EternalPhoenix Posted March 19, 2020 Posted March 19, 2020 (edited) Player Name: Eternal Phoenix Character Name: Waverider Power Level: 12 (180/184 PP) Trade-Offs: +2 Damage, -2 Attack(Blast); +2 Attack, -2 Damage (Drain & Nauseate); +2 Toughness, -2 Defense Unspent PP: 4 In Brief: Normal teenage girl with dreams of deaf advocacy back slapped by irony, becomes deaf and mute vibration controller. Now she’s grown up and attending Emerald City University. Residence: Emerald City University Base of Operations: Emerald City Catchphrase: “…” Alternate Identities: Naomi Suleiman Identity: Secret Birthplace: Los Angeles, California Occupation: University Student Affliations: Spectacle (Los Angeles street level hero), a few old Claremont Academy friends Family: Armaan Suleiman (a lawyer), Jana Suleiman (a doctor), Saloni Suleiman (currently interning and married; no signs of powers), Navin Suleiman (first year Claremont Academy student; same powers as Naomi) Age: 21 Apparent Age: Early 20s. Gender: Female Ethnicity: Indian-American Height: 5’ 5” Weight: 115 Eyes: Dark Brown Hair: Black Description: Naomi is of Indian descent, which means chocolate skin and straight jet black hair. She keeps her hair cut just above her shoulders and her makeup is on the minimal side. Her clothes are quite preppy and put together. Usually a ruffled shirt and cute skirt with some ballet flats and tasteful jewelry. Her costume, originally a variation on the Claremont Academy costume, is now quite different. It is still a loose fitting bodysuit, but a ruffled knee length skirt and bolero jacket complete the ensemble. The skirt, sleeves of the jacket, shoes are golden in color. The bodysuit shirt is merely yellow. Howefer, the body of the jacket and legs of the bodysuit are a light lavender A set of embroidered silver concentric circles serve as her symbol. They are on both the bolero jacket and the bodysuit shirt, centered over the right pectoral. Her domino mask is also silver. History: Naomi was born in Los Angeles. No one knew it, but she’d been absorbing vibrations since she was a small bundle of cells in her mother’s womb. Which made the pregnancy slightly more…interesting…than most, but caused no real complications. Growing up, she was the source of the occasional mysterious loud bang, which gradually made her persona non grata among her peers. There were some earthquake scares as well (which really didn’t help), but those weren’t traced to her until later. However, there was one group that didn’t reject her for the occasional weirdness that surrounded her. They were the deaf and hearing impaired kids at her school. So she made friends, and learned sign language explicitly so she could talk to them. She was a normal kid, doing normal kid things. Then it happened. Summer break, 2014. Naomi was waiting for a friend downtown, having planned a beach day. They had agreed to meet at a parking garage, but her friend was late. So she’d stepped into the shade of the parking garage to wait. She felt the vibrations (not that she knew what they were at the time) churn inside her. This had happened many times before. See the mysterious loud noises and odd earthquake scares. The problem was that these were much stronger than before. They…hurt. She leaned against the wall of the parking garage. Her skin touched it, and instantly the mysterious force inside of her ripped its way out, with all the pain that verb implies. It was a sound and quake burst, at the same time, and with more force that she could conceive of. Her eardrums burst immediately. The cilla in her inner ear were smashed down. The bones in her inner ear shattered. The pain was immense. No one wouldn’t have screamed. Unfortunately, that was the last thing she should’ve done. The vibrations had found an easier way out, and tore her larynx to shreds on the way. No parking garage, even in Los Angeles, is built to take that kind of strain. Hell, the surrounding buildings were in trouble. Naomi might have even triggered a real earthquake and endangered the entire city. Except there just happened to be a hero in the area. Spectacle. Claremont class of 2008. The name…didn’t fit his powers. He was stronger, faster, and