Who lives in these quarters? Hero #2

[Hermit]

Descended from the (formerly) abandoned "Let's make a superhero base" project, e 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 a chance to show off or create for creation's sake.

 

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 then put them in a poll to let folks pick in another thread , but will cap it on 10 submissions.

 

For this thread, the room description is:

 

The walls of these quarters are covered with newspaper clippings of the team's past exploits, and odd devices, bits of costumes, and other superhero paraphernalia litter the place. There is a copy of the skin magazine Uncaped in a desk drawer, almost a year old now, and carefully sealed in plastic. The bookshelves are a comic book readers dreams, with the exploits of both fictional and real superheroes carefully indexed alphabetically. A bust of a Silver/Bronze Age hero is proudly displayed in one section, and behind that a large picture of a man who, though without mask, bears a striking resemblance to the hero depicted by the bust, only a bit older.

 

The other winning rooms can be found in this thread here

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.

 

If this is like the last attempt, we'll get maybe three or four submitted candidates. Remember, full stats are not required, but background/history, powers, and personality would be much appreciated.

[Hermit]

Re: Who lives in these quarters? Hero #2

 

To encourage folks to vote on who hero #1 is

http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php?t=73849

[assault]

Re: Who lives in these quarters? Hero #2

 

The walls of these quarters are covered with newspaper clippings of the team's past exploits' date=' and odd devices, bits of costumes, and other superhero paraphernalia litter the place. There is a copy of the skin magazine Uncaped in a desk drawer, almost a year old now, and carefully sealed in plastic. The bookshelves are a comic book readers dreams, with the exploits of both fictional and real superheroes carefully indexed alphabetically. A bust of a Silver/Bronze Age hero is proudly displayed in one section, and behind that a large picture of a man who, though without mask, bears a striking resemblance to the hero depicted by the bust, only a bit older.[/quote']

 

Hmm...

a bit of a collector.

a comics geek.

some kind of Silver/Bronze legacy/connection to a male hero.

 

The person who lives there is most probably male. Not necessarily, but most probably.

 

The copy of Uncaped is interesting - who is featured in the issue? Probably not the person from the room, unless it's a different kind of skin mag from what I imagine it to be. It seems to be carefully preserved, rather than just part of the occupant's regular reading, so it is clearly significant.

 

Like I said, hmm...

 

I'll be back later.

 

EDIT: Back briefly. I'm looking at a character influenced by the Silver Age Air Wave, and Negative Man from the Doom Patrol.

[Hermit]

Re: Who lives in these quarters? Hero #2

 

Hmm...

a bit of a collector.

a comics geek.

some kind of Silver/Bronze legacy/connection to a male hero.

 

The person who lives there is most probably male. Not necessarily, but most probably.

 

The copy of Uncaped is interesting - who is featured in the issue? Probably not the person from the room, unless it's a different kind of skin mag from what I imagine it to be. It seems to be carefully preserved, rather than just part of the occupant's regular reading, so it is clearly significant.

Just to clarify, Uncaped is in the official Champions Universe, on the level of Playboy, but with superheroines (and villainesses?) posing. I leave it to you to decide who is in it.

 

Like I said, hmm...

 

I'll be back later.

 

EDIT: Back briefly. I'm looking at a character influenced by the Silver Age Air Wave, and Negative Man from the Doom Patrol.

 

As for the rest of your conjectures... have fun. Deciding who the hero who lives here is, and what he/she is like is the whole point of the experiment

[Hermit]

Re: Who lives in these quarters? Hero #2

 

*pathetic bump as silent plea for attention*

[Pattern Ghost]

Re: Who lives in these quarters? Hero #2

 

I've got a couple of ideas for this one, haven't been lucid enough the last couple days to write them up properly. I will see what I can do tomorrow.

[matrix3]

Re: Who lives in these quarters? Hero #2

 

Nightwind

 

Growing up the shadow of one of the world's greatest heroes can be repressive and daunting. Or really, really cool.

