 90s, and then came to America after a few years. When people ask him about this, he'll tell them, "I'm looking for something." When they ask him what he's looking for, he always replies, "I'll know when I've found it." Or, as is somewhat common, he'll make a joke.

For good or ill, Seeker is the hero most people think of when they think of the Champions. He has teamed up with other heroes much more frequently than the others, and is also well-known for throwing himself into single combat against foes he can't hope to defeat. Sometimes, this has resulted in surprising victories, but it's sadly more common for him to end up utterly defeated. In the process, though, he has acquired quite a list of contacts and connections, some of them quite surprising.

He almost has a split personality. Cheerful and wise-cracking one moment, he can become as hard as iron and as cold as ice another. Much more so than many martial artist heroes, he embraces the philosophical side of the traditions he studies instead of just their utilitarian aspects, and would welcome the opportunity to defeat an opponent using debate rather than violence. Still, if violence is called for, he's good at that too.

Seeker is the one true "success" of the top-secret Nazi-Japanese biological experiments on Hannya Island. Despite the defeat of their governments, the scientists of the hidden island laboratory continued their experiments, which finally resulted in the birth of the being they called "Adam" in 1969. While Adam was outwardly a normal human child, his genetic structure had been elaborately altered to create the ultimate in human potential.

Adam was raised by Dr. Araki Sato, leader of the project, and the other scientists of the island. They lead him to believe that he was a foundling, and carefully concealed their own background. It wasn't until he was eighteen that he discovered some of the less-successful experiments that had led to his creation, and learned the true story of Hannya Island.

Shocked, he confronted Dr. Sato with his knowledge of their evil. The doctor, realizing what a threat the boy might be, tried to kill him. But the attempt failed, and in the ensuing confusion, a fire and explosion destroyed the lab as Adam set out to sea in small boat, leaving behind the wreckage of his childhood.

A few days later, the boat carrying a delirious boy washed up on the northern shores of Australia, where it was found by the man who called himself Edo, and whom Adam would come to call Sensei. Under the old man's tutelage, he began to do something with the potential that the scientists had instilled in him. He was also given moral and ethical training, as Edo insisted that he use the skills he was given to some purpose beyond simply becoming a better fighter.

Ultimately, this pursuit of moral achievement led Adam to become the hero called Seeker. When he finally left Edo's side, the old man gave him one final instruction -- "seek the final truth". He has no idea when he will find this, nor what it can possibly be. Perhaps the answer is life itself. Perhaps it is death. But he will seek it, and in the process bring good out of the evil of his origins.

Seeker -- PL 11

STR 5 | STA 5 | AGL 7 | DEX 6 | FGT 14 | INT 1 | AWE 4 | PRE 2
Powers: Mobility (Leaping 2; Speed 3), Super-hearing (Senses 3 [accurate hearing, danger sense, ultra-hearing])
Equipment: Commlink. Katana (Strength-based Damage 3, Improved Critical). Throwing Stars (Ranged Multiattack Damage 1). Triple Irons (Strength-based Damage 2, Reach).
Advantages: Accurate Attack, Agile Feint, Connections, Contacts, Defensive Attack, Defensive Roll, Equipment 2 (personal), Equipment 3 (team), Evasion, Improved Defense, Improved Disarm, Improved Critical (Katana) 2 Improved Initiative 2, Improved Trip, Language (Japanese), Power Attack, Ranged Attack 2, Takedown, Tracking.
Skills: Acrobatics 8 (+15), Athletics 8 (+13), Close Combat: Unarmed 2 (+16), Deception 6 (+8), Expertise: Martial Arts 7 (+8), Expertise: Survival 7 (+8), Intimidation 8 (+10), Insight 6 (+10), Investigation 4 (+5), Perception 8 (+12), Persuasion 4 (+6), Ranged Combat: Throwing Stars 8 (+14), Sleight of Hand 4 (+10), Stealth 8 (+15), Treatment 4 (+5).
Offense: Initiative +15, Unarmed +16 (Close, Damage 5), Katana +14 (Close, Damage 8, Critical 18-20), Triple Irons +14 (Close, Damage 7, Reach), Throwing Stars +16 (Ranged, Damage 1, Multiattack).
Defense: Dodge 14, Parry 15, Fortitude 11, Toughness 7/5, Will 11.
Totals: Abilities 88 + Powers 8 + Advantages 24 + Skills 45 + Defenses 21=186 points
Complications: Justice--Motivation. Honor (will not attack disadvantaged foe, allows honorable foe to flee). Rivalry (other martial artists). Secret (origins).

