Zed-F

Re: Supers With Pictures: Fun For All
 
Last one for now, until I get around to coming up with some more ideas. Here's another guy set up for a Dark Champions or Animated Dark Champions game, who could be a sometime partner for KingOfPain, Raven, and Coon. He's a street mage by the name of:
 
Cynwyddon
 

[b]Cynwyddon - John Conklin[/b] [b][u]VAL[/u] [u]CHA[/u] [u]Cost[/u] [u]Total[/u] [u]Roll[/u] [u]Notes[/u][/b] 13 STR 3 13 12- HTH Damage 2 1/2d6 END [1] 18 DEX 24 18 13- OCV 6 DCV 6 18 CON 16 18 13- 10 BODY 0 10 11- 13 INT 3 13 12- PER Roll 12- 14 EGO 8 14 12- ECV: 5 18 PRE 8 18 13- PRE Attack: 3 1/2d6 10 COM 0 10 11- 4 PD 1 4/14 4/14 PD (0/10 rPD) 4 ED 0 4/14 4/14 ED (0/10 rED) 4 SPD 12 4 Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12 7 REC 0 7 36 END 0 36 26 STUN 0 26 6 RUN 0 6" END [1] 2 SWIM 0 2" END [1] 3 LEAP 0 2 1/2" 2 1/2" forward, 1" upward [b]CHA Cost: 75[/b] [b][u]Cost[/u] [u]POWERS[/u][/b] 33 [b][i]Ritual Combat Shotgun[/i][/b]: Multipower, 50-point reserve, (50 Active Points); all slots OIF Shotgun (-1/2) [Notes: Shotgun has a strap to prevent loss.] - END= 2u 1) [b][i]Cold Iron Buttstroke[/i][/b]: Hand-To-Hand Attack +5 1/2d6, Affects Desolidified: Mystic SFX (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (49 Active Points); Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/2), OIF Shotgun (-1/2) [Notes: 8d6 w/ STR.] - END=0 2u 2) [b][i]Standard Shot[/i][/b]: Killing Attack - Ranged 2 1/2d6, +1 Increased STUN Multiplier (+1/4) (50 Active Points); OIF Shotgun (-1/2), Reduced Penetration (-1/4), Reduced By Range (-1/4), 4 clips of 6 Charges (-1/4) - END=[6] 2u 3) [b][i]Rock Salt Pellets[/i][/b]: Energy Blast 10d6, STUN Only (+0) (50 Active Points); OIF Shotgun (-1/2), Reduced By Range (-1/4), 4 clips of 6 Charges (-1/4) - END=[6] 2u 4) [b][i]Cold Iron Slugs[/i][/b]: Killing Attack - Ranged 2d6-1, Affects Desolidified: Mystic SFX (+1/4), +1 Increased STUN Multiplier (+1/4), Penetrating (+1/2) (50 Active Points); 2 clips of 6 Charges (-1/2), OIF Shotgun (-1/2) - END=[6] 2u 5) [b][i]Dragon's Breath Shells[/i][/b]: Energy Blast 8d6, Affects Desolidified: Mystic SFX (+1/4) (50 Active Points); 2 clips of 6 Charges (-1/2), OIF Shotgun (-1/2) [Notes: Magnesium/phosphorous w/ cold iron filings.] - END=[6] 2u 6) [b][i]Mists of the Forgetful Sea[/i][/b]: Change Environment 4" radius, -6 INT Roll and all INT Skill Rolls, Long-Lasting 20 Minutes, Affects Desolidified: Mystic SFX (+1/4) (50 Active Points); 2 clips of 6 Charges (-1/2), OIF Shotgun (-1/2) [Notes: Tear Gas shells w/ replacement contents.] - END=[6] 2u 7) [b][i]Grave Dust Shells[/i][/b]: Sight and Mystic Groups Flash 9d6 (50 Active Points); 2 clips of 6 Charges (-1/2), OIF Shotgun (-1/2) [Notes: Beanbag shells w/ replacement pellets.] - END=[6] 2u 8) [b][i]Lightning Ley Line[/i][/b]: Teleportation 15", No Relative Velocity, x8 Noncombat (50 Active Points); 2 clips of 6 Charges (-1/2), OIF Shotgun (-1/2), Must Pass Through Intervening Space (-1/4) - END=[6] 5 [b][i]Detachable IR Scope[/i][/b]: (Total: 13 Active Cost, 5 Real Cost) Infrared Perception (Sight Group) (5 Active Points); OAF IR Scope (-1) (Real Cost: 2) [b]plus[/b] +1 with Ranged Combat (5 Active Points); OAF IR Scope (-1) (Real Cost: 2) [b]plus[/b] Penalty Skill Levels: +1 vs. Range Modifier with All Attacks (3 Active Points); OAF IR Scope (-1) (Real Cost: 1) - END=0 8 [b][i]Armoured Clothing[/i][/b]: Armor (5 PD/5 ED) (15 Active Points); OIF (-1/2), Real Armor (-1/4) - END=0 8 [b][i]Luckstone[/i][/b]: Armor (5 PD/5 ED), Hardened (+1/4) (19 Active Points); Restrainable (-1/2), Nonpersistent (-1/4), Must Be Aware Of Attack (-1/4), Physical Manifestation (-1/4) - END=0 - END= 5 [b][i]Magesight[/i][/b]: Detect Magic 12- (Sight Group) [Notes: Sight: Includes Sense, Range, Targeting.] - END=0 3 [b][i]Mystic Longevity[/i][/b]: Life Support (Eating: Character only has to eat once per week; Longevity: 200 Years; Sleeping: Character only has to sleep 8 hours per week) - END=0 18 [b][i]Druidic Power Items[/i][/b]: Multipower, 32-point reserve, (32 Active Points); all slots Physical Manifestation (-1/4), Incantations (-1/4), Gestures (-1/4) [Notes: Spells produce magically constructed items.] - END= 1u 1) [b][i]Glain Naddair[/i][/b]: Succor Characteristic 3d6+1 (standard effect: 10 points), any Characteristic one at a time (+1/4), Range Based On STR (+1/4), Costs END Only To Activate (+1/4) (30 Active Points); Extra Time (Full Phase, Only to Activate, -1/4), Physical Manifestation (-1/4), Incantations (-1/4), Gestures (-1/4) [Notes: An 'egg' of power, anyone can hold only one.] - END=2 1u 2) [b][i]Torc of Cernunnos[/i][/b]: Succor Attack Powers 3d6+1 (standard effect: 10 points), any Attack Power one at a time (+1/4), Costs END Only To Activate (+1/4), Range Based On STR (+1/4) (30 Active Points); Extra Time (Full Phase, to Activate, -1/4), Physical Manifestation (-1/4), Incantations (-1/4), Gestures (-1/4) [Notes: Confers accuracy, anyone can hold only one.] - END=2 1u 3) [b][i]Cold Iron Lodestone[/i][/b]: Suppress Magic 2d6, all Magic powers simultaneously (+2), Costs END Only To Activate (+1/4) (32 Active Points); Range Based On Strength (-1/4), Beam (-1/4), Physical Manifestation (-1/4), Incantations (-1/4), Gestures (-1/4) - END=3 1u 4) [b][i]Herbal Sachet of Regrowth[/i][/b]: Healing Characteristics 0 1/2d6, Costs END Only To Activate (+1/4), Continuous (+1), Decreased Re-use Duration (1 Turn; +1 1/2), all Characteristics simultaneously (+2) (29 Active Points); Extra Time (Full Phase, Only to Activate, -1/4), Physical Manifestation (-1/4), Incantations (-1/4), Gestures (-1/4) - END=3 1u 5) [b][i]Animal Mask[/i][/b]: Shape Shift (Sight, Touch and Hearing Groups, Animal shapes), Costs END Only To Change Shape (+1/4) (32 Active Points); Concentration (0 DCV, to change shape; -1/2), Physical Manifestation (-1/4), Incantations (-1/4), Gestures (-1/4) [Notes: Mask is distinctly visible to mystic senses.] - END=3 1u 6) [b][i]Cloak of the Winds[/i][/b]: Gliding 18", Usable By Other (+1/4), Usable As Leaping (+1/4) (27 Active Points); Physical Manifestation (-1/4), Incantations (-1/4), Gestures (-1/4) - END=0 1u 7) [b][i]Cloak of Deep Shadow[/i][/b]: Invisibility to Sight and Hearing Groups , Costs END Only To Activate (+1/4) (31 Active Points); Not In Bright Direct Light (-1/4), Physical Manifestation (-1/4), Incantations (-1/4), Gestures (-1/4) - END=2 1u 8) [b][i]Airbe Drtiad[/i][/b]: Force Field (5 PD/5 ED/5 Power Defense), Costs END Only To Activate (+1/4), Usable By Other (+1/4), Hardened (+1/4) (26 Active Points); Physical Manifestation (-1/4), Incantations (-1/4), Gestures (-1/4) [Notes: A mystic cloak of tough twigs and fibers.] - END=2 1u 9) [b][i]Conch Shell of Awen's Waters[/i][/b]: Mind Link , Human and Animal classes of minds, Any Willing Target, Number of Minds (x2) (30 Active Points); Nonpersistent (-1/4), Physical Manifestation (-1/4), Incantations (-1/4), Gestures (-1/4) [Notes: Acts as a mystic phone for one's mind.] - END=0 - END= [b]POWERS Cost: 105[/b] [b][u]Cost[/u] [u]SKILLS[/u][/b] Everyman 0 1) Climbing 8- 0 2) Concealment 8- 0 3) Deduction 8- 0 4) Language: Native Language (idiomatic; literate) (5 Active Points) 0 5) Paramedics 8- 0 6) PS: Profession / Hobby 11- 0 7) Shadowing 8- 0 8) Stealth 8- 0 9) TF: Small Motorized Ground Vehicles 3 Acting 13- 3 Analyze: Magic 12- 3 Animal Handler (Birds, Canines) 13- 3 Breakfall 13- 3 Conversation 13- 3 Fast Draw: Firearms 13- 3 High Society 13- 3 Interrogation 13- 2 Language: Seelie (fluent conversation) 3 Persuasion 13- 3 Power: Magic 12- 3 Scholar 1 1) KS: Druidic Lore (2 Active Points) 11- 1 2) KS: Ghosts, Spirits, & The Undead (2 Active Points) 11- 1 3) KS: Mystic World (2 Active Points) 11- 1 4) KS: Occult Groups, Threats, & Practices (2 Active Points) 11- 1 5) KS: Tales, Myths, & Legends (2 Active Points) 11- 1 6) KS: The Seelie (2 Active Points) 11- 3 Seduction 13- 3 +1 with Ritual Combat Shotgun 10 +1 Overall 3 Sleight Of Hand 13- 3 Streetwise 13- 1 Survival (Temperate/Subtropical) 8- 3 Teamwork 13- 3 WF: Small Arms, Clubs, Crossbows, Fist-Loads, Thrown Rocks, Unarmed Combat [b]SKILLS Cost: 70[/b] [b][u]Value[/u] [u]DISADVANTAGES[/u][/b] 10 Dependent NPC: Gwyn Hollis, Would-be Apprentice 11- (Slightly Less Powerful than the PC) [Notes: A perky college-age Buffy wannabe, eager for action. (75+75)] 15 Dependent NPC: Gwyn's Crew 8- (Normal; Group DNPC: x2 DNPCs) [Notes: Occasionally Gwyn's schoolmates become tag-alongs.] 15 Hunted: Various Lesser Nobles of the Unseelie Court 8- (Mo Pow, Capture) [Notes: Usually they hunt him alone or in small groups.] 15 Psychological Limitation: Sworn to Confront Mystic Evil (Common, Strong) [Notes: Will not shy away from combat, even if odds are grim.] 20 Normal Characteristic Maxima 15 Psychological Limitation: Protective of Innocents (Very Common, Moderate) 10 Psychological Limitation: Devoted To Finding His Family (Uncommon, Strong) [Notes: Long-term project; doesn't come up on a daily basis.] [b]DISADVANTAGES Points: 100[/b] Base Pts: 150 Exp Required: 0 Total Exp Available: 0 Exp Unspent: 0 Total Character Cost: 250
 
