Heritage

As the film began, the room was unusually still; Grim silently munched on a conjured bowl of popcorn, mulling over her reaction to Dok's rather awkward joke. Oh man, I think I really overreacted to that; I'm sure he didn't think it would touch a nerve, but part of me really does worry about crazy stuff like that. Is this just the result of watching too many episodes of Bewitched and I Dream of Jeannie with Dad as a kid? Can a 'mere mortal' and a fae live happily ever after, or at least just happily? Right in the middle of Frozone's opening monologue, she rolled over on her back, zeroed in on Dok's face, and pelted him right between the eyes with an expertly-tossed piece of popcorn. She flashed him a silly grin and whispered, "Bingo."

Okay, lots going on for Grim this month! 1. The major change is in her Glamour array; this used to be a 16pp array based off of Morph 8 (any humanoid) for a total of 21 pp including her 5 APs. What I did was spend 5 of her 6pp, but shifted it to Morph 7 (any form) for a total of 26pp including the 5 APs. Some of the APs I boosted a bunch (Enhanced Charisma by 4), some I only boosted a little (Emo Control to cap, Flight in pixie form by one) and others I pretty much left alone (Elongation/Insubstantial). Concealment is now 10 ranks for Total Concealment, but now has the Passive flaw. 2. Eliminated Leaping 2 and used those 2pp to give her another rank of Super-Movement, increasing her Wall-Crawling to 2. 3. Converted 4 ranks of Climb to 1pp, which combined with the last of my 6pp for the month added 2 ranks to Immunity, making Grim Immune to Suffocation. It should all be good now, but I might have missed something. [img=http://i89.photobucket.com/albums/k240/Heritage367/024ydmedcrop.jpg] [b]Character Name:[/b] Grimalkin [b]Power Level:[/b] 15 (226/226PP) [b]Tradeoffs:[/b] None [b]Unspent PP:[/b] 0 [b]Diamond Status:[/b] 90/90 (32PP pre-bump, 52PP post-bump) [b]Alternate Identity:[/b] Lynn Epstein [b]Height:[/b] 5'3" [b]Weight:[/b] 116 lb [b]Hair:[/b] Brown, worn short and a bit spiky [b]Eyes:[/b] Dark brown [b]Description:[/b] A pretty young slip of a girl, Lynn typically wears ragged jeans, T-shirt, tennis shoes and a hooded sweatshirt during the day, but is wrapped in skintight leather of black and midnight blue, complete with domino mask, when she prowls the dirty streets at night. While she may appear to be a wee skinny thing, due to her faerie nature she's actually [i]much[/i] stronger than she looks. [b]History:[/b] A young runaway from Atlantic City, Lynn Epstein turned to a life of panhandling and petty crime to survive; three years ago it became too much, and she crawled into a dark alley on a chill winter night to die, but instead awoke the next day transformed! For many months she used her powers selfishly, living the high life and swindling ‘suckers’, until one night she saw a young streetwalker attacked; the FCPD’s profound indifference to the crime appalled her, and she swore that night to use her powers to help those the Powers That Be would not help. Like a trickster goddess with a vengeful streak, her personal brand of justice might seem somewhat capricious, but she would never willfully take a human life. [b]Personality & Motivation:[/b] Being that she's a shapeshifter, it's perhaps not surprising that Lynn is rather hard to pin down; she lives very much in the 'now', making few great plans and doing her best not to dwell on the past. Her emotions are intensely felt, and she can switch from playful to angry to sad almost in the same sentence. Lynn also finds comfort in the little things, everyday wonders like bike rides in the park, ice cream