npc Hetep (PL 14 Villain, Tier 1)

[Ari]

Player Name: Arichamus

Character Name: Hetep ("Peace")

Power Level: 14

Trade-Offs:, -3 Defense / +3 Toughness

Unspent PP: 0

In Brief: Alternate-earth former Master Mage come to Earth-Prime to try and make a new life for himself, hampered by his poor understanding of how this world works.

Quote: "Humanity is mired in a thousand hatreds, and so breeds ten thousand evils! I, the bringer of Hetep, will free them!"

Alternate Identities: Massawa/The Contrarian

Identity: Secret

Birthplace: Egypt, Earth J-21

Occupation: Sorcerer

Affiliations: Magical entities, superheroes.

Family: Bes-Anti (father), Sacmis (mother) No siblings.

Age: 127

Apparent Age: 38

Gender: Male

Ethnicity: Ancient Nubian/Ethiopian

Height: 6' 8"

Weight: 245 Lbs.

Eyes: Brown.

Hair: Black with green tinting.

Description: Massawa is surprisingly well-proportioned and handsome, with long curly hair usually pulled back in a ponytail that goes down to his waist, archaic spectacles held onto his head with a thick metal band, and an open, pleasant face tinged with a note of impatience. His normal wear is a long green robe with complex gold patterns of cranes decorating it. He wears it loosely and with considerable discomfort, looking less like he wears than suffers their presence. His right arm is a crude-looking replacement made of ornamented bronze, covered with Egyptian hieroglyphics.

Power Descriptions: Massawa magical powers by now are mostly those of a Hermetic, one who has achieved a measure of power by long study and the unveiling of the inner divinity, allowing him plentiful ways to attack others or defend himself. They are flashy and powerful, but but hardly subtle or flexible. The power granted to him by his service and worship of the gods of Heliopolis, however, give him far more ability, each one represented by an ethereal symbol or tool of the god whose power he uses, their crowned head appearing above him when he uses his shimmering blue shield of solid force. The only exception is Geb, whose gift is an immense earthy head and mouth that rises up from the ground.

 

History: Born on a world ruled over by two archaic and tradition-steeped empires, one ruled by the Incas, the other by the Pharaohs, and both wielding powerful magic, Massawa's gifts were hidden for nine years after his birth until the threat of violence against a friend unleashed them. He was taken from his family as the apprentice of that Earth's Master Mage, Bogdan Mihnea. The man tried to direct his talents and mind to productive ends, teaching Massawa how to understand and use his gifts by cruel training and bitter isolation. The loneliness drove him to his prayers, until at the age of fifteen when they were answered and the gods of Heliopolis appeared before him and taught him their secrets, revealing as well that his teacher wished to conquer the world and become its Dark Lord. Training in secret for the next few years, and armed with the knowledge that Bogdan feared fire, Massawa ambushed the wizard right after he started the last phase of his plan to send the world spiraling into chaos, striking when the man left his castle and was vulnerable, using his right arm as a teleporting fire bomb to send his mentor hurtling in mortal pain and terror into space.

Setting out to take his master's place as Master Mage, Massawa industriously set out to unravel Bogdan's plots and gathered many others, from divine champions to brilliant inventors, to keep peace on that Earth. The Majestic Twelve as they came to be called were profoundly successful at destroying the Romanian mage's monstrous plan, but attempts to reach their second and higher goal met with utter failure. While the massive empires were grateful to have such a band going around the world and helping solve people's problems, the Incas of the Americas and Pharaohs of Africa and Eurasia looked with a lot less favor on Massawa taking the place of Mihnea. Not to mention his attempts to truly change the world. The abrasive, halting and awkward young Nubian, with his utter lack of contacts and few friends outside the Twelve or his family,was far less trusted than his distant but respected predecessor who had made sure he knew the names of every junior clerk. No matter what efforts he or his comrades made to bring real peace to the world, it dissolved under the hundreds of years of mutual distrust and suspicion for any interlopers of the world order. His mighty magic became like a sledgehammer in the hands of a jeweler, cumbersome, frustrating and wholly unfit for the task.

After almost two decades, at the age of 36, Massawa decided he'd had enough. Ships were disappearing throughout the ocean, and naturally both of the empires furiously blamed the other for it no matter how much the comparatively young Master Mage tried to convince them that it was the work of forgotten Atlantis. He even brought ambassadors from the Sea-King himself who demanded that the surface nations enter into trade and diplomatic relations with the mighty undersea power, only to be roundly dismissed as an invention of either side. After that, the Thothian wizard lost all temper and patience with the world, condemning both sides, taking his family aboard the extradimensional castle the Master Mage's of his world used, and setting sail across the Cosmic Coil. He left a curt message for the rest of the Twelve, urging them to seek shelter for their family and friends in Atlantis, and bidding them the best of luck.