Height: 1.75 m Hair: Black
Weight: 75.00 kg Eyes: Brown
Appearance: A caucasian man of middling height and average build, Cynwyddon usually dresses in a white dress shirt, a dark ties, pants, duster, and often hat. He keeps his shotgun on him practically at all times, hidden under his duster. He doesn't smoke, but often keeps a twig or matchstick in his mouth. His hair is black, and his face lined with grief, weathering, and age. He looks to be in his forties, though he's actually closer to 60.
 
Personality: Cynwyddon is typically somewhat withdrawn and reluctant to talk about his past, preferring not to dwell on his past trials and mistakes. Instead he focuses on the task ahead of him, his current foe, and, of course, on his long-term goal of recovering his wife and sons. He has made a handful of attempts over the years to contact them in the Seelie realm, and though he has made a few enemies there in the process, so far he has met with no success. Nevertheless, he refuses to give up his quest. No longer needing to sleep or eat much, Cynwyddon doesn't really have much use for money or much of a life aside from his self-appointed job as a monster hunter. He will occasionally visit a homeless shelter, often in a church, if he feels he needs a meal and a night's rest. Despite his Druidic learning, Cynwyddon is very embracing of different traditions, realizing that many of them have different and often valuable perspectives on the truth; associating with practitioners of different religions is not a trouble to him.
 
Quote: "Step away from the girl, pal. It's time you went back where you came from."
 
Background: If I'd known then what I know now, I'd never have taken that vacation to Great Britain. I'd have taken Brenda and my kids, Joey and Michael, to a nice beach in south France, or Spain, or maybe Italy. For sure I would never have gone to Glastonbury Tor. For damn sure I would never have said word one to that old man.
 
Now, of course, it's far too late.
 
But that's where it all started. At the time, things were looking good. I was a mid-level executive in a profitable brewery. I had a good benefits package, enough vacation time to make a decent trip. Both the wife and I had roots of a sort in England, Wales, and Scotland, relatives there. Truth to tell, our ancestries were so mixed there were only a few distant cousins. We went as much for the beer as anything; it was something of a wonder that we bothered to visit them. The first week in and around London was great, met a few relatives, saw some sights, drank a lot of beer. We made our way west slowly, touring, enjoying the countryside.
 
