What's in a Name?

[Karma]

There is often at least one 'name my character' thread running at all times on this board but what about a 'characterise this name' thread?

 

I have seen a number of threads about 'where do you start when creating a character' and there are those who start with the powers they want and work from there and those that create a personality an then add powers to fit. However, many of my characters begin simply with a 'Super ID' name and I build on that, asking myself 'what sort of powers would someone who took this as their name have? And what sort of person would choose to use this name?'

 

For instance I took the 'name' "Breakneck" and tried to decide what kind of a character would use this as their Super ID. I had already kind of decided that it would be a speedster (Breakneck Speed), but what kind, and how would he get his or her powers? Since its such an evocative and violent sounding name it wouldn't be appropriate for any hero excpt those Iron Age ones that call themselves 'Bloodclaw' and 'Darkreaper' and such, and I wasn't looking to create one of those. So villian it is.

Then I decided that as well as using that name the character would actually break the necks of his victims (sometimes posthumously) as a sort of 'calling card'. But why? Perhaps he had suffered a similar fate and wanted the 'share the pain'. So we have a speedster villian who breaks peoples necks because he'd suffered one himself. But how could you have a broken neck and still be a speedster, apart from 'getting better' which doesn't have the emotional omph required to make someone quite this nasty the only answer is Powered Armor (yes I know that the 'power armor used to allow a cripple to walk' schtick is cliche but not among villians (as far as I know).

 

So here we have it, a concept 'Psycho speedster whose PA not only saves him from being a helpless quadreplegic, but gives him super-human speed and strength (it takes quite a bit of force to break a neck and to do it reliably enough, untrained, to use it as a 'calling card' would require more sttrength than normal person would have).

And we stat out from there.

 

So apart from showing how I make characters I thought it might be fun for you guys to try.

 

Step 1: Take the 'Name' given by the last poster and make a character who might reasonably take that name when starting a superhero/villian carrier (stats nice but not required). The name should have something to do with the characters schtick and/or powers (yes I know that many charaters have names that have nothing to do with their powers, but that's not the point of this challange)

 

Step 2: Suggest a 'Name' for another person to try to characterise.

 

With that in mind tell me about:

 

"The Game Master"

[Hermit]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

 

Step 1: Take the 'Name' given by the last poster and make a character who might reasonably take that name when starting a superhero/villian carrier (stats nice but not required). The name should have something to do with the characters schtick and/or powers (yes I know that many charaters have names that have nothing to do with their powers, but that's not the point of this challange)

 

Step 2: Suggest a 'Name' for another person to try to characterise.

 

With that in mind tell me about:

 

"The Game Master"

 

The Game Master, at first I thought of someone akin to the Riddler or Joker of Batman's gallery, but the idea of a mastermind with various gimmicky gadgets and deathtraps didn't appeal for some reason. Too easy maybe? So instead, why not someone who does indeed have the desire to outwit and 'win' against the PCs, but instead of devices uses human beings as his pieces. Bingo, we have a mentalist. The Game Master would have frightning Mind Control (with variable Trigger), Mental Transformation, and maybe more for his power, but, oddly, since he insists on seeing the PCs as opponents in the game and not pawns, he refuses to use his abilties on them directly (at least until they lose and can be taken as trophies to be used as pawns against others). Instead, he uses the mundane masses as his pawns and pieces, and among those pawns will be DNPCs of all stripes, authority figures, etc. They will carry out his crimes FOR him, leaving clues of objectives, where the loot is kept, etc. If the heroes can stop his plans, he frees the pawns as their prize.

 

So obsessed with games is he, that he is very likely to call attention to his being behind things by forcing his thralls to dress up in costume and use gimmicky gadgets (yes, the very sort he wouldn't use himself). After all, he no doubt has many people brainwashed, so a bit of high tech is not that hard to find for his minions. He might alter a rich bussiness contact of a PC, give the contact some dice and oddly shaped weapons (silly looking, but quite dangerous) along with top hat and dub said fellow with a handle like "Monopoly". How will a PC react when his dear old Aunt Mabel has been transformed into the sinister "Old Maid", and is outfitted with a squad of thugs, an electric walking stick, and a razor sharp card launcher?