Note: This represents the more experienced Seeker described in the 4th edition Champions Universe and Watchers of the Dragon. All the members of the Champions that follow will likewise be PL 11 with 180-195 points.

[Davies]

Re: Davies' Character Thread: World of Freedom 3.2 -- Glasya Lebolas, Aquaos, Carmilla, GIGANTOSAUR

Obsidian



His real name is more or less unpronounceable by human tongues. "Obsidian" is actually a shortened version of his title, akin to calling "His Serene Highness, the Prince of Ruritania" by the name "Prince". He has no problems with this familiarity, of course, since insisting on his full title would be uncouth ... and since it's really irrelevant, given that it's more or less an empty one. Or at least it was until recently.

Perhaps 25,000 years ago, Obsidian was given titular command of a vessel sent to the Sol system to investigate the disappearance of an earlier scouting mission to the area. The trail went cold on the third planet of the system, and, somewhat brashly, Obsidian suggested that they consult the locals to see whether they knew anything about the situation. As it turned out, they did not ... but the Serpent People of Lemuria, even those of a backwater colony on the shores of Mayapan, were not about to let a little thing like that get in the way of making their visitors welcome.

To make a short and unpleasant story even shorter, the local wizard cast a spell on the crew of Obsidian's ship that turned them into unliving stone. His followers then attempted to figure out how the aliens' starship worked. Result -- an explosion that wrecked the colony while leaving most of the petrified aliens intact. The surviving serpent people fled back to Lemuria. Millenia past, and the ruins of the colony and the petrified aliens were buried underground.

In the last year of the twentieth century, an earthquake (or possibly something else) opened up a number of fissures in the Bay Area, and researchers descended within them. Within one of them, they discovered Obsidian and the rest of his people ... though only his petrified form remained fully intact. When one of the researchers (who, unbeknownst even to himself, possessed a talent for disrupting magical effects) touched Obsidian, he returned to life.

With the assistance of his crown, which contained a translator device, Obsidian was able to determine his current situation. He was marooned both in time and space, millennia from his point of origin on a planet without any real space capability. There was really only one thing to do in this situation -- he would have to make this world his new home, and protect it and its people. It was the responsible thing to do.

Obsidian quickly learned the ropes of being a "superhero", and following the traditions of his new role, joined with other protectors of lesser stature in the alliance called "the Champions". Encounters with other aliens resident on Earth confirmed his worst suspicions -- his people no longer existed. Their fate was unknown, but as their empire had been within the region of space now dominated by the Grue, it was not likely to have been pleasant.

Despite this sorrow, Obsidian soldiered on, lending the strength of his body and his formidable intellect to the Champions. At the same time, he was making contacts with an organization dedicated to assisting aliens on Earth, the Metropolitan Extra-Terrestrial Enclave (or METE). After the unsuccessful Grue invasion, which resulted in a large number of former Grue slaves seeking asylum on Earth, Obsidian accepted an invitation to work for the organization as its official superhero-in-residence.

Since then, he has split his time between the East and the West coasts, with the assistance of a teleportation ring that allows him to instantly move to the side of whoever is wearing the ring's mate. (That ring is usually worn either by METE's director, Marie Dumont, or the organization's security chief, Diana Ingraham.) So far, Obsidian has managed to balance the demands of his two alliances, but the time may come when he has to choose between them. The job has only gotten harder since several waves of refugees from the destruction of the Lor Republic have arrived on Earth, too.

His work with METE paid off in a major way when he was on-hand for a first contact scenario with a starship that appeared to be having serious engine troubles -- only to discover that it was the exploratory vessel he'd come to Earth in search of all those millennia ago, cast forward into the future because of an engine defect. On board were the first members of his species he'd seen in years, all of whom immediately accepted him as their prince. Most of these people are now assisting in the refurbishment of Starhaven, but some have visited Earth to train with the prince, allowing him to further his knowledge of the warrior's way.

Obsidian is well-known for being the most calm and stoic member of the Champions. He has the same emotional range as any of his colleagues, but doesn't display them as broadly, and often counsels patience to his more quick-tempered friends. When he initially woke up, he was often bewildered by many elements of Earthly life, and while he has adjusted for the most part, he still encounters things that baffle him to this day. However, he now has the tools to explain his confusion, and often point out that these things should confuse those who don't simply take them for granted or ignore them as part of the scenery ...

