(Character) Astounding Girl

[SKJAM!]

I've been reading the TV Tropes.org website, and one of the tropes mentioned inspired me to create this Teen Champions character...

 

Astounding Girl

 

Player: NPC

 

Val Char Cost

30 STR 20

20 DEX 30

15 CON 10

10 BODY 0

10 INT 0

10 EGO 0

15 PRE 5

16 COM 3

 

6 PD 0

6 ED 3

4 SPD 10

9 REC 0

30 END 0

33 STUN 0

 

9" RUN 6

2" SWIM 0

6" LEAP 0

Characteristics Cost: 87

 

Cost Power

5 Can shrug off bullets--usually: Damage Resistance (6 PD/6 ED) (6 Active Points); Activation Roll 15- (-1/4)

30 Eye Lasers: Multipower, 30-point reserve

3u 1) Eye Lasers: Energy Blast 6d6 (30 Active Points)

2u 2) Focus...Focus...: Killing Attack - Ranged 2d6 (30 Active Points); Concentration (1/2 DCV; -1/4)

6 Communications Headset: Radio Perception/Transmission (Radio Group) (10 Active Points); OIF Fragile (small headset; -3/4)

22 Pump it Up: Aid STR 6d6 (60 Active Points); Self Only (-1/2), Costs Endurance (-1/2), Increased Endurance Cost (x2 END; -1/2), Extra Time (Full Phase, Only to Activate, -1/4)

Powers Cost: 68

 

 

Cost Skill

10 +2 with HTH Combat

3 Conversation 12-

2 KS: General Knowledge 11-

2 KS: Fashion 11-

3 KS: Superhumans 12-

2 PS: Student 11-

2 SS: General Science 11-

3 Shadowing 11-

3 Stealth 13-

3 Teamwork 13-

Skills Cost: 33

 

Cost Perk

7 Contact: Gail Forenza (Contact has extremely useful Skills or resources, Good relationship with Contact) 12-

2 Favor

1 Reputation: effective solo heroine (A medium-sized group) 11-, +1/+1d6

2 Fringe Benefit: Membership

Perks Cost: 12

 

 

Total Character Cost: 200

 

Pts. Disadvantage

10 Hunted: Rogues' Gallery (one at a time) 8- (As Pow, Harshly Punish)

15 Physical Limitation: Loses all powers at random intervals (Frequently, Greatly Impairing)

5 Physical Limitation: Trick ankle (Infrequently, Slightly Impairing)

20 Psychological Limitation: Code vs. Killing (Common, Total)

15 Psychological Limitation: Naive (Common, Strong)

15 Social Limitation: Secret Identity (Frequently, Major)

5 Social Limitation: Minor (under 18) (Occasionally, Minor)

15 Unluck: 3d6

Disadvantage Points: 100

Base Points: 100

Experience Required: 0

Total Experience Available: 0

Experience Unspent: 0

 

 

APPEARANCE

Hair Color: Auburn

Eye Color: Hazel

Height: 1.60 m

Weight: 60.00 kg

Description:

Patricia O'Dell is in her late teens, with naturally curly hair down to her shoulders. She likes wearing it loose, but will use various methods to hold it down/back to match a costume look. She's quite pretty, with an open, honest-looking face.

 

Astounding Girl wears a variety of costumes, although all of them have an "AG" logo visible. Most are fitted with heeled shoes, short skirts and/or long capes. She goes for fashionableness rather than practicality, despite some embarrassing moments. She also wears a small radio headset to help her patrol for crime.

 

BACKGROUND

"Are you sure this one will work? The last 'super serum' you whipped up just made me pee green for a week."

 

Patty's friend Gail made a thumbs up gesture. "I guarantee it! I've licked the problem of matching the chemicals to your genetic structure. This time I'm sure it will work properly."

 

Patty crossed her fingers and swallowed the fizzy orange liquid. It burned a bit going down, but the taste wasn't half bad. A few minutes later, she began to feel more energetic, her clothes a bit tighter, and the vial shattered in her hand. She knew they'd have to run tests to see how well the superserum had worked, but Patty was sure it had.

 

Over the next few weeks, Astounding Girl began appearing in public. She saved people from a collapsing bridge, broke up a number of robberies, and even captured a minor super-villain. Patty was pleased by the press coverage in the newspapers and on television, though some of the internet commentary was frightening to a young woman. She even captured a minor supervillain!