He then left, searching for a world where he really could make a difference, a world where its troubles weren't buried millenniums deep, and he could bring peace, something he vowed to bring to people, no matter what he had to do, and declaring it his name henceforth. His fervent adherence to that mission gradually drove his very family from him, and no matter how earnest his protests of sanity and virtue were, they trickled away to the countless other Earths along the Coil. In the all too crushingly familiar loneliness that followed, Hetep's dream of peace hardened into obsession, and tempered his resolve into iron.

Personality & Motivation: Massawa is a deeply bitter man. He has had the misfortune to see the evil side of nearly everything humans have made for the continuation of civilization, and thus places little hope in any institution devised by mortals. His mystical gifts, meanwhile, have brought him little but evil, pain and disappointment, and he is eager, should he meet someone who thinks magic wonderful and a powerful tool, to disabuse them of the first notion and remind them of the peril of the second. that said, he is still very much the would-be Master Mage he once was, and while his morals are deeply wounded he will still protect the innocent against threats besides himself. In less dire situations, he has very refined behavior and conveys himself with impeccable manners and bearing, albeit short-tempered and precise with his words, making absolutely clear his likes and dislikes. Hetep feels Eldrich isn't taking the active part in the world he assumes the Master Mage should(ignoring that Adrian has huge responsibilities already), and that the rest of Earth-Prime's magical world is downright anemic. He thinks its heroes are obsessed with trivialities and personal empowerment, hooked by the allure of magic as an exclusive secret, though he has considerable respect for divine champions like Siren or spirit embodiments like Britannia. Malador he fears and hates as a would-be Dark Lord and usurper, but mystic villains in general get mostly contempt. The wizard sees people like Medea, the Hellqueen or Maitre Carrefour as disgraces to the public view of magic and vile criminals who need to be punished as far as the law stretches.

By far the thing that makes him most likely to attack someone is the chance to avert war or other large-scale bloodshed, politicians rallying against a foreign enemy being by far in the most danger with their public supporters(or those tolerant of them) a close second.

Powers & Tactics: Hetep rarely fights, preferring the debate method of swaying people to his views. If pressed into combat however he fights with considerable restraint, attempting to separate foes from each other and deal with them individually, diligently experimenting with various attacks and strategies to discover weaknesses. By and large he attempts first to overwhelm the mind of his adversary, only falling back to physical violence if that fails or if they aren't capable of being affected that way, and keeps as far from his foe as he can. When fighting people with powers that can do considerable collateral damage or whenever he happens to battle another mage in a duel arcane, he calls up the enormous Mouth of Geb to be their battleground in order to contain the fight.

---

Complications:

Hatred: Warmongers Suffice to say that if he learns you actively support or have caused a war anywhere for any reason at all he'll do his level best to kill you, see how well YOU like it.

Obsession: Ending conflict. After seeing his world spiral out of control before his eyes, Massawa will do just about anything to end conflicts of any kind, including ones he himself begins.

Phobia: Aging The castle he dwells in slows down the decay of his body, and its power lingers for a long time outside, but he is terrified all the same of the effect the remorseless march of time has on him. Something that would speed up his aging or keep him from his castle's power would be a powerful bargaining chip in dealing with him.

Abilities: 12 + 8 + 6 + 14 + 8 + 6 = 54PP

Strength: 22 (+6)

Dexterity: 18 (+4)

Constitution: 16 (+3)

Intelligence: 24 (+7)

Wisdom: 18 (+4)

Charisma: 16 (+3)

Combat: 22 + 8 = 30PP

Initiative: +12

Attack: +11 Melee, +12 Ranged, +14 Arrows of Neith

Grapple: +18

Defense: +10 (+4 Base, +6 Dodge Focus), +2 Flat-Footed

Knockback: -15/-8/-1

Saving Throws: 10 + 10 + 14 = 34PP

Toughness: +17 (+3 Con, +14 [Force Field], Impervious 0/14, Reflective 14 [Crown of Unat])

Fortitude: +13 (+3 Con, +10)

Reflex: +14 (+4 Dex, +10)

Will: +18 (+4 Wis, +14, Impervious 0/14)