 

With a bit of forward thinking and some brainwashed followers in high places, it is possible even if the heroes track him down and bring him to justice, he might just be let free soon after (Of course, pulling this more than once is, imo, unfair to the players so I don't suggest it).

 

As for his origin? How he started out as a boy who came on his powers early on, shunned by some compatriots for being spooky, and thus never really learned to connect to his fellow man save as seeing their entertainment and strategic use? A grown man now, full in his power, he can have anything he wants. Only by the games is he now challenged.

I don't have a sheet written up for him, but a quote comes to mind...

"Unlike most supervillains, I play VERY well with others..."

 

 

Next name for Development: "Shattered Man"

[Lord Liaden]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

Cool idea! Reminds me of my old "Count Infinity" thread, but more open-ended.

 

Well, when I hear "shattered man" I think of both physical shattering, i.e. broken into pieces, and mental shattering as in emotionally/ psychically traumatised. So, why not both?

 

The Shattered Man was once a researcher into quantum physics who was devastated by the death of his wife and children in a tragic accident. He became obsessed with breaching the quantum barriers into alternate versions of this world, so that he could find one in which his loved ones were still alive. But in his attempt to do so he caused himself to become a living quantum nexus for all of his alternate selves from all other realities. His mind was flooded with the memories and personalities of countless of his variants, which now fight for dominance in his psyche. These alternates range from greedy and selfish, to benevolent and heroic, to psychotic and murderous; so an encounter with the Shattered Man can differ radically from one occasion to the next. One motivation common to all of them is to acquire the research data and technology that will enable him to undo the accident and separate his disparate "selves."

 

Becoming a quantum nexus has also given the Shattered Man limited powers over the nature of space and dimension, enabling him to "shatter" them in various ways through act of will. He can also temporarily manifest some of his other forms from alternate realities in this one as Duplicates of himself. Although those Duplicates have the same powers, they may have different personalities and motivations than those currently dominating the "original," making this a rather risky tactic in some circumstances.

 

Well, that's the best I could come up with on short notice. For my submission, I offer "Airborn."

[MsngLnk]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

Being a retired Marine, Airborn immediatly brought to mind blazing guns and explosions, but I decided to be literal with Airborn

 

Randall Dale was an excellent pilot who moonlighted as a low level smuggler. Nothing serious, just a go along to get along type of guy. Unfortunately like most low level criminals he came to the attention of a big fish as an expendalbe asset. Randall was charted to smuggle in some experimental drugs with mutagenic properties.

 

Randall's luck ran out and the DEA chases him down, but before he can land the big fish listening in detonates the cargo while poor Randall is still airborn. Thus Randall dies and is reborn as Airborn. With the elemental powers of the air at his command does Randall seek revenge? Or does the incident push towards justice in order to prevent repeats of his own betrayal?

 

Next: Papercut

[Hermit]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

 

Next: Papercut

 

Reminded of an Oragami style villain from a past supplement (I forget which), I decided to just go with it and make a hero

 

"Paper Cut" aka Andrea "Randi" Toshido

Andrea Toshido may be of Japanese descent, but her heritage has never interested her. The past is the past, and while she knew it was a terrible thing that one of her great grandparents was incarcerated in ww2, the nation seemed to have learned its lesson, so no point in dwelling over what (to a teen age girl) is ancient history. She prefered soda to saki anyways. Hell, she doesn't even speak Japanese, why should she?

 

Of course, such ignorance while understandible, means she was truly clueless to quite a few things. One, her ancestor wasn't just one of the many relocated in WW2, but rather an Axis supervillain... with rather odd powers. Not exactly proud of villainous blood in the family, Randi was never filled in on it, which probably explains why, when digging through the attic looking for some props for prom decorations on a commitee she'd been drafted for ("Why is it everyone thinks that just because you're of asian descent you can interior decorate with Feng Schway or whatever its called?"), she didn't understand why the paper lantern with ornate designs was so far back. To see if it worked, she lit the candle still stored with in. Green smoke twirled out, and engulfed her.