 

Background:

 

Rebecca Wind, aka Nightwind, is the daughter of Daystar, once a normal man by the name of Eric Wind, a meteor impact in his early adulthood gifted him with incredible powers: the strength to throw tanks, skin that turned aside mortar shells, armor piercing eye blasts, and supersonic flight. Powers, it turned out, that were not genetic. His only child, a daughter, was born a perfectly normal human.

 

However, there is more to a person than genetics. Rebecca's mother, Eric's high school sweetheart, went into labor during an alien invasion, couldn't get to the hospital, and tragically died shortly after Rebecca's birth.

 

Rebecca was raised by her grandmother for a short while, before moving into the headquarters. The heroes became an extended family for her, and she grew up surrounded by some of the greatest heroes of a generation. She was precocious, intensely curious, and absolutely unwavering once her mind was set.

 

She hung around Dr. Destiny and learned the ins and outs of arcane mysteries, even if she herself couldn't cast spells.

 

She trained with Watchdog and Ebon Dragon, learning both gritty street fighting techniques and chi-fortified elegant martial arts.

 

She rode around on a robotic toy horse built by Neuron. She then insisted he show her how it worked.

 

She couldn't physically enter the cyberrealm with FireWire, but learned more mundane white hat computer security techniques (along with a few "fun tricks" that her dad wouldn't approve of).

 

This was mostly fun for the young girl, until her father disappeared fighting an extraterrestrial threat when she was twelve. Then, she redoubled her efforts to learn everything she could.

 

Personality:

 

Fun and easygoing when "off duty", Rebecca has an iron will and is determined to leave the world a better place.

 

Quote:

 

"Look, he leaves his left side open. I'll feint to his right, Brickhouse, you go in and finish him off."

 

Powers:

 

Gadgets only. A highly trained normal, she acts as tactical adviser and martial artist/gadgeteer.

 

Campaign Use:

 

A Jane of All Trades, Rebecca provides analysis, detective skills, and fills in where necessary with gadgets and martial arts abilities.

 

Appearance:

 

A beautiful brunette with hazel eyes. While in her mid-thirties now, Rebecca's strict exercise and diet regimen has left her looking in her mid-twenties. Extremely athletic, she also has the sharp look of someone analyzing every situation.

[Hermit]

Re: Who lives in these quarters? Hero #2

 

Rep on its way Matrix3. THat's just the sort of format I was hoping folks would use

 

EDIT: Make that REp when I can. Darn it. I must spread it around

[matrix3]

Re: Who lives in these quarters? Hero #2

 

Hm. Not too happy with that upon review. I was in a bit of a rush. Maybe I can polish it up today, or write up a new, better character...

[Hermit]

Re: Who lives in these quarters? Hero #2

 

Whatever you like. I'm just grateful someone gave it a shot.

[matrix3]

Re: Who lives in these quarters? Hero #2

 

Gate

 

Richard Gates loves comic books. He always has. They afforded an escape from a gratingly mundane existence with six siblings and unimaginative, dare I say red neck parents. He loved reading the adventures of people with super powers, for, you see, there are no super powered beings in his world.

 

Richard grew up in his mundane world, went to school, got mundane jobs to pay the mundane bills. But he never forgot the wonder of those comic books. He collected all his favorites, wrote fanfiction, complained about editorial decisions, and all the other normal, if not quite mundane, actions of the average comic book geek.

 

Then he had the dream. A wondrous dream, showing a machine that would take him to a world with superpowers. There were general schematics, and instructions, everything.

 

He, of course, dismissed it once he awakened.

 

The dream repeated the next night. And the next. And the next. Finally, he sketched out the schematics and instructions as exactly as he could.

 

The dream changed. It focused on a specific part. Dimensions, materials, tolerances. He wrote it all down. Then a new dream with details for another part. He wrote that down. And it continued. Soon he had comprehensive schematics for every part of a machine the size of an old VW Bug.