Obsidian -- PL 11

STR 14 | STA 13 | AGL 3 | DEX 3 | FGT 4 | INT 3 | AWE 1 | PRE 5
Powers: Massive (Growth 1, Permanent, Innate; Growth 5, Density Increase, Permanent, Innate), Massively Tough (Immunity 10 [life support]; Protection 4; Impervious Toughness 12), Teleportation Ring (Extended Teleport 11, Limited to Extended, Medium [communication link]; Senses 1 [communication link (other ring)], Removable), Translator Coronet (Comprehend 4 [languages], Removable), Way of Hiadmon (Sustained Immunity 80 [all damage], Limited to Half Effect, Move Action, Tiring)
Equipment: Commlink.
Advantages: Close Attack 4, Equipment (personal), Equipment 3 (team), Fast Grab, Improved Hold, Improved Smash, Improved Trip, Language (English), Power Attack.
Skills: Athletics 4 (+18), Expertise: Science 4 (+7), Insight 4 (+5), Persuasion 8 (+13), Technology 4 (+7), Vehicles 4 (+7).
Offense: Initiative +3, Unarmed +8 (Close Damage 14).
Defense: Dodge 5, Parry 5, Fortitude 16, Toughness 17, Will 6
Totals: Abilities 68 + Powers 76 + Advantages 14 + Skills 16 + Defenses 11=185 points
Complications: Responsibility--Motivation. Prejudice (alien).

[Davies]

Re: Davies' Character Thread: World of Freedom 3.2 -- Glasya Lebolas, Aquaos, Carmilla, GIGANTOSAUR

Quantum



Joanne Amos was born to a prosperous, upper middle class family in 1975, their second child and only daughter. Her father was a doctor, while her mother was an executive at a local bank. In her youth, Joanne sometimes imagined following in the footsteps of her uncle, who'd been one of the first African American police officers in San Francisco's history, but she eventually decided to become a doctor like her father.

A part of this change of mind may have been prompted by the fact that her older brother, Jacob, had gone down a criminal path starting in his early teens. By 1993, he'd become a fairly major player in the Bay City cocaine trade, and made many enemies. These enemies decided to teach him a lesson by shooting up his family's house while they were celebrating Joanne's high school graduation and acceptance to pre-med at a prestigious university.

By a miracle (or possibly an early manifestation of her mutant powers) Joanne survived uninjured. Her parents were both killed instantly, and her younger brother Samuel was crippled, paralyzed from the waist down. The fact that Jacob eventually got around to having the people who'd done this hunted down and killed did nothing to make Joanne hate him any less for what he'd brought on her family.

She abandoned her plans for the future and contacted the AEGIS recruiter who, some weeks earlier, had spoken to her about the possibility of working for the agency as a physician, and indicated that she wanted to become a field agent. It was a surprise to him, but he arranged for her to go to the academy. Using the same insane focus and determination that had gotten her into med school, she came out in the top of her class three years later, and became an agent of AEGIS.

Unfortunately, after only two years on the job, Joanne's career with the agency came to an abrupt end early in 1998. During a mission against the Masters of Fortune, Joanne's powers finally manifested fully, allowing her to defeat the villains but also resulting in her having to leave AEGIS. (Policy then required a medical discharge for any agent developing super powers. This policy has since been revised.) Still thirsty for justice, Joanne created the heroic identity of Quantum, and continued to fight crime, maintaining a close relationship with AEGIS in the Bay City area.

Quantum occasionally worked with Bay City's official protectors, the Justice Foundation, on a few cases, but declined their offer of membership. She was familiar with the team from her days with AEGIS, and knew that they rarely coordinated efforts with the agency -- and so doubted that they'd welcome a member with close ties to it. Later, when the group broke up, Quantum felt a certain responsibility, wondering whether perhaps she could have done something to keep it from happening.

A little while later, these thoughts were crystalized when she joined forces with the novice hero Defender to capture a husband and wife team of super-burglars. Defender had ties to the last of the original Champions, Marksman, through his father; with his help, Quantum tried to convince the old man to let her create a new team to honor the legacy of the originals. After seeing them in action against Los Asesinos a few months later, Marksman finally gave his assent.

Ever since then, Quantum has been the Champions' leader. What? You've heard Defender is their leader? Come on, does that sound plausible? Who has more experience, after all? She leads from the front, charging into battle heedless of her safety, while Defender stays in the back doing his thinking and working it out. Now, really, which one of these people sounds like a leader? Right, that's what I thought you were gonna say.

