[Character writeup] Zl'f (revised)

[Trebuchet]

Elena Yurievna Alekeyeva, a.k.a. Zl'f

 

Elena Yurievna Alekseyeva was born in Leningrad (Petrograd) on March 17, 1983. Her father, Yurii Alekseyev, (b. 1920) was a Marshal in the Soviet (and then Russian) Army. Marshal Alekseyev was an armor veteran of the Great Patriotic War, or World War Two as it is called in the decadent West, and as a young captain was awarded Russia's highest decoration for courage under fire, Hero of the Soviet Union. He was heavily involved in the Soviet nuclear weapons programs in the 1950s and 60s. Elena's mother, Karina, was 30 years his junior and a lead dancer with the great Kirov Ballet company in St. Petersburg. As the child of an important Marshal and a famous dancer, Elena grew up in the privileged atmosphere of the Soviet elite. Although she had no siblings, Elena grew up as an active and happy child and was doted upon by both of her parents. While her father was often away due to his military responsibilities, he made certain she and her mother wanted for nothing, and showered her with affection when he was home. Elena early demonstrated a talent for gymnastics and acrobatics. Hoping they had an Olga Korbut in the family her proud parents sent her off to the national gymnastics academy at Ozero Krugloye (Round Lake) outside Moscow in 1989 at the age of six. She trained at this school ten months a year for nearly ten years, preparing for the Olympics. In the 1996 Summer Olympics Elena won two Bronze medals in women's gymnastics (Uneven bars & balance beam). Tragically her mother was unable to share in her victory. In early 1994 Karina Alekseyeva was diagnosed with advanced ovarian cancer; two months later she passed away at age 34. Summoned hurriedly from her training camp, Elena was at her mother's bedside when she died. Yurii Alekseyev was devastated by the death of his beloved wife, and he withdrew even from his only child. Lacking the affection she so desperately craved, Elena fiercely concentrated on her gymnastics to the exclusion of all else.

 

In the fall of 1998 Elena began to develop metahuman abilities in the areas of strength, speed and dexterity. At first the manifestations were so subtle she was uncertain just what to make of them, and she carefully concealed these newfound abilities. Elena gleefully began secret experiments to explore the extent of her increasing powers. She soon realized that her strength, reflexes and coordination had so vastly surpassed even that of her fellow Olympic level athletes that further competition was meaningless. She continued to train secretly late at night, competing only with herself. She totally mastered not only the women's gymnastic routines, but the more physically demanding men's as well. As careful as Elena was to hide her enhanced capabilities it did not entirely escape the attention of her peers that she had gone almost overnight from being simply one of many good gymnasts to indisputably the best. Furthermore she was the only gymnast in the school to suffer no injuries during the intense training, which in itself was very unusual. In any case, like most secrets Elena's was eventually discovered. In late September 1999, while working out on the uneven bars one night at 2 AM, a classmate sneaking back from a late date accidentally saw Elena. The girl hurriedly summoned an instructor and the two watched in amazement as Elena leapt and whirled around the bars so rapidly she was only barely visible, executing with ease maneuvers that shouldn't even be humanly possible. The instructor then notified the authorities.

 

State Security immediately contacted Elena and demanded that she come work for them as an agent, joining a "special team for missions of grave importance to state security". Her incredible abilities, they said, were far too important to be used only for sport or pleasure, and they insisted that she work for the "good of her country." Elena flatly refused; she wanted to be an Olympic gymnast, not a super-soldier for State Security. Although he had proudly served his country in uniform for almost 60 years, Elena's father only wanted her to do what she truly wanted. He adored the girl who now reminded him so painfully of his dead wife, and he was unwilling to allow her to be pushed into something she seemed so adamantly opposed to doing. While State Security had a lot of clout, Marshal Alekseyev was not without authority and powerful friends of his own. He said Nyet, and due to his rank, influence, and new limitations on the authority of the state Elena was finally allowed to leave. State Security then began a carefully orchestrated program designed to coerce Elena into accepting their "proposal". She was expelled from her gymnastics school, supposedly for taking performance-enhancing drugs. Friends and even relatives began avoiding Elena as State Security officers questioned them about her. Marshal Alekseyev was given a remote command in Siberia, in effect a demotion for such a senior officer. In February 2000 Marshal Alekseyev's plane crashed in remote Siberia while enroute from Kamchatka to Moscow, and all occupants were presumed dead in the fiery crash and -40° Celsius temperatures. Elena was staying with her mother's sister Marina in Moscow when a close friend of her father phoned with the news of his death, and she immediately realized that without her father's protection she would be unable to continue opposing the government. In the middle of a bitterly cold Russian winter she fled north on foot 1000 kilometers to Finland with the Russian army and State Security in hot pursuit. She managed to successfully evade the army and then asked the Finnish government for political asylum. She planned to simply stay with other Russian émigrés in Helsinki, but the Russian government easily tracked her down and sent three "special" Spetznaz agents to retrieve Elena by force on trumped up murder charges. The elite Russian team, not really expecting any trouble handling a mere sixteen-year-old girl, was humiliated when Elena desperately used her superhuman powers to best them in a pitched night battle on the streets of Helsinki and departed after taking their commander to the hospital for injuries received at her hands.