 

She awoke with the ability to spread herself paper thin, slipping between door cracks, going nearly invisible when sideways, stretching across a room, and other neat tricks. She is not, thank goodness, easily ripped apart, quite the opposite. By turning her hands almost monofiliment thin she can cut through darn near anything. At first it grossed her out, and she is trying to learn other applications of her power (like wrapping around someone and entrapping them in herself), but she's met enough would be killers that she's feeling less and less guilty about not pulling her punches in order to save innocents when need be.

 

So, like now she's a super hero, and not the type of girl to take her self (or such powers) too seriously, she's going by Paper Cut.

 

Now, if only she could figure out why those strange jade figures keep materializing and attacking her?

 

Next: Nocturnus

[st barbara]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

"Nocturnus" either a night stalking vigilante perhaps with limited invisibility ("only at night/in shadows when standing still") or someone with darkness oriented powers. Oh I have to come up with a name now umm "Silver Fern" ! (Especially for all you New Zealanders out there !)

[Wolfjack]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

"Nocturnus" either a night stalking vigilante perhaps with limited invisibility ("only at night/in shadows when standing still") or someone with darkness oriented powers. Oh I have to come up with a name now umm "Silver Fern" ! (Especially for all you New Zealanders out there !)

 

Silver Fern? Hmmmm... okay, the New Zealand hint was helpful.

 

Silver Fern, aka Tane Amohau

 

Tane grew up under his brother's shadow. While athletic, he had no desire to compete or prove himself. His brother chose to pursue an interest in rugby, evetually becoming so great that he joined the All Blacks and became an icon for the team. Tane, meanwhile, chose a different route, studying anthropology and history and becoming an expert in Maori traditions - even down to learning and mastering their fighting styles.

 

While out one evening, the brothers were accosted by a mugger. Tane was happy to give them money, but his brother aggressively stood his ground. He paid for that bravado by being struck by the mugger's gun. While the mugger stood over the prone and stunned brother, Tane had the chance to do something. Instead his hesitation cost him his brother's life. The echo of the gunshot was only drowned out by the rage that consumed Tane as he took the mugger out where he stood.

 

Promising to never to hesitate again and redeem himself, he became a vigilante to ensure justice would be served. Arming himslef with a taiaha, a Maori long club, and other traditional weapons, Tane took to the streets. His costume is in honor of his brother as is his name: Silver Fern, a symbol of national New Zealand pride and as famous as the All Blacks, who wear it on their rugby shirts.

 

Now, if you are more familair with Maori culture, throw in some shamanistic abilities if appropriate and stir.

 

Next up to bat: Unforgiven

[ParagonAlpha]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

Unforgiven brings to mind a priest or other such type.

 

Here goes.

 

 

Miles Killian was a devote Cathloic priest, but still just a man, filled with outrage and disgust at the state the world had begun to sink into. One evening while deep in prayer he was gifted with divine power, a direct instrument of God.

 

With his new powers, the ability to see into the souls of man and know their true weight, he has begun to purge the world of those unfit for Heaven.

 

Next: Vanguardian

[Asperion]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

Vanguardian:

 

Born to a family that is the heir to a multi-billion dollar estate, Warren Tessic lived the typical life of someone in his social class. He did not have any worry that was not cared for in some manner. However he was given the belief that the needs of society outway the needs of the individual. Trying to feel the need of helping society and give him some challenge for the first time in his life, he had a power suit built that will allow him to duke it out with the big boys. Now to actually get the challenge.

 

Next up: Myngu

[MisterBaldy]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

Myngu...

Born in Japan...Myngu was a simple man. He worked in the farming fields of his father, and aspired to greated height and lofty ambitions.

 

The bombing of Hiroshima changed all that. His family gone, but he was bestowed with a great gift...POWER!!!

 

He would use his new powers to devastate those who devastated his home...he would have revenge.

 

Next Name: Franchise

[Vanguard00]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

I wrote this but didn't get a chance to post it 'til now. I know MisterBaldy got in before me but I didn't want to let it go to waste.

Next up: Myngu

When one thinks of the protectors of the United Kingdom one invariably pictures the stately grace of those noble souls from England who fight to protect the land from evil. A mix of heritage gives the superhero community a diverse flair, from the brave and courageous Golden Lion of England to the whimsical and mischeivous Leprechaun of Ireland. Even the so-called Arch Druid has his place as protector of the countryside. And that's as it is, but that's not all it is.