of nearly any flavor, and lazy afternoons spent lying in the grass; she never seems to have enough of the simple pleasures, which makes her cherish them all the more. As a crimefighter, Grim is driven by many things: the desire to see a wasted life blossom once more, an end to cruelty, injustice and indifference, and a strong personal desire to constantly improve her technique. She likes teaming up with other heroes to see how she measures up and maybe pinch a trick or two, but she is frequently very self-critical of her own performance, to the point of downplaying her many successes. However, she’s still quite young and her confidence continues to grow. [b]Powers & Tactics:[/b] Grimalkin's powers come from her faerie nature; some of them are innate, such as her keen senses and high tolerance to cold, but many of them come from her ability to manipulate glamour, the very essence of the fey. Seeing as her body is now wholly composed of glamour, she can alter it in a number of ways, such as completely changing her appearance, making herself nearly undetectable, or eluding capture. She can also create various objects seemingly out of thin air (actually ambient glamour), which she uses as props, furniture or just her own amusement. In combat, Grim prefers the stealthy strike to take better advantage of her razor-sharp claws; when forced into a 'fair fight', she uses her wits and charm to befuddle her foes to level the playing field. [b]Complications:[/b] Prejudice (the Wealthy) - Due to her lower middle class upbringing, Grim has a hard time sympathizing with the well-to-do Sensitivity to Taunting - She can dish it out, but she can't take it. Verbal barbs have a way of really getting under Grim's skin. Prejudice (Vampires) - While she makes an exception (with some difficulty!) in Avenger's case, Grim really doesn't trust bloodsuckers at all. Short Fuse - Under the right circumstances, Grim can get very angry very fast, but usually cools down just as quickly. Secret Identity - While she doesn't go to the impressive lengths of her teammate Jack of All Blades, Grim does wear a mask and use only her heroic name while in the field. [u][b]Abilities[/b][/u] [46PP] Strength 20 (+5) Dexterity 26 (+8) Constitution 18 (+4) Intelligence 14 (+2) Wisdom 12 (+1) Charisma 36/16 (+13/+3) [u][b]Combat[/b][/u] [24PP] Initiative: +12 Attack: +6 Base, +10 Melee, +12 Claws Grapple: +18 Damage: +5 Unarmed (+7 Sneak Attack), +10 Claws (+12 Sneak Attack) Defense: +12 (+6 Base, +6 Dodge Focus), +3 Flat-Footed Knockback: -7, -5 flat-footed [u][b]Saving Throws[/b][/u] [8+4+9=21PP] Toughness +14 (+4 Con, +6 Protection, +4 Defensive Roll), +10 Flat-Footed Fortitude +12 (+4 CON, 8PP) Reflex +12 (+8 DEX, 4PP) Will +10 (+1 WIS, 9PP) [u][b]Skills[/b][/u] [28PP = 112 Ranks] Acrobat 15 (+23) (Skill Mastery) Bluff 15 (+28/+18) (Skill Mastery) Climb 3 (+11) Diplomacy 5 (+18/+8) (Skill Mastery) Disguise 0 (+3, +38 Morph) Gather Information 5 (+18/+8) (Skill Mastery) Knowledge (Arcane Lore) 4 (+6) Knowledge (Pop Culture) 4 (+6) Knowledge (Streetwise) 9 (+11) Notice 14 (+15) (Skill Mastery) Perform (Dancing) 2 (+15/+5) Search 14 (+16) (Skill Mastery) Sleight of Hand 7 (+15) (Skill Mastery) Stealth 15 (+23) (Skill Mastery) [u][b]Feats[/b][/u] [40PP] Acrobatic Bluff Agile Climber All-Out Attack Attack Focus (Melee) 4 Attack Specialization (Claws) Connected Contacts Defensive Attack Defensive Roll 2 (+4 Toughness) Distract (Bluff) Dodge Focus 6 Elusive Target Equipment 2 Evasion 2 Grapple Finesse Improved Initiative Move-By Action Luck 2 Power Attack Setup Skill Mastery 2 (Acrobat, Bluff, Diplomacy, Gather Information, Notice, Search, Sleight