R. Bluefish Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 Starlight Power Level: 11 [12] 164/183 PPTrade-Offs: -1 Attack/+1 Damage, -1 Defense/+1 ToughnessUnspent Power Points: 19 In Brief: A former heroin addict and neglectful mother, now trying to use her newfound powers to make up for her past.Residence: Greenbank, Freedom CityAlternate Identity: Samantha LawrenceIdentity: SecretBirthplace: Freedom CityOccupation: Employee at Silberman’s BooksAffiliations: Grimalkin, Miras, Narcotics AnonymousFamily: Seven-year-old son (Arthur), younger sister (Rebecca), brother-in-law (Omid), all estrangedDescription:Age: 26 (DoB: November 2nd, 1988)Gender: FemaleEthnicity: CaucasianHeight: 5' 8"Weight: 120 lbEyes: GreyHair: Blonde Samantha Lawrence is a thin, lean woman of medium height, with short blonde hair and a faraway look in her silver-grey eyes. When in her civilian identity, she typically wears jeans, a T-shirt, and a leather jacket, along with studded metal earrings. She almost always has a toothpick dangling casually in her mouth, a habit she picked after she stopped smoking (or, rather, became physically incapable of smoking). As Starlight, her ensemble consists of a utilitarian black bodysuit, a pale grey jacket, a utility belt, and a lightly reinforced mask that covers the lower half of her face. Power Descriptions: Starlight’s light-based powers manifest as brilliant white radiance, which she can form into powerful laser-like blasts of light. She can also imbue herself with protective energy, which causes her skin to shimmer and glow softly, which it also does when she’s flying. Her invisibility is a tad more subtle: when she activates it, she simply seems to fade away in an instant. Her eyes glow brightly whenever she uses any of these abilities. Conversely, using her darkness-controlling powers makes her eyes darken into twin orbs of featureless blackness, a rather unnerving effect. The shadows in the area animate and assume whatever shape she wills, whether it be grasping tentacles or protective shields. History: Growing up wasn't easy for Samantha and Rebecca Lawrence. When Sam was 8 and Becky was 5, their father stormed out in the middle of the night and never came back, leaving them to be raised by their alcoholic mother. Sam was forced to grow up, quickly, in order to protect her younger sibling - every stinging slap she took was one Becky didn't have to. Throughout their early years, the sisters relied on each other for strength and companionship, escaping the reality of their lives by devising elaborate fantasies in which the two of them were super-powered crimefighters, joining the ranks of the shining heroes they saw in the news every day. As they grew older, however, the two gradually began to drift apart. When she entered high school, Sam lost interest in what she now saw as childish games, instead filling her days with parties and drinking, most of it with people she hardly even knew. Becky, however, was determined not to take the path of their mother, and studied hard, quickly excelling in all of her classes. In this way, the two became the classic "good girl and bad girl," and their relationship suffered for it. In her last years at high school, Sam's life began to spiral out of control. A "friend" introduced her to the wonders of drugs. It started innocently enough - a quick joint behind the school after class, but soon one thing led to another and she was taking Oxy, and, finally, cocaine. Then, at age 19, she got pregnant. To this day, she isn't sure who the father is. All she cared about at the moment was that suddenly she had a red-faced, squalling bundle of terror to contend with, making her life even more complicated as she tried to keep him quiet while also feeding her ever-growing drug habit. By the time she was in her mid-twenties, she was living in a hole-in-the-wall apartment in the Fens, hadn't spoken to her sister in years, and was incapable of holding down a job for more than a few months. And what little money she did earn, she quickly snorted. Her son Arthur was terrified of her; all he ever got from her was a cold shoulder, or, if she hadn't used in a while, the back of her hand. At long last, Child Welfare got wind of the situation, and Sam found herself serving a short prison term for child abuse and neglect, while Arthur was adopted by his aunt Becky (now a medical student) and her new husband, Omid. And still, Sam didn't care. Because prison introduced her to something she couldn't believe she'd been missing until now: heroin. All the other drugs she'd used previously seemed to pale in comparison, and was assured by her fellow inmates that this was nothing compared to the undiluted stuff available on the outside. As soon as she was released, she scraped up all the money she could, bought, and prepared for the high of her life. Her overdose should have killed her. Instead, the trauma awakened something that