Despite her heroics, Quantum was constantly frustrated by her inability to ever prove any crimes against Jacob Amos, who managed to survive for decades in the drug business under the nickname "Teflon Jack". So it came as something of a surprise when, shortly before her fortieth birthday, she got a call in her civilian identity to come and identify his body. Sure enough, it was him. He'd died of a heart attack. Looking down at the corpse, Joanne was stunned by how empty she felt, now that the anger had nowhere to go.

And then a week later, she got another phone call, from someone who called her "Agent Amos" and then "Quantum", and wanted to know if she was satisfied with his handiwork on Jacob. The voice promised (threatened?) to call again. So far, none of the calls have asked her to do anything, but they have all been completely untraceable, even with AEGIS' best working on it. Someone out there knows who she is ... and what that person wants remains a mystery ...

Quantum -- PL 11

STR 4 | STA 5 | AGL 5 | DEX 5 | FGT 6 | INT 1 | AWE 2 | PRE 3
Powers: Energy Control (Array: Ranged Damage 14, AP: Ranged Cumulative Affliction 9 [Resisted by Dodge; Hindered & Vulnerable, Defenseless & Immobile], Extra Condition, Limited Degree, AP: Ranged Cumulative Affliction 14 [Resisted by Fortitude; Visually Impaired, Visually Disabled, Visually Unaware], Limited to One Sense, AP: Continuous Moveable Create 7, AP: Ranged Burst Area Weaken Stamina 9, AP: Ranged Burst Area Damage 9), Force Field (Sustained Impervious Protection 8), Waveriding (Flight 8).
Equipment: Commlink.
Advantages: All-Out Attack, Benefit (Security Clearance), Connected, Equipment (personal), Equipment 3 (team), Extraordinary Effort, Favored Foe (drug dealers), Inspire, Move-By Action, Power Attack, Ranged Attack 3, Set-Up, Startle, Teamwork.
Skills: Athletics 5 (+9), Deception 4 (+7), Expertise: Streetwise 4 (+5), Expertise: Tactics 4 (+5), Insight 4 (+6), Intimidation 8 (+11), Investigation 2 (+3), Perception 4 (+6), Persuasion 2 (+5), Technology 3 (+4), Treatment 4 (+5), Vehicles 4 (+5).
Offense: Initiative +5, Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 4), High-Energy Beam +8 (Ranged Damage 14), Atomic Bonding +8 (Ranged Dodge 9), Actinic Flare +8 (Ranged Fortitude 14).
Defense: Dodge 9, Parry 6, Fortitude 10, Toughness 13/5, Will 7.
Totals: Abilities 62 + Powers 65 + Advantages 18 + Skill 24 + Defenses 14 = 182 points
Complications: Justice--Motivation. Family (her only living brother, Samuel). Secret Identity. Temper.

[Davies]

Re: Davies' Character Thread: World of Freedom 3.2 -- Glasya Lebolas, Aquaos, Carmilla, GIGANTOSAUR

Jaguar





Santiago Villagatos was born in Buenos Aires in 1974, to a family that had been wealthy but had lost most of it over the years, having been lucky to hold onto their lives at some points. The young Santi knew none of this, of course, but lived a normal life, getting into trouble and getting out of it, and that sort of thing. However, he never did anything terribly bad, which is why he was stunned when, at the age of thirteen, he was packed off to live with his aunt in San Francisco. What could he possibly have done to deserve this? Again, he wasn't to know that it had nothing to do with him, and everything to do with his family heritage, and old enemies, and new ones who sought to take what little the Villagatos family had left.

Regardless, Santiago vowed to live as blameless a life as possible from that point onward, perhaps in hopes that one day all would be forgiven and he could come back home. In the meanwhile, he chose to be as helpful to the people in his new community as he could. After the Loma Prieta earthquake in 1989, he found himself working frantically to help reunite families and calm kids missing their parents. Despite the tragedies when he failed, the successes warmed his heart enough that Santiago realized he'd found his vocation. As an adult, he obtained his private investigator's license and went into the business of helping people and finding people.

Meanwhile, back in Argentina, the Villagatos family's tough times continued. The members of the family were picked off, one by one, by agents of the government, drug lords, and even Satanists. Even when their ancestral curse finally returned to its full power, it came too late to save the family from its inevitable doom. And eventually, the last male heir in Argentina died ... and the curse moved on to its next host.

That host was none other than Santi, who found himself turning into a jaguar-man when he came under attack by a group of mobsters who objected to his current investigation. Miraculously, he managed to avoid killing any of them, but that did nothing to stop the shock and horror he felt when he regained his senses. It was a complete transformation, like becoming another person, a person who had none of Santiago's intellect or reason. He wanted nothing to do with it.