 

After wandering aimlessly through Scandinavia for a few weeks, Elena finally heard of an international organization, the Europa 2000 Foundation, which was headquartered in Norway and dedicated to fighting corruption and improving the human condition around the world. She traveled to Oslo and demonstrated her abilities to the new Director, Dr. Eric Thorssen, and asked for his assistance. Unbeknownst to Elena, Dr. Thorssen himself was already secretly operating as a superhero, Cyberknight, in advanced powered armor of his own design. With her unexpected arrival he suddenly had the core of a superhero team to supplement the teams of agents the organization already employed. In exchange for a new alias as Pavla Sergetov, Elena agreed to work for Europa 2000 for a minimum of two years. She took the code name Flash Dancer, developed a costume of sorts, and thus became one of the founding members of MidGuard, as they called their new team. At this time she is the nominal team leader of MidGuard, although she regards herself as more of a spokeswoman. Europa 2000 provided her with real training in martial arts, as well as helping her refine her other abilities. She works at Europa 2000 for a cover identity, originally as an intern, now as an executive assistant for Dr. Thorssen. In mid-2002 Elena decided to change her super heroine name and costume and assumed a new nom de guerre: Zl'f, the Russian word for 'pixie' or 'sprite'. Most of the team pronounces it "Sylph," which is fine with Elena. She designed a new costume, which consists of a woven sleeveless cotton dress with a short pleated skirt belted over an off-the-shoulder white spandex bodysuit. In March of 2003, after being accidentally kidnapped by a white slavery ring in St. Petersburg which led to an altercation with both Russian police and government metahumans, Elena was finally able to convince the authorities in Moscow that she was innocent of the murder of her father by the simple expedient of producing her still-living father. The Russian government promptly dropped all charges against Elena and shortly thereafter offered issued a formal public apology. As Zl'f, Elena makes no secret of her true identity, whereas her 'Pavla Sergetov' identity is carefully kept hidden (In a May 2003 London press conference, Zl'f publicly announced that she is Elena Alekseyeva).

 

Elena's fighting style is an acrobatic whirlwind of leaps, cartwheels, tumbles, somersaults, back flips, bounces, spinning kicks, high speed precision strikes, shoves, and leg sweeps. It is her very own eclectic blend of fighting moves and gymnastics, performed in three dimensions and at a pace that leaves most black belts awestruck. She continues to develop her routine, borrowing moves from her teammate Cloud Dragon and other martial arts experts, but her style is uniquely her own. While her techniques are perhaps not tremendously exotic, she executes them with such speed, precision and power that she is unquestionably one of the best hand-to-hand fighters in the world. She practices her martial arts/gymnastics routines for at least 60 minutes each day in the fully equipped gymnasium on the Europa 2000 campus, and regularly spars both with her teammates and security personnel.

 

Elena's musculature is unusually dense; she weighs approximately 20% more than a typical woman of her size and build. It is also highly efficient, she can lift 200 kg, or more than four times her own weight. Her skeletal structure has also been strengthened at the cellular level, making it 20% heavier and more than 300% stronger than typical human bone. Her cartilage and ligaments are also exceptionally strong and resilient. She is able to run at a maximum speed of 324 kph for a brief period and at over 160 kph nearly all day, and she can swim at speeds of almost 86 kph (46 knots). From a standing start she can jump six meters straight up and twelve meters horizontally, and with a running start she can leap horizontally over fifty meters. She heals cuts, broken bones and other serious injuries over 25 times faster than normal. Her heart is larger than normal and pumps more efficiently. Her red blood cells carry oxygen more than seven times more efficiently than human norms. Her lungs extract oxygen at almost 96% efficiency, which under ideal conditions enables her to hold her breathe for over twelve minutes, although exertion obviously reduces this time. She can free dive down to approximately 120 meters. She is immune to the effects of cold temperatures down to approximately -60° Celsius (-76° F); this appears to be the result of not only her increased metabolism but modifications to her blood plasma as well, which is seemingly endowed with a natural anti-freeze, perhaps to carry oxygen more efficiently or to improve thermal regulation in general. While she is able to operate in high ambient temperatures (50°C+), her performance begins to notably degrade much above this level as does all humans. Her normal body temperature is 39°C, and goes slightly higher during periods of intense activity. She also requires only about two hours of sleep per day since her system so efficiently cleans out fatigue poisons. Because of her enhanced metabolism her hair and nails grow over 1 cm per day and require constant trimming. She normally keeps her nails about 1 cm long.