We got to the Tor around the middle of the second week, just about halfway through our vacation schedule. We wanted to check out the sights, the boys wanted to see the maze. The boys won, of course. I can still remember walking up the hill of the Tor when this old fellow accosts me, wants to talk to me. The kids want to get to the maze, I tell Brenda to go ahead with them, I'll be right behind. The old guy starts yammering away, about times of yore when the Druids still walked the earth, about how those times aren't so far removed as one might think, about faeries and doors to the underworld, about fate, about how sometimes one chooses one's destiny, and how other times one's destiny is chosen by others, or by circumstance. I don't really remember what all he said, but I wasn't really listening that closely. I was just being polite, trying to think how to get away from the old guy without seeming rude, one eye on him and the other on the door to the only entrance to the maze. I didn't want to disappoint the boys.
 
Finally I got tired of the prattle and took my leave. Rather impatiently, I entered the maze. It wasn't the kind of maze that had branching paths, it just wound its way toward the center. There was only one way to go. I had seen them go in, hadn't seen them come out, but I hadn't really been delayed all that long, just a few minutes; I knew they had to be ahead of me somewhere. I wasn't worried. Not, that is, until I got to the center, and they were nowhere to be found. The went in, but never came out -- vanished without a trace.
 
Worried sick, I ran back out of the maze, hoping against hope that I'd somehow missed them and that they'd be waiting for me at the entrance. They weren't. The old man was, sorrow in his eyes. He waited for me while I searched the Tor for my family, fruitlessly. Then he took me away from there, and began to teach in earnest. I didn't want to hear what he had to tell me, I didn't want to believe -- but I had to. It was the only explanation I had. It was the only chance I might have to see them again.
 
The remainder of that week, that month, and the next several months after that, I spent in England. I took disability from my job, then eventually quit, citing emotional stress. I never did learn that old man's name, but he started my education before he died, left me a few books, sent me to another teacher. And so it went, moving from place to place, learning a bit here, a bit there. Developing my own connection to the mystic realms, my own style, my own weapons. Searching for a way to recover my family.
 
Thirty years later, I'm still searching. I've learned a lot since then, about magic, about the supernatural, different traditions, different threats. My eyes have been opened. I've come to realize that while the odds grow shorter by the year, my quest is not utterly hopeless. People can sometimes spend half a mortal lifetime in the faerie realm and emerge later unchanged, not having aged a day. If so, there's still time; we can still be together. I can't give up hope, it's all I have left. Hope, and the responsability not to let others fall victim to the perils of the world that lies beyond sight, as my family did.
 
Powers/Tactics: Cynwyddon's main mode of attack is his customized shotgun, for which he has a wide variety of loads, both mundane and magically-enhanced. It is a fairly potent weapon but not exceptionally so, but makes up for this with versatility. His other powers all involve the creation of a variety of temporary enchanted items of druidic power, most of which confer some sort of benefit to the holder, but all of which last only so long as Cynwyddon maintains the enchantment.
 
Cynwyddon's tactics depend on which of his power items he is currently using or plans to use. If he is using his Cloak of Deep Shadow or his Animal Mask, for instance, he will rely on stealth and attacking from surprise. On the other hand, if he is expecting an encounter with a close combat specialist, he may use his Cloak of Winds to keep his distance and avoid being grappled. If Cynwyddon does get grappled, he will be at a significant advantage, and knows it; fortunately, he is skilled enough at maintaining control of his shotgun that disarming him is quite difficult, and he will often be able to find a way to use it even if grappled or entangled. Cynwyddon prefers not to call too much attention to himself, but is not afraid of fighting his battles in public venues if necessary, as one of his cloaks or his mask will usually let him slip away unhindered afterward if he so desires.
 
Campaign Use: Cynwyddon's a monster hunter and source concerning matters of the occult. He's fairly strong against many mystic opponents because of his knowledge of their proclivities and weaknesses and because his weapons often tend to affect them even when normal weapons will not. He also has some decent investigative skills and a versatile suite of minor magics to help him uncover mystic events of importance wherever he roams. On the other hand, he doesn't have as many special advantages against more conventional opponents, and his defenses aren't strong enough to withstand a major assault, should he attract more attention than he can handle.

Re: Supers With Pictures: Fun For All
 
Here's Eidolon: http://www.herocentral.net/test/get/files/premium/Eidolon_v0.01.htm
 