 

To the west of England lies the beautiful, hilly country of Wales. As little as two thousand years ago they were the strongest people on the Isle, but for some eight hundred years they have been subjects of the British Empire, with all the good and bad that brought. They had their protection from the Empire, as they still do.

 

But old traditions are not forgotten, and pride runs strong in the Welsh people. Their history of druids is no less great than that of Ireland, though perhaps overshadowed by modern history and the media. Strong were the Welsh in arts of Druidry. Close with the land, they were. They are.

 

It is said that there is nothing to bring a modern supervillain to the land of Wales, and perhaps that is true. They would find much more than they bargained for in any case, for out on the hills, in the marshes and the bogs, deep in the forests and nestled in the barrows of ancient kings there is a protector, the spirit of the land itself, one who sees all and knows all that transpires within the realm of Cymry, known as Wales.

 

She is known only as Myngu, The Grandmother. She has been described as an old woman, spry and spirited despite her weathered features, bent back and gnarled hands. She walks with the aid of a cane-like cudgel, a piece of solid oak polished to a high sheen. No matter the weather she always dresses the same--homespun woolen dress, simple shoes of old, and a threadbare shawl around her shoulders. For all her appearance of frailty and age she exudes a power and confidence that even the staunchest find daunting.

 

Her powers are as mysterious as she is. If the people who know of such things can be relied upon, Myngu has been in Wales since before the turn of the last century, some one hundred and ten years at the least--and she was old even then. She has been known to call the weather to her, to bring the ground up in her defense, to calm the wild animals with whispered words and gentle touches. She never speaks in English, preferring the mother tongue of her land, but she always seems to understand what is said to her, and to those with whom she chooses to speak her meaning invariably becomes clear.

 

No one has challenged the might of The Grandmother in a long time. It is said her last true challenge was a sneak attack by some of Hitler's superhuman soldiers. It is said that of the twelve men of power who snuck to the shore of Wales, hoping to catch England off-guard, one returned. Graf Panzer, inhumanly strong and wielding great powers of destruction, returned to Germany a shattered man, his mind and courage gone.

 

Rumor has it that Eurostar was once forced to hide in Wales, to rest after a particularly gruelling campaign of terror. Within days they left the country, preferring to face the united superheroes of Europe rather than stay any longer in the realms of Myngu.

 

Whether the truth of the matter will ever be known remains to be seen. The people of Wales sleep a bit easier, though, knowing that they are watched over by Myngu, The Grandmother.

Next Name: Franchise

 

In ages past it was not uncommon for individuals to hire guards to protect them. There were no law enforcement agencies outside of a regional or national army, and thus the private citizen and businessman had little recourse but to supply their own security. Guards and mercenaries were common in those days, but in today's world of national pride and complex political dynamics, mercenaries are often simply thought of as soldiers-for-hire brought in to protect this business's interest in that foreign country, or something similar.

 

In steps Franchise. A former soldier, Franchise is a metahuman of intermediate power; strong, fast, durable, more so than the common man, but perhaps not nearly on par with many of the superheroes and villains of the world. His one true power lies in the fact that he is never alone.

 

After a brief stint as a criminal, and an even briefer one as a hero, Thomas Roderick chose the professional path. He took all the appropriate courses and made himself a legal bodyguard. In most of the countries around that world. At the same time.

 

That's right, Franchise is a duplicator, capable of generating a dozen incarnations of himself, all equal in power and temperment. Remaining in close proximity generates a sort of neural feedback excrutiatingly painful and debilitating to both (or all) duplicates within range. Except during the recombining process, Franchise works alone. When he does recombine with a duplicate, he learns everything they learned since they were apart. All their skills, memories and emotions are passed on to him. This causes no small amount of anguish on occasion, and Franchise uses both regular counseling and various meditative techniques to maintain a tight rein on his sanity.

