Ability: He has the power to change any living person into a block of granite suitable for sculpturing. He then can carve out a new human form out of said block and cause the person to become living flesh again. He can of course alter the persons physically shape to what ever he wants through this process. This includes everything from changing the sex and/or race of the person to altering their physical abilities and giving physical handicaps.
Drawbacks: Every so often a person changed by him actually gain elemental powers based on earth. Even those who don't tend to have a slightly higher PD then normal. Also it takes time for him to sculpt the new form.
Pygmalion can work as a solo artists that is known of in the criminal underground or a lackey for a more powerful villain. He is not a fighter and is more likely to try to escape then to fight. He actually needs his victim bound, unconscious or willing for him to do the change, so he needs helps if he is doing this to a person against their will.
If he works as a freelance agent, he only changes those who are looking for a new identity. If on the other hand he is a part of a group, he may change those who have captured by his boss as away to erase them.
Possible campaign ideas: Changing a hero to look like a villain. Replacing Public officials with dopplegangers and changing those officials into petty criminals.
Ooh yeah, I
Just wanna watch the girls, goin' by...
It's like poetry in motion
against a hot summer sky.
I'm in love, yeah yeah...
at least every minute or two...
until the next time a girl walks by
I think I love her too
Oh I, I can't help myself
but I just loose my head
everytime you see 'em walkin' by...
Summertime Girls
You make my whole world go around
Summertime Girls
When you lift me up
I never come down, no, no...
She's hot!
I dig her wiggle and all that shake
I can read that body language, yeah
a million miles away
Sometimes I, yeah come on just a bit, a bit too strong
But I just like to pretend, yes.
that I can have 'em all.
No time, time to catch my breath
so easily impressed
it doesn't matter if it's day or night
Summertime Girls
You make my whole world go around
Summertime Girls
But when you lift me up
I never come down, no, no...
Come here girls...
Summertime Girls
You make my whole world go around
Summertime Girls
When you lift me up
I never come down, no, no...
Summertime Girls
Oh baby..You make my whole world go around
Summertime Girls
The way you lift me up
I never come down, no, no...
Summertime Girls
Summertime Girls
Summertime Girls
You make my whole world go around
Summertime Girls
Hello? Enforcer84? 1985 Just called, they want their music back!
Found a page with art for a bunch of Japanese monsters, obscure and otherwise. Some is anime-ish, some cartoony, some other styles.
I can't read it worth a darn, since it's in Japanese, but BabelFish seems to think it's called "Ghost Picture Scroll". Probably since most of the monsters are various kinds of whacky Japanese ghosts.
http://www.blu.m-net.ne.jp/~uma001/emaki.html
It's probably too late to hope that Susano will stat up this one-eyed umbrella ghost in the Asian Bestiary, alas.
[b]Jade Snake - Li Miao[/b]
[b][u]VAL[/u] [u]CHA[/u] [u]Cost[/u] [u]Total[/u] [u]Roll[/u] [u]Notes[/u][/b]
15 STR 5 15/26 12- / 14- HTH Damage 3d6/5d6 END [1/2]
20 DEX 30 20/30 13- / 15- OCV 7/10 DCV 7/10
13 CON 6 13/26 12- / 14-
10 BODY 0 10 11-
18 INT 8 18 13- PER Roll 13-
10 EGO 0 10 11- ECV: 3
13 PRE 3 13/19 12- / 13- PRE Attack: 2 1/2d6 / 3 1/2d6
12 COM 1 12 11-
4 PD 1 4/20 4/20 PD (0/14 rPD)
3 ED 0 3/20 3/20 ED (0/14 rED)
4 SPD 10 4/6 Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12/2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12
6 REC 0 6/11
26 END 0 26/52
26 STUN 1 26/39
6 RUN 0 6" END [1]
2 SWIM 0 2" END [1]
3 LEAP 0 3"/20" 3"/20" forward, 1 1/2"/10" upward
[b]CHA Cost: 65[/b]
[b][u]Cost[/u] [u]POWERS[/u][/b]
4 [b][i]Data-Enabled Cell Phone/PDA[/i][/b]: High Range Radio Perception (Radio Group) (12 Active Points); OAF (-1), Sense Affected As Sight & Hearing (-1/2), Nonpersistent (-1/4) - END=0