It was his Aunt Irena who revealed the secret of the Villagatos family to him. There had been reason to think that the curse was dying out in his generation of the family, but that was clearly not the case. Aunt Irena also encouraged him to reconsider his initial horror. The jaguar was a primal entity, not an evil one, and it was within Santi's power to guide it so that it could be a blessing rather than a curse. She also wondered aloud whether the reason that the family had fallen on such hard times was that, when the curse had been under their control, they had used it only for their own benefit, rather than that of other people as well.

And so, always willing to take risks in order to do the right thing, Santiago began to use the jaguar to fight against injustices that he wouldn't be able to overcome as just a private investigator. He even tried to join the Justice Foundation at one point, but a series of battles against Azteca, who kept mistaking him for some kind of vicious predator, soured him on the idea. He eventually got the chance to get in on the ground floor of a new team when he helped to form the New Champions in 2001. He found himself hoping that both Santiago and the Jaguar would be able to be great assets to this team.

That hasn't worked out quite as well as he hoped. Despite being the best detective on the team, Santiago is all too aware that he's usually in no position to deal with what he finds at the end of the mysteries he helps to unravel for the team, and has to call on the beast far more often than he'd really prefer to do. Making matters worse is the attitude he gets from Quantum, who has flatly told him that he should just quit whining about it and turn into what she called "the more useful side" of his personality when the Champions need it. He really doesn't like Quantum very much ...

Perhaps that's why he's found himself in a relationship with someone who should be his mortal enemy. He's still not sure if Lady Blue actually loves him or is playing a very long, very complicated mind game, but perhaps the Jaguar's "go for it" personality is infecting his own, for Santi isn't sure if he cares. It seems that she appreciates both sides of him, which is a comforting thought. He tells himself that he still thinks she belongs in jail, but he's not really sure if he wants to be the one to put her there ...

Jaguar -- PL 11

STR 7 | STA 8 | AGL 8 | DEX 3 | FGT 10 | INT -1 | AWE 6 | PRE 5
Powers: Catlike Speed (Leaping 4; Movement 3 [safe fall, sure-footed, trackless]; Speed 5), Claws (Strength-based Damage 5, Penetrating 4), Feline Senses (Senses 8 [acute accurate tracking smell, darkvision, ultra-hearing]), Toughness (Protection 4; Regeneration 5).
Equipment: Commlink.
Advantages: Agile Feint, All-Out Attack, Equipment 1 (personal), Equipment 3 (team), Evasion, Fearless, Great Endurance, Improved Critical 3 (claws), Improved Initiative, Move-By Action, Startle, Uncanny Dodge.
Skills: Acrobatics 8 (+16), Athletics 9 (+16), Insight 8 (+14), Intimidation 12 (+17), Perception 12 (+18), Stealth 9 (+17).
Offense: Initiative +12, Claw +10 (Close Damage 12, Critical 17-20).
Defense: Dodge 10, Parry 10, Fortitude 14, Toughness 12, Will 8.
Totals: Abilities 92 + Powers 41 + Advantages 16 + Skills 29 + Defense 10 = 188 points
Complications: Thrills--Motivation. Physical (paws make clumsy hands, no color vision). Relationship (Lady Blue). Vulnerable (dazzles).

Santiago Villagatos -- PL 6

STR 3 | STA 5 | AGL 4 | DEX 4 | FGT 7 | INT 4 | AWE 4 | PRE 2
Equipment: Commlink, Smartphone.
Advantages: Connected, Defensive Attack, Equipment, Improved Defense, Improved Disarm, Improved Initiative, Jack-of-all-trades, Languages 2, Skill Mastery (Investigation), Tracking, Well-Informed.
Skills: Athletics 6 (+9), Close Combat 2 (+9), Expertise: Streetwise 4 (+8), Insight 5 (+9), Intimidation 4 (+6), Investigation 6 (+10), Perception 5 (+9), Stealth 6 (+10), Technology 6 (+10).
Offense: Initiative +8, Unarmed +9 (Close Damage 3)
Defense: Dodge 7, Parry 7, Fortitude 5, Toughness 5, Will 7.
Totals: Abilities 66 + Advantages 11 + Skills 22 + Defense 6 = 105 points
Complications: Doing Good--Motivation. Accidental Change (to Jaguar when angry or hurt). Relationship (Lady Blue). Secret Identity.