[b]Eidolon - Jessica Umbridge[/b] [b][u]VAL[/u] [u]CHA[/u] [u]Cost[/u] [u]Total[/u] [u]Roll[/u] [u]Notes[/u][/b] 15 STR 5 15/30 12- / 15- HTH Damage 3d6/6d6 END [1/2] 20 DEX 30 20/30 13- / 15- OCV 7/10 DCV 7/10 13 CON 6 13 12- 10 BODY 0 10 11- 13 INT 3 13 12- PER Roll 12-/17- 14 EGO 8 14 12- ECV: 5 13 PRE 3 13 12- PRE Attack: 2 1/2d6 10 COM 0 10 11- 3 PD 0 3/21 3/21 PD (3/10 rPD) 3 ED 0 3/21 3/21 ED (3/10 rED) 3 SPD 0 3/5 Phases: 4, 8, 12/3, 5, 8, 10, 12 6 REC 0 6 26 END 0 26 25 STUN 0 25 6 RUN 0 6" END [1] 2 SWIM 0 2" END [1] 3 LEAP 0 3"/6" 3"/6" forward, 1 1/2"/3" upward [b]CHA Cost: 55[/b] [b][u]Cost[/u] [u]POWERS[/u][/b] 10 [b][i]Psionic Powers[/i][/b]: Elemental Control, 20-point powers [Notes: Most invisible to sight/sound; all visible to mental.] - END= 15 1) [b][i]Photokinetic/Sonokinetic Shield[/i][/b]: Invisibility to Sight, Hearing and Radio Groups , Costs END Only To Activate (+1/4) (37 Active Points); Side Effects: 3d6 STUN Drain (-1/2), Requires A Psionics Roll (Active Point penalty to Skill Roll is -1 per 20 Active Points; -1/4) - END=3 5 2) [b][i]Dermal Psi-shield[/i][/b]: Force Field (7 PD/7 ED), Costs END Only To Activate (+1/4), Invisible to Hearing, and Sight Groups, SFX Only (+1/4) (21 Active Points); Requires A Psionics Roll (-1/2), Side Effects: 2d6 PD & ED Drain (-1/2) - END=2 4 3) [b][i]Pain Damping[/i][/b]: (Total: 20 Active Cost, 10 Real Cost) +8 PD, Invisible to Hearing, and Sight Groups, SFX Only (+1/4) (10 Active Points); Stun Only (-1/2), Costs Endurance (Only Costs END to Activate; -1/4), Must Be Aware Of Attack (-1/4) (Real Cost: 5) [b]plus[/b] +8 ED, Invisible to Hearing, and Sight Groups, SFX Only (+1/4) (10 Active Points); Stun Only (-1/2), Costs Endurance (Only Costs END to Activate; -1/4), Must Be Aware Of Attack (-1/4) (Real Cost: 5) - END=2 4 4) [b][i]Psychic Healing[/i][/b]: Healing 1 BODY, Invisible to Hearing, and Sight Groups, SFX Only (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Persistent (+1/2) (22 Active Points); Extra Time (Regeneration-Only) 1 Turn (Post-Segment 12) (-1 1/4), Self Only (-1/2) - END=0 4 5) [b][i]Instill Rage[/i][/b]: Succor 1d6+1, Costs END Only To Activate (+1/4), Invisible to Hearing, and Sight Groups, Source Only (+1/4), Continuous (+1), STR, CON, BOD, STUN simultaneously (+1) (24 Active Points); Extra Time (1 Turn (Post-Segment 12), Only to Activate, -3/4), Concentration (0 DCV to Activate; -1/2), Side Effects: Enraged In Combat Go 14- Recover 11-, Side Effect occurs automatically whenever Power is used (Side Effect only affects the recipient of the benefits of the Power; -1/2), Requires A Psionics Roll (-1/2) [Notes: Max 20 AP per stat, uses 2 END per phase.] - END=2 4 6) [b][i]Telekinetic Mass Amplification[/i][/b]: Density Increase (500 kg mass, +15 STR, +3 PD/ED, -3" KB), Costs END Only To Activate (+1/4) (19 Active Points); Requires A Psionics Roll (-1/2), Side Effects: 3d6 STR Drain (-1/2), Increased Endurance Cost (x2 END; -1/4) [Notes: Density Increase is naturally invisible.] - END=2 6 7) [b][i]Telekinetic Levitation[/i][/b]: Gliding 14", Usable As Leaping (+1/4), Invisible to Hearing, and Sight Groups, SFX Only (+1/4) (21 Active Points); Requires A Skill Roll (-1/2), Costs Endurance (Only Costs END to Activate; -1/4) [Notes: 17"/20" with Leaping.] - END=2 4 8) [b][i]Ethereal Presences[/i][/b]: Summon 2 25-point Telekinetic Ghosts, Expanded Class of Beings Very Limited Group (+1/4), Invisible to Hearing, and Sight Groups, Source Only (+1/4), Slavishly Devoted (+1) (25 Active Points); Increased Endurance Cost (x4 END; -1 1/2), Requires A Psionics Roll (-1/2), Side Effects: 3d6 BOD Drain (-1/2) - END=8 4 9) [b][i]Psionic Link[/i][/b]: Mind Link , Any Willing Target, Number of Minds (x2) (20 Active Points); Requires A Psionics Roll (-1/2), Side Effects: 3d6 STUN Drain (-1/2), Costs Endurance (Only Costs END to Activate; -1/4) - END=2 5 10) [b][i]Mind's Eye[/i][/b]: Clairsentience (Sight Group), Costs END Only To Activate (+1/4) (25 Active Points); Only Through The Senses Of Others (-1/2), Requires A Psionics Roll (-1/2), Side Effects: 2d6 INT & EGO Drain (-1/2), Increased Endurance Cost (x2 END; -1/4) - END=4 40 [b][i]Prescient Reflexes[/i][/b]: (Total: 40 Active Cost, 40 Real Cost) +10 DEX (Real Cost: 30) [b]plus[/b] +1 SPD (Real Cost: 10) - END=0 10 [b][i]Limited Prescience[/i][/b]: +1 Overall - END= 6 [b][i]Psionic Toughness[/i][/b]: (Total: 6 Active Cost, 6 Real Cost) Damage Resistance (3 PD/3 ED) (Real Cost: 3) [b]plus[/b] +3 Mental Defense (6 points total) (Real Cost: 3) - END=0 50 [b][i]Latent Potential[/i][/b]: Reserved For Future Use - END=0 - END= 40 [b][i]MOM Handunit[/i][/b]: Multipower, 70-point reserve, (70 Active Points); all slots IAF MOM (-1/2), Not In Intense Magnetic Fields (-1/4) [Notes: Meson Overspin Modulator, visible to smell (ozone)] - END= 3u 1) [b][i]Quantum Teleportation[/i][/b]: Teleportation 5", No Relative Velocity, Position Shift, x2 Increased Mass, x4 Noncombat, Safe Blind Teleport (+1/4), Invisible to Hearing, and Sight Groups, SFX Only (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (70 Active Points); Extra Time (Full Phase, -1/2), IAF MOM (-1/2), Not In Intense Magnetic Fields (-1/4) - END=0 3u 2) [b][i]Distance Teleportation[/i][/b]: Teleportation 1", No Relative Velocity, Position Shift, x2 Increased Mass, Safe Blind Teleport (+1/4), Invisible to Hearing, and Sight Groups, SFX Only (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), MegaScale (1" = 100 km; +3/4), Can Be Scaled Down 1" = 1km (+1/4) (66 Active Points); Extra Time (Full Phase, -1/2), IAF MOM (-1/2), Not In Intense Magnetic Fields (-1/4) - END=0 3u 3) [b][i]Quantum Phase Shift[/i][/b]: Desolidification (affected by Dimensional, Quantum, or Radiation), Invisible to Hearing, and Sight Groups, SFX Only (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2) (70 Active Points); IAF MOM (-1/2), Extra Time (Full Phase, Only to Activate, -1/4), Not In Intense Magnetic Fields (-1/4) - END=0 3u 4) [b][i]Quantum Displacer Beam[/i][/b]: Teleportation 9", Position Shift, Invisible to Hearing, and Sight Groups, SFX Only (+1/4), Limited Range: 64" (+1/4), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Usable As Attack (+1) (69 Active Points); IAF MOM (-1/2), no Noncombat movement (-1/4), Not In Intense Magnetic Fields (-1/4) - END=0 3u 5) [b][i]Meson Beam[/i][/b]: Energy Blast 8d6, Invisible to Hearing, and Sight Groups, SFX Only (+1/4), No Normal Defense (ED Forcefield; +1/2) (70 Active Points); IAF MOM (-1/2), Beam (-1/4), Cannot Be Bounced (-1/4), 4 clips of 6 Charges (-1/4), Not In Intense Magnetic Fields (-1/4) - END=[6] 3u 6) [b][i]Meson Barrage[/i][/b]: Energy Blast 5 1/2d6, Invisible to Hearing, and Sight Groups, SFX Only (+1/4), No Normal Defense (ED Forcefield; +1/2), Area Of Effect Nonselective (11" Cone; +3/4) (70 Active Points); IAF MOM (-1/2), 4 clips of 6 Charges (-1/4), Not In Intense Magnetic Fields (-1/4) - END=[6] 3u 7) [b][i]Overcharged Meson Beam[/i][/b]: Energy Blast 14d6 (70 Active Points); IAF MOM (-1/2), 4 clips of 6 Charges (-1/4), Not In Intense Magnetic Fields (-1/4) - END=[6] 1 [b][i]MOM Teleport Memory[/i][/b]: Teleportation: Fixed Location (2 Locations) (2 Active Points); IAF MOM (-1/2) [Notes: Home, Last location teleported from] - END=0 5 [b][i]Backup Handunit[/i][/b]: Another MOM - END=0 Mirrorshades: List, all slots IAF Shades (-1/2) - END= 3 1) [b][i]Image Enhancer[/i][/b]: +5 PER with Normal Sight (5 Active Points); IAF Shades (-1/2) - END=0 1 2) [b][i]Zoom Function[/i][/b]: +5 versus Range Modifier for Normal Sight (2 Active Points); IAF Shades (-1/2) - END=0 3 3) [b][i]Mirrored Surface[/i][/b]: Sight Group Flash Defense (5 points) (5 Active Points); IAF Shades (-1/2) - END=0 5 4) [b][i]Data Display / Earbug / Subvocal Mike[/i][/b]: High Range Radio Perception (Radio Group) (12 Active Points); Sense Affected As More Than One Sense Sight & Hearing (-1/2), IAF Shades (-1/2), Nonpersistent (-1/4) - END=0 - END= [b]POWERS Cost: 250[/b] [b][u]Cost[/u] [u]SKILLS[/u][/b] Everyman 0 1) Acting 8- 0 2) Climbing 8- 0 3) Conversation 8- 0 4) Language: English (idiomatic; literate) (5 Active Points) 0 5) Paramedics 8- 0 6) Persuasion 8- 0 7) PS: Scientist 11- 0 8) Shadowing 8- 0 9) TF: Everyman, Two-Wheeled Motorized Ground Vehicles 0 10) WF: Clubs, Fist-Loads, Thrown Rocks, Unarmed Combat 3 Computer Programming 12- 3 Concealment 12- 3 Deduction 12- 3 Electronics 12- 3 Inventor 12- 11 Power: Psionics 16- 3 Scientist 1 1) SS: Biology 11- (2 Active Points) 1 2) SS: Engineering 11- (2 Active Points) 1 3) SS: Optics 11- (2 Active Points) 1 4) SS: Physics 11- (2 Active Points) 2 5) SS: Psionics 12- (3 Active Points) 2 6) SS: Quantum Physics 12- (3 Active Points) 3 Stealth 13- (15-) 3 Systems Operation 12- [b]SKILLS Cost: 43[/b] [b][u]Cost[/u] [u]PERKS[/u][/b] 2 Money: Well Off - $200K per annum [b]PERKS Cost: 2[/b] [b][u]Value[/u] [u]DISADVANTAGES[/u][/b] 20 Hunted: PSI 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture) 20 Hunted: VIPER 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Capture) 10 Watched: PRIMUS 8- (Mo Pow, NCI, Watching) 20 Normal Characteristic Maxima 15 Psychological Limitation: Underconfident (Very Common, Moderate) 15 Psychological Limitation: With Great Power Comes Great Responsability (Very Common, Moderate) 5 Psychological Limitation: Doesn't Trust The Government (Uncommon, Moderate) 15 Psychological Limitation: Code vs. Killing (Common, Strong) 15 Social Limitation: Weirdness Magnet (Very Frequently, Minor) [Notes: Wild Psi talent attracts all manner of strange people.] 15 Social Limitation: Consistently Unappreciated & Pushed Around At Work (Frequently, Major) [Notes: Resulting from her underconfidence and odd acquaintances.] [b]DISADVANTAGES Points: 150[/b] Base Pts: 200 Exp Required: 0 Total Exp Available: 0 Exp Unspent: 0 Total Character Cost: 350
 