 

Franchise takes jobs all over the world, safeguarding individuals, acting as a courier for sensitive items and information, and at times simply bolstering a particular agency's offensive capabilities. In addition to his metahuman powers, Franchise is an expert in most forms of armed and unarmed warfare, is an experienced intelligence operative, speaks a dozen languages fluently, and has a talent for strategy and small-unit tactics.

 

Franchise has many emotional issues, but for the most part maintains a healthy and active lifestyle when not on the job. All of his commissions are honorable, though not all are legal. He performs thorough background checks on all potential clients, and researches the target as ably and as completely as time and the contract dictate. He does not perform murder for hire, but if someone dies due to getting between him and his objective...well, that's going to go on the final receipt.

 

Franchise is disliked by the superhero and law enforcement communities of most First World nations, but he always smiles when he hears this, as if he knows something no one else does. He is tolerated among the supervillain community only because they know where they stand with him.

 

When one is in need of specialized service in the areas of security, protection, delivery or intelligence gathering and even bounty hunting--and when one does not need to have one's needs brought to the attention of law enforcement, or one cannot garner the attention of a true superhero--one needs only call Franchise.

 

 

Next name: Primal

[st barbara]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

It's funny how "Wokfjack" came up with a vengful Moari warrior (male) with traditional weapons and I produced a flying female energy projector out of the name "Silver Fern". This could be a very useful thread for any referees who have a name but are stuck for powers for a character !

[st barbara]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

Oh yeah ! "Primal". Let's see now. Walter Scott was out of work so when a "friend" that he met in a bar asked him to help with a little illegal dumping (with a tidy gratuity attached !) he agreed. He didn't know that he would be dumping toxic chemicals into a nearby creek; nor that when he refused he would be hit on the head and dumped with the chemicals and left to drown in a puddle of glowing goo ! But he didn't drown. Walter emerged tougher faster and stronger than he coould ever have imagined ! His face was also scarred so that no-one could possibly have recognised him. Now he hunts the night seeking revenge on those who have wronged him, hiding during the day and stealing just enough to stay alive. Walter isn't a criminal or a monster; he's just doing what has to be done to stay alive, and getting revenge on those who wronged him ! Next "The Yogi " !

[Cancer]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

The Yogi

 

A bear who is diabolically clever at stealing picnic baskets. Uh, wait, no....

 

The Yogi was approaching full manhood when the tides of WW2 swept over his home in Burma. In that backwater theatre, bottom of the priority lists for materiel, there was not the massive firepower applied elsewhere, but it was enough. His family, his village, everything he knew destroyed in a bitter three-week battle. Even the name of the place was lost, as the Allies misapplied a neighboring town's name to the place and promptly forgot about it. And he himself left his birth-name behind in the charred remnants of dwellings, fields, and corpses.

 

A penniless wanderer, he found that strangers were more cooperative than he would have guessed. If he asked for directions, he got them. If he asked for food, he had a meal pressed into his hands. If he asked for a ride, there was a space in the back of the truck that he was offered.

 

When he arrived in a refugee camp, he saw that it wasn't that the world was populated by generous people. Hundreds of other displaced people asked -- begged -- for things from the soldiers, the civil authorities, each other. Most people asked in vain. But not him. As long as he asked for something reasonable, in the person's power to grant it, it was given to him. Not necessarily politely, but it was given to him. He made his way into India, living on the power of his simple requests. Even language did not seem to be a barrier, as he met people whose words he could not understand, and who failed to understand him until he asked them for single concrete thing.

 

One day he found himself at a demonstration that turned into a riot. The police lost control of themselves, and used more than truncheons and the flat of their sabers on the peaceful demonstrators. He found, amid the chaos, a young woman who had an arterial wound in her arm from a slash. He asked the berserk soldier for a bandage, and scarcely pausing between blows, the soldier threw him a first-aid kit from his belt. He got the woman's bleeding under control and sent her home.

 

He made his way to the coast, onto a steamship to England, and into a slum of other Burmese expatriates in London. He walked into banks and asked for money. He walked into haberdasheries and asked for clothes. He walked into schools and asked for lessons. He got them all. He housed, fed, and clothed his compatriots in the slum, and it was they who dubbed him "the Yogi", because of his serene style as he asked for the impossible things he was able to get. Though he made sure of his own comfort, he cared most for those around him, seeing to their health and simple needs, rewarding loyalty with loyalty and the gifts of his own uncanny powers.

