Who lives in these quarters? Hero #1

[Hermit]

In our 'Let's make a superhero base" project, we've done a pretty good job (Color me biased) so far.

 

In our latest bit, we decided what Quarters of the base were still occupied. At the suggestion of more than one person, I hereby open the floor to an unofficial contest where the only reward might be some paltry rep, and the chance to show your mad character making skillz.

 

Each room description that made the finals will be reposted in a new thread, and you get to make up a new character on nothing more than the clues of the base, and the room description. A full character sheet is NOT a must, but certainly earns you some bonus points. You would need to fill out (at least a paragraph each) the Background/History, Personality/Motivation, Quote, Powers/Tactics, Campaign Use, and Appearance however.

 

I'll take the submissions and put them in a poll to let folks pick in another thread , but will cap it on 10 submissions.

 

I'll provide more links on the base so you can go back and look, but for our first hero, here is his/her room.

 

These living quarters are in chaos, furniture often shoved to the side as if to make space for some spur of the moment activity. Folks might be surprised to find the original cast of Rodan's "The Thinker" in a corner, especially since the original cast is -known- to be in France. One wall is covered in old newspaper clippings, and drawings that are expertly done (striving for realism down to the blemish in the skin if any) of people they likely have never seen before. One drawing shows a superhero gun man of some sort, another next to him shows what appears to be a grinning blond man who is fighting shirtless side by side with a woman in highboots and a cowl with a strange circling gem like thing hovering near by... written underneath is "Why am I the only one who remembers?" A book shelf full of some truly odd works (Crackpot theorists' writings predominate) is against one wall, and a note book full of more sketches can be found in a desk. Clicking off the lights makes the walls, floor, and ceiling to glow with strange lines patterned all over (via florescent paint perhaps?) in a hex grid pattern. Turning them on makes the pattern vanish again.

 

Hope folks take a nibble, because we've gone from making a base, to making the team based on the base.

[Hermit]

Re: Who lives in these quarters? Hero #1

 

The link from the last thread

http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=64536

 

And for those who don't want to go to that link but still want the details on the greater base itself...

Thus far our 'Let's make a super hero base' efforts has yielded us a city based HQ for our as yet unnamed team. It has two parts, hidden beneath it is a former Golden Age super team's headquarters the modern team is trying to keep secret and undisturbed. Above is the public face, a very tall courthouse, in Art Deco architecture (built in the 1920s), with a subway station in the basement.

 

The base is suitably defended, with robot guards in reserve, but a human security detail on hand that monitors the cameras, alarms, and pressure plates (etc) to handle the day to day routine. There are others on the staff not related to security but support the place admirably. They're mentioned below.

 

Tanaka Fudo was freed from a life time of violence, stealth and slaughter when the superhero team defeated his clan (and his Patriarch died in an attempt to destroy them), Fudo (Tanaka is his family name) wants now nothing more than repay them in a way that does not require the sword. He offered his services instead as Butler, and has served admirably since. Dubbed by at least one of the heroes as being "Terribly Japanese", Fudo must tolerate the western world's barbaric quirks, such as keeping shoes on, or speaking too loudly in an undignified fashion. Fudo does find some amusement (that his face does not betray) making the heroes jump as he steps out of the shadows to ask if they require anything.

 

Betty "Bambi" Wilson was a street walker, who ended up in some bad situations more than once. After the prostitute had her life saved by the heroes the third time, Bambi began to suspect that maybe they had a point about their being something better... so when one of the superheroes mentioned trying to help her, she took him up on it, and became a maid for the team. Once nearly hooked on drugs, she's very glad she managed to 'dodge that bullet'. While originally she hid her insecurities under a facade of flirtation, Betty has blossomed into being truly confident about her self worth. She's gotten good at her job very quickly, but still finds herself often giving the heroes the benefit of her streetwise savvy and knowledge of the underbelly of the city. While flirting up to now has been mostly just fun for her, she has begun seriously considering entering a romance with one of the male superheroes, one that actually involves wining, dining, and at least a few weeks of seeing if they click before anything gets to the next level. She's joked to one of the female superheroes that she actually finds the idea of traditional dating 'rather kinky', though it was tongue in cheek.