Height: 1.55 m Hair: Blonde
Weight: 60.00 kg Eyes: Blue
Appearance: Blonde shoulder length hair, dresses in casual clothes, usually light fabrics in light colors. White is a staple part of her wardrobe. She wears a lab coat while in the lab, of course. Her costume is a white single-piece bodystocking she wears under her clothes, with a silver starburst on her chest and a utility belt, in silver, about her waist. The utility belt includes several pouches for storing things in, including her street clothes when she's not wearing them.
 
Personality: Eidolon is a novice heroine who is still pretty unsure about her abilities and about her ability to handle a combat situation. She is very self-effacing and deferential as a result, and can be pretty naive. Nevertheless she has come to realize that she has a responsability to help defend her community against the forces of chaos.
 
Quote: "Betcha didn't see that coming..."
 
Background: Dr. Kleiner looked down at me with derision as he erased my equations from the chalkboard, destroying hours of work. "Yes, yes, but have you considered the what the leptons will transform into when they change from up-spin to down-spin? Your proof is incomplete. I'd advise you to start again." And with that, he left the room. I'm sure Dr. Kleiner's right; he's far more experienced with quantum physics than I am. Not as experienced as Dr. Lewis was, not by a long shot, but then who was, really. I try to keep old memories from resurfacing, try to keep the tears from coming. A drop of moisture at the corner of my eye; I fail.
 
Back in Seattle, things were different. I was Dr. Lewis's grad student, and he was wonderful. Brilliant, a literal genius, though his field of expertise was perplexing to most anyone else. There are so few people who really understand quantum physics, and even those who study it joke that anyone who claims to do so is lying. Dr. Lewis was one of the exceptions that proved the rule; no-one else could follow him at all once he got really going. I did my best, and I think I captured some of the mystery, but large parts continue to elude me. I'm just not smart enough to grasp it all intuitively, I guess. I have to work hard at it, and even then I make mistakes.
 
Dr. Lewis was patient with my mistakes. Being considered a bit of an oddball himself, he was patient with all the strange people that keep turning up, seems like every time I turn around. People from Wyoming who live on a commune and claim to know me. I've never even been to Wyoming. Anyway, it never seemed to bother him much. My secret never seemed to bother him either. I'm sure he must have known I was keeping something from him, though in those days I hid my secret from everyone as carefully as I could. He was certainly smart enough to figure I wasn't telling him everything when I came to the lab with a splitting headache. But he never said anything about it.
 
We were working on a couple prototype meson emitters when it happened. Really, they were Dr. Lewis's emitters, I was just helping him with calibration and testing. I understood how they worked, sort of, but the idea had been all his. He said someone from the government had given him a big grant to build them. I was a bit nervous about that, considering my secret, but I didn't say anything; it wasn't my business, really. Then one day, while we were working late at the university lab, running some final tests to make sure they worked as designed, there was a ruckus. I heard some shots fired. Dr. Lewis pointed to the fire door, urged me to come with him and began running that way. I hesitated, grabbed the prototypes, the laptops, and only then started running. Almost too late. Some men in green combat gear stormed the lab just as I was leaving. Fortunately I managed to get away, made it home.
 
That was the last time I saw Dr. Lewis. I got a message on my machine the next morning that he was safe, in good hands, but that I shouldn't go back to the university. I should get out of town, before they could find me. And that I should use every trick I knew to stay out of sight. That's when I knew the Feds had got Dr. Lewis, and they were going to sit on him, make him work at a secure think tank. And that's when I knew for sure that Dr. Lewis knew my secret. The secret that I'm a psi.
 
I'm not a powerful psi, like Menton or whatever. Just a beginner, self-taught with whatever tricks I could figure out, really. Nothing special. But I'm a psi, and the government does things to psis. Hunts us down, locks us up, tries to figure out what makes us tick. I'm not in for that, so I don't trust 'em much. Dr. Lewis, he's no psi as far as I know, they won't be dissecting him -- just using him. I might not be so lucky. So instead of telling the police what I knew about the guys in green combat armour, I just called Mom and Dad in Florida, told them I was changing universities and not to worry, and left.
 
