pc Sable Raven (PL 10) - Secondling

[secondling]

Sable Raven
Power Level: 10 (150/150PP)
Unspent Power Points: 0 
Trade-Offs: +5 Attack / -5 Damage on Talon Launchers, -5 Defense / +5 Toughness

 

In Brief: Power-Suited Cowl from a Dead World

Catchphrase: “Fear the Dark…”

Theme: The Abyssal Exalted – Death’s Lawgivers by James Semple

 

Alternate Identity: Duncan Summers (Birth Name)
Birthplace:  Freedom City

Residence: Freedom City
Base of Operations:  High Spire Rookery
Occupation: 
Affiliations: The Raven Family
Family: Duncan Summers (Alternate Self, former Raven I), Callie Summers (Alternate Daughter, former Raven II), Callie Sen/Summers (Other Alternate Daughter, Madame Raven), deceased parents

 

Description:
Age: 26 (Born in 1995)
Gender: Male
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Height:  6’ (183 cm)
Weight: 165 lb. (75 kg)
Eyes:  Blue
Hair: Black

 

Duncan Summers wears a somewhat unkempt and lackadaisical set of clothing, as well as a somewhat messy and ruffled hairstyle - an affectation of laziness and languor that only lasts at first glance. He strives to project the image that he is slightly well-off, but is trying to dress humbly. With dark hair and bright blue eyes, he nevertheless cuts something of a handsome figure by the standards of his society - at least, when he's standing. When he's sitting in his wheelchair, as he often does outside his home, Duncan comes across as rather less striking in the eyes of society, something he sometimes uses to his advantage in gathering information - too often people assume that broken body means mental incapacity.

 

Sable Raven’s iconic Armor of Unkindness is unsurprisingly colored a mix of matte black, midnight blue, and dark grey. Made from metals that were dramatically altered by their journey across dimensions, the Armor has heavy gauntlets with clawed fingers, surprisingly light and soft boots, and a flexible yet heavy cape that allows the Sable Raven to glide as well as to distract his foes. His helm, however, is by far the most distinctive part of the armor. Resembling a beaked plague doctor’s mask in some ways, rather than the comical goggles of those antiques, there are eye slits which (when activated properly) glow with a dim gold menace. The dagger-sharp beak curves slightly, but is more than able to be used as a weapon, should the time come. 

 

History:

On a world much like Prime Earth, there were no heroes to fight in the Second World War – costumed vigilantes were virtually unheard of, and when people heard the term “centurion” they thought not of a Man of Adamant, but of a long-disused Roman military position. Into this world, Duncan Summers was born in 1995 – half a century or more after the birth of his Prime Earth counterpart.

 

A child of privilege, Duncan’s youth was cast in melancholy after his father died when he was four, leaving his mother depressed and mostly reliant on long-term caregivers to raise her child. As he grew, he saw more and more injustice and rising crime, but the world seemed too wrapped up in apathy to care – no one seemed willing to stand up to help others or protect the weak from predation.

 

Gradually, Duncan began shaping himself into a hero – someone who could take on the burden of protection and justice for the innocents of the world. He learned martial arts, criminology, and dozens of other arts and sciences. Even in high school, he focused more on cultivating himself than on social connections, earning him a reputation as a recluse and an eccentric, even amongst the wealthy circles of his nominal peers.

 

When he was nineteen, his mother died in an accident, and dolor surrounded the Summers Estate. Within a few months, Duncan had taken over the assets of his company and began using his personal fortune to fund the creation of a costume and all manner of gadgets to take up his mantle.

 

Suffice it to say, the first outing the newly fledged Raven went on ended in a dramatic chase – not of criminals, but of the Raven himself, as he was pursued by the police, who deemed him a far greater threat than any criminals he might have faced.

 

The next two years were difficult, but gradually, the Raven took on greater threats – the Conqueror Worm, the monstrous but wealthy House of Usher, the vampiric thief Lenore, and even the maliciously organized Tzin Sing all found in him a worthy foe. Even as he did so, other heroes took flight – Centurion, an exile from a destroyed universe. Bowman, an archer extraordinaire who had much in common with Duncan, and others still.

 

In 2018, an invasion of Earth by the Grue Collective saw heroes from across the globe unite to fight against the alien threat. In the United States, the group that formed would later be called the Freedom League – made up of such greats as Lady Liberty, Centurion, Daedalus, Johnny Rocket, and even the Raven himself. For the first time in years, Duncan felt hopeful.