 

Eventually he learned to manage his bounty, nurture what he received. Slowly he built a financial empire, starting with simple moneylending in his own community, building up to finance small businesses, then large ones. And he attracted notice. The authorities wondered how he got so rich so quickly from so small a start. Inquiries were made, his friends were prosecuted for fraud. He himself was arrested several times, but he was never held for longer than a few hours; come nightfall, he would ask for his release and out he went, despite direct orders otherwise.

 

He went underground, now a wanted man. The authorities couldn't hold him, but they could pick apart his legitimate holdings, and everyone around him was hounded. He responded by robbing banks ... if getting money simply by asking for it constitutes robbery ... and by embarrassing politicians by walking into offices and asking for compromising information, getting it, and publicizing it.

 

An uneasy truce developed. The Yogi was allowed to keep his "gifts" and his friends were left more or less unharassed as long as he didn't ask for too much. Now in old age, he became simply "The Yogi" in his working-class neighborhood. But he still had his powers, and someone tracked him down and made him an offer, which he accepted.

 

Now The Yogi lives in an undisclosed but tropical location, but makes irregular travels to exotic places at his employer's expense, talking to strange people. On his travels he buys things, things that are strange and very expensive, but he is successful at buying them where others fail. He's asked for guns and explosives, for viral cultures, even for fighter planes and fissile metal. And he's received it all. His employer is very happy with him.

 

He's never asked the couriers who his employer is. He doesn't really care, although Interpol is deeply curious about who is acquiring all those weapons. The Yogi lives in comfort now, surrounded by a small community of pleasant and admiring young people, who provide him with everything he asks.

 

Next up: Crotalus

[Karma]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

Crotalus

Most of King Cobra's henchmen use the common form of the snakes the are based on, but for Professor Armin ffaquad ("it's spelled with a double lower case f you plebians") only the Latin genus form of his name would do (and rattlesnake had already been taken by some uneducated fool). Given his views on his fellow snakemen, including their leader, it is unsurprising that they asked him to leave. He was happy, being surrounded by such fools only made him feel his interlect was draining away. Now he is a solo villian taking what he wants from the fools around him, planning to eventually take power from King Cobra and give the snakemen a leader they deserve.

 

Next up: Storm Warden

[BNakagawa]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

I first encountered the name "Mittens" as a result of a very long story.

 

I had a friend who was an editor at Antarctic Press. They received unsolicited scripts from time to time and it fell on her shoulders to review them because you never knew if one of them wasn't going to be publishable. Well, this one wasn't.

 

First of all, the writer, who we'll call "Ben" (his name wasn't Ben) declined to name his hero. So he literally wrote "we'll call him Ben for lack of a better name" and so during dramatic readings (they would often bring along funny stuff to cons to share at room parties) they would replace all references to the hero with "Ben for lack of a better name". It was amusing.

 

Anyhow, the female lead, whose name I can't remember, was so memorable that evidently the author couldn't remember her either. The first three times her name appeared in print, there were three different spellings. So, in a fit of exasperation, my friend replaced all references to the female lead with "Mittens". (My friend is a big Beatrix Potter fan)

 

Ever since, I had a Name in search of a character. Eventually I ended up with the ludicrous character that proudly bears the name of Mittens.

[Asperion]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

Storm Warden:

 

All that he can remember is that he was given a mission. He cannot remember where the mission came from or what he was before getting the mission. All that he knows for certain is that he is charged with protecting the weather on the planet earth. To do so he was given extreme control over the weather patterns that occur on the planet. For this reason and since he was not able to come up with a name for the local populace, they started calling him Storm Warden. While he uses the abilities to stop criminals, he mostly uses it to cancel out the effects of unnatural weather patterns created by other supers, governments, organizations, whatever or to restore the weather to what it should be during periods when nature itself seems to want to alter the weather.

 

For the next name: Scattershot

[Kirby]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

Okay, but first this just seems silly or desperate, but I'll go along.