of Hand, Stealth) Sneak Attack Takedown Attack 2 Taunt Uncanny Dodge 2 (Audio, Olfactory) [u][b]Powers[/b][/u] [75PP] [b]Comprehend 2[/b] (Languages: Understand all, Languages: Speak any one at a time) [4PP] [b]Immunity 7 ([/b]Aging, Cold, Disease, Heat, Starvation and Thirst, Suffocation[b])[/b] [7PP] [b]Glamour 7 ([/b]21PP Array, [i]Feats:[/i] Alternate Power 5[b])[/b] [26PP] [quote][b][u]Base Power:[/u] Morph 7 ([/b]Any Form of Same Mass, +35 Disguise[b])[/b] [21PP] [b][u]Alternate Power:[/u] Concealment 10 ([/b]All Except Tactile, [i]Feats:[/i] Close Range, Selective, [i]Extras:[/i] Affects Others, Flaws: Blending, Passive[b])[/b] [12PP] [b][u]Alternate Power[/u]: Elongation 5 ([/b]100ft[b]) + Insubstantial 1 ([/b]Liquid[b]) + Super-Movement 3 ([/b]Slithering, Trackless, Water-Walking[b])[/b] [16PP] [b][u]Alternate Power:[/u] Emotion Control 15 ([/b][i]Extras:[/i] Area, [i]Flaws:[/i] Limited [Fear], Sense-Dependent [Vision][b])[/b] [15PP] [b][u]Alternate Power:[/u] Enhanced Charisma 20[/b] [20PP] [b][u]Alternate Power:[/u] Flight 4 ([/b]100mph, [i]Drawbacks:[/i] Power Loss [Wings][b]) + Shrinking 8 ([/b]Tiny, [i]Feats:[/i] Normal Movement, Normal Strength, Normal Toughness[b])[/b] [18PP][/quote] [b]Protection 6 ([/b]faerie fortification[b])[/b] [6PP] [b]Strike 5 ([/b]Claws, [i]Extras:[/i] Penetration 3 [i]Feats:[/i] Alternate Power, Improved Critical 2, Incurable, Mighty[b])[/b] [13PP] [quote][b][u]Alternate Power:[/u] Create Object 5 ([/b][i]Feats:[/i] Innate, Precise, Progression 2, Subtle, [i]Extras:[/i] Duration [Continuous], [i]Flaws:[/i] Range [Touch][b]; [i]Drawbacks:[/i] Power loss: Contact with Iron)[/b] [7PP][/quote] [b]Super-Movement 4 ([/b]Slow Fall, Sure-Footed, Wall-Crawling 2[b])[/b] [8PP] [b]Super-Senses 10 ([/b]Normal Hearing [[i]Extras:[/i] Accurate 2, Extended], Normal Olfactory [[i]Extras:[/i] Accurate, Acute, Extended, Tracking], Normal Vision [[i]Extras:[/i] Counters Obscure 2 {"Darkness"}], Danger Sense [Olfactory][b])[/b] [11PP] [u][b]Drawbacks[/b][/u] [-8PP] [b]Vulnerability ([/b]Iron, [i]Frequency:[/i] Uncommon, [i]Intensity:[/i] Major [+50% DC][b])[/b] [-2PP] [b]Weakness ([/b]Iron, [i]Frequency:[/i] Common, [i]Intensity:[/i] Moderate, -1 CON / minute [10 rounds][b])[/b] [-6PP] DC Block Unarmed -- DC 20/Toughness (22 w/ Sneak Attack) -- Damage Claws -- DC 25/Toughness (27 w/ Sneak Attack) -- Damage [b]Abilities 46 + Combat 24 + Saving Throws 21 + Skills 28 + Feats 40 + Powers 75 - Drawbacks 8 = 226/226 Power Points[/b] [hr][/hr] [u][b]Equipment[/b][/u] [quote name="Equipment"][i]Shared Equipment - Contributing 4ep[/i] [b][u]Interceptors HQ[/u][/b]: [21ep] [i]Size:[/i] Large; [i]Toughness:[/i] 10; [i]Features:[/i] Combat Simulator, Communications, Computer, Concealed 2, Defense System, Fire Prevention, Garage, Gym, Living Space, Holding Cells, Infirmary, Power 2, Power System, Security System 2, Workshop [b][u]Defense System 1:[/u][/b] [b]Snare 10[/b] [b][u]Power 1:[/u][/b] [b]Healing 9[/b] ([i]PFs:[/i] Persistent, Regrowth) [20pp] [b][u]Power 2:[/u][/b] [b]ESP 6[/b] ([i]Visual, 20 mile range [all of Freedom City][/i]; [i]Extra:[/i] No Conduit; [i]Flaw:[/i] Medium – Surveillance equipment; PFs: Subtle, Rapid) [14pp] AND [b]Quickness 9[/b] ([i]Flaws:[/i] Limited to Search) [3pp] AND [b]Quickness 9[/b] ([i]Flaws:[/i] Limited to Notice) [3pp] [b][u]MAVERIC[/u][/b] (Mobile Armored Vehicle for Emergency Response and Intercepting Criminals): [13ep] [b]Size[/b]: Huge [2ep] [b]Strength[/b]: 35 [1ep] [b]Speed[/b]: 5 [5ep] [b]Toughness[/b]: 10 [1ep] [b]Defense[/b]: 8 [0ep] [b]Features[/b]: 4 [4ep] Features: Alarm, Caltrops, Remote Control, Smokescreen [/quote] Done By Angrydurf