 

Her reflexes and coordination are approximately 100 times superior to human norms. An Olympic-class athlete even before she acquired her powers, Elena is now unquestionably the most agile human who has ever lived. Her sense of balance is phenomenal, she is capable of running swiftly along a tightrope, leaping five meters straight into the air, executing a triple gainer with a twist, and landing back on the rope running in the opposite direction. Her nervous system transmits data so quickly she can literally see bullets in flight, enabling her to dodge almost any form of attack. In fact she is actually capable of catching or even re-directing bullets, although she will generally simply avoid them. Indeed, normal people and even most metahumans appear to her as if they are moving in slow motion. The performance limiter on her reflexes seems to be more that of how fast her enhanced muscles can move and how rapidly her mind can absorb data rather than the actual speed of her nerve impulses. Even if an attack strikes her, if she is expecting it she is often able to considerably reduce its effects by twisting rapidly away from the impact. In addition, her body generates a standing wave that protects her to a limited extent at all times from minor injuries unless she consciously turns it off. While her metahuman physiology is naturally at enhanced speed, Elena has learned to partially “dial down” her metabolism to something approximating human norms. It requires conscious effort and a second or two to switch from slower to faster or vice versa. While there is theoretically nothing to prevent her from operating at maximum speed all the time, she generally "relaxes" and slows down her metabolism to near human norms; even the most interesting activities can eventually become dull in slow motion and it is nearly impossible to pass as a normal human at her enhanced speed. She is capable of moving her limbs at supersonic velocities; a tactic she often uses against heavily armored opponents is to strike them a supersonic blow with the heel of her hand or foot which transmits the shock energy through the armor to effect the wearer. Since it requires actual contact with the armor, this ability does not work if the intended target is protected by a force field. In addition she can throw small objects at high velocity, which allows her a ranged attack against opponents she cannot attack hand-to-hand. A recently discovered problem is that any insubstantial (desolidified) object that passes through her body (or vice versa) causes her tremendous pain; Europa 2000 Foundation physicians conjecture that her enhanced nervous system is somehow overloaded when this occurs although the exact cause of this phenomenon is as yet unclear.

 

Elena's visual acuity is phenomenal; her eyesight has been tested as 20/3. However beginning in 1999 she gradually began to lose her ability to see normal colored light until by early 2000 she was totally colorblind in the normal light spectrum. Her eyes now see only in the ultraviolet range so the only colors she can perceive are fluorescents and ultraviolet light; she can now admire the ultraviolet markings on flowers. This at least affords her the partial compensation of excellent night vision since UV light is present even at night and through clouds. Her hearing has also been similarly affected, she can now hear sounds well into the ultrasonic range such as bat sonar and dog whistles but she has trouble hearing low frequency sounds such as locomotives. Her hearing range is 500 to 45000 Hz, whereas normal human range is about 20 to ~20000 Hz.

 

Thorough and continuing tests by physicians and scientists of the Europa 2000 Foundation have catalogued extensive modifications on the cellular and even molecular level to Elena's physique. Even her DNA has been altered; many of the scientists suspect her modifications will be inherited by any children she may have. However the physiologists at Europa 2000 have also concluded that she seems to be aging more slowly than is normal, although the effects are difficult to quantify precisely. They are thus uncertain whether this will extend her lifespan; eventually allow her to achieve her full physical maturity, or even to successfully bear children at all. (In 2006, Elena was unknowingly rendered sterile by an alien biotoxin which killed all her viable ova.) Of all the myriad changes to her body this one is the most distressing to Elena. The pea-sized crystalline "organ" in her brain that apparently orchestrated her modifications (as well as similar devices in other metahumans) has greatly reduced its level of activity in recent months. Whether this means that alterations to her body are complete or simply that it is preparing for further activity in the future they can only conjectured. While Europa 2000 scientists have concluded that the device is probably some type of advanced computer vastly beyond current human technology and possibly even of alien origin, a small but vocal minority believe them to be biological in nature, perhaps even an alien life form.

 

Elena now lives in Oslo with the Europa 2000 Foundation's business manager Gyda Gräfeldr, Gyda's husband Hrolf, and their two children, Inge and Eirik. The Gräfeldrs have become Elena's surrogate family. Dr. Hrolf Gräfeldr is a Professor of Medieval History at the University of Oslo and a world-renowned expert on the Vikings. Inge is Elena's age and the two girls share a room. They have become best friends, something Elena had sorely lacked in her earlier years at the gymnastics school. Inge is an expert skier and a member of the Norwegian Olympic Ski Team. Eirik is a high school student; he has also developed a crush on Elena. Only Inge knows Elena's real identity and full abilities, the other Gräfeldrs know her only as Pavla Sergetov and believe her to be several years younger than she really is (Due to his constant spying and unbeknownst to her, Eirik has also become aware of her metahuman abilities and activities as Zl'f). Elena still has relatives in Moscow and St. Petersburg and periodically sneaks into Russia to visit them. Elena also attends the University of Oslo part-time, mostly by online courses, with an eye towards eventually getting a degree in business administration.

