[Character]: Quantum, the mass-shifting heroine!

[braincraft]

I couldn't think up a better superhero name for her than 'Quantum'; if someone could think of something more appropriate, don't be shy. In any case, she usually goes by 'Val'. Also, STARS is a stupid name, but again, couldn't think of anything better. She has a few dangerous powers, but she's not bloodthirsty enough to misuse them too often, so I'm not especially worried about them.

 

 

Quantum

Val Char Cost Roll Notes

15 STR 5 12- Lift 200.0kg; 3d6 HTH damage [1]

20 DEX 30 13- OCV: 7/DCV: 7

23 CON 26 14-

11 BODY 2 11-

13 INT 3 12- PER Roll 12-

11 EGO 2 11- ECV: 4

18 PRE 8 13- PRE Attack: 3 1/2d6

18 COM 4 13-

8 PD 5 Total: 8/14 PD (0/6 rPD)

6 ED 1 Total: 6/12 ED (0/6 rED)

4 SPD 10 Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12

10 REC 4

60 END 7

35 STUN 4 Total Characteristics Cost: 111

Movement: Running: 6"/[Noncombat]"

Leaping: 3"/[Noncombat]"

Swimming: 2"/[Noncombat]"

 

Cost Powers END

96 Density Control Powers: Multipower, 120-point reserve, (120 Active Points); Cannot combine density increase and decrease slots (-1/4)

16m 1) Did you just say I was dense?: Armor (40 PD/24 ED), Hardened (+1/4) (120 Active Points); Half effect vs Electricity (-1/4), Costs 1/2 END (-1/4) 0

10m 2) Flash Intangibility: +12 with DCV (60 Active Points); Costs 1/2 END (-1/4)

6u 3) He's so heavy: Suppress (Increase Density) 6d6, All non-teleportation movement powers, Mass manipulation powers, STR, DEX, and END (+2), Affects Desolidified One Special Effect of Desolidification (Mass manipulation SFX; +1/4) (97 Active Points); No Range (-1/2) 10

3m 4) Hey, it's not as heavy as it looks: +30 STR (30 Active Points); No Figured Characteristics (-1/2), Only to calculate lifting and knockback Power loses about a third of its effectiveness (-1/2) 3

5u 5) I'm such a gas: Desolidification (affected by Electricity), Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4) (50 Active Points) 2

1u 6) Lighter than air: Gliding 10" (10 Active Points) 0

1u 7) Lighter than air II: Leaping 5" (x4 Noncombat) (10 Active Points) 1

1u 8) Molecule Ladder: Clinging (normal STR) (10 Active Points); Costs Endurance (-1/2), Cannot Resist Knockback (-1/4) 1

1u 9) Molecule Ladder II: Flight 5" (10 Active Points) 1

8m 10) Molecule PUNCH!: Hand-To-Hand Attack +8d6, Affects Desolidified One Special Effect of Desolidification (Density control SFX only; +1/4), Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4) (60 Active Points); Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/2) 2

4u 11) Pull yourself together, little molecules!: Succor Defense 5d6, Normal and Resistant PD and ED (+1) (50 Active Points); 1/2 Effect against Electricity (-1/4) 5

6u 12) Step Through Here: Desolidification (affected by Electricity), Usable Simultaneously (up to 2 people at once; +1/2) (60 Active Points) 6

9u 13) Step through here II: Desolidification (affected by Electricity), Usable As Attack (x2 maximum weight per inanimate target; +1 1/4) (90 Active Points) 9

6u 14) Stick a hand through you: Energy Blast 8d6, Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4), No Normal Defense (No internal organs, affecting desolid; +1) (90 Active Points); No Range (-1/2) 4

5u 15) That felt important: Energy Blast 6d6, Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4), No Normal Defense (No internal organs, affecting desolid; +1), Does BODY (+1) (97 Active Points); No Range (-1/2), No Knockback (-1/4) 4

4m 16) This scale can't be right: Density Increase (800 kg mass, +20 STR, +4 PD/ED, -4" KB) (20 Active Points) 2

 

3 If you've got it, flaunt it!: +7 PRE (7 Active Points); Only for sex appeal (-1)

3 Overconfident: +7 PRE (7 Active Points); Only vs PRE Attacks (-1)

 