more durable than any unarmored human could possibly be, but it was his power of infinite capacity (but not infinite rate) energy absorption that saved the day. He chucked his groceries aside, and dove in to save a girl who was having a very bad day. He saved the city. He saved the neighborhood. He saved the girl. He even saved the parking garage attendant. Unfortunately, he couldn’t save the parking garage. It collapsed, crushing all the cars inside of it. Spectacle was not an idiot. He knew the girl, now unconscious, would be blamed. This wasn’t Freedom City. She ought to get away from the justice system, but the civil suits and media coverage would destroy her family. So he got gone, and fast. He dropped her off at a hospital in another district. Spectacle poked his head in now and again, while Naomi was recovering, making it clear in no uncertain terms that they needed to have a conversation. Something Had To Be Done, and such like. When they finally had it, she anxiously begged him not to ship her away just yet. Her parents would never allow it. She had friends here. She was still adjusting to her new life. And so on. He actually had no intention of doing that (otherwise he’d have spoken with someone at Claremont by now), but watched the girl squirm under the idea before announcing he’d train her. Spectacle always wanted a sidekick, after all. When Naomi protested even that much, he told her it was either that or being shipped away. He knew of someone who could be very persuasive, if it came to that. And so Waverider was born. After school training. The occasional easy mission. That sort of thing. When it came down to it, Spectacle was a good teacher, and his energy absorption and overall toughness helped make up for any…mistakes along the way. Until, around the end of the school year, he realized his pupil was growing past his skills. It was sad, but he had to revisit their initial Something Had To Be Done conversation. During this time, Naomi had gotten to know him, and on the whole he wasn’t a bad guy. A skilled and effective hero, who just so happened to be exasperatingly easygoing about everything under the sun. That said his relaxed deadpanning of virtually everything was funny when directed at others. Such as whoever was on the other end at that superhero school he was talking about. Leaving might not be so bad. Her family had grown a bit distant from her, which made some sense. She couldn’t hear them anymore, and sign language was a pain in the butt to learn without a powerful motivation and sufficient spare time to do so. She knew that from personal experience. She also knew the person on the other end of that call (who was growing ever more exasperated, a position with which she both sympathized and found funny) would easily persuade her parents to let her go. And honestly? The prospect was a little exciting now. Sure, leaving her friends would be sad. But she’d be going to a place where she didn’t have to hide her powers from everyone around her. She didn’t have to pretend she didn’t notice when people spoke to her. And, like virtually every teenager ever born, she was always up for a bit of an adventure. Well, she had her Claremont adventures. Some were fun. Some were horrific and traumatizing. But like all things good and bad, they came to an end. She was ready for college, and Emerald City’s elite Malory College had shown interest. Enough to get her to pack up and move cross country again. But when she arrived she found out hadn’t quite made the cut for Malory College. The money was there. Her grades were good enough. There were no problems with her application. Her interview even went well. Yet, mysteriously, she was not selected to join that year’s class. She’d heard good things about Emerald City University’s Pre-Law program. And she didn’t feel like moving again. So far it’s been okay. Truthfully she’d been a little bored. She’d put away her costume after leaving Claremont. She’d wanted to focus on her studies. And avoid insane cannibalistic Morlocks from another dimension. But…she missed it. With great power, there must also come great responsibility too. And she had kept practicing with her