SFX

[BlazingCoconut]

SFX

Power Level: 10
Unspent Power Points: 0
Trade-Offs: None, (-5 Def/+5 Tou)

In Brief: Genius teen creates nanobot swarm to emulate film special effects.
 
Alternate Identity: Zhu Xieng, "Alexa"
Birthplace: Shanghai, China
Residence: Freedom City
Base of Operations: Freedom City, Claremont
Occupation: Student, Intern at ILM
Affiliations: Claremont
Family: Bao Xieng "John" (father), Shin "Shae" (mother)
Catchphrase: TBD
 
Description:
Age: 17
Apparent Age: 15
Gender: Female
Ethnicity: Asian, Chinese
Height: 5’2”
Weight: 100 Lbs
Eyes: Dark Blue
Hair: Black
 
Zhu is a bright eyed young Chinese girl who seems to barely contain her overwhelming enthusiasm and passion.  She is short and thin with shoulder length straight black hair which is usually pulled back in some fashion.  Her face is a little rounded with large expressive eyes which seem to drink up all around her.  Frequent exercise has given her the body of a runner, long and lean.  She typically dresses in modern fashions with a tendency towards the functional even if she has wide tastes in clothes.  It is unusual for her to not be wearing bracelets and other simple jewelry.  Her body and face have not quite caught up with her age and she looks younger than she is and is often mistaken for an underclassman.  
 
History:

From an early age, Zhu was a very different child.  Able to speak to and understand machines almost before she could speak to her parents, her education took a very different path.  While she attended normal schools in China, her persistent connection to the Internet let her accelerate her learning far beyond that of her peers.  While others were taking courses in rudimentary mathematics, she was testing and writing AI routines all while presenting a polite conformist front.  Being so far ahead in schooling allowed Zhu to tailor her own learning to her interests, which lay in technology and special effects.  She adored the movies, and while the plots and stories were fascinating, what she really enjoyed was all of the visual effects that continued to improve from picture to picture.

 

When she was 12, she started her first YouTube channel dedicated to short films she had produced.  All of the effects and equipment were created with things she had built from whatever parts she could find around the house.  While this obsession baffled her parents, they were accommodating and understanding, even if they didn't realize how special their daughter was.  For the next two years, she pushed the envelope of amateur cinematics gaining the attention from companies like ILM and other major studios.  Their daughter's skill was finally revealed after the invention of her first nanobot swarm.  The cloud, aptly named Clarke's Third Law Mk1, accelerated her ability to build and prototype things, making items and objects as if out of thin air.  They now had confirmation of what they had always guessed, their daughter was very special indeed.  Applying and receiving a Visa based on a very special offer from the prestigious Claremont academy.

 

Transition to the US was difficult as they didn't have much in the way of money and her parents didn't speak English, landing in Lincoln in a small, but clean, row house.  Zhu found her life very busy as she began attending classes at Claremont as well as helping her parents navigate life in a foreign county.  Yet, even as hectic as it was, things seemed manageable until their small convenience mart was robbed by one of the many gangs.  Blessedly, no one was hurt and while it shook them all up, no lasting harm was done.  It was then that she really noticed what was going on in her new found home.  Protection rackets, gang turf wars, drug deals and more seemed endemic.  The themes and motifs of Claremont resounded a little more and primary goal of being the premier SFX artist suddenly became more of a means than an end.  It didn't take long for a new fledgling hero to appear on the scene as SFX moonlighting on her scant free hours trying to relieve the burgeoning problems in the city. 
 
Personality & Motivation:

Cheerful, bright, and seemingly full of boundless energy.  Zhu has a passion for learning, technology and all things popular culture.  She has a very strong opinion on what is right and wrong and will often interceded to help those that she feels are being oppressed. Living in more of a binary world, she doesn't really like shades of grey and often struggles with things that can not be delineated as right and wrong.  She has very strong ties to her family and that extends to close friends and neighbors.  She still wishes to make her mark as a profession special effects artist, but that is being tempered by her growing sense of responsibility to those around her.  She works very well with others and will often step aside to give credit to anyone else for her actions.

 
Powers & Tactics:

SFX has had very little formal training with fighting and doesn't know the first thing about punching anyone.  Even though she's Chinese, she definitely doesn't know any marital arts.  Instead, she relies on her Nanobots to change the landscape around her.  Creating barriers, moving columns and other objects that batter her opponents while she just does her best to keep as much of her objects between her and them.  In addition, she tries to use her holo projector to baffle and confuse people making sure they never quite know what is happening.  Finally, when part of a team, she would rather support others and help them shine as much as take center stage herself.  She is a big fan of planning ahead and using whatever is around her to her best advantage.
 
Power Descriptions:

SFX's powers are easy to see and hard to notice.  Objects and images spring to life around her, only to fade back to dust a short while later.  While it isn't obvious she's controlling the show, she is usually at the epicenter of the maelstrom of effects.  Her bots and holograms are all controlled by two bracelets which are often transformed to look far less techy.
 
Complications:

Family Ties: SFX has a responsibility to protect her parents and their small enterprise.  That often takes precedence over the most pressing issues.
Something out of Nothing: Nanobots are amazing, but they need source material.  While they can often use a little here and a little there, other times they have to make noticeable and unwanted alterations to their surroundings.  Also, if she's in a drastic environment, they might not have what they need (IE: Ocean, etc)
I'm a Nanobot not a Miracle Worker!: While the nanobots can do amazing things, precision takes time.  For her most elaborate scenes, they take time to revise the raw shapes into something fantastic.
Zero Shades of Grey: SFX doesn't like to believe that there is anything other than right and wrong for an issue.  She struggles with non absolutes and has a hard time letting things slide.
Don't make waves: Zhu's background is from a culture that stresses conformity and fitting in.  She often has difficulty either taking credit for her accomplishments or stepping outside the expected norms.