- END=
Serpent Stones: List, all slots IIF Jewellry Fragile (-1/2) - END=
7 1) [b][i]Aventurine Bracelet[/i][/b]: +11 STR (11 Active Points); IIF Jewellry Fragile (-1/2) - END=1
20 2) [b][i]Amazonite Anklet[/i][/b]: +10 DEX (30 Active Points); IIF Jewellry Fragile (-1/2) - END=
17 3) [b][i]Peridot Brooch[/i][/b]: +13 CON (26 Active Points); IIF Jewellry Fragile (-1/2) - END=
9 4) [b][i]Turquoise Earrings[/i][/b]: (Total: 16 Active Cost, 9 Real Cost) +1 SPD (10 Active Points); IIF Jewellry Fragile (-1/2) (Real Cost: 7) [b]plus[/b] +6 PRE (6 Active Points); Only For PRE Defense (-1), IIF Jewellry Fragile (-1/2) (Real Cost: 2) - END=0
17 5) [b][i]Jade Serpent Necklace[/i][/b]: (Total: 36 Active Cost, 17 Real Cost) Targeting with Normal Smell (10 Active Points); IIF Jewellry Fragile (-1/2) (Real Cost: 7) [b]plus[/b] Armor (Combat Luck) (7 PD/7 ED), Hardened (+1/4) (26 Active Points); Restrainable (-1/2), IIF Jewellry Fragile (-1/2), Nonpersistent (-1/4), Must Be Aware Of Attack (-1/4) (Real Cost: 10) - END=0
- END=
10 [b][i]Path Of The Tightening Coils[/i][/b]: Elemental Control, 20-point powers - END=
4 1) [b][i]Serpent Form[/i][/b]: Shape Shift (Sight, Touch and Hearing Groups), Costs END Only To Change Shape (+1/4) (20 Active Points); Side Effects: 3d6 STR Drain, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (-1), Incantations (-1/4) [Notes: Muscles must adapt to new form.] - END=2
4 2) [b][i]Snake In The Grass[/i][/b]: Invisibility to Hearing Group and Normal Sight , Costs END Only To Activate (+1/4) (19 Active Points); Side Effects: 3d6 DEX Drain, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (-1), Gestures (-1/4) [Notes: Can't see self; kinesthetics must adapt.] - END=1
4 3) [b][i]Scales[/i][/b]: Armor (7 PD/7 ED) (21 Active Points); Side Effects: 2d6 PD & ED Drain, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (-1), Costs Endurance (Only Costs END to Activate; -1/4), Gestures (-1/4) [Notes: Skin is sensitive until it adapts.] - END=2
2 4) [b][i]Acid Venom[/i][/b]: Succor 1 1/2d6, any physical attack power one at a time (+1/4), Costs END Only To Activate (+1/4), Continuous (+1) (20 Active Points); Side Effects: 3d6 CON Drain, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (-1), Extra Time (1 Minute, Only to Activate, Character May Take No Other Actions, -1), Concentration (0 DCV; -1/2), Gestures (-1/4), Incantations (-1/4) [Notes: Uses own blood to envenom; max 20 AP.] - END=2
3 5) [b][i]Snake's Healing Magic[/i][/b]: Healing 1 BODY, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Persistent (+1/2) (20 Active Points); Extra Time (Regeneration-Only) 1 Minute (-1 1/2), Self Only (-1/2) - END=0
6 6) [b][i]Flying Serpent Stance[/i][/b]: Leaping +15" (3"/20" forward, 1 1/2"/10" upward), Usable As Gliding / Ground Gliding (+1/4) (20 Active Points); Increased Endurance Cost (x2 END; -1/2), Gestures (-1/4) [Notes: Wuxia leaps & landings; wire-fu.] - END=4
3 7) [b][i]Summon Snakes[/i][/b]: Summon 4 5-point Snakes & Spirit Snakes, Expanded Class of Beings Very Limited Group (+1/4), Slavishly Devoted (+1) (25 Active Points); Increased Endurance Cost (x5 END; -2), Side Effects: 3d6 BODY Drain, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (-1), Extra Time (Full Phase, -1/2) [Notes: Formed from own flesh.] - END=10
3 8) [b][i]Serpent Tongue[/i][/b]: Mind Link , Snakes & Spirit Snakes, Number of Minds (x4) (20 Active Points); Skin Contact Required To Establish (-1), Limited Class Of Minds Serpents (-1/2), Costs Endurance (Only Costs END to Activate; -1/4), Does Not Provide Mental Awareness (-1/4) [Notes: May need Animal Handler for wild snakes.] - END=2
4 9) [b][i]Serpent Sight[/i][/b]: Clairsentience (Sight Group), Costs END Only To Activate (+1/4) (25 Active Points); Side Effects: 3d6 INT Drain, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (-1), Only To Mind Linked Snakes (-1/2), Only Through The Senses Of Others (-1/2), Incantations (-1/4), Gestures (-1/4) [Notes: Must adapt to new sensory input.] - END=2
- END=