Martial Arts: Kung Fu

Maneuver OCV DCV Notes

4 Fast Strike +2 +0 6d6 Strike

4 Martial Disarm -1 +1 Disarm; 30 STR to Disarm

4 Martial Dodge -- +5 Dodge, Affects All Attacks, Abort

3 Martial Throw +0 +1 4d6 +v/5, Target Falls

5 Offensive Strike -2 +1 8d6 Strike

4 Shove +0 +0 35 STR to Shove

4 +1 HTH Damage Class(es)

 

Perks

2 Reputation: Cute government super (Most everyone) 11-, +1/+1d6

21 Contact: STARS Program (Contact has access to major institutions, Contact has significant Contacts of his own, Contact has very useful Skills or resources, Good relationship with Contact), Organization Contact (x3) (21 Active Points) 11-

3 Fringe Benefit: Federal/National Police Powers

5 Money: Well Off

 

Talents

12 Combat Luck (6 PD/6 ED)

 

Skills

8 +1 with All Combat

5 +1 with HTH Combat

5 +1 with DCV

 

3 Acting 13-

3 Breakfall 13-

3 Conversation 13-

1 High Society 8-

2 KS: Kung Fu 11-

2 KS: Superpowers 11-

2 KS: The Superhuman World 11-

1 Language: Cantonese (basic conversation)

3 Persuasion 13-

2 PS: Government Superhero 11-

3 PS: Surfing 13-

3 Security Systems 12-

3 Seduction 13-

3 Shadowing 12-

3 Stealth 13-

3 Teamwork 13-

 

Total Powers & Skills Cost: 317

Total Cost: 428

 

200+ Disadvantages

10 Distinctive Features: Blonde surfer girl bombshell (Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses)

5 Distinctive Features: Like, y'know? Totally! (Easily Concealed; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses)

5 Distinctive Features: STARS Uniform/Costume (Easily Concealed; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses)

25 Hunted: Government and STARS Program 14- (Mo Pow, NCI, PC has a Public ID or is otherwise very easy to find, Watching)

15 Psychological Limitation: Look at me! (Common, Strong)

10 Psychological Limitation: Math is hard! (Common, Moderate)

20 Social Limitation: On the clock (Very Frequently, Major)

15 Social Limitation: Super-Celebrity (Frequently, Major)

138 Van der Waals Bonus

 

Total Disadvantage Points: 428

 

Background/History: Valerie was just a normal California girl, surfing and dating and having fun. One day, she wiped out, and was thrown into some jagged rocks by the shore; or rather, thrown THROUGH. She quickly discovered that she could phase through objects, and even increase her own density to make her skin hard as steel. She could also do the same to objects she was touching.

 

Not being the kind of girl to keep secrets, or shy away from attention, it wasn't long before she became a local celebrity, and it wasn't much longer before the STARS Program came knocking on her door.

 

The Super Teams of America Registration System wanted to recruit her for a new kind of supergroup; they wanted young heroes to register their powers and work for the federal government, where they could do some real good. The job would come with adequate compensation, of course, and its members families would have the full protection of the US government.

 

But what really caught Valerie's interest was that she'd be on television.

 

The rest, as they say, is history. Valerie serves on STARS Team 1 as the ever-lovin' green-eyed Quantum, and loves every minute of her bad-guy-stomping, paparazzi-pimping, talk-show-appearing life.

 

Personality/Motivation: Getting superpowers was the best thing to ever happen to you. You were always pretty, of course, but now you've got something that demands even more attention. You're a star, girl! It's what you always knew you deserved. The costume they make you wear might not be very flattering, but punching out super-criminals is fun, and not as hard as you were afraid it might be. Sometimes the opposition is tough, and you don't get to look as cool as you'd like... and sometimes working for a faceless government bureau can be a drag... but on the whole, life is good, and you'd like to keep it that way.

 

Sometimes people underestimate your intelligence because of your accent, or boobs, or the way you act, but that's fine; it's their loss, after all. And if sometimes you can get away with a little more because people expect less of you... well, that's fine, too.

 

Quote: "The scientists at work told me my powers are based on, like, gluons or something." *giggle*

 

"Talk to the hand, creep!" *POW!*

 

Powers/Tactics: Valerie has a very flexible set of powers, though they all require her to be in contact with her targets. She can move through objects or let them move through her, adjust her density to float on air, and phase her hands into objects to create handholds which she can use to climb effortlessly. She can increase the density of her skin until she's almost invulnerable, or make her fists heavy enough to punch holes in walls. She can lower the density of objects and people until she can toss them like balloons, or phase them through other objects. She can increase their density until they can hardly move. She can phase her hands through people, which is painful and disorienting to people who can't control their own atomic covalence, and even grab their insides and yank them around, which is lethal enough to make her squeamish about doing it.