 

Elena is friendly, effervescent, and slightly naive. She makes friends easily and is quite popular both at work and school; she is one of those people that everyone likes. She has an innocent way about her that most people find very appealing. She is never too busy to help out a friend, and always has a warm smile and a kind word for everyone. She is a devout Russian Orthodox Church member and attends mass regularly whenever possible. Although she is proud of her Russian heritage, due to her negative experiences with the Russian government she is somewhat mistrustful of governments in general even though she has finally been cleared of the phony murder charges against her. Her pride is perhaps her greatest shortcoming; Elena detests being discounted because of her beauty, diminutive size, or apparent youth. Her years of strict training, (perceived) loss of both parents, and self-imposed exile have given her great strength of character. (In 2001 MidGuard discovered Yurii Alekseyev alive in a secret Russian facility near Novgorod, apparently a prisoner. They rescued him and he now lives in a small apartment on the Europa 2000 campus. Due to injuries received in the crash of his plane when it was shot down he is now confined to a wheelchair; and Elena visits him as often as he'll permit.) She loves animals, and often visits Ian McTavish, the Europa 2000 groundskeeper (Actually a former SAS Sergeant Major and the real head of Europa 2000 security) to play with his attack-trained mastiffs. Elena has no idea how dangerous they actually are, although each dog outmasses her by a factor of two she is the only person besides McTavish that can handle them. Her very innocence is her defense. Elena's hobbies include riding her Appaloosa stallion Comanche, downhill skiing (particularly hot-dogging), chess, and reading classic American novels, Ernest Hemingway and Mark Twain being her favorite authors. She also loves to swim, often diving into the chilly waters of the fjord 35 meters below the mansion. She also enjoys watching dramatic films; particularly ones which feature horses (Flicka, Seabiscuit, and Hidalgo are some of her favorites). She has learned to expertly pilot small aircraft, minisubs, and MidGuard’s starship Mjölnir. She enjoys flying enough she recently acquired a private pilot's license. She speaks Russian and Norwegian idiomatically, can get by in Danish and Swedish (although she speaks both with a Norwegian accent), and English fluently.

 

Physically, Elena is 145 cm tall (Shorter than an average 12 year old girl) and weighs 46 kg; most people would describe her as petite or elfin. She has a trim and obviously athletic figure with the broad shoulders and sleek musculature characteristic of world-class gymnasts; and moves with a lissome grace which must be seen to be fully appreciated. Elena has the full lips, triangular face and high cheekbones common to many ethnic Russians. She has dark gray eyes and a fair and flawless complexion with a few light freckles; she sunburns very easily. Although when she was competing she cut her thick blond hair very short, it is now a full meter long and hangs to mid-thigh. In normal guise she generally wears her hair coiled up or in a French braid; as Zl'f she binds it in a ponytail. Physically Elena still appears to be about fourteen years old, a fact which increasingly bothers her now that she is an adult. She assumes, correctly, that this lack of physical maturity has something to do with her metahuman abilities. Even so Elena is still stunningly beautiful even if she does appear to be what is commonly referred to as jailbait. She generally wears earth tones such as grays and tans, partially due to her colorblindness, but also as part of her disguise since the very public Elena Alekseyeva always preferred bright colors. At work, Elena dresses in severe jacket and skirt outfits with her hair coiled up, high heels and blue tinted glasses in a largely fruitless attempt to look older than sixteen. Relaxing at home or with her friends she prefers sweaters or peasant blouses and blue jeans or long flowing skirts, boots and also always wears tinted glasses. When horseback riding she wears American-style Western clothing, including boots and a cowboy hat. She wears no jewelry except a delicate gold chain with a small antique Russian Orthodox cross, a legacy from her mother.

 

 

[Trebuchet]

Re: [Character writeup] Zl'f (revised)

 

ZL'F

 

Player: Trebuchet

 

Val Char Cost

15 STR 5

43 DEX 39

18 CON 16

12 BODY 4

13 INT 3

15 EGO 10

15 PRE 5

20 COM 5

 

12 PD 3

12 ED 2

9 SPD 7

12 REC 10

36 END 0

29 STUN 0

 

30" RUN 0

8" SWIM 0

12" LEAP 0

Characteristics Cost: 109

 

Cost Power

27 Enhanced Reflexes: Multipower, 40-point reserve, all slots OIHID (-1/4), Affected by SPD or DEX Drains (-1/4)

2u 1) Superspeed Strikes: Hand-To-Hand Attack +4d6, Variable Advantage (+1/2 Advantages; +1) (40 Active Points); Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/2), OIHID (-1/4), Affected by SPD or DEX Drains (-1/4) [Notes: Does NOT add to martial maneuvers]

1u 2) Catching Bullets: Missile Reflection (Bullets & Shrapnel) (35 Active Points); Restrainable (-1/2), Will Not Work Against Heavy Missiles (-1/4), OIHID (-1/4), Affected by SPD or DEX Drains (-1/4)