[Davies]

Re: Davies' Character Thread: World of Freedom 3.2 -- Glasya Lebolas, Aquaos, Carmilla, GIGANTOSAUR

Defender



Glen Harmon is the only son of James Harmon IV ... and for a very long while, he was somewhat frightened that such was to be the only thing that was noteworthy about him. The original James Harmon had made his fortune adventuring in Africa and Asia, his son (James II) was a gang-busting detective who worked with Elliot Ness, and James III was a decorated army Ranger in World War II. Faced with such a legacy of heroism, James IV employed his inventive genius and physical aptitude as the gadget-wielding hero the Hunter during the 1970s, serving as a member of the original Champions.

Glen was born in 1982, the year after his father retired from superheroics. While he soon showed signs of having inherited his father's brains, he also suffered from crippling shyness that made the notion of parading about in a costume unbearable. Besides, even if he did do that, he'd just be following in his father's footsteps, not blazing a new trail the way each of his storied ancestors had done. For a while, Glen thought it would be enough for him to focus on science, advancing some field of human understanding further than it had been before. Surely that was a heroic undertaking in its own right.

Then his father passed away quite suddenly in 1997, some old injury finally catching up with him. Among his bequests to Glen was a letter, expressing many things that James IV had wished that he could say to Glen face to face, notably revealing how proud he was of his son's technical accomplishments. "There are as many ways to be a hero as there are those who strive to better humanity. It is my hope that you can be a better hero than I ever managed to be ... not a hunter of men, but a defender of mankind."

Glen knew then what he had to do. Gaining access to the treasure trove of technology his father had assembled during his career as a superhero -- reputedly including some alien gadgetry -- he contacted five of his friends from college, each a brilliant scientist in their own right, and tasked them with building a suit of powered armor that Glen could use as a defender. Glen served as the project manager, and was somewhat startled to realize, as he did so, that he had a real talent for keeping his eccentric and egotistical teammates on track. He also learned so much from each of them, advancing his own understanding of technology immensely.

The first Defender suit was completed in 2000, and with tremendous trepidation, Glen took it out for its first flight. That very night, more by chance than design, he helped the more experienced Quantum to arrest a pair of husband and wife super-burglars, and earned Quantum's reluctant praise. (She remembers things a bit differently, of course.) They began co-operating, and when Defender accidentally mentioned that he was acquainted with the long-retired Marksman, Quantum browbeat him into arranging a meeting where she sought Mr. Henderson's permission to establish a new team of Champions. It took a few months to gain that, but when the full team overcame an attempt by VIPER to regain their foothold in Bay City, the Marksman was more than happy to give them that permission.

Since then, Glen's Defender suit has gone through nine major upgrades and scores of minor modifications to improve its ability to, in Glen's view, get his brain into position to understand how to win the Champion's fights. Glen himself has grown as a scientist and a leader, even if some people still think Quantum is the leader. The set of some people including Quantum, unfortunately. He's also started to show an interest in helping his older sister Jaime in the task of managing Harmon Enterprises, somewhat to her surprise but generally to the company's benefit. Still, technology remains his primary interest, and he's currently experimenting with a method to remotely operate the Defender armor.

Nothing bad will come of this, of course. No way that can go horribly wrong.

Defender -- PL 11

STR 13/2 | STA 4 | AGL 9/4 | DEX 9/4 | FGT 9/4 | INT 6 | AWE 2 | PRE 3
Powers: All Removable. Armored Shell (Impervious Protection 9), Computer Controls (Enhanced Agility 5; Enhanced Dexterity 5; Enhanced Fighting 5), Holographic Projector (Illusion 1 [visual]), Rockets (Flight 10), Sealed Systems (Immunity 10 [life support]), Sensors (Communication 2 [radio]; Senses 3 [extended vision, low-light vision, radio]), Spotlight (Environment 1 [light]), Suit Weaponry (Array: Enhanced Strength 11, AP: Ranged Damage 15, Inaccurate, Unreliable, AP: Ranged Cumulative Affliction 11 [Resisted by Dodge; hindered & vulnerable, defenseless & immobile], Extra Condition, Limited Degree, Unreliable [5 uses], AP: Burst Area Nullify Technology 7, Broad, Simultaneous, Unreliable)
Advantages: Benefit 4 (Multi-millionaire), Equipment 3 (team), Improvised Tools, Inventor, Leadership, Ultimate Effort (Technology).
Skills: Expertise: Science 6 (+12), Expertise: World Traveler 4 (+10), Perception 8 (+10), Persuasion 4 (+6), Technology 12 (+18).
Offense: Initiative +9/+4, Unarmed +9/+4 (Close Damage 13/2), Particle Beam +7 (Ranged Damage 15), Rocket Bolos +9 (Ranged Affliction 11, Resisted by Dodge).
Defense: Dodge 9/4, Parry 9/4, Foritude 8, Toughness 13/4, Will 11.
Totals: Abilities 58 + Powers 90 + Advantages 11 + Skills 17 + Defense 13 = 189 points
Complications: Doing Good--Motivation. Secret Identity. Shyness.