 

Rex, the Wonder Dog, has served with two teams, one of them the Golden Age team that came before, and now this modern one. For a time, Rex's gift of hyper intelligence, uncanny ability to speak as well as any human, and longevity (He ages only one year for every seven a human goes through) seemed more a curse than a blessing. The current heroes presumed him dead until one of them stumbled onto an illegal "Circus of Freaks" where the poor dog was made to perform. They rescued him, and now gray muzzled (after all, he's almost 10 even if he does age slower), the Lab Shepherd Mix tends to the base and its residents with loyalty, and is ready to talk the ears off the 'young pups' about the old days if they let him. Rex's fangs are blunted by time, and his senses not as keen as they were, but this proud canine companion insists he is still useful. Given that he speaks German, Russian, Italian, Japanese and Chinese in addition to English, and can communicate with other dogs just fine, there's no doubt that if there were a position of 'team translator', he'd probably have it.

 

One can get to the hidden Golden Age section by pneumatic person sized tubes, and that section contains the Hall of Memory, a round marble table with an oath engraved, a golden age heroine in status until a cure for her super virus can be found, and a map on the wall showing secret (nigh legendary) locations across the globe.

 

Currently, the modern team is in a state of flux. The team once had seven members, but two have (pick one) left, retired, died, or been kicked out. Another member has also announced his intention to step down in the next year, but has agreed to stay long enough for the hero team to find a few replacements.

 

Any hero who does join will probably be pleased by the VIP style rooms. Each quarters is large, comes with jacuzzi, and other amenities. Some the heroes actually prefer these rooms to their regular apartments and homes, but others worry they could be losing touch with the citizenry if they spend too much time here and so use them less.

 

There are at least three science labs, two of them (the Forensics/Crime lab, and the Medical Lab) are state of the art/top of the line, and one physics lab that is truly super, the sort of tech only superheroes and villains seem to get access to. In this last lab, wonders that most scientists only can dream of occur almost regularly, and science fiction is science fact.

 

There are, of course, other rooms. The Combat Simulation Room (IE we'd call it a danger room but don't want to get sued) has low level holograms, fancy hydraulics combined with modular design, and test robots. The walls are very thick, and the room could be used to hold most prisoners for a short time if needed, but is not built purposely for such. The Monitor Room/Communications Center is the hub for the heroes (as opposed to the room where human security observes the internal workings of the base) with constant keyword searches on going through high speed internet, connection to police bands, and so on.

 

The Library/Study may seem low tech compared to the rest, but it is as much a place of intellectual relaxation as learning, and has an unofficial 'shhh' rule. For those preferring nature, there is a greenhouse garden area that doubles as a mystical sanctum and has its own wood nymph. The public reception area is surprisingly warm and inviting, meant to make the public feel secure and welcome while not compromising the security beyond it. In old subway station section there is a hidden hanger, where the team vehicle is housed. Lastly, there is an Aquatic environment room that doubles as a pool, and has a recreation area outside the water with a ping pong table, a foosballs machine, and a high tech counter that produces pizzas.

 

Overseeing the top/modern part of the base is an Artificial Intelligence the team once saved from her mad scientist creator. She works especially well with the forensics lab, and her personality might be best described as a "perky goth". Her designation is Charlotte.

[Lawnmower Boy]

Re: Who lives in these quarters? Hero #1

 

For some reason I'm thinking about that alien second-stage Lensman with the "multidimensional mind." [Ha! Nadreck the Palainian. Who says Wikipedia isn't useful.] His brain is big and extends across time-and-space barriers that we cannot even imagine. So he has mentalist, body control and precog powers. In functional terms, a martial artist with some ego attack and a limited teleport for movement powers. (or maybe a combat blink.) If I were to "design" him, I'd take Nightwind and rewrite the colour on his MP, buy some Ego Attack with the points dropped into his weaponmaster role, and throw in teleport instead of his running/jumping.

Oh, and he has difficulty sorting out which dimension he lives in, and a borderline schizophrenic's capacity to draw connections and see significances. He likes Loose Change, but sees it as an allegory about Jean Calvin being a secret Jesuit.