Next up: Storm Warden

The Mariana Islands are not a fun place to be during Typhoon Season. Citizens from Guam to Maug can tell you that it's just no fun cleaning up after destructive winds and rain have dampend more than just your spirits after spending all night in your cement houses watching water "leak" through the walls from 200 mph winds . So it was a great relief when Storm Warden appeared one season to fight back against Mother Nature. Sure, he wasn't powerful enough to stop the storms, but he sure was able to lessen the effects. Storm Warden is able to absorb the ferocity of nearly every Pacific typhoon hurled his direction. The overall effects are reducing the storm's power by anywhere from 10-25%, sometimes making a 200 mph typhoon only as powerful as a 150 mph one.

 

As a Chamarro, Storm Warden does this to protect the lands he loves, not for fame profit. However, several corporations from Florida to Louisiana have asked him to travel to the SW US to help ease their pains. He's also been offered a job from a company in Gloucster, Maine during fishing season.

 

 

Next: Sidekick

[Kirby]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

No wonder this seems silly, I skipped over some posts.

For the next name: Scattershot

Bob's 15 minutes of fame are over. He used to be known as "Wolfpack" because he was aggressive and could duplicate himself several times. His glory ended when one of his selves got blown up in a hostage rescue mission gone bad. The cops told him to just wait it out and let the negotiator do his job, but Wolfpack wasn't up for that. He separated and surrounded the criminal and his hostage without alerting the police. When he thought he saw his opportune moment, the wolfpack charged. Only, the criminal saw him and detonated himself, taking the hostage and a wolf man with him.

 

Bob knew it was his fault. Even his teammates who tried to console him after he was voted off the team knew it. Now, Bob sadles up to the bar, orders six shots -six, an unlucky number- and scatters himself to drink up at the same time. Life just isn't a fun game any more.

 

 

Next: Sidekick.

[Karma]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

Next: Sidekick.

 

"Your a loner, always have been. Many teams have asked you to join, but you prefer to be your own super. Yet sometimes you feel like you could do with some back-up. Not another full fledged heavy hitter, but someone who could take up the slack. Someone to beat up the mooks while you go after the real threat. If this sounds like you then I am just the person you are looking for. Call me on 555-SIDEKICK."

 

Ron looked at the add. It sort of said what he wanted to. Now he only had to wait. Well, when your superpower is the ability to duplicate any one willing persons powers and skills at half their power level, how else are you going to get into the 'game'?

 

whoops, almost forgot (which is silly since it was my idea in the first place).

Next up: Snow Blind

[Asperion]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

Life is hard, $&*@ hard. No matter where you live that is true. Try living in Barrows, Alaska, the northern most location in all the US, most likely the world. Living there would have been luxury, I was raised outside (way outside) that city where only the hardiest of people attempt to live. Making things worse, as a young child (age 6) I was lost in a blizzard and assumed killed by all rescuers. Only my family never gave up hope that I survived. Years later they finally found my frozen body over a hundred miles away from where I disappeared. The medics quickly gave up any hope of resurrecting me and sent my frozen body to the University of Alaska for whatever they want to do to it. In a manner that none could explain, several random chemicals were combined with the environment that I was in and I got reanimated. In addition my mental and physical abilities were enhanced and I could generate and control cold energy. However it was at a price - that of sight, hearing, temperature tolerance, among others. Now I go around Alaska under the name of Snow Blind in an effort of stopping poachers, criminals, and anyone else who would do wrong.

 

Next Name. Not to Orginal but what about EROS

[Enforcer84]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

Heh...

 

"But mother, I don't think I'm up to it."

Aphrodited bristled at the effite brat she'd birthed and abandoned. Cronos' Rage! Had she been this shallow so long ago? "I am sorry, Eros, perhaps I was pushing you too hard. It's just that we no longer have the luxury of flitting about all day and partying all night. We need to protect Olympia from Jupiter and his Dark Pantheon. I had to learn to fight you can too. "

"Yes Mother, but," Eros shook his head, "Earthrealm? Why there? I don't think they'll ever forgive me for the Billy Joel/Christie Brinkley fiasco."

"I'm sure they've forgotten. The villains and miscreants of Earthrealm are in many cases more potent than the beasts you'd face here. Smarter too; it will be good training. Hephaestus has created some special armor and weapons for you."