A shiver practically ran down Estelle's spine as the mood in the air dropped to subzero; hopefully Corbin wouldn't merit a mention in her next column. The chemist sighed and shook her head. "More than likely, but I doubt there's anything you could say that wouldn't offend Ms. Collier's delicate sensibilities." She leaned in close (but not too close!) to whisper. "You see, Corbin, Ms. Collier doesn't like us very much; the well-to-do, the moneyed set, the capitalist bigwigs gorging themselves on the blood of the oppressed workers, whatever you want to call us." She offered him a wry grin. "Congratulations; you've just survived your first brush with a Champion of the Common Man. And Woman, of course." Outside on the patio, Gossamer wrapped her bare shoulders with some of her hair to keep out the evening's chill. "Oh, it's not a matter of her believing you or not, Corbin; on some level, the very fact that we even exist troubles her very deeply. She may, of course, merely think you're too young to attend this sort of affair, what with all its alcohol and loose women, and more than likely is questioning both your upbringing and your parent's moral fiber." She shrugged again, raising shoulders draped in gold. "I really wouldn't worry about it, at least not tonight. Oh, I do hope they get to the fireworks soon! I'd like to get back to our dance!"

Lying on her back on the examination table, Lynn's eyes never left her employer, tracking his every movement around the lab as he described the test. "Uh, okay; I mean, I've never had any trouble with steel, just, y'know, mostly old buildings, the occasional horseshoe, Ren faires..." Her breath rate began to increase as the small iron rod was brought closer and closer to the changeling. "Okay, okay, uh, little bit of a panic attack, but no pain or anything...slight nausea, but I guess that could just be psychological..." As the rod got closer to her body, the fabric nearest the rod melted away into vapor, exposing the soft pale skin of her right arm. The very instant the rod touched her skin, Grim howled in agony as the tissue seemed to dissolve like plastic splashed with acetone, leaving a wisp of vapor that smelled like a mixture of burnt flesh and smoldering leaves. "Ahhhh, God, stop, please stop!!"

Lynn marched right up to chest, her big brown eyes filled with anger and hurt as she glared up at him, arms rigid at her sides. “Yes, I am putting it on you, Kris, because you’re the one who’s turning his back on his team, again, with little or no explanation! If there’s something else going on, tell us, you schmuck! Otherwise what the hell was the point of waking us up at five am to tell us you’re dead? Why come back at all?†:evil:

Lynn slowly shook her head. "Other than the Queen of Summer, no; the people and creatures I met there...I think it was more like a play or puppet show, y'know? I don't think any of it was 'real', at least not by our standards." She vigorously rubbed her face with both hands. "Gah! Okay, enough about that stuff; we can work on that angle another day. Plus Taylor doesn’t like it when I cross over; I guess it’s bad for the veil or something." She nervously eyed the forge again. "Look, you were talking about electromagnetic stuff and the nature of glamour; is there some sort of...iron test you wanted to perform? Because if so, I'm gonna need more booze. Like, a lot more."