1u 3) Blink of an Eye: Teleportation 11", No Relative Velocity, Position Shift (37 Active Points); Restrainable (-1/2), Must Pass Through Intervening Space (-1/4), No Noncombat Movement (-1/4), OIHID (-1/4), Affected by SPD or DEX Drains (-1/4)

1u 4) Superhuman Legs: Leaping +9" (12" forward, 6" upward) (Accurate), (0 END; +1/2) (22 Active Points); OIHID (-1/4), Affected by SPD or DEX Drains (-1/4)

2u 5) Superhuman Legs: Running +10" (30" total), (0 END; +1/2) (36 Active Points); OIHID (-1/4), Affected by SPD or DEX Drains (-1/4)

1u 6) Superhuman Musculature: Swimming +6" (8" total), Combat Acceleration/Deceleration (+1/4), Rapid Noncombat Movement (+1/4), (0 END; +1/2), Noncombat Acceleration/Deceleration (+1) (18 Active Points); OIHID (-1/4), Affected by SPD or DEX Drains (-1/4)

 

40 Phenomenal Coordination: +20 DEX; OIHID (-1/4), Affected by SPD or DEX Drains (-1/4)

20 Amazing Speed: +3 SPD; OIHID (-1/4), Affected by SPD or DEX Drains (-1/4)

23 Superfast Muscles: Running +14" (30" total), (1/2 END; +1/4); OIHID (-1/4), Affected by SPD or DEX Drains (-1/4)

2 Vibrational Field: Damage Resistance (2 PD/2 ED)

11 Phenomenal Eyesight: +4 PER with Sight Group and Rapid (x10): +1

5 Ultraviolet Vision: Ultraviolet Perception (Sight Group)

1 Ultrasonic Hearing: Ultrasonic Perception (Hearing Group) (3 Active Points); High Frequencies Only (-1)

9 Super-Efficient Metabolism: Life Support (Extended Breathing 1 END per Turn; Longevity Immortal; Reduced Sleep Only needs 2 hours/night; Safe in Extreme Cold)

5 Enhanced Metabolism: Healing 1 BODY, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Persistent (+1/2); Extra Time (Regeneration-Only) 1 Hour (-2 1/4), Self Only (-1/2)

 

7 Hypercom: Mind Link , Only w/MidGuard & Mjölnir, No LOS Needed, Number of Minds (x8) (35 Active Points); (Verbal Communication Only; -1), Only Mjölnir or MidGuard (-1), OIF Fragile (-3/4), Does not provide Link for mental attacks (-1/2), Does Not Provide Mental Awareness (-1/4), Restrainable (Only by means other than Grabs and Entangles; -1/4)

Powers Cost: 158

 

Cost Martial Arts Maneuver

5 Sacrifice Strike: 1/2 Phase, +1 OCV, -2 DCV, 10d6 Strike

4 Martial Strike: 1/2 Phase, +0 OCV, +2 DCV, 8d6 Strike

4 Nerve Strike: 1/2 Phase, -1 OCV, +1 DCV, 3 1/2d6 NND

3 Martial Grab: 1/2 Phase, -1 OCV, -1 DCV, Grab Two Limbs, 40 STR for holding on

4 Shove: 1/2 Phase, +0 OCV, +0 DCV, 45 STR to Shove

3 Legsweep/Wrist Throw: 1/2 Phase, +2 OCV, -1 DCV, 7d6 Strike, Target Falls

3 Martial Throw: 1/2 Phase, +0 OCV, +1 DCV, 6d6 +v/5, Target Falls

4 Martial Block: 1/2 Phase, +2 OCV, +2 DCV, Block, Abort

4 Martial Dodge: 1/2 Phase, -- OCV, +5 DCV, Dodge, Affects All Attacks, Abort

5 Flying Dodge: 1/2 Phase, -- OCV, +4 DCV, Dodge All Attacks, Abort; FMove

4 Martial Escape: 1/2 Phase, +0 OCV, +0 DCV, 45 STR vs. Grabs

4 Weapon Element: Blades, Chain & Rope Weapons, Empty Hand, Staffs, Sticks

12 +3 Hand to Hand Damage Classes

Martial Arts Cost: 59

 

Cost Skill

11 Acrobatics 22-

3 Breakfall 18-

3 Contortionist 18-

3 Dexterity Tricks 18-

5 Rapid Attack (HTH)

3 Stealth 18-

3 Teamwork 18-

3 WF: Blades, Chain & Rope Weapons, Empty Hand, Fist-Loads, Staffs, Sticks

 

3 PS: Executive Assistant 12-

3 Bureaucratics 12-

2 Computer Programming (Personal Computers) 12-

3 High Society 12-

 

0 Language: Russian (Native)

3 Language: English (Completely Fluent, w/Accent)

4 Language: Norwegian (Idiomatic)

0 Language: Danish (Fluent conversation)

0 Language: Swedish (Fluent conversation)

 

3 Riding (Horses) 18-

2 Animal Handler (Equines) 12-

3 Combat Piloting 18-

3 Combat Driving: Snow Skis 18-

3 TF: Automobiles, Equines, Miniature Submarines, Mjölnir & Small Spacecraft, Skiing (snow), Small Aircraft, Snowboarding

