PurpleProse Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 Player Name: PurpleProse Character Name: Nocturne Power Level: 10 (150/150 PP) Trade-Offs: -4 Attack / +4 Damage, -5 Defense / +5 Toughness Unspent Power Points: 0 Progress To Bronze Status: 0/30 In Brief: Mundane nerd turned sorceress thanks to a possessed grimoire. Alternate Identity: Danica 'Danni' Umbridge Identity: Public Birthplace: Fort Lauterdale, FL Occupation: College Student Affiliations: None Yet Family: Barbara Umbridge (Mom), Jack Umbridge (Dad), Monica Umbridge (Older Sister), Elizabeth Jacobs (Grandma) Description: Age: 21 (DoB: February 12, 1991 Apparent Age: 21 Gender: Female Ethnicity: Caucasian Height: 6'1" Weight: 178 lbs Eyes: Red Hair: Black Unfortunately for Danni, her recent empowerment has left her looking like a decidedly wicked super-sorceress. Her facial features give her the look of an evil aristocrat with her slender nose, full red lips, high cheekbones and her brilliant scarlet eyes. Her skin is pale, possessing the sort of pallor of one that hasn't seen the sun for a long time. Her hair is a Rapunzel-esque, ankle-length waterfall of black curls; so black that there are indigo highlights when the light hits it. Her six-foot-one-inch stature only makes her more imposing-looking, as does her well-curved figure. Danni's standard 'heroing' outfit is something that came along with the Grimoire; a black bodice that clings tightly to her skin with indigo and violet trim, a flowing skirt made of the same material and decorated with long rows of red runes, and an ornate black evening cloak lined with gold brocade. Most of the time, however, you'll likely find her in jeans and a particularly nerdy t-shirt, something that drives Sombra-La to screaming fits. Power Descriptions: Danni possesses vast magical power, mixing Elemental Magic with Hermetic invocations and symbolism. Unfortunately for her heroing career, her magic manifests in the most overtly evil way; circles of ominous runes that glow like ultraviolet paint under a black light, swaths of darkness, unnatural red lightning, sigil-covered tentacles and so on. In addition, her eyes glow a brilliant scarlet when she uses her magic. Her flight spell is usually accompanied by a gust of wind and a scarlet contrail. Her Force Field is usually invisible, but fluoresces and ripples dramatically when struck. History: Danni's story doesn't start with Danni. Rather, it begins three hundred years earlier, in the Netherworld known as the Soaring Archipelago of Sombra. Like many Netherworlds, Sombra was ruled over by a Dark Lord; in this case, it was ruled by Her Tyrannical Majesty Sombra-La the Witch Queen, She Who Is Dark As She Is Beautiful, Sovereign of Shadow, Sky and Sea and Rightful Ruler Of All Within Her Domain. A wicked, arrogant and proud Lord, Sombra-La ruled her floating island kingdom for many centuries until the coming of a group of heroes. As heroes are wont to do, a rebellion was staged. However, unlike most rebellions this one was actually successful. Facing certain death at the hands of the rebellious scum, Sombra-La decided to take drastic steps. Leaving behind a false body, Sombra-La poured herself, physically, mentally and spiritually into her spell-book and, in a last burst of will, flung it into the Cosmic Coil. Her plan was to find a suitable victim that would find the book. Then she would strike, consuming the mortal and rejuvenating herself, hopefully with a new world to conquer and remake in her image. Skip ahead three centuries. Danica 'Danni' Umbridge was attending an estate sale in Freedom City. A generally pleasant young woman, Danni had moved to Freedom City to attend FCU, partly to get into the political science program (for lack of a better major) and partly because Freedom City seemed like the sort of place that someone like her (a self-identified nerd with an interest in the occult, among many other interests) would fit in. While digging through the various piles of books she discovered a very curious find; a thick tome with a tattered purple cover, black iron clasps and gold engravings on its front. Thankfully, she was able to get it for cheap thanks to its overly worn condition. Old books like these always have some sort of secret, she thought to herself as she opened the book. And then Sombra-La struck. Black magic filled the room as the Witch Queen's spirit swallowed Danni up, seeking to remake her into a proper vessel. Unfortunately for the Dark Lord, three hundred years of mystical torpor had left her skills rusty. Even worse, Danni possessed a surprising reserve of will, somehow interrupting the spell part-way. When the smoke cleared, Danni had changed from a brown-haired, brown-eyed, slightly plump and short college student to a statuesque, raven-haired sorceress. This, of course, did not please Sombra-La. The Dark Lord was still trapped in her tome, and now a mortal, a commoner, had her body. And when Danni woke up, Sombra-La made her displeasure known in the only way she could