Grim fell straight back on her tuchas, arms thrown out wide, and groaned with relief. "Thank God! Our long national nightmare is finally over!" She lifted her head and leveled her gaze at Fulcrum. "And don't you encourage him, Mona, at least not while I'm in the room." She let her head flop back down and lay there for a few seconds before doing a kip-up back to her feet. "Okay, so we now know that Eli possesses the eerie power to melt men's brains by opening his mouth; anything else we want to work on today?"

The lovely blonde winced at the mention of her 'origin story', and looked decidedly uncomfortable as she poked at her meal with her chopsticks and chose her next words very carefully. "There's....not a lot I can say about that, unfortunately, due to an ongoing legal action; suffice it to say that I wish I was bitten by a radioactive hairdresser, because that would be far less embarrassing." Estelle sighed and gave Gregory an eager ‘let’s change the subject’ smile. “So, do you ride the motorbike when you patrol, or do you go on foot? I actually swing from lamp posts, flagpoles and little bits of architectural decoration as I make way down the darkened streets; it might sound silly, but it’s quick and I have a good view of my surroundings, though the showers at the end of the night tend to be fairly long.†:roll:

In order to stay on the scent, Grim had her head stuck out the window like a dog; if the situation wasn't so dire, it would be comical. She practically had to shout to be heard over the ice-cold wind rushing into the MAVERIC. "This bad boy is packin' cold iron, which means he knows enough about magic to hurt someone like me, plus all the standard vampire and demon hunter crap, and he has an accomplice! So if he is our perp, what's his motive? Why would a monster hunter want to make more zombies? Or is there someone else involved that we don't know about?"

Grim frowned in deep thought as various suggestions are offered. "Well I could maybe carry one person safely in flight, but it would probably be awfuly scary for said passenger." She gnawed on her lower lip. "So if we get a cab and, say, Prince Albert was with us, would the cabbie be able to get there any faster? Or even if we just looked like inspectors from Scotland Yard?"

Estelle nodded in agreement with the others. "Agreed, we stay together." Despite Gossamer's years of scientific training, the hair on the backs of arms stood on end when she heard the sound coming from somewhere overhead. Her eyes scanned the ceiling apprehensively. "Did we all just hear that? Did we get it on tape?"

Estelle nodded in agreement as she walked beside him, arm in arm. “Mmm, indeed; Felix seems to be determined that it will be the talk of the season. As extremely ostentatious shows of wealth go, I would rate it quite highly.†The lovely blonde smiled, happy to be part of the young man’s socializing experience. “It will all come in time, Corbin, I assure you; luckily, your parents appear to have brought you up well, seeing as courtesy, respect and civilized conversation come naturally to you.†She shook her head in dismay. “You’d be surprised how many individuals in the moneyed set are bores, snobs and intellectual poseurs with no manners and absolutely nothing to say.†Estelle responded with her own warm practiced smile; she was not a huge fan of Ms Collier, though she did agree with her on several points. She could only imagine what the somewhat prickly reporter thought of her brief affair with Moira. Her handshake was almost equally quick and firm. “A pleasure as well, Ms Collier. I must say, I’m somewhat surprised to see you here, though; surely the society column is not your preferred beat?†Estelle’s brow furrowed slightly. “I think she may be referring to the presence of Victory, seeing as he works for AEGIS. Is he to be part of the performance? I must say, that would be memorable!â€

Estelle slowly turned her head to take in the newcomer, one eyebrow cocked but with a mischievous smile on her face as she looked between her and Vivian. She plucked a small spiral notebook and a pen out of her pocket with a loop of golden hair, then softly whispered, "It's alright; I can take notes." ;)

Grim shook her head vigorously; she was still shaking, but Dok's touch did seem to calm her somewhat. "No, it's not that; I mean, I know I'm aligned with the Winter Court just from how my powers work, but am I still even me? My mortal remains are ash and dust, I know that, but part of me, the human me, survived...unless they all lied to me. Unless I'm some kind of ****ing Trojan horse like poor Atlas." The tiny shapeshifter took a deep breath and began to repeat the Sh'ma under her breath, like a mantra. "Sh'ma Yisrael: Adonai Eloheynu Adonai Echad. Sh'ma Yisrael: Adonai Eloheynu Adonai Echad. Sh'ma Yisrael: Adonai Eloheynu Adonai Echad..."* The repeated prayer brought an end to her trembling, and then she just held on to the man of science as her breathing slowly became more even. Her voice was filled with firm resolve. "It's okay; I'm still me. Don't ask me how I know, I just...know it." *"Listen, Israel: The Eternal is our God, the Eternal is One."