[Kreuzritter]

Re: Davies' Character Thread: World of Freedom 3.2 -- Seeker, Obsidian, Quantum, Jaguar, Defender

good to see you back among us, Davies. your stuff's looking good, as always

[Davies]

Re: Davies' Character Thread: World of Freedom 3.2 -- Seeker, Obsidian, Quantum, Jaguar, Defender

Solitaire



She was named Elaine by the cabal, and never knew her parents. (In fact, her mother was one of the leaders of the cabal, who employed various magical means to ensure that her child would develop extraordinary magical power. Her father was some guy her mother knew.) From the time that she could walk, she was being constantly trained in certain magical arts, as well as mundane ones that the cabal chose for her. She mastered every technique they introduced, often long before they were expecting her to do so.

In adolescence, she was bonded with a focus crystal taken from the debris field of a dying star. The crystal was supposed to ease the physical strain of her magical powers, and it certainly did that, but there was more to her Widget. It was intelligent, a fact totally unknown to her mentors. It was Widget who gently suggested that she should not tell them about his self-awareness, and Elaine agreed, happy to have a friend who could not be taken away from her as so many had been already. It was a tiny seed of rebellion that would grow into something much greater.

At the age of eighteen, they deemed her ready to truly prove herself, and assigned her a mission of assassination -- to kill one Senator Jeremiah Relm, a great sinner. Exerting her powers to the utmost, she slipped past his protection detail and confronted the senator in his office. And then something happened that her mentors could not have predicted. When the senator protested his innocence in response to her verbal challenge, she paused and answered him with words, rather than simply blasting him into oblivion. Senator Relm was able to defend his actions superbly, for he was certainly motivated to do so.

Confused by the way that the senator made what had seemed so certain back at the cabal's sanctuary seem so ... wrong, Elaine attempted to contact her superiors for clarification. They responded by trying to kill her, which certainly clarified something. Escaping with Widget, Elaine found herself more alone than she'd ever been before, and yet also more free than she'd ever been, either.

She made her way across the country, switching between teleportation and mundane transportation, to put as much of the nation between herself and the Washington D.C.-based cabal as she could. Her path eventually led her to Bay City, where she read about the Champions in a local newspaper. The cabal had always told her that 'super-heroes' were just pawns of the established powers. Given that so much else that she had been told was turning out to be lies, perhaps this was yet another one. If she wanted to do Good in the world, she should work with others who already did Good.

So she showed up at the Champions' headquarters and volunteered her services. The team was lacking a mage or a psychic and that had led to several difficult encounters already. When the tests they ran Solitaire (a name she chose on the spot) through confirmed that she had the sorts of abilities that they could certainly use, they were more than happy to accept her into their numbers. Ever since then she has served as the Champions most committed member, even if she frequently questions whether their actions are really serving the Good or not.

As Solitaire's power has grown, Widget has stopped being quite so necessary as he was when she was younger. As things stand now, he is basically a fairly vulnerable extra set of eyes for her. One of her long-term goals is to find some way to evolve Widget into a more advanced magical tool. Even if she is never able to do this, however, she will never abandon the one friend who stuck by her when everything else turned against her (as she fears the Champions might if she ever lets them down.)

It sometimes comes as something of a surprise to other mages that Solitaire doesn't practice ritual magic. To such critics, she usually replies that an average mage practices their incantations until they can get them right, but she prefers to practice her incantations until she can't get them wrong. (This has occasionally drawn the ire of so-called average mages, such as Seven, for example. Seven has responded by comparing Solitaire's practice as impressive on a technical level, but without sufficient understanding of the theory involved. They don't get on, basically.)

In her secret identity as Elaine King, she's a fashion model. In her other secret identity as Rowena Page, she's a stage actress ... a fairly obscure one, but becoming known in Bay City's small theatre community. She has not shared either secret identity with the other Champions, as she expects that she'd be petrified if they showed up in the audience of one of her shows. The thought that all of this might draw the attention of the cabal has not yet occurred to her.