 

It was time, she thought, to join a team.

 

PERSONALITY

Astounding Girl is at present a generally happy, friendly girl who really likes being a superhero. She usually thinks the best of people, and has a fairly black and white view of morality. When she's hurt or knocked down, she likes to get right back up and try again.

 

Her best friend is Gail, a teenaged mad scientist who specializes in biochemistry.

 

QUOTE

"No, I'm okay, really! Just took me by surprise."

 

POWERS/TACTICS

Astounding Girl is much stronger than a normal girl of her size and fitness level, and can pump herself up to even higher levels of strength, but this quickly tires her. She's also fairly durable, and can shoot "laser beams" from her eyes. With concentration, Astounding Girl can use these beams as a cutting tool. She's had a little combat training. Due to the superserum being not quite perfected, her powers sometimes cut out at odd moments.

 

Astounding Girl tends to use frontal charge a lot, only switching to more subtle tactics if stomped right off. She's pretty good at coordinating attacks with allies if reminded that she should.

 

CAMPAIGN USE

Astounding Girl is designed to fit the "Faux Action Girl" trope listed on TVtropes.org. On paper, she looks competent/powerful enough to hang with the boys, and has a good reputation. But in the series she appears in, she never is allowed to show this potential. If she need to be more powerful to match the player characters, add more active points to all her powers. She should not need to be weakened in power because of her little problems mentioned below.

 

Astounding Girl should be introduced in the campaign a few weeks before her actual appearance. Press reports are glowing, and video clips show her being very competent. If the player characters have less stellar press, they might even be a bit jealous.

 

Then she shows up either asking to join the team, or assigned to it by the adult mentors depending on how the group is set up. As Patty's a sweet, personable girl, and shows her stuff well during training sessions, all should be well.

 

But then the team gets into actual combat. And Astounding Girl twists her ankle. Or her cape catches on something. Or she falls for a villain's trick. Or she gets kidnapped. Or her powers suddenly turn off at a crucial moment. Basically, Astounding Girl is either useless in any real fight, or at best gets an "assist" position to another character's win. The GM should try to vary the circumstances each time so it's not quite so obvious, but over the course of the subplot, it should occur to the player characters that there's something wrong here.

 

This could go in several different directions, depending on the player group and the GM's intentions. The team could try to find out why this is happening and how to fix it; they could turn on Astounding Girl; she could make the decision to quit on her own (and then suddenly she's competent again...weird).

 

 

 

Comments, questions?

SKJAM!

[OddHat]

Re: (Character) Astounding Girl

 

I like the character, and the campaign use.

 

She's an NPC, so the build is less important. Still, some feedback:

 

1) Her PD, Con, BOD and Dex make for a defense that may in play make for a very short career against even normal street thugs. I do like the idea of an NPC that looks competent but is actually a hostage waiting to happen; still, I'd probably give her some regen or Luck at the least to keep her viable a bit longer. Getting her knocked out when the team was thinking of her as a pocket Supergirl is fun; getting her killed would disturb my players.

 

2) She ends up paying 22 points for a STR Aid that's only going to on average give her +21 STR, maxed out at +36, and at a high END cost to boot. +36 STR, NFC, 2xEND Cost would only cost 18 points. You could throw on the extra phase if you wanted to make using it a bit harder, in keeping with the "She's not as good as her rep" theme. Personal Aid is a pretty gimped build in 5th unless you layer on the advantages.

 

3) You used the 'She even captured a Supervillain" line twice in her background; you may want to cut one use.

 

Again, great idea and character, thanks for posting it.

[Clonus]

Re: (Character) Astounding Girl

 

If you want her to get captured a lot, you should give her Wonder Woman's old weakness.

[SKJAM!]

Re: (Character) Astounding Girl

 

"If any man sets foot on Paradise Island, all Amazons will lose their powers permanently"?

 

I think I know what you mean--for another spin on Astounding Girl, you can make her a martial artist whose MA "doesn't work when grabbed by the wrist."

[assault]

Re: (Character) Astounding Girl

 

Interesting concept.

 

Using it in a game might get you into trouble.

[SKJAM!]

Re: (Character) Astounding Girl

 

Yes, the GM is going to have to be careful and do the balancing act just right--and have the explanation for the trope handy if confronted.