This is such a cool idea! Can I put in an early bid for Grim in October for the heroine version? Gossamer would also be game for any month, and would of course pull the full Godiva ;)

Edits for Gossamer, using 4 PP" 1pp for Grappling Finese 1pp for Well-Informed 2pp for Equipment, broken down as follows: a) 1pp goes to the Brainac's for the Lab 1pp goes to here new residence/HQ [quote][b][u]Gossamer's Loft[/u][/b] [b]Size:[/b] Small +0 (0EP) [b]Toughness:[/b] +5 (0EP) [b]Features:[/b]Gym, Library, Living Space, Pool, Security System (5EP)[/quote] [b]Total Cost:[/b] 1PP (5EP) Done by Geez3r

This thread rises again...again! Ex had asked me about doing a thread with RW and Grim, and when I went back to reread this one for research, I remembered I never posted a response from Grim.

Grim put her coffee cup on the counter sharply, sending a hairline crack through the ceramic, then raised her voice at the withdrawing figure. "So what, you're goin' full-on vigilante now? The 'dark avenger of the streets, walking the thin line between light and darkness'? That's ****ing bull****, man! It doesn't work! Then her voice broke as angry tears formed in her eyes. "And how dare you show up at our doorstep, after months of us worrying, just to tell us you're ****ing dead?"

"Absolutely, Viktor!" Gossamer dashed across the roof, her massive wave of hair splinting into a total of twenty-five much thinner strands that shot out to the endangered civilians, neatly wrapping around their waists to act as lifelines. "I've got these; Phalanx, it's up to you now!"

Well she can form 25 separate strands and has Enhanced Strength 20/Super-Strength 3, so I'm guessing quite a few! I will post forthwith.

How would we run Gossamer trying to grab a few folks off the edge? Would that be a Grapple check, blowing an HP or something else?

Fair enough! Yeah, that works for me.

It appeared that chivalry was alive and well in Freedom City; Estelle watched Corbin and Etain (their names alone told you they were scions of American nobility) glide across the floor and smiled. Ah, to be young and wealthy! A little while later, she noticed him getting a drink, and she approached him with a warm smile. "I believe you owe me a dance, young man." She extended her hand gracefully. "I'm Estelle de Havilland; a pleasure to meet you." After their host made his announcement, she quickly ordered a glass of wine and indicated the French doors leading outside. "Well, it appears our dance must be postponed; would you be kind enough to escort me outside for the fireworks?" Her tone was carefully chosen, friendly without being flirty and entirely appropriate to Corbin's obvious youth.

The truly observant (and there were several in the room) could see a slight cloud pass over the shapeshifter's face when Colt insisted a real wedding dress, but by the time her fiance was on the beanbag with her, she seemed happy enough to kiss him. The joke struck a nerve, and Colt could feel his lover's body suddenly go rigid beside him; the glance she sent the German's way was fairly icy, "Not funny, Dok." She didn't even comment on his pun!

Gossamer laughed and shook her head. "Not at all; you sound confidant. But personally I think that confidence only gets you so far; there is value in thinking ahead and being prepared." She shrugged affably. "And who knows, this might be an area where I can help you." The appetizers were cleared away and the entrees arrived; as she ladled out MSG-laden goodness, the blonde heroine continued. "By and large, I'm pretty much a front-and-center combatant; my hair is far from subtle, though I would like to work on that as well. Having someone who could sneak in from the shadows and flank a foe while they're focusing their attention on my frontal assault might prove to be very effective one-two punch."