manage; shouting. At least until a decidedly angry, woozy and overloaded-with-arcane-power-ed Danni blew a hole through the floor next to the book. A hole about the size of a large Pomeranian, in fact. As it turned out, Danni had gotten more than just Sombra-La's body, but also a very large chunk of the sorceress's magical power as well. It didn't take too long for the Dark Lord to realize what a predicament she was in. So the Dark Lord offered a compromise; Become my servant and I will teach you everything I know. Danni, who was wondering how the blazes she'd explain a foot of height, red eyes, and a figure that would make Luna Moth look skinny to her rather conservative parents at Thanksgiving, threatened to set the book on fire. Sombra-La countered by begging for her continued existence and offering to teach her for free, so long as she was allowed to remain intact. To sweeten the deal, Sombra-La spilled the contents of the Grimoire's dimensional pocket onto the floor; around a hundred pounds of large, quite flawless precious gemstones. This was a more acceptable offer. And then Sombra-La discovered what Danni intended to do with her newly-received powers; after all, she was in Freedom City after all! She could use her mighty occult abilities to help people! It'd be a lot more effective than working at the soup kitchen, after all. "And if you don't like it," Danni added chipperly, "I could just turn you in to the authorities. Who knows, maybe you might enjoy hero work..." Personality & Motivation: Danni is a good person; she was in the Girl Scouts when she was younger, worked at a soup kitchen during the summer in high school, and generally did good things for people when possible. She does her best to be friendly and polite to people, and has a generally sunny disposition. However, she can get nasty and aggressive, particularly if someone manages to get her angry or hurt. Her main priority is trying to balance her schoolwork with her super powers, as well as trying to get Sombra-La onto her side. Sombra-La, meanwhile, is the opposite of Danni. Accustomed to power and respect, Sombra-La is arrogant, proud and often quite cruel. Unfortunately for her, she's limited to riding along in the Grimoire and acting as an adviser. She views do-gooders as fools and idiots, but despises mystical sorts that are aligned with the forces of goodness and light. Her motivation is to escape from her Grimoire and take her rightful place as Queen, but right now she'll settle for surviving. Powers & Tactics: Danni's main tactic is blasting things with evocations. While her spells are stunningly powerful, she hasn't quite gotten the hang of aiming them. She trusts in her Force Field to keep her safe from direct damage, and usually tries to keep the high ground thanks to her flight. If given the chance to prepare (and provided Sombra-La is in a good mood) she can bust out some very impressive rituals and magical traps. Complications: "I'm not evil! Honest!": Danni's magic pings all sorts of evil-detecting mystic senses. It also doesn't help that she looks like a super-villianess... Sombra-La is a huge diva.: Sombra-La has full control of her Grimoire's secrets, and is a bit of a drama-queen. She can deny Danni access to her knowledge in a fit of pique, or at least until her ego is soothed. Power Overwhelming!: Danni's still not quite used to her vast arcane prowess yet, so her magic tends to leak out in harmless but obnoxious ways, like sudden gusts of wind or her shadow moving of its own accord. Nothing dangerous, but definitely difficult to hide when not in costume. She's Back?! Oh...: The same heroes that kicked Sombra-La out of her Netherworld are still around. If one of them were to find out that She Who Is As Beautiful As She Is Dark is still 'alive,' they might have something to say about it. Abilities: 0 + 4 + 2 + 2 + 8 + 4 = 20PP Strength: 10 (+0) Dexterity: 14 (+2) Constitution: 12 (+1) Intelligence: 12 (+1) Wisdom: 18 (+4) Charisma: 14 (+2) Combat: 10 + 10 = 20PP Initiative: +6 Attack: +5 Melee, +5 Ranged Grapple: +5 Defense: +5 (+5 Base, +0 Dodge Focus), +2 Flat-Footed Knockback: -2 Saving Throws: 3 + 6 + 5 = 15PP Toughness: +15 (+1 Con, +4 Defensive Roll, +10 Force Field (Impervious)) Fortitude: +4 (+1 Con, +3 Ranks) Reflex: +8 (+2 Dex, +6 Ranks) Will: +9 (+4 Wis, +5 Ranks) Skills: 52R = 13PP Concentration 12 (+16) Craft (Artistic) 0 (+13)Enhanced Skill Craft (Chemical) 0 (+13)Enhanced Skill Diplomacy 4 (+10)Attractive Investigate 4 (+5) Knowledge (Arcane Lore) 3 (+16)Enhanced Skill Knowledge (Civics) 5 (+6) Knowledge (Cosmology) 0 (+13)Enhanced Skill Knowledge (Pop Culture) 8 (+9) Notice 8 (+12) Sense Motive 8 (+12) Feats: 9PP Attractive 1 (Sombra-La's beauty is quite... impressive.) Benefit: Wealth 1 (Sombra-La's Grimoire had a Dimensional Pocket filled with jewels) Defensive Roll 2 Improved Initiative 1 Luck 1 Ultimate Effort (Will Save) Powers: 12 + 10 + 20 + 35 = 77PP (All Powers share the Magic Descriptor) Device 4 (Grimoire La Sombra Arcanum; 20PP