Eros sighed. He wasn't going to get out of this one.

"Yes, Mother."

 

 

New Name:

Azurarch

[Karma]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

New Name:

Azurarch

 

I got nothing. Possibly if we keep this up we should try to keep to names that are words in English, or at least that a majority of people who speak English might know the meaning of (the idea being to create a character whose powers/schtick is based on the name/word).

 

Still Azurarch sounds like it might mean blue something. So maybe a PA hero who wears a blue suit. Maybe take it to a greater limit and have his lazers create blue light and maybe he could have some kind of ocean theme.

Yeah, a blue PA French Canadian or French hero (I beluieve Azurarch is a French word) who use his powers to protect the ocean from those who would despoil it or threaten those who live near it. Uses blue/green lazers as primary weapons given their ability to be used underwater.

 

Next up: Tone Deaf

[Kirby]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

Next up: Tone Deaf

Sammy was a greedy, criminal defense lawyer, part-time singer, on his way to the courthouse for his biggest case yet involving a super. On his way up the steps, his client, Howler, managed to break free from the court-imposed gag she was wearing. With the scream of a banshee, Howler knocked out everyone around her, including the police and Sammy, making her escape.

 

When Sammy woke up in the hospital, he discovered he could no longer hear. Doctors informed him that he had been standing too close to Howler, his client, and she destroyed his ear drums. Since then he has re-evaluated his priorities and become a prosecutor. Since his deafness, his singing has been off and he has given that up to pursue studies in martial arts. Now, at night, he wears a blood red costume with TD on it and carries a fighting baton (his "wand"). Tone Deaf is a vigilante taking down criminal supers one at a time.

 

Next: Bouncing Betty

[Hermit]

Re: What's in a Name?

 

Next: Bouncing Betty

 

Beatrice Wilcox was a real ****Buster, a no nonsense business woman who let nothing and no one stand in her way. Attached only to her career an the bottom line of profit, she'd earned her reputation as being a ruthless exec, and took pride in it. She'd heard all the cliches about how if you're not lead dog, the view never changes, Greed is good, and so on... and more than that, she lived them! So what if a few hundred folk got the axe every year at her orders? They should have spent more time at college. Losers fall, and fail, that's the way the world works. Better to be feared than loved, was her motto, and that went double for the corporate world.

 

One day she discovered a group of her company's lab techs and scientists were using the corporate time and resources to help the St. Jude project. Something about using 'synthacells' to replace the cancerous ones. This would have been great, IF the company was ready to make a profit on it, or had even been informed. Storming in, she ignored the pathetic little whiners as they yapped about being at a 'very crucial juncture', and 'key stage'. The company had been looking for a division to cut anyways, so these guys had just provided her a perfect option for just that. Informing them they were fired, she flipped the main power grid to the room off!

 

That's when the canisters, no longer having their coolant regulated, over pressurized and exploded the strange goop all over her. She recovered with no apparent effects, and the former employees were long gone. Having no time for further tests, she got back to work.

 

Then came the black outs. Beatrice would wake up and find herself dressed in the strangest garb, and read news reports of a fun loving super heroine who had saved lives in the poor part of town, fought a villain or three, then partied the night away. This superheroine had been dubbed "Bouncing Betty", some joking it might have something to do with her rather impressive endowments, but in truth it seemed her body was as hard to hurt as a rubber ball, and twice as bouncy. At first, Beatrice was in denial about it, but soon, had to face the facts, she had developed some sort of split personality!

 

Now, she turns into a super heroine that almost everyone in the city is crazy about (espciecally the guys who Bouncing Betty flirts with outrageously), everyone except Beatrice herself! The only men who might be able to work out a cure are chiefly those she fired, and they MUCH prefer the new her to the old her anyways. Her reflection has started talking to her and telling her she's "Not fun, and not nice!"

 

Now, Beatrice dreads the stress filled moments that turn her into what she believes to be a bimbo with a bleeding heart , the woman known as Bouncing Betty!

(So I watch too many bad B movies, sue me *G*)

 

Next name:

Bloodwatch