[Peregrine]

Re: Who lives in these quarters? Hero #1

 

Lawnmower Boy Repped FTW!

[gmurie]

Re: Who lives in these quarters? Hero #1

 

A teleporting speedster called Null, because he doesn't exist; as far as anyone knows he just popped into existence. He's a bit discombobulated about where and when he is. He's sure that he got his powers from some mystical accident, but doesn't know the details anymore, or they keep moving around in his head.

 

Stuff keeps cropping up in his place, like that big statue and the weird runes on the walls, but he has no idea how. Often he insists that he's saved the world on several occasions, but no one else remembers. He makes a living of a sort selling his art (he's quite good) but it's often disturbing stuff. Pictures of things that might have happened or should have happened.

 

POWERS and DISADS

 

Lots of psych limits like Amnesia and Loses Track of Time and Place. A Phys Limit called "Weirdness Magnet" and both Luck and Unluck at a high level. A MPP and EC each with a suite of teleportation powers. Plus a few odds and bobs like a Perk to represent his non-existance and some art skills and an odd mass of KS's and PS's. Maybe Hunted or Watched by various mystic groups or people to represent his supposed origin.

[Kirby]

Re: Who lives in these quarters? Hero #1

 

You would need to fill out (at least a paragraph each) the Background/History, Personality/Motivation, Quote, Powers/Tactics, Campaign Use, and Appearance however.

 

I'll take the submissions and put them in a poll to let folks pick in another thread , but will cap it on 10 submissions.

Sheesh, you demand so much from us and give us so little pay. Wait, we don't get paid? Slave driver!

 

OK, so who lives here? Bob. Poor Bob just doesn't realize what's happened. He thinks he's going insane or that "history" is being erased somehow. And he's trying to find out why.

 

What Bob doesn't realize (yet?) is that he's in the wrong dimension. He's from an Alternate Earth (TM pending) where everything he's drawn did happen. During each of V'han's invasions, there's a slight chance of a dimensional rift/hiccup in which a person in one dimension will switch places with their other half in another dimension (where applicable. Void where prohibited). During V'han's last invasion, he came to the Champions Universe but just didn't realize the transition. What he sees as people "not remembering" are just instances where the two Earths have had their differences. Since V'han isn't one to advertise this little side effect, Bob's never really thought about it (or has he?). The newspaper clippings which seem "conspiracy theorist" are Bob's notations of differences between what was his home dimension and what is his new dimension.

 

Bob is a street level strength hero. He's the 'Batman' to everyone else's Superman. While one of the (if not the) weakest in terms of power, Bob has lots of jack-of-all-trades skills, is a decent fighter and one heck of a talented artist. He's constantly sketching so he doesn't "forget" the past, but he's also a good sculptor, painter, etc. The Thinker cast? It's the one from his home dimension and the only hard physical clue he has that he's in another dimension. He's still testing theories on why the other original is in France. (His secret ID was working on a commission on methods to keep Rodan's work from eroding or weathering. He happened to be touching it when the shift took place.)

 

In his original dimension, Bob was a soldier who joined up with an NSA-PRIMUS joint project which was the US equivalent to UNTIL's Peacemaker troops, something this dimension doesn't have. He often worked with his dimension's Champions (Why doesn't anyone remember? Why?!) but has joined a different team (one that happened to be in the same city he lived in and was in his home dimension) seeing as how this dimension's Defender refuted him. Bob is disciplined and a big morale booster for the team, despite his hardships. He doesn't complain openly about any tough situation, including what he fears may be his memory loss or false implant illusions (he did tango with Menton and Psi a time or two).

 

Quote: "There are some things worth fighting for."

[gmurie]

Re: Who lives in these quarters? Hero #1

 

Oh sure, the full background. OK, here's Null as HDC attachment. No disads, ran out of energy at that point. More powers could be added to the MPP and EC, like time travel, but I wanted to keep him inside 350 points. I see him as a GM's fiat type character. You need him to be able to travel back in time to when Lincoln was assassinated, and presto it happens.

 

Background: Null is a man out of time and place, out of all reason. There was a surge of magical energy, everything in the world twisted and distorted, and some miles away a man materialized. He had no identity, and was quickly caught up in all sorts of problems just trying to get food and a place to live. How does someone survive when he doesn't exist? Not only that, but when his own memories of his existence are scrambled and confused?