15 [b][i]Serpent Ring[/i][/b]: Multipower, 31-point reserve, (31 Active Points); all slots IIF Ring Fragile (-1/2), Restrainable (-1/2) [Notes: Emerald ring empowers weapons, or hands.] - END=
1u 1) [b][i]Whiplash Stroke[/i][/b]: Hand-To-Hand Attack +5d6, Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4) (31 Active Points); Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/2), IIF Ring Fragile (-1/2), Restrainable (-1/2) [Notes: 11-12d6 w/ 25 STR+MA.] - END=1
1u 2) [b][i]Flickering Tongue Strikes[/i][/b]: Hand-To-Hand Attack +4d6, Area Of Effect Nonselective (5" Cone; +3/4), Two-Dimensional (-1/4) (30 Active Points); Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/2), IIF Ring Fragile (-1/2), Restrainable (-1/2), Reduced Penetration (-1/4) [Notes: 9-10d6 Cone w/ 20 STR+MA.] - END=3
1u 3) [b][i]Razor Fangs Dance[/i][/b]: Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 1d6-1 (1d6 / 1d6+1 w/STR), Penetrating (+1/2), Autofire (5 shots; +1/2), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1) (30 Active Points); IIF Ring Fragile (-1/2), Restrainable (-1/2), No Knockback (-1/4) [Notes: Mainly for destroying objects.] - END=0
1u 4) [b][i]Mesmeric Pattern[/i][/b]: Suppress INT 5d6, Costs END Only To Activate (+1/4) (31 Active Points); IIF Ring Fragile (-1/2), Restrainable (-1/2) - END=2
1u 5) [b][i]Writhing Coils of Mist[/i][/b]: Darkness to Sight Group 1" radius, Costs END Only To Activate (+1/4), Personal Immunity (+1/4), Area Of Effect (One Hex; +1/2), Usable As Attack (+1) (30 Active Points); IIF Ring Fragile (-1/2), Restrainable (-1/2) - END=3
1u 6) [b][i]Draw The Mists[/i][/b]: Teleportation 10", Safe Blind Teleport (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4) (30 Active Points); IIF Ring Fragile (-1/2), Restrainable (-1/2) - END=1
1u 7) [b][i]Path Of The Mists[/i][/b]: Teleportation 1", No Relative Velocity, x2 Increased Mass, MegaScale (1" = 1 km; +1/4), Safe Blind Teleport (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4) (30 Active Points); IIF Ring Fragile (-1/2), Restrainable (-1/2) - END=1
1 [b][i]Serpent's Memory[/i][/b]: Teleportation: Fixed Location (2 Locations) (2 Active Points); IIF Ring Fragile (-1/2) [Notes: Locations: Home, Last place teleported from] - END=0
- END=
[b]POWERS Cost: 140[/b]
[b][u]Cost[/u] [u]MARTIAL ARTS[/u][/b]
Jade Snake Kung Fu
4 1) Cobra Strike: 1/2 Phase, +2 OCV, +0 DCV, 5d6 / 7d6 Strike
5 2) Slithering Evasion: 1/2 Phase, -- OCV, +4 DCV, Dodge All Attacks, Abort; FMove
3 3) Legbite: 1/2 Phase, +2 OCV, -1 DCV, 4d6 / 6d6 Strike, Target Falls
3 Weapon Element: Clubs, Fist-Loads, Kung Fu Weapons, Unarmed
[b]MARTIAL ARTS Cost: 15[/b]
[b][u]Cost[/u] [u]SKILLS[/u][/b]
Everyman
0 1) Acting 8-
0 2) Climbing 8-
0 3) Concealment 8-
0 4) Conversation 8-
0 5) Deduction 8-
0 6) Language: English (idiomatic; literate) (5 Active Points)
0 7) Paramedics 8-
0 8) PS: Jeweller/Lapidary 11-
0 9) Shadowing 8-
0 10) Stealth 8-
0 11) TF: Small Motorized Ground Vehicles
3 Acrobatics 13- (15-)
2 Animal Handler (Reptiles & Amphibians) 12- (13-)
3 Breakfall 13- (15-)
3 +1 with Martial Maneuvers
2 Language: Mandarin Chinese (fluent conversation)
3 Power: Snake Chi 13-
3 Scholar
1 1) KS: Chi Enchanting (2 Active Points) 11-
1 2) KS: Chinese History & Legends (2 Active Points) 11-
1 3) KS: Gem & Jewellry Lore (2 Active Points) 11-
1 4) KS: Jade Snake Kung Fu (2 Active Points) 11-
2 WF: Common Martial Arts Melee Weapons, Clubs, Fist-Loads, Thrown Rocks, Unarmed Combat
[b]SKILLS Cost: 25[/b]
[b][u]Cost[/u] [u]PERKS[/u][/b]
4 Contact: Li Mu Bai - Sensei, Master Swordsmith, Uncle (Contact has significant Contacts of his own, Contact has useful Skills or resources) 11-
1 Money: Well Off - $100K per annum
[b]PERKS Cost: 5[/b]
[b][u]Value[/u] [u]DISADVANTAGES[/u][/b]
5 Distinctive Features: Serpent Tattoo Covering Back (Easily Concealed; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses)
20 Hunted: Ninjas! 11- (Mo Pow, PC has a Public ID or is otherwise very easy to find, Mildly Punish: Testing) [Notes: Ninjas attack without warning or provocation, but after the battle, depart in silence just as suddenly & enigmatically.]