 

This was not to last, however, as shortly after the formation of the Freedom League, Tzin Sing trapped the Raven and ultimately damaging his spine when Tzin Li, Sing’s daughter, helped free him from her father. Nevertheless, once he returned home, Duncan fell into bleak depression – even with the corrective surgeries available to him, Duncan was no longer able to fight as he once had – merely standing and walking unaided hurt after a few hours. Pushing himself through the punishing acrobatics of the Raven was simply impossible.

 

A visit by Centurion and his fellow Freedom League members helped inspire the Raven to try to contribute to the League as much as he could, and within a year he took on a role as a mission control for the League. Even as he did so, he began building a battlesuit that would enable him to take to the field again.

 

In 2020, the suit was ready… just in time for the end of the world. Omega, the Lord of the Terminus, invaded, and the Freedom League fought hard, with the Raven, in his newly forged battlesuit, fighting alongside them for the first time in over a year… but the League failed – falling one after another, and ultimately, Daedalus worked with Centurion to cast the Raven free from the dying world.

 

In late December 2020, the young Duncan Summers of the destroyed Earth arrived on Prime Earth. Unwilling to allow his friends’ sacrifice be in vain, he strives now to be the best hero he can, even as he discovers the wonder and hope that this new world offers.

 

Personality & Motivation:
Duncan Summers is an interesting mix of an idealist and a cynic. He grew up in a world more afraid of superheroes than welcoming of them, was broken by an enemy early in his career, and then lost his whole world on top of all of that. However, he remains firmly devoted to the protection of the innocent and the capture of evildoers. Indeed, coming to Prime Earth has inspired Duncan with how much more the superheroes do and how much better they seem to have made the world than he and his were capable of doing in their brief time in the limelight.

 

In costume, Sable Raven has a dry sense of humor edged with slight melancholy – not even his foes are spared from his wit, and he is more than happy to mock them, especially if he is certain that they cannot see him. 

 

Out of costume, Duncan keeps his dry humor, but also tends to project the air of being somewhat laidback. Unlike his Prime Earth counterpart once was, he isn’t quick to judge others’ lifestyle choices (in part due to a difference in upbringing), and is firmly against systemic injustices just as much as he is against crime – this sometimes means he clashes with more authoritarian types, including the police, whom he regards with an uneasy wariness.

 

Perhaps the second most dramatic impact coming to Prime Earth has had on Duncan is the discovery of his elderly alternate self, his alternate’s daughter(s), and the fact that the Raven isn’t a solo act any more. Part of him is horrified – how could someone wish this life on anyone else? Another part is proud to see that at least one Duncan Summers inspired people… but he’s also saddened for the lost potential of his former world – will he ever know the family that his elder counterpart has?

 

Being the sole survivor of a universe is a dreadful thing, and it still weighs on Duncan like a mountain. He deals with it through sublimating the despair and fury into his work as a vigilante, but every so often he is forced into a haze of dolor when he encounters someone whom he knew on his home world, but who does not know him.

 

Powers & Tactics:
The Sable Raven strives to inspire terror in his foes. Using voice changing technology to transform his speaking voice into a harsh, sharp whisper, vanishing from sight when others take the briefest moment to look away, and striking from the shadows, he is quick and oftentimes harsh in his tactics. While he tries hard to hold himself to the higher standards of Prime Earth’s heroes, under pressure he sometimes acts with more viciousness and even near-lethality than even he is comfortable with.

 

Most of his combat potential, however, lies firmly on the back of his Armor of Unkindness, with its stylized shuriken-launching gauntlets, its (slight) enhancements to his strength, and its protective plating. He uses the integrated tools willingly and often, from the grappling hook to ensnare others, to the beak to headbutt or cut restraints, and so on. 

 

Power Descriptions:

All of the Sable Raven's "powers," such as they are, come from his Armor of Unkindness - whether it is the talon-launcher on one gauntlet, the grappling hook on the other, or the razor-edged claws and beak adorning his fingers and mask. His seemingly heavy cape can snap outwards into a facsimile of wings, allowing him to glide, while his helm allows him access to a great deal more information than most can see. Some of his skills are the result of long hours of training - remnants of his time before he lost the ability to perform those most strenuous of exercises. He is still highly capable of hiding himself from view, and his social and intellectual skills are as sharply honed as ever - if not moreso, due to the need to exercise them all the more.

 

Complications:

(You will) Fear the Dark: Even Sable feels uncomfortable with how closely he slips into his older, more terror-focused habits. When his friends or innocents are in danger, he sometimes reacts with excessive force and viciousness.