 

He became a low level criminal of a sort, and often just a nuisance. He'd teleport into bank vaults and steal enough money to get by for a few months, or attack drug dealers and take their money. Because he never stayed put in existence it was hard for authorities to track him down and pin anything on him.

 

Gradually, John Doe (he's sure that it's his real name) realized that he was shifting around in time and space, but there was one place that was the center of his existance, a derelict building that he was sure contained some secret. Rex set him right and helped him organize his thoughts, and he's been with the team ever since. At least, for all the time that he's in the world. He is becoming more rooted in time and space, but no one is quite sure why, or even where he's from and how he got his powers. Least of all him.

 

Personality:Null wants to know why his existance is scrambled and where his powers came from. He remembers some things accurately enough, but they don't mesh with the world as it exists around the base that's become the center of his existance. Did a magic using member of the Golden Age team create him? Is there some mission that he's supposed to accomplish? Null has no idea, and it makes him crazy. Though Null is confused and his memories scrambled he is not insance. He deals with the strange events in his live as logically and carefully as possible. It's just that at any moment he might forget someone he's known for years, and think that a total stranger is a dear friend with a complete set of memories about them that have nothing in common with reality. This makes him very reserved in social situations.

 

Quote:"Am I supposed to know you?"

 

Powers: Null is a teleporter with a suite of time and dimension travelling powers. He has a large number of attack options based on subtle tricks of temporal warping, to crude attacks like teleporting people and objects away. He's even capable of teleporting part of something away to destroy it, but has never used this on a living being. Null is often left reiventing the wheel tactically, because he can't be relied on to remember anything about team tactics. Fortunately, his confusion has never extended to not knowing who he's supposed to be fighting at any given moment, but he might forget what an enemies or allies powers are.

 

Campaign Use: In many respects Null is a plot device. Who is he? How did he get his powers and why are so many mages interested in him? Why does his existence revolve around the base, and just where did that statue come from? Come to that, why has he painted those odd patterns on his walls and floors in glow and the dark paint? Null does not hunt anyone consistently, but may become confused and hunt people for no reason that exists in the world. To make him more powerful increase the active points of his MPP and EC, and to make him weaker do the opposite.

 

Appearance: Null is a non-descript man in his early thirties. He's healthy and strong, and obviously knows how to handle himself in a fight. He has several large scars on his body, but is at a loss to explain them half the time, and the other half of the time gives explanations like "A dragon hatchling bit me in that cave on Albion. Don't you remember?" He doesn't have a costume, but wears sturdy combat fatigues similar to those of the bases guard force.

[Hermit]

Re: Who lives in these quarters? Hero #1

 

Gmurie had the formating I was actually hoping for.

 

Lawnmower Boy, do you have a name you want to call your hero?

[Lawnmower Boy]

Re: Who lives in these quarters? Hero #1

 

I don't need no steenking format....

Hey, stop looking at me like that. You're reminding me of my thesis defence committee:(

The word that was sticking in EE Smith's mind (and mine), is "Palladian." It sounds a lot like "Paladin," even if it means something completely different.

Although The Palladian would explain why the two actually mean virtually the same thing.

Also, the world's leading politicians are all human-lizard hybrids from Sirius. (Or is that the next dimension over?)

 

Background: The Palladian is actually Jack MocCormick, a visual arts student at Millennium City College of Art. He sometimes claims to have developed his powers from playing tetris too much in junior high, but may be just an average ordinary mutant, even if he doesn't show up on mutant detectors.

Personality: Frequent mood and behaviour swings might lead you to think that McCormick is a borderline personality, but either they are only for effect, or he has better control than casual acquaintance shows. When threatened or simply engaged in a situation he is relentlessly analytical, level headed and under-stated, although still given to thinking "outside the box." (He hates that phrase, by the way.)

 

Quote: "That's not exactly how I see it."