powers. She had tried to play it off as needing to discharge vibrational energy, but she knew better even then. So she dusted off the ol’ costume, gave a few individualizing tweaks, and Waverider was back on the scene. . Personality & Motivation: Naomi isn’t one of those ultra-driven hero types, or so she thought. She was a good person, and she had no problem helping out people in trouble, but her sights remained set squarely on her dream of being a lawyer who advocates for deaf rights. Maybe even politics, if she could swing it. She tried not being a hero for a while to focus on her studies, but she simply can’t help getting involved. She was rather remarkably well adjusted. Then she ran into said insane cannibalistic Morlocks from another dimension. She got therapy, processed the trauma, and moved past it. Or again, so she thought. The truth is, she kind of took the first opportunity to get the hell out of Freedom City. She had no problems with Woodsman, but keep his terrible, doomed world as far away from hers as humanly possible. Outwardly, she remains calm and rational, only dwelling on the things she can change. But on the inside she’s made a promise to herself. One she didn’t acknowledge even having made until putting her costume back on. Power and responsibility go hand in hand. They always have. But it has to be more than that. Simply being too squeamish to let people get hurt in front of you isn’t enough. Life is short. Hate is foolish. Love is wise. Always try to be nice. Never fail to be kind. Don’t surrender to fear. Laugh hard. Run fast. Live well. And never, ever give up. Power Descriptions: Naomi is a vibration controller. She can theoretically induce, increase, or reduce vibrations in virtually any material. As sound is simply vibration that can be heard by humans, she can manipulate that as well, although somewhat less effectively at present. She has a personal force field made of high resonance vibrations to protect her. She does not, however, generate the vibrations out of nothing. In fact, her body absorbs and stores vibratory energy for later use. This renders her immune to vibratory (and thus sonic) attacks of any kind, and provides a measure of defense against bludgeoning attacks. She can feel vibrations on her skin, as well. Practice allows to even differentiate between people’s voices. However, actually telling what they’re saying on a consistent basis is currently beyond her, and thus she must lip read or have the speaker(s) use sign language instead. Powers & Tactics: Naomi is essentially a blaster. She’s got a few neat tricks, like deadening the sound in an massive area, increasing the vibrations in a target’s inner ear to sickening levels, or unleashing a deafening wall of sound in a small area. However, the core of all of that is blasting away with vibratory energy. With both Accurate Attack and Power Attack she can shift the damage and accuracy of her attacks around, so it’s not quite as one dimensional as it sounds. Her force field is a heck of a thing. It increases her physical durability by several orders of magnitude, to the degree that it would take heavy artillery or cruise missiles to harm her with it active. And, of course, vibratory/sonic attacks are entirely useless, as she absorbs them. Complications: I’m Sorry, I Didn’t Catch That: Naomi’s inner ear is destroyed. She can’t hear anything. At all. Whatsoever. That said, she does have the ability to feel vibrations. If she focuses, she can even understand speech. Unless, of course, there’s too much background noise. Or she’s tired. Or distracted. You name it. Lip reading can help with this, but it has its limits. So sometimes she can garble people’s words. Or miss them entirely. A GM may award a hero point when this becomes a…problem. Seen And Never Heard: Naomi cannot talk. Her larynx is ruined. Most people don’t know sign language, so she keeps a pen and pad on her person. Easy enough, right? Well…that requires the person she’s “speaking” with to look at her. Which may or may not always be possible in the middle of superheroics. Add to that, her pad and/or pen could be ruined by damage, and then what can she do? A GM may award a hero point