 

So that's what he used for the frame. As for the rest, well, he had always lived simply, except for his comic addiction, and had actually finished college and worked a reasonably well paid job, so he had a chunk of money sitting in a couple accounts. It all came together seamlessly, many parts came from auction sales from bankrupt electronics and welding companies, others just appeared during visits to junkyards, and in an incredible six weeks he had finished his Bug and was ready to test.

 

Then, he paused. He didn't know what type of comic book world he'd appear in. He took survivalist classes, bought some supplies, and converted the rest of his savings into a selection of gems. Thus prepared, he climbed into his contraption, set the appropriate controls, and hit the big red button.

 

He woke up, sans Bug but with all supplies and gems, on an unfamiliar street outside an old fashioned, imposing bank. Did he black out? Was there an electric jolt, perhaps, and he wandered downtown? His heart was plummeting, when a bass concussion passed through the cement beneath his feet.

 

A moment later, a huge man in a crazy costume emerged from the bank, holding several large bags in one hand. As he descended the wide flight of steps, a golden bolt knocked him off his feet. An imposing man in gold and white descended from the sky, ordering in a thundering voice for the criminal to stand down and surrender to authorities.

 

Of course, he fought. Flashes of light, thundering blows, all like in the comics, right in his face. Richard was in heaven. Until, that is, the thug threw a car, missed the golden figure, and broke a section of the roof off of the building across the street. Tons of rubble started to fall on a woman. Richard, helplessly, reached out from fifty feet away to pull the woman to safety.

 

And she appeared in his arms.

 

Richard didn't just arrive in a world with superheroes. He arrived in one where he was a superhero.

 

Background:

 

A stranger in this universe, Richard Gates, aka "Gate" originated in a world with no superheroes. It is unknown whether he had his teleportation and gate powers in his home world, and that's what powered his journey here, or if the journey changed him, engendering these compatible abilities. However it happened, he is now possibly the most powerful teleporter in the world.

 

Always a highly intelligent man, he now shows more interest in his physical abilities as well to increase reaction time and complement his teleportation abilities with some modicum of acrobatic ability.

 

Personality:

 

Richard has a strong moral compass and tremendous work ethic.

 

Of course, there are times that he is stricken by geekery, as evinced by the bust and signed portrait in his room.

 

Quote:

 

"Let me just take that. Wouldn't want you to hurt yourself."

 

Powers:

 

Physically and mentally a well trained normal, with abilities you'd expect from anyone who has had excellent teachers and trains for a couple hours a day. His main powers concern teleportation.

 

He can:

-- Teleport himself and a handful of others to anywhere he has been, or can see in a picture.

 

-- Teleport others (or objects like weapons) he can see to himself.

 

-- Form gates between locations; as long as one end originates within a few yards of himself, the other end can be anywhere he has been, or can see in a picture. He even formed a gate to a lunar station during a catastrophic life support failure based on a high resolution video feed, though it left him severely drained for days.

 

Possibly related to his teleportation powers is some spatial sense of the environment around him, and a form of remote viewing, where he can "see" through pictures (of sufficient resolution) to view what the area pictured looks like at that moment.

 

Campaign Use:

 

Transport. Richard can work with the team to send members to areas around town he is familiar with, or can be pictured via traffic cams, etc. To this end, he has worked to become as familiar as possible with the city and important areas around the globe.

 

Appearance:

 

Overall rather average in appearance, though he has bulked up a bit since arriving in this world. Dirty blond hair, dark blue/brown eyes, about 5' 8" and 180 lbs. Surprisingly, considering his love of comics, he favors comfortable, dark outfits for "working" in, compared to the bright spandex one might expect. The reason for this is that he doesn't feel comfortable about his body in the spandex, compared to some of the supers running around.

[Hermit]

Re: Who lives in these quarters? Hero #2

 

Got your idea, Assault?