had been lying dormant inside of her for her entire life. When next she opened her eyes, her entire body was blazing with light, and she felt better than she had in years. Her body's addiction to chemicals was just...gone. First came shock, then fear, then excitement. And then, she looked back and realized what she'd been doing with her life. She had alienated the only person who had ever actually loved her, and worse, she had utterly destroyed the formative years of her own child's life. It didn't take long for her despair to drive her back to the needle, only to face an unexpected surprise - she couldn't get high anymore. Whatever her new body was, it couldn't be affected by any sort of chemicals, leaving her in junkie's hell - dying for a fix, but unable to get one. With no choice but to face reality, Sam finally, at long last, realized what she had let herself become. Through a haze of shame and regret, she made herself a promise: she would make this right. While she knew her son was better off without her, she could still find other ways to try to atone for her past. She abandoned the name Samantha Lawrence, becoming instead Starlight. She vowed to make the world a better place for her son to live in, and never once look back. Personality & Motivations: The purpose that drives every moment of Starlight’s day is a burning need to prove to herself that she can do better. She needs to know that she isn’t just another screwup junkie mom, that she can actually do something good with her life, maybe even make a difference. She looks back on her previous life with a mixture of disgust and shame. She will never forgive herself for how she treated Arthur, and still feels humiliated at how far she let herself fall. Her primary goal now is to ensure no one else can screw up their life like she did, which she is trying to accomplish by doing everything she can to disrupt Freedom City’s drug trade. She destroys shipments, scares off buyers, and is not above leaving the occasional pile of unconscious dealers for the police to find. However, she also promised herself she would never kill an opponent, for fear of starting down an even darker road. Personality-wise, she seems at first remote and withdrawn. She seldom smiles and almost never laughs. The most that can usually be extracted from her is a wry observation or snort of amusement. Beneath her aloof veneer, however, she feels emotions keenly - she’s simply terrible at expressing them. She feels out of place and overly self-conscious whenever she finds herself in a purely social environment, resulting in moments of almost childlike awkwardness. Powers & Tactics: Starlight can channel and manipulate light. She can fire destructive blasts of radiance from her hands, or trigger quick, blinding flashes to blind her opponents, or simply illuminate an area. She can also make light pass through her instead of hitting her, rendering her invisible (although she cannot attack while concealed). Her abilities aren’t limited to controlling light, however - she can also generate and manipulate darkness, shaping it into solid objects made of pure shadow. She is no longer made of flesh and blood – her body is comprised of solid light, allowing her to imbue herself with a shimmering field of protective energy, fly, or even transform herself into a beam of light for nigh-instantaneous transportation. As an energy being, she has no need for food, water, rest, or oxygen. Extreme cold and heat (or even vacuum) don’t bother her in the slightest (which she found out the hard way when she accidentally teleported herself into space while experimenting with her powers). The best - and worst - part of her new state of being is that she is completely immune to all diseases, poisons, and toxins - including the drugs that she relied on her entire adult life to get her through the day. She could snort a five-pound sack of cocaine without feeling a thing. While it also rid her of her body’s physical addiction, nothing can satiate her constant psychological craving for the old highs. Which certainly doesn’t help her mood. Complications:Enemy: Unbeknownst to her, a ruthless and highly intelligent drug lord is getting a little tired of her harassing his business. He's begun carefully trying to connect the dots and figure out her true identity, in hopes of finding some weapon to be used against her.Overconfidence: Starlight's comparative lack of experience means she is sometimes a little too sure of herself when it comes to a fight. If she continues on like this, life might still have a few more hard lessons to teach her.Secret: While she never uses it anymore, she still keeps her previous identity a closely-guarded secret, for fear of what might happen to her family. Abilities: 0 + 4 + 4 + 2 + 6 + 2 = 18PPStrength: 10 (+0)Dexterity: 14 (+2)Constitution: 14 (+2)Intelligence: 12 (+1)Wisdom: 16 (+3)Charisma: 12 (+1) Combat: 10 + 10 = 20PPInitiative: +6 (+2 Dex, +4 Improved Initiative)Attack: +5 Melee, +10 RangedGrapple: +5 (+5 Attack)Defense: +10 (+5 Base, +5 Dodge Focus), +3 Flat-FootedKnockback: -11 Saving Throws: 4 + 6 + 7 = 17Toughness: +12 (+2 Con, +10 Force Field)Fortitude: +6 (+2 Con, +4)Reflex: +8 (+2 Dex, +6)Will: +10 (+3 Wis, +7) Skills: 68R = 17PP Bluff 8 (+9) Concentration 9 (+12) Intimidate 13 (+14) Knowledge (streetwise) 13 (+14) Notice 9 (+12) Sense Motive 8 (+11) Stealth 8 (+10) Feats: 13PPAttack Focus 5 (ranged)Dodge Focus 5Improved InitiativeLuckPower Attack Powers: 2 + 4 + 2 + 20 + 11 + 5 + 33 + 2 = 79PPAll of Starlight's powers have the Mutant descriptor. Concealment 2 (visual; Flaws: Passive) (Bend Light) [2PP] Environmental Control 3 (bright light; Flaw: Range [Touch], Power Feat: Alternate Power 1) (Create Light) [4PP] Alternate Power: Obscure 3 (visual; Flaw: Range [Touch]) (Banish Light) {3/3PP} Flight 1 (10 MPH/100 feet per move action) [2PP] Force Field 10 (Extras: Impervious) (Photon Shield) [20PP] Immunity 11 (life support, need for sleep, starvation and thirst) [11PP] Immunity 10 (light effects; Flaw: Limited to 50% effectiveness) [5PP] Light and Shadow 12.5 (25 PP Array; Feats: Alternate Power 8) [33PP] Base Power: Enhanced Environmental Control 11 + Feature 3 (Buys off Range flaw on Environmental Control) {25/25PP} Alternate Power: Blast 12 (Power Feat: Precise) (Photon Blast) {25/25PP} Alternate Power: Blast 8 (Extras: Area [Targeted, Shapeable], Power Feat: Progression [16 5-ft cubes]) (Laser Beam) {25/25PP} Alternate Power: Create Object 12 (Extra: Moveable, Flaw: Distracting, Power Feat: Stationary) (Shadow Shapes) {25/25PP} Alternate Power: Dazzle 12 (visual) (Photon Flash) {24/25PP} Alternate Power: Enhanced Flight 12 (to Flight 13 [100,000 MPH/1,000,000 feet per move action]) {24/25PP} Alternate Power: Move Object 12 (heavy load: 50 tons; Power Feat: Precise) (Shadow Tentacles) {25/25PP} Alternate Power: Snare 12 (Power Feat: Obscures Sense [sight]) (Shadow Bind) {25/25PP} Alternate Power: Teleport 10 (1,000 ft or 200,000 miles; Feats: Change Direction, Change Velocity, Progression 2 [500 lb], Turnabout) {25/25PP} Super-Senses 2 (darkvision) [2PP] DC Block ATTACK RANGE SAVE EFFECT Photon blast Ranged DC 27 Toughness (staged) Damage (energy) Laser beam 8 5-ft cubes (targeted) DC 23 Toughness (staged) Damage (energy) Photon flash Ranged DC 27 Reflex/Fortitude Dazzle (visual) Totals: Abilities (18) + Combat (20) + Saving Throws (17) + Skills (17) + Feats (13) + Powers (79) - Drawbacks (0) = 164/183PP Link to comment
Avenger Assembled Posted February 22, 2015 Share Posted February 22, 2015 I like this a lot! A pretty grim backstory - but within the bounds of acceptability. I do have one suggestion - consider transforming the Drawbacks she has into a Complication. You will be much happier with your GM saying "OK, this Complication has come up, take an HP for your powers not working" than "OK, this Drawback has come up, your powers don't work any more, oh well." Link to comment
R. Bluefish Posted February 23, 2015 Author Share Posted February 23, 2015 That's probably a good idea, thanks. I hadn't quite thought about it that way. Okay, I took your advice and made her Drawbacks into a Complication. Then I dropped WIS to 10, reduced Fortitude by a point, and lost a few skill ranks to pay off the 4PP deficit. Link to comment
Thevshi Posted February 23, 2015 Share Posted February 23, 2015 Hello Blue, welcome to the site. Got a few small things. First, a minor note (not something you have to change), your stats are a bit on the low side. Not terrible, but still low. Again, not anything you have to change, but something to consider for the future at least. One thing you do have to change, Bluff 4 with -1 charisma is (+3) final, not (+6). Three things in the Light Control Array: Blast 8, is that supposed to be a Shapeable Area attack? If so, is it a burst area, or targeted area? For the Dazzle 12 burst area attack. I assume that because it is rank 12, it is a targeted area? If so, should note that. The flaw on the teleport does not quite seem like a flaw to me. A flaw is supposed to limit the power at least 50% of the time. Being unable to teleport to places light cannot reach does no quite seem to be something limiting you half the time. Link to comment
R. Bluefish Posted February 24, 2015 Author Share Posted February 24, 2015 The low stats are at least partly intentional - she isn't very experienced, and wasn't taking very good care of herself before her powers manifested. I'm hoping to remedy that down the road. Fixed final Bluff modifier (not sure how I missed that, I must have point-audited myself a dozen times). Specified both area attacks as Targeted. And as for Teleport, I lost the Limited flaw (wasn't sure about that myself), then lost Accurate as well to bring it back down. Does that look all right? Link to comment
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