15 Hunted: Chinese Government 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Limited Geographical Area, Harshly Punish) [Notes: Her mother, and thus she herself, are political refugees.]
20 Normal Characteristic Maxima
15 Psychological Limitation: Intolerant of Injustice (Very Common, Moderate)
10 Psychological Limitation: Intolerant of Sexism (Common, Moderate)
10 Reputation: Li Mu Bai's Niece, 14- (Known Only To A Small Group) [Notes: Some may try to get to use her to get to her uncle.]
5 Social Limitation: Woman In A Man's World (Frequently, Minor, Not Limiting In Some Cultures) [Notes: Primarily when dealing with Asian cultures.]
[b]DISADVANTAGES Points: 100[/b]
Base Pts: 150
Exp Required: 0
Total Exp Available: 0
Exp Unspent: 0
Total Character Cost: 250
Many people blessed with gifts beyond those of normal men feel the call of adventure. Many metahumans join criminal organizations or flock to the banner of justice eagerly, more than willing to flaunt their powers. Li Miao is not one of those. Still, it seems some people are born to greatness, or chosen for greatness, even when greatness is the last thing they would wish to have thrust upon them.
Li Miao (or, anglicized, Miao Li) was born an American citizen, but it needn't have worked out that way. Her story begins, in fact, well before she was born, when she was no more than a handful of cells growing in her mother's womb. Li Tai-yu knew that the pregnancy would be a problem, for it was her second. And in China, having a second child, especially a female child (she could tell,) when one already had a son, would be frowned upon. This was even more especially true in Tai-yu's case, as she had in her younger days been a vocal critic of the government's 'one child' laws, on the grounds that it promoted infanticide. She knew that having a second child would be seen as an act of political dissent, and she had already been warned more before than once that further political dissent would not be tolerated. She had been keeping a lower profile since then, not wishing to drive away any of her friends with serious government attention as she tried to raise her son by herself. Now, however... yet she could not bring herself to kill even an unborn child.
Tai-yu made plans to escape China, seeing no other option. She packed her bags and made her way to Hong Kong. Unfortunately, along the way she had the ill luck of attracting the attention of a policeman, who thought that a woman travelling alone with a small boy was suspicious activity, and reported her; the government, in turn, became suspicious of her flight and began to track her movements. In Hong Kong, Tai-yu met with her brother Li Mu Bai, a famous swordsmith, told him of her problem, and asked for his help to escape to America. Li Mu Bai agreed on one condition -- that her son should remain behind with him and his wife. Shocked, Tai-yu asked why, and Li Mu Bai merely pushed down the boy's shirt, revealing a large birthmark over one shoulder. She pleaded with him to reconsider, but he would brook no argument, and so she reluctantly gave in.
Once in America, Tai-yu settled in rapidly. Alone in a foreign country, she knew she would be hard-pressed to care for an infant by herself. So, she looked for a husband, and soon married a jeweller, more out of convenience than any real love; she began learning his skills in order to help him and to have a craft of her own. Several months later Miao was born. Tai-yu was surprised, and secretly pleased, to discover that Miao had a birthmark on her own back, similar to if somewhat different from the one her son had had.
Miao grew up to be a fairly happy, if somewhat reserved child. She learned English first, since that was the language of the household; her father did not understand Mandarin. Even after her parents' amicable divorce, she remained more comfortable with that language, as it was what she was taught in school, although she did learn enough Mandarin to be able to converse in her mother's native tongue. She had always felt closer to her mother than to her father, and now that there was just the two of them, she spent even more time with her; Miao helped her mother set up her own small jewellry store in Chinatown, and learned the skills of her trade along the way.