Solitaire -- PL 11
STR 2 | STA 4 | AGL 4 | DEX 4 | FGT 6 | INT 1 | AWE 6 | PRE 3
Powers: Barrier of Will (Sustained Impervious Protection 8 AND Sustained Impervious Will 12, AP: Accurate Extended Teleport 7), Magic (Array: Ranged Damage 14, AP: Perception Range Damage 7, Alternate Save [Will], AP: Communication 2, Limited to Compelled Subjects AND Perception Range Affliction 11 [Resisted by Will; Entranced, Compelled], Limited Degree, AP: Damaging Move Objects 9, AP: Energizing Restorative Healing 7), Widget (Heroic Summon 4, Feedback, Mental Link).
Equipment: Commlink.
Advantages: Accurate Attack, Attractive, Equipment 1 (personal), Equipment 3 (team), Fearless, Power Attack, Trance, Ultimate Effort (Will).
Skills: Deception 8 (+11), Expertise: Actress 4 (+7), Expertise: Fashion Model 6 (+9), Insight 8 (+14), Expertise: Magic 8 (+9), Perception 6 (+12), Ranged Attack: Magic 4 (+8), Sleight of Hand 6 (+10), Stealth 6 (+10).
Offense: Initiative +4, Unarmed +6 (Close Damage 2), Arcane Bolt +8 (Ranged Damage 14), Gaze of Power -- (Perception Range Will-Resistance Damage 7), Gaze of Compulsion -- (Perception Range Will 11).
Defense: Dodge 10, Parry 6, Fortitude 8, Toughness 12/4, Will 14.
Totals: Abilities 60 + Powers 74 + Advantages 9 + Skills 26 + Defenses 18 = 187 points.
Complications: Manichean Worldview--Motivation. Enemy (the cabal that raised her). Secret Identity.

Widget -- PL 4

STR -2 | STA -- | AGL 0 | DEX -- | FGT -2 | INT 0 | AWE 1 | PRE 0
Powers: Aware (Senses 4 [communication link, direction sense, radius vision, time sense]), Hovering (Flight 1), Living Construct (Immunity 30 [Fortitude Effects]; Protection 4; Regeneration 1), Tiny (Shrinking 8, Permanent, Innate)
Advantages: None.
Skills: Perception 4 (+5), Stealth 0 (+8).
Offense: Initiative +0, Unarmed -2 (Close Damage -2)
Defenses: Dodge 4, Parry 2, Fortitude Immune, Toughness 4, Will 4
Totals: Abilities -22 + Powers 58 + Skills 2 + Defenses 3 = 52 points.
Complications: Loyalty to Solitaire--Motivation.

[Davies]

Re: Davies' Character Thread: World of Freedom 3.2 -- Seeker, Obsidian, Quantum, Jaguar, Defender

Champions Infrastructure
Or, What Those Three Points of Equipment on Everyone's Sheet Buys

Regretfully, I have only been able to find floorplans of Homestead, the Champions' headquarters on Treasure Island in San Francisco Bay. (The bay is still called that, even if the city's name has changed) rather than a good exterior view of it. It is a six story tall complex with five below-ground sublevels, so I'm fairly comfortable in calling it Huge.

Homestead -- 24 points
Size H; Toughness 14; Features: Combat Simulator, Communications, Computer, Dock, Fire Prevention System, Grounds, Gym, Hangar, Infirmary, Laboratory, Library, Living Space, Personnel, Power System, Security System (DC 25), Workshop

Homestead's personnel includes Wendy Brooks, Homestead's housekeeper (a Bystander, per M&M 216), Dana Sullivan, the team's official AEGIS liaison (AEGIS Aide, per Emerald City Secrets p. 56), Toshiro Daishi, the team's mechanic (Scientist, per M&M 216), Julius Rutherford, the team's PR and marketing consultant (another Bystander, but with 8 ranks of Expertise: Business), Karen Shriver, the facility's head of security (AEGIS Active Response Team Agent, Emerald City Secrets p. 56), and three security guards (as Shriver, but -1 to all Offense and Defense abilities).

The Champions' base includes facilities for the group's relatively small collection of vehicles, purchased as an array. The fleet currently includes two supersonic VTOL jets known as Slingshots, a pair of armored personnel carriers euphemistically termed Battlevans, and a submarine vessel of Atlantean design gifted to the original team by King Theseus. (Yes, this is a second-tier superhero team -- the Freedom League has a lot more stuff.)

Slingshot -- 40 points
Size H; Str 12; Speed 12; Defense 6; Toughness 11


Battlevan -- 29 points
Size H; Str 12; Speed 4; Defense 6; Toughness 12; Impervious Toughness 8


Submarine -- 20 points
Size C; Str 16; Speed 6; Defense 2; Toughness 13