I decided to head to Millenium City. I took the MOMs with me; I guess they're mine now. Dr. Lewis seemed to imply as much when he told me to leave town; he knew I had them. I took the laptops too, so I could study up on the schematics. Turned out there was some other useful stuff in there as well. Once I got to Millenium City and started a new life, I filed a couple patents Dr. Lewis had written up but never sent in. It gave me an income and enough up front cash to settle in. I applied for a grad student position at one of the local universities. And I started seriously looking at what I wanted to do.
 
I'd never used my psi powers in public. Never even so much as used them to my own benefit, except in trivial ways. Now it seemed like I was going to have an enemy no matter what. And it seemed like sometimes, even when you do everything you can to keep a low profile, sometimes bad things will happen to people who don't deserve it. Unless someone stops them. I decided I'd been hiding my powers too long, that denying they existed wasn't the answer. It was time to start using them. By themselves, maybe they don't amount to much. But I didn't just have my psi powers anymore. Now I had MOM to help me out.
 
I had, by the grace of God or plain dumb luck, been gifted with abilities beyond normal everyday folk not once, but twice. It was time I started owning up to what that should mean. It was time for me to do something more than just be a grad student, hiding away and pretending like I was just like everyone else. Instead I would do something to stop people like those guys in green combat armour from ruining some other grad student's life.
 
Of course, that doesn't mean I can't still follow Dr. Lewis's advice and use every trick I know to stay out of sight. It just means that when I bring MOM out into the schoolyard, the bad kids won't know what hit them.
 
Powers/Tactics: Eidolon is a low-grade pan-psionic, able to manifest a wide variety of psionic talents. Most of her abilities are individually not very strong, but she is able to maintain a remarkable number of them active simultaneously. On the other hand, she is completely self-taught and has incomplete mastery over her abilities, so that she does not always achieve the effect she intends; if she loses control while doing so, oftentimes deleterious effects will result. Eidolon has demonstrated abilities to generate psychic shields that render her invisible and protect her physically and mentally, to reinforce her body, ignore pain, and otherwise render herself more potent physically, to subconsciously predict the future to a limited degree, to levitate, communicate with others min-to-mind, and see through the senses of others. She even has an unusual ability to summon telekinetic 'ghosts', reflections of her will encased in telekinetic energy. She is a wild talent, with potential to be a very powerful psychic, but most of that potential currently remains unrealized. Partly this is due to her relative lack of self-confidence, but it is also due to her having focused much of her time pursuing other interests, primarily her scientific career.
 
That scientific career is the source of Eidolon's other abilities. She knows enough quantum physics and engineering to be able to maintain, and perhaps recreate, the MOM devices that she's inherited since VIPER destroyed the lab she used to work in in Seattle, even if she could never have come up with them to begin with on her own. The MOM units look something like a ST:TNG tricorder and have a variety of functions revolving around quantum physics. The primary one is quantum teleportation, both of the user and of others, willingly or not. Its other abilities are to shift the user to another quantum state wherein the user ceases to interact with standard matter in any normal sense, and to project a beam of mesons capable of stunning or physically damaging the beam's target. Unless overcharged, these beams are not stopped by anything short of an energy force field, but are invisible to hearing and sound, thus complementing Eidolon's psionic abilities nicely. The overcharged version of the beam is visible, but is physically damaging and can potentially overpower a forcefield. The entire device is powered by a small power core which is good for about 20 minutes of continuous use, or much longer if spread out; Eidolon typically keeps a couple spare cores around, as well as her spare handunit. In addition to the MOM devices, Eidolon has designed and built a set of sunglasses that include an integral heads-up display, image enhancement, zoom, and wireless data capabilities.
 
Eidolon is not very aggressive in combat, preferring to remain invisible as much as possible and take down opponents from short to moderate range. Her limited prescience enables her to be quite accurate to begin with, as well as to be quite difficult to pin down even if she can be located. Moreover, her accuracy is also supplemented by the fact that her opponents generally can't see her attacks coming or locate from which direction they are being attacked. On the other hand, Eidolon's quickness and invisibility is offset by the fact that she is easily put down; with only 13 CON, most attacks can stun her without difficulty, and area effect attacks, mental attacks, and other NND attacks will all work well against her.

Re: Supers With Pictures: Fun For All
 
IIRC Susano doesn't own HD.

Re: Supers With Pictures: Fun For All
 
I don't really like the code version, so I'll give a proper link first.
 