Once Miao graduated from high school, she was prepared to work in the family business full-time; however, her mother suggested she take some time instead to visit China. At first she was concerned about the prospect of leaving her mother alone, but it didn't take too much convincing for Miao to agree to spend a few months or perhaps a year visiting her uncle Li Mu Bai and getting to know more about her family. She looked forward to the trip with eagerness and a small amount of trepidation. What would China be like? How would her family receive her?
The reception she received from her uncle was lukewarm at first. Despite her best efforts at propriety -- for she knew her uncle was a traditionalist -- her American values and mannerisms made themselves apparent from time to time. Still, family is family, and even though she could tell that he was occasionally repelled by her western ways, he did his best to suppress his distaste and correct her in the ways he thought she ought to behave. It was even worse when she ventured outside the home. Miao found herself contending with the culture shock of being a woman in a country where women are not always highly valued members of society. She met many women, especially among the poor and those from rural backgrounds, whose woeful state shocked and dismayed her. Furthermore, her own accustomed personal freedom and social expressiveness seemed to be constantly under attack from all sides. Miao was used to being a dutiful daughter, but in China even her usual reservedness was put to the test. Ultimately, however, she managed to master the impulse of resentment that threatened to poison her stay, and accepted the restrictions of the culture she found herself in, albeit reluctantly. She knew, after all, she would not remain in China forever.
Miao spent much of her first months exploring deeper into Chinese history and culture than she had been able to at home, learning more about the national character, stories, and legends. One story that particularily interested her was the legend of White Snake and her handmaiden Jade Snake. She was fascinated by the variety of different versions of the tale, in some of which White Snake was an evil spirit, and in others of which she was a divine being. Still feeling somewhat put upon by the lot of women in the culture in which she was now residing, Miao found herself empathizing with White Snake's handmaiden, who, despite her obvious intelligence and courage, was relegated to a secondary role of perpetual servitude. She even went to an opera based on the story with her uncle, who she sensed was pleased with her interest, even though he didn't say anything.
Still, it was not all that long before her visit took an unexpected turn. She was wandering through her uncle's house one day, reading another book of Chinese literature, when she happened to pass the small dojo in which her uncle taught martial arts to his two sons. Wanting to ask him a question about something in the book, she entered unobtrusively and observed the lesson quietly. Her cousins Hong and Shaozu were sparring without shirts on, and she appreciated the display of rippling muscles in silence as she waited. She also noticed that one of them, Hong, had a distinctive birthmark on his shoulder. As the lesson ended, he approached her, towelling the sweat off his face.
"Hope you like what you saw," he said, jokingly.
"Very impressive," she murmured, before continuing, "I noticed you have a birthmark."
"Yes," he replied. "Today I am getting it tattooed, like father's. "
"I didn't realize he had one. So do I. Perhaps it is a family trait," she responded, before recalling that Shaozu did not have a similar birthmark.
"Perhaps," Hong began, before catching his father's eye. "Excuse me, I must go shower off and get ready. See you at dinner," he said in parting as he quickly left the room.
Miao turned to see her uncle gazing at her slightly more intently than he had in the past. "You have a birthmark?" he asked neutrally. Miao nodded. "Show me," he commanded. Miao turned her back on him, lifting her shirt up to reveal the mark, which spread across her upper back. He undid the clip on her bra and opened it, running his hand across the surface of the birthmark, before taking his hand away. "So," he muttered to himself, as Miao re-fastened her bra and pulled her shirt back down, turning to face him again. "Tomorrow morning you will join us in the dojo. Have you studied martial arts before?" She shook her head no. "Good," he replied. "Then we can begin properly." And with that, he turned and left the room, leaving Miao with many questions but few answers.
Over the next several months, Miao began an intensive course in Kung Fu, eventually spending as much as 8 hours a day in the dojo her uncle and cousins. At first, when she asked Mu Bai why she had to undergo such intensive training, he would not answer, save to say, "the world is not always a safe place. You must be able to protect yourself." Mu Bai's standards were exacting, and despite finding a natural talent, grace, and strength she had not known she posessed, Miao usually found her uncle's instruction to be draining both physically and emotionally. In the fifth month, however, some of those questions began to be answered.
"You saw that Hong has a birthmark, covered with a tattoo, and know that I have one as well," Li Mu Bai began. She had since seen it - a great nest of snakes that covered nearly his entire back, governed in the center by a massive King Snake. "It is not simply for looks." Mu Bai explained that Miao was of an ancient bloodline, one of the Naga, and that she had a power dwelling in her that she must learn to control. A power of Snake, a power over Snake -- a power to be Snake. Miao intuitively felt this was right, that she had somehow known this all along without ever realizing it. She asked why her mother had never told her. Mu Bai explained that she had not yet been ready, and that her mother could not train her, not having inherited the full bloodline herself, which sometimes skipped generations. Miao recalled her cousin Shaozu's bare, unblemished back.