Legacy of Corvids: Sable Raven is not a lone bird in this world, much to his mix of surprise and dismay. A whole cult family has grown up around the name he claimed for himself only six years ago, and their shared history is something he’s not quite comfortable with.

Lone Survivor: Sable saw his world dying as he was cast into the universe. While for the most part, he manages to sublimate the sorrow and anger that this brought him, when unprepared, he can be struck with tears if he meets someone he once knew. Further, encounters with Omega and his Terminus forces cause him intense terror and fury. 

Not from Around Here: Sable Raven was born in a world now dead, one that never had the legacy of superheroes. Genetically identical to the original Raven with whom he shares his name, there is plenty of room for confusion and doubt in his life.

Old Wounds: Without his Armor of Unkindness, Duncan Summers is unable to move freely – while he can walk and stand without significant issue for a few hours on end, any strenuous exercise or long-term journey leaves him in crippling pain. Most of the time, he uses a wheelchair to move about on longer trips.

Abilities: 0 + 2 + 2 + 12 + 4 + 2 = 22PP
Strength: 18 [10] (+4/+0)
Dexterity: 18 [12] (+4/+1) 
Constitution: 12 (+1)
Intelligence: 22 (+6)
Wisdom: 14 (+2)
Charisma: 12 (+1)

Combat: 20 + 10 = 30PP
Initiative: +4
Attack: +10 Base, +15 Talon-Launching Gauntlets
Defense: +5 (+5 Base, +0 Dodge Focus), +5 Flat-Footed

Grapple: +14
Knockback: -6

Saving Throws: 3 + 5 + 3 = 11PP
Toughness: +12 (+1 Con, +11 Protection)
Fortitude: +4 (+1 Con, +3)
Reflex: +9 (+4 Dex, +5)
Will: +5 (+2 Wis, +3)

Skills: 64R = 16PP
Acrobatics 4 (+8)

Computers 8 (+14)

Craft (Electronic) 4 (+10)

Disable Device 8 (+12)

Intimidate 8 (+9)

Investigate 4 (+10)

Knowledge (Technology) 4 (+10)

Languages 4 (English [Native], German, Mandarin, Spanish, French)

Notice 8 (+10)

Search 4 (+10)

Stealth 8 (+12)

Feats: 3PP

Equipment 2

Hide in Plain Sight

 

Equipment: 2PP = 10EP

 Headquarters

Spoiler

 

High Spire Rookery

As it is located beneath an old office building in West Freedom, the High Spire Rookery is named somewhat ironically - Sable Raven thus feels free to refer to his headquarters in public without fear that potential foes will look where it actually is.

Toughness: 15 (2 EP)

Size: Medium (1 EP)

Features: 7 EP

• Communications
• Computer
• Concealed 1
• Infirmary
• Laboratory
• Security System
• Workshop

 

 

Powers: 68 = 68PP

 

Device 18 (Armor of Unkindness; 85 PP Container; Flaws: Hard-To-Lose) [68PP] (Technology)

• Blast 5 (Talon-Launching Gauntlets; Extras: Autofire 1; Feats: Accurate 5) [16PP]
• Communication 3 (Radio) (Onboard Headset) [3PP]
• Datalink 3 (Onboard Computer) [3PP]
• Enhanced Strength 8 (Muscular Enhancement) [16PP]
• Enhanced Dexterity 6 (Fluid Motion System) [12PP]
• Flight 4 (Doleful Wings; Feats: Subtle 1; Flaws: Gliding) [5PP]
• Protection 14 (Armor of Unkindness) [14PP]
• Strike 6 (Rending Claws & Tearing Beak; Feats: Mighty 4) [10PP]
• Super-Movement 1: Swinging (Grapple Launcher) [2PP]
• Super-Movement 1: Wall-Crawling (Clawed Gauntlets) [2PP]
• Super-Senses 3 (Infravision) (HUD) [1PP]

 

Drawbacks: (-0) + (-0) = -0PP
 

DC Block
ATTACK	RANGE	SAVE	EFFECT
Rending Claws & Tearing Beak	Melee	25	Damage
Talon-Launching Gauntlets	Ranged	20	Damage

 

 

Totals: Abilities (22) + Combat (30) + Saving Throws (11) + Skills (16) + Feats (3) + Powers (68) - Drawbacks (0) = 150/150 Power Points

Edited June 19, 2021 by secondling