Container; Flaws: Easy-To-Lose; Feats: Limited - Magic Users Only) [13PP] Crafts of Sombra-La: (Enhanced Feats: Enchanter, Ritual) [2PP] Knowledge of Sombra-La: (Enhanced Skills: Craft: Artistic +12, Craft: Chemical +12, Knowledge: Arcane Lore +12, Knowledge (Cosmology) +12) [12PP] Mystic Pocket: (Dimensional Pocket 1) [2PP] Swiftness of Sombra-La: (Quickness 4) [4PP] Flight 5 [10PP] Force Field 10 (Extras: Impervious) [20PP] Sorcerous Shield Magic 14 (28PP Array; Feats: Alternate Power 7) [35PP] Base Power: Blast 14 (Baleful Blast of Sombra-La) {28/28} Alternate Power: Blast 14 (Swarming Shades of Sombra-La; Extras: Autofire; Flaws: Action [Full]) {28/28} Alternate Power: Air Control 14 (Sylphic Sovereignty of Sombra-La) {28/28} Alternate Power: Create Object 9 (Mighty Materials of Sombra-La; Extras: Movable, Stationary) {28/28} Alternate Power: Darkness Control 14 (Shadowy Sovereignty of Sombra-La) {28/28} Alternate Power: Snare 14 (Steely Shackles of Sombra-La:) {28/28} Alternate Power: Telekinesis 13 (Grand Grasp of Sombra-La; Extras: Precise, Progression 1) {28/28} Alternate Power: Teleport 8 (Mercurial Movement of Sombra-La; Extras: Accurate, Change Direction, Change Velocity, Easy, Progression 1) {28/28} Drawbacks: (-3) = -3PP Drawback (Power Loss - Magic, Force Field and Flight when unable to gesture or speak; Frequency: [Common]; Intensity: [Minor]) [-3PP] DC Block ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Unarmed Touch DC15 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Physical) Baleful Blast Ranged DC29 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Magic) Swarming Shades Ranged DC29 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Magic, Darkness, Autofire) Sylphic Sovereignty Ranged STR or DEX (vs Power Check) Trip (Magic, Air/Wind) Steely Shackles Ranged DC23 Reflex (Staged) Snare (Magic, Darkness) Mighty Materials 45' Radius DC19 Reflex DC24 Toughness (Staged) Damage (Magic, Bludgeon) Grand Grasp Ranged Grapple Check Grapple (Magic, Force) Disarm Check Disarm (Magic, Force) Trip Check Trip (Magic, Force) Totals: Abilities (20) + Combat (20) + Saving Throws (15) + Skills (13) + Feats (7) + Powers (78) - Drawbacks (3) = (150/150) Power Points Link to comment
Supercape Posted October 22, 2012 Share Posted October 22, 2012 Without fine-toothing this, it all looks pretty good to me. Some suggestions / comments: 1. I dont have much of a flavour of Danni herself in terms of background. At the moment its hard to get a flavour of her, and how she matches up to some of those skills and feats. For instance, irrespective of her appearance (and appearance is not the same as attractive feat!) I am not sure why a complete Nerd / Goofball has a generic attractive feat (although she might be attractive to other nerds!). 2. Is there any flavour or system to the Sombra-La's Magic? We do allow broad descriptors like "Magic" or "Cosmic Energy" but it is easier from a dramatic point of view to have at little narrower a field - truly broad descriptors allow you to stunt any effect of them. If you want such a "skeleton key" approach it might limit you from a narrative perspective (its of course very powerful from a gaming perspective). At the moment I'm not really seeing any pattern or theme to her Magic power. I'd suggest fleshing this out and deciding on one, as most of our magic using heroes have one - for instance, Changling is an "illusionist", Nick Cimmitiere a "Necromancer", and Rene deSaens is a painter (it kind of makes sense...) they can all use ritualist feat for other types of magic, but their main array is all about their particular field of magic. 3. The trade offs are a little high. Legal, but high. I personally think you will find them a bit frustrating at that level. +5 Attack is going to be quite frustrating. +5 Defence might seem attractive when you have a +15 Toughness, until you get hit by fortitude or will (or reflex) effects that will eat you up - the character has not got particularly high exotic saves and combined with such a low defence you could end up spending a lot of time stunned, dazzled, snared, etc etc. My advice would be to tone these extreme trade offs down a little - maybe +/-3 to keep in with your theme but to stop it getting annoying for you. Having said that its a personal choice and it is legal. Link to comment
PurpleProse Posted October 23, 2012 Author Share Posted October 23, 2012 I've addressed 1 & 2 in my edits in order to flesh things out. I've also adjusted my Trade-offs. My defenses, however, make sense in the context of the character; her Will Save is quite high and she has Ultimate Effort: Will Saves. Her Reflex is quite good as well. Her fortitude is her only weakness, but she's not designed to be a tank; she's a relatively squishy wizard without proper combat training (probably took some self defense courses, which explains the relatively high Attack and Defense bonuses). However, like you said, I'm within the limits. Link to comment
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