0 KS: Chess (Everyman) 11-

0 PS: Gymnastics (Everyman) 11-

0 AK: Russia (Everyman) 8-

 

20 +2 Overall

Skills Cost: 86

 

Cost Perk

2 Alternate Identity: Pavla Sergetov

2 Contact: Colonel Kershenko, Russian superagent (Contact has significant Contacts of his own, Contact has useful Skills or resources, Contact limited by identity) 8-

1 Fringe Benefit: Licensed Pilot

Perks Cost: 5

 

Cost Talent

12 Combat Luck (6 PD/6 ED)

3 Supreme Balance (Narrow Surfaces)

Talents Cost: 15

 

Total Character Cost: 432

 

Pts. Disadvantage

15 Social Limitation: Secret ID: Pavla Sergetov Frequently (11-), Major

10 Social Limitation: Small, looks like and often taken for a minor Frequently (11-), Minor

15 DNPC: Gräfeldr Family (Hrolf, Gyda, Inge, Eirik) 8- (Infrequently), Normal, Useful noncombat position or skills, Group DNPC (x4 DNPCs)

10 Physical Limitation: Small and light: (4'9" tall, 101 lbs., +3" KB) (Infrequently, Greatly Impairing)

10 Physical Limitation: Colorblind (Sees only UV color): Infrequently, Greatly Impairing

25 Susceptibility: Desolidified Objects 2d6 damage per Segment Uncommon

15 Hunted: Radical Russian Nationalists: 8- (Occasionally), As Powerful, NCI, Harshly Punish

20 Psychological Limitation: Code vs. Killing Common, Total

15 Psychological Limitation: Overconfident Common, Strong

15 Psychological Limitation: Protect Innocents Common, Strong

 

Disadvantage Points: 150

Base Points: 200

Experience Required: 82

Total Experience Available: 87

Experience Unspent: 5

 

Hero Designer v3 file below:

[Psylint]

Re: [Character writeup] Zl'f (revised)

 

Love the back story. Kinda wonder how you're gonna beat that brick from the other thread, unless your GM allows you to sweep and or rapid fire with martial art NND attacks, but as to the build....

 

 

Little confused about the "subject to speed or dex drains" which recurs frequently throughout.

 

Does it mean that if you were subject to a speed or dex drain, that all of the powers so limited would be affected simultaneously, even if the drain itself were not purchased with that advantage?

 

And if not, what's the limitation? I've seen some weird stuff, but I'm not sure how often someone will purchase a drain H+H attack with an sfx as a speed or dex drain. Or even if they did, that it would trigger the limitation. Not judging, just confused.

 

Philosophically, I have a problem with OIHD limitations in general; how often does it come up? But that's neither here nor there.

 

On the susceptibility, i'm assuming it's a stun & body susc. I'd be careful of the "ghost" characters that sweep punch, 'cause that could kill you outright pretty quickly, without any recourse.

 

 

Overall seems to be an effective, well rounded character with several "playable" combat and noncombat "flaws": aoe, apparent minor status, knockback, grabs, entangles [[may be projecting, but my .. former.. GM wouldn't allow martial arts maneuvers against entangles, even escape.]], lack of burst damage ((outside of sweep/rapid fire)), and a plethora of occupational and social campaign hooks. I'm a little surprised not to see some form of Presence Defense. Most gymnasts I have known are pretty freaking fearless, and besides Zl'f will be up close and personal with the scary and violently misbehaving.

 

 

Cheers

[ghost-angel]

Re: [Character writeup] Zl'f (revised)

 

Little confused about the "subject to speed or dex drains" which recurs frequently throughout.

 

Does it mean that if you were subject to a speed or dex drain, that all of the powers so limited would be affected simultaneously, even if the drain itself were not purchased with that advantage?

 

That's exactly what it means. If her DEX or SPD Characteristic are subject to a drain then these Powers automatically drain by the same amount.

 

As for the OIHID, it represents two distinctly different physical states - one Powered, one Not Powered.

 

Frequency is Game is dependent on how much of the story takes place in and out of Secret ID. It's been stated by at least 1 GM it works in the game she's in.

[ghost-angel]

Re: [Character writeup] Zl'f (revised)

 

Hmm.. I would have expected some kind of Limitation (possibly a second Secret ID) to represent her former life as Elena.

[Trebuchet]

Re: [Character writeup] Zl'f (revised)

 

Love the back story. Kinda wonder how you're gonna beat that brick from the other thread' date=' unless your GM allows you to sweep and or rapid fire with martial art NND attacks, but as to the build....[/quote']We'll just have to wing it and see what happens.

 

 

Little confused about the "subject to speed or dex drains" which recurs frequently throughout.

 

Does it mean that if you were subject to a speed or dex drain, that all of the powers so limited would be affected simultaneously, even if the drain itself were not purchased with that advantage?