Skills: 92R = 23PP

Concentration 11 (+15)

Diplomacy 4 (+7, +15 with Attractive)

Intimidate 12 (+15)

Knowledge (Arcane Lore) 17 (+24) Skill Mastery

Knowledge (Civics) 8 (+15) Skill Mastery

Knowledge (Cosmology) 13 (+20) Skill Mastery

Knowledge (History) 11 (+18)

Sense Motive 16 (+20)Skill Mastery

Feats: 21PP

Accurate Attack

All-Out Attack

Attack Focus (Ranged) 1

Attractive 2

Dodge Focus 6

Equipment 5 [25EP]

Fearsome Presence

Improved Initiative 2

Ritualist

Skill Mastery [Knowledge (Arcane Lore), Knowledge (Civics), Knowledge (Cosmology), Sense Motive]

Equipment 5PP = 25EP

Headquarters: Extra-Dimensional Castle

Size: Awesome [6EP]

Toughness: +25 TOU [4EP]

Features:

Concealed 2

Holding Cells 2

Isolated

Library

Life Support

Living Space 4

Power 4 (Flight 10 (10,000 MPH); Super-Movement 3 (Dimensional Movement 3[Any Dimension to Any]), Super-Senses 4 (Postcognition [Past Tapestries]), Teleport 10)

Powers: 4 + 28 + 48 + 11 + 14 + 37 = 142PP

All descriptors as 'magic' and 'divine'.

Comprehend 2 (Spoken Languages 2; Understand All, Speak All [one at a time]) [4PP]

Force Field 14 (Extras: Impervious) [28PP] (Shield of Crowned Heads)

Gift of the Nile 21 (42PP Array, Feats: Alternate power 6) [48PP]

Base Power: Nullify Magic 14 (All Active Magic Effects at Once; Extras: Effortless) [42PP] Forbiddance of Thoth

AP: Blast 13 (Arrows, Piercing, Magic; 10 130ft. increments, 1300ft. range; Extras: Autofire 1, Penetrating 11; Flaws: Distracting; Feats: Accurate, Affects Insubstantial 2, Incurable) [42PP] Shafts of Neith

AP: Create Object 15 (Extras: Duration [Continuous], Impervious; Flaws: Action [Full-Round], One Shape; Feats: Affects Insubstantial 2, Precise, Progression 6 [size, 7500ft. Square Cubes], Stationary) [40PP] Mouth of Geb

AP: Emotion Control 14 (Extras: Area [selective, Burst, 475ft.], Linked [Mind Control]; Flaws: Range [Ranged], Limited [Calm]; Feats: Progression 2 [Range]) [16PP] + Mind Control 13 (Extras: Effortless, Linked [Emotion Control; Flaws: Distracting) [26PP] [16+26=42PP] Mandate of Ma'at

AP: Healing 13 (Extras: Affects Objects, Total; Flaws: Distracting; Feats: Persistent, Regrowth) [41PP] Remaking of Khnum

AP: Immunity 20 (Mental Effects, Interaction Skills, Grappling; Extras: Linked [Damage]) [20PP] + Damage 10 (Extras: Alternate Save [Will]; Feats: Affects Insubstantial 2) [22PP] [20+22=42PP Guise of Bata

AP: Speed 9 (5,000MPH, 50,000ft. per round.; Extras: Linked [impervious, Super-Movement, Trip]; Feats: Wall Run) [10PP] + Reflective Toughness 14 (Melee Attacks [+1]; Extras: Linked [speed, Super-Movement, Trip]) [14PP] + Super-Movement 3 (Dimensional Movement 2 [Mystic Dimensions], Water-Walking; Extras: Linked [speed, Impervious, Trip]) [6PP] + Trip 12 (Extras: Linked [impervious, Speed, Super-Movement]) [12PP] = [10+14+6+12= 42PP] Crown of Unut

Immunity 11 (Aging, Emotion Effects, Swords) [11PP]

Impervious Will 14 [14PP]

Magic 15 (30PP Array, Power Feats: Alternate Power 7) [37PP]

Base Power: Blast 14 (Feats: Variable Descriptor 2 [Magical Descriptors]) [30PP]

AP: Animate Object 10 [30PP]

AP: Dazzle 10 (Visual Senses and Auditory) [30PP]

AP: Flight 10 (Extras: Affects Others) [30PP]

AP: Nullify Technology 10 (All Traits at Once; Extras: Effortless) [30PP]

AP: Obscure 15 (150-ft.; Visual Senses) [30PP]