http://www.herocentral.net/test/get/files/premium/KingOfPain_v0.02.HTML
 

[b]King Of Pain - Michael Biorn[/b] [b][u]VAL[/u] [u]CHA[/u] [u]Cost[/u] [u]Total[/u] [u]Roll[/u] [u]Notes[/u][/b] 15 STR 5 15/35 12- / 16- HTH Damage 3d6/7d6 END [1/13] 20 DEX 30 20 13- OCV 7 DCV 7 18 CON 16 18 13- 13 BODY 6 13 12- 13 INT 3 13 12- PER Roll 12- 9 EGO -2 9 11- ECV: 3 13 PRE 3 13/20 12- / 13- PRE Attack: 2 1/2d6 / 4d6 6 COM -2 6 10- 4 PD 1 4/36 4/36 PD (0/12 rPD) 4 ED 0 4/16 4/16 ED (0/12 rED) 4 SPD 10 4 Phases: 3, 6, 9, 12 7 REC 0 7 36 END 0 36 30 STUN 0 30 6 RUN 0 6" END [1] 2 SWIM 0 2" END [1] 3 LEAP 0 3"/22" 3"/22" forward, 1 1/2"/3 1/2" upward [b]CHA Cost: 70[/b] [b][u]Cost[/u] [u]POWERS[/u][/b] 8 [b][i]Berserker Fury[/i][/b]: Elemental Control, 20-point powers, (10 Active Points); all slots Only In Combat (-1/4) - END= 7 1) [b][i]Berserker Endurance[/i][/b]: Succor 1d6+1, Costs END Only To Activate (+1/4), Continuous (+1), CON, BODY, END, STUN simultaneously (+1) (23 Active Points); Self Only (-1/2), Only In Combat (-1/4) [Notes: Max 20 AP above base values.] - END=2 7 2) [b][i]Berserk Resilience[/i][/b]: Armor (7 PD/7 ED) (21 Active Points); Costs Endurance (Only Costs END to Activate; -1/4), Only In Combat (-1/4) - END=2 4 3) [b][i]King Of Pain[/i][/b]: +20 PD (20 Active Points); Stun Only (-1/2), Costs Endurance (Only Costs END to Activate; -1/4), Must Be Aware Of Attack (-1/4), Only In Combat (-1/4) - END=2 2 4) [b][i]Berserk Strength[/i][/b]: +20 STR (20 Active Points); Increased Endurance Cost (x6 END; -2 1/2), No Figured Characteristics (-1/2), Only In Combat (-1/4) - END=12 4 5) [b][i]Berserk Charge[/i][/b]: Leaping +15" (3"/22" forward, 1 1/2"/3 1/2" upward) (Accurate) (20 Active Points); Forward Movement Only (-1), Only In Combat (-1/4) - END=2 - END= 3 [b][i]Fearsome Countenance[/i][/b]: +7 PRE (7 Active Points); Only for Fear-based Interactions (-1/2), Linked (Berserker Endurance; Greater Power is Constant or in use most or all of the time; -1/4), Only In Combat (-1/4) - END= 2 [b][i]Rage-Shielded Mind[/i][/b]: Mental Defense (5 points total) (3 Active Points); Linked (Berserker Endurance; Greater Power is Constant or in use most or all of the time; -1/4), Only In Combat (-1/4) - END=0 4 [b][i]Combat Awareness[/i][/b]: (Total: 7 Active Cost, 4 Real Cost) Increased Arc Of Perception (360 Degrees) with Normal Sight (5 Active Points); Only In Combat (-1/4), Linked (Berserker Endurance; Greater Power is Constant or in use most or all of the time; -1/4) (Real Cost: 3) [b]plus[/b] +2 PER with Normal Sight (2 Active Points); Linked (Berserker Endurance; Greater Power is Constant or in use most or all of the time; -1/4), Only In Combat (-1/4) (Real Cost: 1) - END=0 9 [b][i]Just Nicked Me[/i][/b]: Armor (5 PD/5 ED), Hardened (+1/4) (19 Active Points); Restrainable (-1/2), Nonpersistent (-1/4), Must Be Aware Of Attack (-1/4) - END=0 - END= 18 [b][i]Weapon Mastery[/i][/b]: Multipower, 37-point reserve, (37 Active Points); all slots OIF Object of Opportunity (-1/2), Restrainable (-1/2) [Notes: Can use almost any item as a weapon.] - END= 1u 1) [b][i]Power Strike[/i][/b]: Hand-To-Hand Attack +4d6, Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4), Armor Piercing (+1/2) (35 Active Points); Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/2), OIF Object of Opportunity (-1/2), Restrainable (-1/2) [Notes: 11d6 AP w/ Fast Strike] - END=1 1u 2) [b][i]Rapid Strikes[/i][/b]: Hand-To-Hand Attack +3d6, Autofire (5 shots; +1/2), Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1) (37 Active Points); Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/2), OIF Object of Opportunity (-1/2), Restrainable (-1/2), Reduced Penetration (-1/4) [Notes: 10d6 w/ Fast Strike (Reduced Pen)] - END=0 1u 3) [b][i]Spinning Strikes[/i][/b]: Hand-To-Hand Attack +3d6, Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4), Area Of Effect (2" Radius; +1), Selective (+1/4) (37 Active Points); Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/2), OIF Object of Opportunity (-1/2), Restrainable (-1/2) [Notes: 10d6 w/ Fast Strike] - END=1 1u 4) [b][i]Counterstrikes[/i][/b]: Hand-To-Hand Attack +3d6, Reduced Endurance (0 END; +1/2), Trigger (Activating the Trigger is an Action that takes no time, Trigger resets automatically, immediately after it activates; +1) (37 Active Points); Hand-To-Hand Attack (-1/2), OIF Object of Opportunity (-1/2), Restrainable (-1/2) [Notes: When attacked in HTH: 10d6 w/ Fast Strike] - END=0 1u 5) [b][i]Killing Strike[/i][/b]: Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 2d6-1 (3d6 - 1 / 3d6+1 w/STR), Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4) (31 Active Points); OIF Object of Opportunity (-1/2), Restrainable (-1/2) [Notes: 4d6K w/ Fast Strike] - END=1 1u 6) [b][i]Thrown Objects[/i][/b]: Killing Attack - Hand-To-Hand 1d6+1 (2d6 / 2 1/2d6 w/STR), Autofire (3 shots; +1/4), Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/2) (35 Active Points); OIF Object of Opportunity (-1/2), Restrainable (-1/2), Reduced Penetration (-1/4) - END=1 1u 7) [b][i]Throw Dirt[/i][/b]: Sight Group Flash 6d6, Reduced Endurance (1/2 END; +1/4) (37 Active Points); OIF Object of Opportunity (-1/2), Restrainable (-1/2), Range Based On Strength (-1/4), Does Not Work Against Desolidified Characters (-1/4) - END=1 20 Reserved For Future Use - END=0 - END= [b]POWERS Cost: 95[/b] [b][u]Cost[/u] [u]MARTIAL ARTS[/u][/b] Dirty Infighting 4 1) Fast Strike: 1/2 Phase, +2 OCV, +0 DCV, Weapon +4 DC Strike 3 2) Legsweep: 1/2 Phase, +2 OCV, -1 DCV, Weapon +3 DC Strike, Target Falls 4 3) Martial Block: 1/2 Phase, +2 OCV, +2 DCV, Block, Abort 8 +2 HTH Damage Class(es) 6 Weapon Element: Axes, Maces, Hammers, and Picks, Blades, Clubs, Fist-Loads, Homemade Weapons, Off Hand, Unarmed [Notes: Off-hand: +1 DCV while dual-wielding] [b]MARTIAL ARTS Cost: 25[/b] [b][u]Cost[/u] [u]SKILLS[/u][/b] Everyman 0 1) Concealment 8- 0 2) Conversation 8- 0 3) Deduction 8- 0 4) Language: English (idiomatic; literate) (5 Active Points) 0 5) Paramedics 8- 0 6) Persuasion 8- 0 7) PS: Actor / Stunt Man 11- 0 8) Shadowing 8- 0 9) Stealth 8- 2 AK: Campaign City 11- 3 Acrobatics 13- 3 Acting 12- (13-) 3 Breakfall 13- 3 Climbing 13- 3 Combat Driving 13- 6 +2 with Dirty Infighting 5 Rapid Attack (HTH) 3 Scholar 1 1) KS: Action Cinema (2 Active Points) 11- 1 2) KS: Dirty Infighting (2 Active Points) 11- 1 3) KS: Metahuman World (2 Active Points) 11- 3 Teamwork 13- 2 TF: Common Motorized Ground Vehicles, Two-Wheeled Motorized Ground Vehicles 10 Two-Weapon Fighting (HTH) 6 WF: Common Melee Weapons, Common Missile Weapons, Small Arms [b]SKILLS Cost: 55[/b] [b][u]Cost[/u] [u]PERKS[/u][/b] 1 Money: Well Off - $100K per annum 4 Contact: Harold Uller, Hollywood Agent (Contact has significant Contacts of his own, Contact limited by identity) 13- [Notes: Harold knows guys who know guys.] [b]PERKS Cost: 5[/b] [b][u]Value[/u] [u]DISADVANTAGES[/u][/b] 10 Distinctive Features: Heavily Scarred (Concealable; Noticed and Recognizable; Detectable By Commonly-Used Senses) 20 Enraged: Takes BODY In Combat (Common), go 14-, recover 14- 20 Normal Characteristic Maxima 15 Psychological Limitation: Protective Of Innocents (Very Common, Moderate) 15 Psychological Limitation: Bitter & Cynical (Very Common, Moderate) [Notes: Suspects the worst of others & doesn't let them get close.] 10 Social Limitation: Crazy Broad Magnet (Frequently, Minor) [Notes: All the wrong sorts of girls seem to fall for Michael.] 10 Social Limitation: Unlucky In Love (Occasionally, Major) [Notes: When he meets a classy dame, things never work out.] [b]DISADVANTAGES Points: 100[/b] Base Pts: 150 Exp Required: 0 Total Exp Available: 0 Exp Unspent: 0 Total Character Cost: 250
 
Height: 1.90 m Hair: Blonde
Weight: 90.00 kg Eyes: Blue
Appearance: Fairly massive bruiser, not the hugest guy in the world but certainly solid enough; could be a half-back or a defensive back in football. His face and body is heavily (and disticntively) scarred and in general he looks like he's seen better days. Michael's blonde hair is close-cut and his clothes are usually well-worn and workmanlike. He favours jeans, white t-shirt, and a black leather coat or duster.
 