 

And if not, what's the limitation? I've seen some weird stuff, but I'm not sure how often someone will purchase a drain H+H attack with an sfx as a speed or dex drain. Or even if they did, that it would trigger the limitation. Not judging, just confused.

It means that either a DEX Drain/Suppress/Transfer or a SPD Drain/Suppress/Transfer will proportionately affect all Powers with that Limitation. IOW, if Zl'f gets hit with a DEX Drain she loses proportionate SPD, Running, Leaping, dice from her HA, etc.

 

Philosophically, I have a problem with OIHID limitations in general; how often does it come up? But that's neither here nor there.

She spends most of her time in normal ID, so it's applicable. It works within the context of our campaign; it might not in some others. (I've seen OIHID-built characters that only get out of Hero ID when they're safely within their impregnable Fortress of Security.)

 

On the susceptibility, i'm assuming it's a stun & body susc. I'd be careful of the "ghost" characters that sweep punch, 'cause that could kill you outright pretty quickly, without any recourse.

Correct. As per the rules, the Susceptibility first does Stun; once she's unconscious it turns to doing BODY damage. In essence it gives any Desolidified HtH character "Affects Real World" against Zl'f. OTOH, with her DCV Zl'f is pretty darn hard to Sweep.

 

Overall seems to be an effective, well rounded character with several "playable" combat and noncombat "flaws": aoe, apparent minor status, knockback, grabs, entangles [[may be projecting, but my .. former.. GM wouldn't allow martial arts maneuvers against entangles, even escape.]], lack of burst damage ((outside of sweep/rapid fire)), and a plethora of occupational and social campaign hooks. I'm a little surprised not to see some form of Presence Defense. Most gymnasts I have known are pretty freaking fearless, and besides Zl'f will be up close and personal with the scary and violently misbehaving.

Well, you have to hit her with the Entangle first. In our campaign Martial Escape vs Entangle is sfx based. It will probably work against some, it probably won't versus others. (Glue sucks!)

 

Her PRE is about average for our team as we don't use a lot of PRE attacks in our game. Since she started with an 8 PRE, she's actually upgraded considerably. I may buy it up to 18 or 20 eventually, but that's mostly because I'm planning on buying her some more PRE-based Skills such as Acting.

 

In HtH, Zl'f herself is often rather scary and violently misbehaving. So it works out.

[Trebuchet]

Re: [Character writeup] Zl'f (revised)

 

Hmm.. I would have expected some kind of Limitation (possibly a second Secret ID) to represent her former life as Elena.

I'm not certain what you mean here? She's already bought Alternate Identity under Perks. That she's also Elena Alekseyeva has been public knowledge since 2003.

[Hugh Neilson]

Re: [Character writeup] Zl'f (revised)

 

Treb, have you considered adding a FAQ to these threads? Seems every one gets the same OIHID and Proportionate Drain questions.

[Cardinal]

Re: [Character writeup] Zl'f (revised)

 

Treb -

 

As always, it is great to see Zl'f. It is clear that you love the character and have put an extreme amount of care into fleshing her out as more than a 43 Dex and a bundle of points.

 

I would love to hear how the build has evolved over time. My recollection was that you used to have more offensive slots in her MP. My memory was that she started in a 350 pt campaign, so I assume with 80 odd pts of xp she has definitely changed.

 

How do you anticipate the build changing in the future? For example, I was a little surprised that she did not have Defense Maneuver. It seems like it would fit perfectly with her incredible speed and role as an agent buster par excellence.

 

Great work. I look forward to seeing more of her in the future.

[ghost-angel]

Re: [Character writeup] Zl'f (revised)

 

I'm not certain what you mean here? She's already bought Alternate Identity under Perks. That she's also Elena Alekseyeva has been public knowledge since 2003.

 

I was under the impression the Elena ID was buried and effectively never used - since it's a liability. But rereading I'm not sure where that impression came from.

[Trebuchet]

Re: [Character writeup] Zl'f (revised)

 

Treb' date=' have you considered adding a FAQ to these threads? Seems every one gets the same OIHID and Proportionate Drain questions.[/quote']No, but Lord only knows why that hadn't occurred to me before you suggested it.

[Trebuchet]

Re: [Character writeup] Zl'f (revised)

 

I was under the impression the Elena ID was buried and effectively never used - since it's a liability. But rereading I'm not sure where that impression came from.

It's her public face at this point; but essentially never used any more - in public she goes by Zl'f in Hero ID and by Pavla Sergetov in civilian ID. At some point I probably ought to have her discard the old name and adopt another Alternate Identity.

[Trebuchet]

Re: [Character writeup] Zl'f (revised)

 

Treb -

 

As always, it is great to see Zl'f. It is clear that you love the character and have put an extreme amount of care into fleshing her out as more than a 43 Dex and a bundle of points.

 

I would love to hear how the build has evolved over time. My recollection was that you used to have more offensive slots in her MP. My memory was that she started in a 350 pt campaign, so I assume with 80 odd pts of xp she has definitely changed.