AP: Snare 10 (Extras: Area [Targeted, Shapeable 50-ft. blocks]) [30PP]

AP: Telekinesis 10 (Extras: Damaging) [30PP]

---

[table]

DC Block:

ATTACKRANGESAVEEFFECT

UnarmedTouchDC21 Toughness (Staged)Damage (Physical)

ArrowsRangedDC28 Toughness (Staged)Damage (Physical)

BlastRangedDC29 Toughness (Staged)Damage (Physical)

DamageTouchDC25 Will (Staged)Damage (Physical)

DazzleRangedDC20 Reflex/FortitudeDazzled

Emotion ControlPerceptionDC24 WillEmotion Changed

Nullify MagicRangedDC20+14 Power/WillEffect Nullified

Nullify TechRangedDC20+10 Power/WillEffect Nullified

SnareRangedDC20 ReflexSnared

TelekinesisPerceptionDC25 Toughness (Staged)Damage (Physical)/Moved

TripTouchDC12+6 vs. STR/DEX (whichever lower)Tripped[/table]

Abilities (54) + Combat (30) + Saving Throws (34) + Skills (23) + Feats (21) + Powers (142) -Drawbacks (0) = 304/304 Power Points

[Avenger Assembled]

I like the idea here, Ari. I like the idea of a mystic who is robust!

 

I wish there were some more cost-effective way for you to model the dual source of his powers; maybe do something like the Enhanced Vampiric Arrays from Dok's vampire heroes builds? 

 

What are his feelings about the magic of Freedom City? Malador, Eldritch, etc?

[Supercape]

A few crunch points:

 

Abilities dont seem to add up (I count 56)

 

Skill Mastery cannot be taken for concentration (you cant take 10 on concentration)

 

COmprehend doesnt seem to add up to 4PP - how many ranks of comprehend have you got?

[Ari]

Glad you approve Avenger! Going by Dok's Vampire Psion build(as mentioned in Chat) for inspiration there. Increasing the rank and adding to his Magic Array with some kind of Enhanced Egyptian God Boost seems most reasonable, but I slightly prefer having the dual Arrays going as I feel they better represent his character(and as you wrote he's an NPC, slightly more leeway there!). Of course if it would be better to do it the other way, I'll gladly do so. It would definitely save on the points.

 

Fixed the DC Block. I am very sorry that went uncaught.

 

Abilities count and Totals adjusted.

 

Comprehend lowered to rank 2, dropping Spirits application.

 

Skill Mastery Moved to Sense Motive.

 

As for how he feels about Freedom City magic and magicians: Hetep feels Eldrich isn't taking the active part in the world he assumes the Master Mage should(ignoring that Adrian has huge responsibilities already), and that the rest of Earth-Prime's magical world is downright anemic. He thinks its heroes are obsessed with trivialities and personal empowerment, hooked by the allure of magic as an exclusive secret, though he has considerable respect for divine champions like Siren or spirit embodiments like Britannia. Malador he fears and hates as a would-be Dark Lord and usurper, but mystic villains in general get mostly contempt. The wizard sees people like Medea, the Hellqueen or Maitre Carrefour as disgraces to the public view of magic and vile criminals who need to be punished as far as the law stretches.

 

I should probably put that in the Motivations section.

[Supercape]

This all looks good to me! A powerful NPC with a rich story. 

 

:approved:

[Gizmo]

He's got 18 (+4) Constitution, but his bonus is listed as +3 elsewhere on the sheet.

[Ari]

Edited, dropped his Constitution down to 16 (+3), and fixed the totals.

[Gizmo]

He has Attack Focus (Melee) 2 and Attack Focus (Ranged) 3 which don't seem to match his listed Attack Bonus.

His castle adds up to 26EP, not 25.

I'm assuming his Force Field is meant to be the source of the Impervious given its PP cost, but the extra isn't actually listed.

[Ari]

Removed the two ranks of Attack Bonus(Melee) to get another rank for the Base Attack Bonus, dropped the Ranged Bonus Feat down to 1.

 

Removed a rank of Isolated from the Castle.

 

Right, that was a fool mistake. Added Impervious to the Force Field power, and replaced the Impervious in the Nile Array with Reflective(Melee Damage).

[Gizmo]

Sorry for the delay! :approved:

As an aside, we're planning to clarify that NPCs will typically be restricted to 250PP just like PCs are except in cases where the Ref Team agrees that the character concept justifies going beyond that cap. In this case, we do!