From that day forward she saw less of Shaozu; though she was being trained just as hard, her studies broadened to more than just Kung Fu. She began her instruction in the ways of Chi power, and the Path of the Tightening Coils. Li Mu Bai set her an array of tasks to perform, many esoteric. At first she found them physically impossible to perform... but it did not take her long to unlock a door -- a floodgate -- of chi power that, once opened, made many of these tasks seem quite possible, and in some cases trivially simple. Hong was particularily impressed by the speed at which she was learning. "My power did not come so easily," he told her. "It took many years of training to achieve what you have done in only a few months. Now I am as a lake fed by a stream, wheras you are a raging river in a narrow channel. Be careful that you are not swept away."
Some of Hong's instruction took place in Li Mu Bai's forge, where he learned the art of swordcraft in order to carry on the family trade. Shaozu did not attend these lessons either, being more interested in business than in the art of making steel. Miao, however, often sat nearby, observing and learning what she could, for even here she could see the Path in use in how the steel was made and shaped. The blades Li Mu Bai forged held a tiny fragment of his chi, and were stronger and sharper than any ordinary steel not forged with a similar technique.
Mu Bai noticed her interest, and one day after working with Hong, approached her. "I cannot teach you the art of making steel," he said. "It would not be right. It is a man's trade."
Miao suppressed her annoyance, knowing that now was not the time to pick a fight. She held in her lap a thin, beautifully carved ornamental sword that was nevertheless sharp enough to slice a man in two, and traced her finger gently over its surface. "The patterns on this blade. They are beautiful to me, and I have never seen them before, yet they seem familiar. They are not so different from what I carve on gems, or what I mold in gold and silver." Miao looked at her uncle meaningfully.
Li Mu Bai smiled ever so slightly. The next day, he began instructing her along with her cousin, in the art of binding an object with a portion of one's own essence. Less than three months later, Mu Bai informed her that she was ready to receive her own tattoo. She received the news with demure but deserved pride.
In the end, Miao stayed in China for just over a year, learning her family's history, and taking her first steps on the path on which her uncle had placed her. She could not stay longer. Ultimately the Chinese government found out that she was in China. They remembered her mother, and they were interested in her. She had no doubt that they would wish to question her extensively, or perhaps worse. And so, rather than make a fuss, she chose simply to disappear back to America before they could lay their hands on her. Li Mu Bai was disappointed, as there was much he had yet to teach her and many skills he had hoped she would learn, but understanding of the necessity and surprisingly willing to let her make her own choice. "We will meet again," he promised.
Miao has returned to America and to the life she left behind, but has found it's not really the same as it was when she left it. Or, rather, it is she who is not the same. She does not wish to forget the skills her uncle has taught her, but on the other hand she feels she has been left without guidance regarding how to apply those talents. Her uncle's old story of teaching her for her own protection seems out of place in America in a way that it did not in China, yet she had given up on pursuing the matter, and so had never gotten a better answer. Thus far she has bided her time and helped her mother in her jewellry store, even as she has wondered what she should do with herself. On the one hand, it has been nice to spend time with her mother, quietly enjoying the simple pleasures and freedoms she had had to give up in large part in China. On the other hand, she does live in Chinatown, and every day a microcosm of that culture is played out before her eyes, along with every little indignity and injustice of female life that she had had to become accustomed to in China. She has found herself questioning more and more why she should have to tolerate them here, in her own homeland. And of course the more she has observed, the more she has realized it's a phenomemon not limited to race, culture, or even sex. Is not America supposed to be the land of the free? If so, then why do so many of its citizens live with daily fear, imposed poverty, or even virtual slavery to those who desire wealth and power over others?
Today, Miao Li has come to another turning point. Though she would much rather stay home and not risk her life, though she would much rather it were not necessary, she will not sit idly by while others profit off of injustice. Today, greatness has come calling for her, and she has accepted the challenge. Where the Path of the Tightening Coils leads from here, only time will tell.
Personality/Motivation: Miao's motivations come in two flavours. On the one hand, she is devoted to her family. By this she doesn't just mean her mother, but to a significant extent her large extended family as well, which primarily lives in China but is also spread throughout Japan and the rest of Southeast Asia; she even has some relatives living in North America. Especially since she has spent time living there, she has come to appreciate the ancient culture that is her inheritance, its history, and its legends. On the other hand, her time in the orient also opened her eyes to many of the petty cruelties and injustices perpetrated in her familial homeland, especially upon women and girl children. These injustices sickened her and inspired her ire there, and no less so once she returned to her homeland by birth and realized that they were just as common at home, if differing in form and degree.