 

Abilities: -2 +0 +6 +10 +4 +1 = 20PP
Strength: 8 (-1)
Dexterity: 10 (+0)
Constitution: 16 (+3)
Intelligence: 20 (+5)
Wisdom: 14 (+2)
Charisma: 12 (+1)

 

Combat: +4 +2 = 12PP
Initiative: +0
Attack: +4 Melee, +10 Ranged, +4 Base
Defense: +5 (+2 Base, +3 Dodge Focus), +1 Flat-Footed
Grapple: +3
Knockback: -7

 

Saving Throws: +5 +6 +8 = 19PP
Toughness: +3 / +15 (+3 Con, +12 [Protection])
Fortitude: +8 (+3 Con, +5)
Reflex: +6 (+0 Dex, +6)
Will: +10 (+2 Wis, +8)

 

Skills: 88R = 22PP 
Computers 15 (+20) Skill Mastery
Craft [Artistic] 3 (+8)
Craft [Mechanical] 11 (+16) Skill Mastery
Craft [Structural] 8 (+13)
Disable Device 5 (+10)
Disguise 0 (+26 [morph])
Knowledge [Physical Sciences] 15 (+20) Skill Mastery
Knowledge [Popular Culture] 5 (+10) 
Knowledge [Technology] 15 (+20)
Language [Mandarin, Chinese]
Language [English]
Language [German]
Language [Russian]
Notice 8 (+10) Skill Mastery

 

Feats: 18PP
All-Out-Attack
Attack Focus (ranged) 6
Dodge Focus 3
Improvised Tools
Inventor
Jack-of-All-Trades
Master Plan
Power Attack
Skill Mastery 1 (Computers, Craft [Mechanical], Knowledge [Physical Sciences], Notice)
Teamwork 1
Equipment 1
Online Research [Voice of the Machine]
Well-Informed [Voice of the Machine]

 

Equipment: 5EP = 1PP

Cell Phone 

Laptop Computer

Multi Tool

Night Vision Goggles

Concealable Microphone

 

Powers: 37 +17 +5 = 59PP
Device 8 (Voice of the Machine; 40PP Container; Hard to Lose, Restricted to Computers 15+) [33PP] (Technology)
 

Protection 12 (Feats: Force Field) [12PP] 

 

Create Object 8 (Feats: Progression 3, Stationary, Precise, Selective, Subtle; Extras: Moveable, Duration 1 [continuous]; Flaws: Action 1 [Full]) [33PP] 
AP: Damage 10 (Feats: Indirect 3, Precise, Split Attack 1, Subtle 1; Extras: Ranged 1 [100ft]) [26/30] (Bludgeoning)
AP: Snare 10 (Feats: Subtle 1; Extras: Area[Burst 50ft - General], Selective Attack; Flaws: Range; Drawbacks: Custom 1 [Created Objects Only]) [30/30]

 

Device 4 (Holo Projector; 20PP Container; Hard to Lose, Restricted to Computers 15+) [17PP] (Technology)
 

Illusion 7 ([Hearing, Sight] Feats: Progression, Area 3) [20 PP] (Light, Sound)
AP: Obscure 4 ([Hearing, Sight]; Extras: Selective Attack) [12/20] (Light, Sound)
AP: Confuse 8 (Extras: Area[Burst 40ft - General]) [16/20] (Light, Sound)
AP: Morph 5 (Broad Group [Any Human]; Extras: Duration 1 [Continuous] ) [15/20] (Light, Sound)

 

Datalink 2 (Voice of the Machine; Feats: Machine Control, Online Research, Well-Informed) [5PP] (Mutation)

 

Drawbacks: 0 = -0PP

 

DC Block
ATTACK              RANGE      SAVE                           EFFECT

Create Object       Area 40ft  DC 23 Toughness                Damage
Confuse             Area 40ft  DC 18 Will                     Confuse
Damage              Ranged     DC 25 Toughness                Damage
Snare               Area 50ft  DC 20 Reflex                   Snare

 

Totals:

Abilities (20) + Combat (12) + Saving Throws (22) + Skills (22) + Feats (19) + Powers (55) - Drawbacks (0) = 150/150 Power Points

Edited November 26, 2017 by BlazingCoconut

[EternalPhoenix]

Thoughts:

 

Regarding Protection: The Distracting Flaw means you won’t have your Dodge Bonus when using the power. Thus, you’ll have +15 Toughness and +2 Defense when it is on, meaning you wouldn’t meet defensive caps. Also, you can just call it Force Field instead of Protection and not have that Extra. It’s fine. I don’t know what the Variable Descriptor is even for. A Force Field is generally by definition a solid barrier. But you probably know what you’re going for better than I do. So please, let me know how wrong I am.

 

Now for the first array. Create Object is priced wrong. With two  Extra and a Flaw it is 3PP per rank, and with a bunch of Power Feats it only gets to 30 PP total. For simplicity’s sake, Damage with the Ranged Extra is usually called Blast. What you’re trying to do with Move Object is literally what Create Object’s Moveable Extra (which you’ve taken) does. Snare is also priced correctly, but I don’t know what that Drawback is for. If she has to have Created Objects out to use it, I feel that’s worth a Limited Flaw. If not, then the Drawback is unnecessary.

 

The second array. List the two sense types with Illusion (judging by pricing, it’s Visual Senses and one other). Confuse is just fine. Morph is just fine (though do note that you have a +1 on Disguise without it up in Skills). Concealment doesn’t do what you’re asking it to do. It is a personal effect unless you add the Affects Others and/or Affects Objects Extras. That said, Obscure is maybe the power you were looking for. It’s priced like Illusion, is Ranged and Area by default, and has Selective Attack as its most prominent Extra.