when communications between her and anyone else become compromised in this manner. Bad Vibrations: Naomi’s powers run on vibratory energy, such as sound. Her body is constantly absorbing such energy from the environment. However, she has an upper limit to the amount she can absorb. Reaching it triggers a devastating Burst Area of vibratory energy (rank 12 at minimum, with any more left to GM’s discretion) to explode from her body, instantly and agonizingly depleting her reserves (making her Stunned from the pain). Therefore, from time to time she must release some lest this happen. Conversely, she can use up her reserves in combat (by repeatedly attacking with her array, flying for long periods, and/or taking lots of hits to her force field) rendering her attack array, flight, and force field useless until she absorbs enough energy to use them again. A GM may award a hero point for either of these situations occurring. No, I Don’t Know That Guy From That Show: Naomi is of Indian descent. Both parents were born and raised in India, and immigrated later. Americans have some…unfortunate misconceptions about the Indian people. And others can…mistake her ethnicity for another one, such as Arabic. That’s without getting into the fact that she does not, in fact, practice Hindism or Islam, the two dominant religions of India. She’s agnostic, thank you very much. No, her parents don’t approve. A GM may award a hero point for Waverider having to deal with the ignorant and/or prejudiced. ABILITIES: 2+2+4+4+4+6=22 Strength 12 (+1) Dexterity 12 (+1) Constitution 14 (+2) Intelligence 14 (+2) Wisdom 14 (+2) Charisma 16 (+3) COMBAT: 10+10=20 Initiative: +5 (+1 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative) Attack: +5 Base (+10 Ranged, +14 Drain & Nauseate) Grapple: +6 Defense: +10 (+5 Base, + 5 Dodge Focus, +3 Flat Footed) Knockback: -13 w/ Force Field, -1 without SAVING THROWS: 6+7+8=21 Toughness: +14 (+2 Con, +12 Force Field); Impervious 12 Fortitude: +8 (+2 Con, +6) Reflex: +8 (+1 Dex, +7) Will: +10 (+2 Wis, +8) SKILLS: 84 SP= 21PP Acrobatics 9 (+10) Bluff 7 (+10) Concentration 13 (+15)Second Chance Diplomacy 12 (+15)Skill Mastery Knowledge (civics) 8 (+10)Skill Mastery Knowledge (current events) 8 (+10) Language 1 (American Sign Language; English Base) Notice 13 (+15)Skill Mastery Sense Motive 13 (+15)Skill Mastery FEATS: 19PP Accurate Attack Attack Focus (ranged) 5 Challenge (Notice-Lip Reading) Dodge Focus 5 Improved Initiative Luck Power Attack Precise Shot Second Chance (Concentration checks to maintain powers) Skill Mastery (Diplomacy, Knowledge [civics], Notice, Sense Motive Uncanny Dodge (tactile) POWERS: 5+24+10+2+36=77 (all powers have “Mutant” as a source descriptor, and all have Vibration/Sonic as a effect descriptor) Flight 5 ("Waveriding"; 250 mph/2500ft/rd; Flaw: Platform) [5PP] Force Field 12 ("Vibration Field"; Extra: Impervious) [24PP] Immunity 10 ("Vibration Absorber"; Sonic/Vibration Effects) [10PP] Super Senses 2 ("Vibration Feeling"; Extended & Ranged Tactile) [2PP] Vibration Control Array 16 (32PP Array; Feats: Alternate Power 4) [36PP] BE: Blast 14 ("Vibroblast"; Feats: Improved Crit 2, Knockback, Precise) [32/32] AP: Dazzle 10 ("Sonic Screech"; Auditory; Extra: Burst Area 50-250 ft radius, Selective Attack; Feats: Progression Increase Area 2) [32/32] AP: Drain Toughness 10 ("Shattering Frequency"; Extras: Affects Objects, Range [ranged]; Feats: Accurate 2) [32/32] AP: Nauseate 10 ("Intense Vertigo"; Extra: Range [ranged]; Feats: Accurate 2) [32/32] AP: Obscure Auditory 10 ("Absorb Sound"; 5,000 ft radius; Extra: Selective Attack) [20/32] DC Block: Name Attack Bonus Range Save & DC Effect Unarmed +5 Melee 16 Toughness Damage Vibroblast +10 Ranged 29 Toughness Damage Sonic Screech N/A, General Area Ranged 20 Reflex to halve 20 Reflex to avoid 20 Fort to overcome if affected Auditory Dazzle Shattering Frequency +14 Ranged 20 Fortitude (Reflex if Immune) Drain Toughness Intense Vertigo +14 Ranged 20 Fortitude Nauseate TOTALS Abilities 22 + Combat 20 + Saving Throws 21 + Skills 21 + Feats 19 + Powers 77– Drawbacks 0= 180/184 points Edited November 13, 2020 by Thevshi +1pp for October 2020
Recommended Posts