Most days Miao is content to stay at home, a dutiful daughter, crafting jewellry she can sell in her mother's store, with fire, water, silver, and stone. When she is feeling restless, she will walk through the Chinese market, looking for bargains. Miao is at best a reluctant heroine and doesn't usually go looking for trouble; she much prefers the simple comforts of a quiet life to action and danger. Nevertheless, trouble often manages to find her anyway, whether in the form of an injustice she simply refuses to overlook, or in the form of a threat to her family or to her personally.
Quote:"If the Triads and the Tongs wish to feud amongst themselves, let them do so. But let them have a care for the welfare of the people and feud privately, lest they reap the consequences of blood spilt unjustly."
Power/Tactics: Miao is born of a Naga bloodline, and the magic of the Naga runs with full force through her body. Snake magic is water magic, and takes many forms: magics of illusion, mist, darkness and stealth; magics of wisdom, and healing, and, in combat, magics of speed and poison. Miao's chi is very strong, but she is still learning to control it properly. Miao accesses some of her chi powers directly, but many of these take a toll on her body in one way or another for a time, as she has not fully mastered them. Miao finds it easier to exercise her powers when she enchants a gem or a piece of jewellry to act as a chi focus, thereby helping her to release her chi in a more controlled fashion. This jewellry is no more sturdy than any ordinary jewellry, but as Miao created it in the first place, she can recreate it relatively easily. For anyone else, her jewellry is just jewellry, but for Miao it is one of the keys to unlocking her inner potential.
While Miao's chi is very strong, her training as a warrior is incomplete. Her natural nimbleness and agility, and a good grounding in the fundamentals, leave her in good standing against most opponents, and she has the equivalent of a black belt in her chosen art, but she has not yet had opportunity for any truly advanced training. Moreover, she lacks many of the cunning and stealth oriented skills one might expect a snake warrior to have, having little training or experience in such. Still, so far her chi powers have proven sufficient to overcome such obstacles.
Campaign Use: The Hunted by Ninjas is intended as a long-term background plot. The GM can determine the specifics of exactly why they are testing her, but figuring out exactly what their motives are should be a substantial challenge. Li Mu Bai is probably mixed up in the matter as well, in some fashion, but might keep this fact from her until he thinks she's ready. Note: these ninjas are not agents of the Chinese government, though doubtless they have their own.
Li Mu Bai is a man of notable personal power and influence in southeast Asia, and though exactly what his motives are remain unclear at the start of the campaign, Miao has never seen anything which would lead her to believe his personal honour was anything less than impeccable. He is an extremely skilled swordsman, martial artist, and chi practitioner, is probably built on at least double Jade Snake's starting points, and is more than capable of taking care of himself. Nevertheless, his influence and importance might occasionally lead to attacks on his family as a way of putting pressure on him or of drawing him out for a confrontation.
While Shaozu is Li Mu Bai's son by blood, Hong Shen Li is his heir in craft and spirit. Naturally there is some potential for conflict there. Additionally, Hong is of course not Miao's cousin after all, but her brother. She does not know this. All sorts of interesting complications could arise from this, any of which could potentially lure Miao back to China. Alternatively, they could have ties to some corporation, criminal organization, or secret society which operates in America.
Appearance: Miao is a young oriental woman, of modest stature, with a lithe but muscular build, black hair, and green eyes. Overall her looks are somewhere between cute and pretty -- above average if not yet starlet material -- and she seems to be in her late teens or early twenties. Her typical attire is street clothing appropriate for where she plans to spend the day, often of oriental style if she intends to stay at home or in the oriental parts of town, or of western style if her travel plans extend further than that. She always wears a collection of jewellry about her ears, neck, fingers, wrist, and even ankle, which offsets her eyes, advertises her trade, and, most importantly, enhances her powers. Her fighting costume, worn on those occasions where she is expecting a battle, is a black and emerald kimono-type outfit with slits along the legs to allow for mobility, a black mask covering her upper face save for her emerald eyes, and often a pair of matched short swords or fighting sticks. However, she often finds herself fighting empty-handed in civilian clothes, as circumstances don't always conspire to allow her to choose the time and place of her battles. Nevertheless, trouble never seems to follow her home, so this has yet to come back to haunt her; whether this is due to her uncle Li Mu Bai's influence or some other factor is hard to say.
Jade Snake:
Jade Snake's Tattoo:
Comments and constructive criticism are welcome, especially from anyone who knows more about Chinese culture than I do (which doesn't take a lot!)