 

How do you anticipate the build changing in the future? For example, I was a little surprised that she did not have Defense Maneuver. It seems like it would fit perfectly with her incredible speed and role as an agent buster par excellence.

 

Great work. I look forward to seeing more of her in the future.

Thank you.

 

She's certainly evolved with the XP, but I've worked hard to keep her core concept intact. More Skills and a much wider array of martial maneuvers are the primary changes. The only Characteristics she's raised since her 5th Edition rebuild have been PRE and EGO. She does the same amount of damage and has the same amount of defenses. (The 4th edition build was actually more capable in combat - 1d6 more damage, 5 more points of CON, a few more points of STUN, 1 more point each of PD and ED, a built-in 8d6 ranged attack, and Running in the supersonic range. That version was much more speedster than MA; hopefully the current version is recognizably more MA than speedster.)

 

Defense Maneuver I - IV is indeed on her short shopping list of future upgrades. So are Acting, Seduction (bought as Friendship), and Disguise; and eventually Find Weakness may make an appearance. Since she'll be the first PC in our campaign to hit 100 XP (probably early next year) I'm hoping for some sort of Zl'f-centric special adventure to celebrate the event.

 

EDIT: On an old hard drive I still have the hdc. file from when she was 376 points. Someday I'll try to get that back just as a historical document.

[Trebuchet]

Re: [Character writeup] Zl'f (revised)

 

Zl'f fiction:

 

Crossover: http://www.herogames.com/forums/showpost.php?p=1055086&postcount=4

 

My Summer Vacation: http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=41932

La faune nocturne de Paris (Paris Night Life): http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=46582

 

Interview with a Superheroine: http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=7331

[Hyper-Man]

Re: [Character writeup] Zl'f (revised)

 

Originally Posted by Psylint

Little confused about the "subject to speed or dex drains" which recurs frequently throughout.

 

Does it mean that if you were subject to a speed or dex drain, that all of the powers so limited would be affected simultaneously, even if the drain itself were not purchased with that advantage?

That's exactly what it means. If her DEX or SPD Characteristic are subject to a drain then these Powers automatically drain by the same amount.

...

 

It also seems equivalent to the multi-framework (EC + Multipower) option I have used several times which has never received any negative feedback on this board:

 

Affected By Adjustment Powers As An Elemental Control (-1/4)

[Trebuchet]

Re: [Character writeup] Zl'f (revised)

 

It also seems equivalent to the multi-framework (EC + Multipower) option I have used several times which has never received any negative feedback on this board:

 

Affected By Adjustment Powers As An Elemental Control (-1/4)

That might be a clearer way of building the Limitation. I'll give that some thought.

[Nekkidcarpenter]

Re: [Character writeup] Zl'f (revised)

 

Variety is the spice of life. I know for a fact that if I tried to submit a character with an extensive history and description of permanent physiological changes and then attempted to claim 'Speed,et al-OIHID', I'd just get laughed at. Congratulations on shaving points that way! Zl'f is an inspiration to all of us who have gm's that expect our stories and limitations to match.

 

Great story, hope you get your 100 xp soon.

[Trebuchet]

Re: [Character writeup] Zl'f (revised)

 

Variety is the spice of life. I know for a fact that if I tried to submit a character with an extensive history and description of permanent physiological changes and then attempted to claim 'Speed,et al-OIHID', I'd just get laughed at. Congratulations on shaving points that way! Zl'f is an inspiration to all of us who have gm's that expect our stories and limitations to match.

 

Great story, hope you get your 100 xp soon.

The real trick is to present it with a straight face.

 

[Kirby]

Re: [Character writeup] Zl'f (revised)

 

EDIT: On an old hard drive I still have the hdc. file from when she was 376 points. Someday I'll try to get that back just as a historical document.

Hey Treb, as always, it's nice to see an updated version of Zl'f.

 

I have the printout of her when she was 402 points, back in the day(the .hdc file is on my inactive computer). She's still an inspiration, despite me not finding a GM to let me play a PC over 30 DEX.

[JmOz]

Re: [Character writeup] Zl'f (revised)

 

Hey Treb, as always, it's nice to see an updated version of Zl'f.

 

I have the printout of her when she was 402 points, back in the day(the .hdc file is on my inactive computer). She's still an inspiration, despite me not finding a GM to let me play a PC over 30 DEX.

 

You near ND? I would allow it, but would ask you to write it down a little bit oddly, something like

 

Using Zl'f

 

13 Dex

 

+10 Dex Martial Training

+20 Enhanced Dex (OIHID)

 

In case of a body snatcher who would not know how to fight or what have you

[Kirby]

Does nearer than the moon count?

 

You near ND?

Only when I was born (RC, SD). I'm in Texas now.

 

 

As an aside, we measure distance in time, not miles, because you can drive a long time without leaving the sate. For example,it takes me 4 1/2 hours to get to my parents' house, who are south of me, yet north of Austin.