 

Powers: His brain is big and extends across time-and-space barriers that we cannot even imagine. So he has mentalist, body control and precog powers. In functional terms, a martial artist with some ego attack and a limited teleport for movement powers. (or maybe a combat blink.) If I were to "design" him, I'd take Nightwind and rewrite the colour on his MP, buy some Ego Attack with the points dropped into his weaponmaster role, and throw in teleport instead of his running/jumping.

 

Campaign Use: Tactically the team's scrapper or flanker, but the teleport powers could be stretched into an infiltration mode. He walks "around" walls, as it were. Obviously a hook for extra-dimensional or even extra-temporal adventures, although any EDM powers he might spontanteously develop shouldn't be under his control. There's also the Weird Conspiracy angle. Some of the things he "knows" about the world might actually pertain to this one. If he ever sorted them out and realised that Major League Baseball controlled the international banking consortium using laser mind-control satellites (thank you, Steve Jackson), he might draw the team into serious trouble.

 

Appearance

 

He's in good shape, which in civilian life he often shows off with typically eclectic art school clothes. This doesn't work well in action, so he throws a long dark cloak and cowl on, perhaps inadvertently looking like the classical model of dark and mysterious mystic stranger. Because of the unusual way his "martial arts" work, the outfit does not get in his way, but rather flows about in a Todd Mcfarlaneish way. (Intellectual property lawsuit pending.)

[Certified]

Re: Who lives in these quarters? Hero #1

 

Okay, we'll give it a shot...

If you like I can do a full hero build but here is the background I came up with.

 

Background: What is the price of one life? How about one thousand? To Enoch, they are but the passing of the night. Although it has been asked innumerable times his true age remains a mystery. When asked how one man may live so long it simply smiles sometimes musing on the question. Once Enoch told a woman with more than a mild interest in the venerable man that the secret to a long life was to never break a promise and that was the reason that they could never be more than friends.

 

Enoch's arrival in the city he now calls home was quite literally on the wings of a dragon. A terrible lizard that seemed to be born from the sky and storms reining down lighting. Without pomp the aged man held fast against it's torments drawing it out until he could catch it's claw. Pulling himself onto it's back he wrestled with the beast colliding with an office building before driving it out and into the ground. The creature so badly wounded fled leaving only the man to explain his actions. It has made him fond of this new place.

 

For the years he's lived with his companions they have been entertained with stories of Rome and Babylon. When Enoch speaks of the city he lives in he often becomes confused replacing it's name with Athens or Ur. These bouts of confusion are tempered with well of knowledge, from small unit tactics to volumes of rare and unspoken histories.

 

This wisdom has served those he would call allies well often drawing them together. Pushing them to new heights inspired by the legends. Yet, at the same time Enoch is no leader of men. His words are given only when asked and seldom miss there mark. Whatever mystery there is within his past remains his own even as he is willing to sacrifice everything else for his home and allies.

 

Personality: Enoch is tired, yet he tries not to become too lost in his age. Whatever promise sits in his past drives him to continue, in life and in action. When he acts Enoch sees his choices weighted not by his own benefit but by his allies and those who may be effected by them. This does not make him altruistic only unobtrusive keeping his pleasures to himself and showing only what is called for to others.

 

Quote: "If that is what is meant to be, then that is what will be. Beyond that we may only play our roles..."

 

Powers: It is unclear if Enoch is immortal or extremely long lived. It does appear that he cannot be killed by any normal means. Despite his age he is as fit as any athlete or solder and recovers from wounds quicker than most.

 

Campaign Use: Enoch is a lore giver and storyteller at heart. Although a capable fighter and tactician he often avoids conflict. Only when his allies or someone he sees as an innocent are threatened does he consider involving himself.

 

Appearance: Standing at five nine Enoch carries himself with a dignified stance. For those keen enough to notice it seems that he carries himself as if he is used to being talker than most and is sometimes off guard when needing to adjust. For his age, however old that may be, Enoch appears to be in his forties with curled sliver, black hair and a short beard. Age wrinkles creep at his eyes though his body shows little signs of aging beyond that. When at his leisure Enoch will choose loose gray or brown clothes that seem to hang from his body often using a sash instead of a belt if not in public.

[Certified]

Re: Who lives in these quarters? Hero #1

 

Okay, three AM, starring at computer screen = HDC file for Enoch.