Personality: When he was young, Michael was an optimistic, go-getting thrillseeker. Now he's older, bruised, and battered in body and spirit. He's had a number of women in his life, and lost them all one way or another; his experiences have left him with a deep-seated bitterness and contempt for the human condition. Nevertheless he figures that other people's lives can't be as messed up as his, and he still has enough respect for life to feel the responsability to help others that are in danger who cannot help themselves. He's more likely to get involved in a sticky situation by helping someone else out of it, than by investigating something on his own recognizance.
 
Quote:"Is that your best shot? All right, now it's my turn."
 
Background: Michael Biorn has been an actor and a stunt man for over 20 years, and a 'mask' for nearly that long. He's had his share of bruises and batterings, and his body shows it. Michael is often cast as the sidekick for a headline actor or a villain's main henchman, especially in action or martial arts films; he's a solid second-string actor but no leading man material. He's also a solid second-string mask and sometime vigilante, but he knows he's no heroes' hero. Many years ago, Michael witnessed several young men stalking a young actress, and when he confronted them, they started beating on him. His rage bloomed for the first time, and he snatched up a broken bottle and began laying waste about him with a ferocity and skill he could barely imagine or contain. That moment propelled him on both of his career paths to where he is today. Along the way his heart's been broken more times than he cares to remember, but he still keeps on keeping on, living with the pain and weariness both of body and of spirit on a daily basis, and helping out where he can.
 
Powers/Tactics: Since Michael's inner rage woke, his cinematic martial arts prowess has been supplemented with a wealth of practical experience passed down from his ancestors. Most particularily, Michael is quite capable of using just about any object as a lethal weapon. Additionally, he's able to harness his rage to enable a variety of feats of physical prowess, such as shrugging off pain, bursts of superhuman strength, and fanatic charges. Most of the time Michael keeps his powerful rage on an icy short leash, using it with full intelligence to best effect. However, if he tastes his own blood, his control often slips, and he falls into a near-murderous rage. Fortunately, once he's dealt with the target of his rage, he often recovers his self-control.
 
Michael is a capable hand-to-hand fighter, especially against other foes who rely on physical attacks. He can hit quite powerfully and repeatedly at close range and can mow down mooks or pummel stronger physical attackers with multiple heavy blows. However, he's at a disadvantage against ranged attacks, energy attacks, or exotic attacks, and foes with massive physical defenses may be able to largely ignore his reprisal. Michael is competent with firearms and other ranged weapons; though they are by no means his specialty, he is able to use such weapons when he runs across them and their use is appropriate.
 
Campaign Use: Michael is quite strong in his own specialty of hand-to-hand attacks but not overly flexible when it comes to dealing with other threats. If he comes across something he's not equipped to handle on his own, he's likely to need to be bailed out. On the other hand he's quite good at blowing through large quantities of mooks in short order and can provide a nasty surprise for an opponent that allows him to close to melee.
 
Plot Hook: A string of murders among the hooker community has gotten the King Of Pain caught in the middle of a gang war between the Triad and the Yakuza. In his latest battle, however, he squared off against a Wuxia martial artist whose acrobatic leaps and chi-blasts proved too much for him to handle, and he was forced to withdraw. Now he needs the heroes' help to sort out the war and put the murderer behind bars.
 
-----
 
BTW, anyone that wants to give me ideas for the last 20 points or so, let me know.

Re: Supers With Pictures: Fun For All
 

[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!)

Re: Supers With Pictures: Fun For All
 

[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!)

Re: The New Circle
 
I thought I'd post some plot seeds for Wyrmbane to tie them in with the New Circle. The characters themselves can be found in the Superheroes With Pics thread, since I didn't originally have anything tying them explicitly to the CU and since they are not homage characters.
 
Plot Seed: The New Circle has vanished. The last the Master had heard of them, they were going to investigate rumors about Chang Kar Wai having been seen recently in the city. However there has been no word from them in over a week, and the Master is getting quite concerned. He needs to find some new heroes to find out what happened to the New Circle, and he is desperate enough to consider recruiting a team of teens to do the job. Sibyl, however, is outraged. Is it simply her revulsion at the Master's recruitment tactics, or does she know more than she's letting on?
 
Plot Seed: A series of strange attacks by mysterious Edomite monsters which appear briefly, only to vanish again just as mysteriously, has begun to plague the city. The attacks seem almost random, with no goal other than to draw forth a response from the city's heroes, and have been occurring with enough frequency to run many heroes ragged chasing after phantoms. At least some heroes, however, are finding the monsters more eager for a confrontation. A teen hero team known as Wyrmbane comes to the New Circle for help. Always senses that there may be a pattern unfolding that could result in a cataclysmic horror being unleashed not just on the city, but on the world as a whole. Can the New Circle determine the source and the purpose of these attacks before The Slug is able to capture his prizes and make use of them in a ritual sacrifice?
 
Plot Seed: A new church has sprung up in the city and has been gathering new worshippers amongst the street people at an incredible rate. The church is sponsoring soup kitchens, treatment centers, and several other facilities for the needy. Parishioners talk about having religious experiences and seeing angels on a weekly or even nightly basis. But something is amiss. One day Night Hunter reports to the rest of the New Circle that rumors have been circulating about homeless people going missing and a demon preying on the church. He investigated and found little other than a black scorch mark on the ground, and several very large feathers scattered about. Yet if the church has come under attack, they have not asked the police or anyone else for help dealing with the problem. Just what is going on here?
 
Plot Seed: In the small hours of the morning, while most of the city sleeps, a catastrophe occurs somewhere in the city. The next night, a completely different seemingly random event occurs. So it goes for a week. Then the Master introduces the New Circle to a woman fearful for her son's life. Gifted, convinced that the events are somehow his fault, has gone into a catatonic trance. Yet the events continue. Who is responsible, and how can Gifted be brought out of his self-imposed imprisonment?
 
Here are the character links:
Glaive – Fantasy World Warrior Woman in Modern America
http://www.herogames.com/forums/showpost.php?p=703377&postcount=131
 
Glave’s Shieldmaidens – Shadow Warrior Followers of Glaive
http://www.herogames.com/forums/showpost.php?p=703381&postcount=132
 
Glaive’s Shadowhounds – Dogs of War
http://www.herogames.com/forums/showpost.php?p=703387&postcount=136
 
Beast Warden – Shape Changing Shamanic Fantasy Hero in Modern America
http://www.herogames.com/forums/showpost.php?p=703391&postcount=138
 
Beast Warden’s Forms:
Polar Bear - http://www.herogames.com/forums/showpost.php?p=703394&postcount=139
 
Sea Hawk – http://www.herogames.com/forums/showpost.php?p=703395&postcount=140
 
Soulbarb – Schoolgirl Were-Demon Crime Fighter
http://www.herogames.com/forums/showpost.php?p=703397&postcount=141
 
Gifted - Artistic Schoolboy Hero
http://www.herogames.com/forums/showpost.php?p=717572&postcount=156