I personally wouldn't be able to use Dick and Jane as heroes, the internet and a twisted mind have me viewing them in a different light. I would choose Alice in Wonderland characters, as it is my favorite book. Yamamura did a nice write up for an Alice type character recently in the "Supers with Pictures: Fun for all" thread which is here. I love the write up so just had to point it out.
I do like the idea of speaking style. I think it would be great mostly for a villain, as it could possibly get to be annoying after a bit. What characters wouldn’t want to take out a Sam-I-Am type bad guy.
You take a character from a children's book and make a character based off of it. Of course you horribly warp it first. Here's the real challenge the campaign is a more serious, darker world then normal and your characters need to fit in.
I made a character based off Clifford the Big Red Dog. My version had him being the son of Cerberus and had him expelled from hell and onto Earth by his father to save him from his father's enemies. He had fire based powers as a person and when he changed to his dog form (looked nothing like the real Clifford other then being big and mainly red) he was very strong, very fast, and capable of summoning a pack of hell hounds to serve him.
Another player decided to make Emily Elizibeth because I mad Clifford. Her version of Emily Elizibeth was a pretty gloomy 16 year old witch. The game was tons of fun and so popular we may continue to play it.
Jeff gave me an exhaustive description. I hope I did his team justice. To those others that I have commissions to do for, I will be getting to them slowly and surely. Origins is eating up a bit of time due to prep. But I'll be taking sketches to do with me.
How would y'all (Herodom Assembled) produce this effect: Numbing. I want to be able to numb the skin with a touch (not all of it, just the area touched), and with repeated contact numb the muscles. Now for the muscle numbing, I plan to use an Entangle, but the skin numbing has some interesting effects I want. With a touch, I can take the pain from an injury -- not heal it, just make it not hurt.
So, to sum up:
remove pain with a touch
remove all sensation from an "area" (probably using Hit Locations or some such)
paralyse muscles (again, mostly focusing on limbs and such)
They already tried changing the HERO System to a method of "you always want to roll high, and beat a target number." It was called Fuzion, and was almost universally loathed by Hero players.
I mean, come on. It's just not that complicated to say "If you're checking for success, roll low; if you're determining effect, roll high." That ain't differential calculus or something. Someone who seriously can't grasp that has a lot bigger problems to worry about than their choice of RPG systems.
Ages ago I started a meta-plotline in my Champions game that lasted nearly five years. The main adversary was a version of DEMON that was based on Classic Organizations DEMON but enhanced with my own characters and ideas. I really liked the idea of the Inner Circle including different magical backgrounds. I decided that each Inner Circle member ran a branch of DEMON but had access to the DEMON technology, artifacts and wealth. I took the building blocks of Doctor Wu and created the Immortal sorcerer Blood Dragon. At his right-hand was a man named Blood Finger. He was a fiercely loyal but very sadistic martial arts master. Blood Dragon's goal was to build an ancient artifact called the Orb of Omniscience. This item was created eons ago by a god that wanted to part with his power. He poured his powers into the orb and split it into five sections. The god created pieces because his power couldn't be destroyed. Each section was flung to different corners of the world so it could not be easily assembled again. The god then walked away to experience the life of a mortal. Each piece was very powerful and wanted to be used. Each one found a way to evolve into something valuable to humanity in its region. When they fell into human hands it helped to fuel various groups into long lasting existence. The pieces managed to empower the lives of the Greeks, The Norse, The Aztecs, The Celts and the oddest being a cult based on the god Pyaray from Moorcook's Elric Saga. More on that strangeness later. The Egyptian people were also intertwined with these objects as they attempted to reassemble the Orb before anyone in history attempted the feat.
DEMON and the player characters moved through each adventure that uncovered the pieces in modern times and attempted to secure the Orb piece before the other. During the creation of one of these scenarios I took a stab at writing an adventure book just to see how it would turn out. Here I present The Mystery of Sable Island.doc which details the first few acts in the adventure to locate the orb piece that fueled the now long dead Pyaray cult. Inside are details on the locales of Sable Island and The offshore energy platformThebaud. Character details for Blood Finger, the eccentric Russ Mason and the songstress Howler. rigs, a giant squid, sorcerers and song...what's not to like? All this is complemented by photos, art, and maps in Microsoft Word format.
If there is interest I can locate more odds and ends from the final act of this adventure which didn't make it into the document above as well as other interesting pieces from my campaign's DEMON.
yamamura got a reaction from Hermit in Support Villain Concept
yamamura got a reaction from SteveZilla in Jokes
yamamura got a reaction from tkdguy in "Neat" Pictures
yamamura got a reaction from archermoo in "There is no pain; you are receding...."