 

One limitation is that it's hard for her to both increase and decrease density in the same object at the same time, so she can't, for instance, stick her hand into a safe and grab something in it; she has to return her entire body to normal density before she can interact effectively with solids.

 

She seems to be affected by electricity even when immaterial, though other sorts of energies don't bother her. It's theorized that electrical current somehow interferes with whatever force she is using to affect her own atomic structure.

 

Valerie took kung fu classes as a child and did well; this, combined with her natural athleticism and the additional close combat training she gets from the program, makes her a competent, though not exceptional, hand to hand combatant even without her powers.

 

Valerie is likable and personable, and is smarter than most give her credit for; she has a tendency to take control of social situations. She's also pretty sneaky when she wants to be, and her powers lend themselves towards infiltration and reconaissance.

 

Campaign Use: Valerie is a tough and flexible hero who can take on a number of roles within a team. She can be a brick, a scout, or support by using her powers to weaken enemies and transport or protect teammates.

 

Appearance: Valerie is young, tanned, blonde, and pretty. She knows it, too, and makes sure you don't forget it. Off-duty, she favors outfits that show as much of her golden complexion and toned, slender body as she can get away with. On duty, she has to wear that stupid-looking grey futuristic jumpsuit, but whenever she can she will unzip it to the waist and tie the sleeves around her hips, revealing a selection of t-shirts that are a little too tight and a little too short. Her slightly wavy blonde hair comes down to the bottom of her shoulderblades.

[Grimble]

Re: [Character]: Quantum, the mass-shifting heroine!

 

How about Graviton?

 

Grimble

[Bloodstone]

Re: [Character]: Quantum, the mass-shifting heroine!

 

I can't help but think that the character will quickly earn the nickname Air Head, based on her powers and attitude.

 

That said, what kind of caps (if any) are you working with? She's easily got a 20d6 punch there...

 

Also, buying limited PRE twice here seems like a waste of points.

 

The Martial Arts have a slightly tacked on feel, background wise at least. Spending over 30 pts in Martial Arts and related skills is not a casual investment in my eyes.

[BoneDaddy]

Re: [Character]: Quantum, the mass-shifting heroine!

 

Flash intangibility is nifty, but not expensive or risky enough. Were I the GM I'd require some sort of roll, maybe two. That might also mean that I'd require a held action, which would render the whole thing moot. Still - neat idea that should be fiddled with. As it is it renders her nigh invulnerable, which is a bit much, IMO.

[braincraft]

Re: [Character]: Quantum, the mass-shifting heroine!

 

I can't help but think that the character will quickly earn the nickname Air Head, based on her powers and attitude.

 

That said, what kind of caps (if any) are you working with? She's easily got a 20d6 punch there...

 

Also, buying limited PRE twice here seems like a waste of points.

 

The Martial Arts have a slightly tacked on feel, background wise at least. Spending over 30 pts in Martial Arts and related skills is not a casual investment in my eyes.

 

I wasn't watching the caps. I should probably cut back her molecule punch; I'm thinking of scrapping standard density increase altogether in favor of KB resist with side effects, since I don't envision it as making her stronger (in any case, she already has slots for both damage and lifting strength). As for the two PRE buys, I figured it was only one point over taking those seven points with a single -1/4 disad, and it was a lot easier to word.

 

Originally, her MA was going to be more central to her taste for extreme sporting, but I didn't play that part up as much. I still have this mental image of her kung-fu-ing some robots apart, so I'm loathe to drop it.

 

Flash intangibility is nifty' date=' but not expensive or risky enough. Were I the GM I'd require some sort of roll, maybe two. That might also mean that I'd require a held action, which would render the whole thing moot. Still - neat idea that should be fiddled with. As it is it renders her nigh invulnerable, which is a bit much, IMO.[/quote']

 

I figured that it was balanced by the END cost, and by the fact that she can't combine it with her armor or most of her attack powers (since flash intangibility is a low-density slot and her density increase and molecule punch are high-density slots). I probably don't value straight DCV as a defense as much, since I tend to make more use of AoE and other nonstandard attacks in my builds. I'll think about cutting back on the slot, but since she can just as easily go entirely desolid for the duration of an attack, I don't feel that it's a game-breaker.