Alternate Versions of Phantom

[alderwitch]

Technically there are no alternate Phantoms. Taylor Chun has been born on many near-Earth dimensions but as part of the Phantom power-set, it exists as a unique element in the multiverse which is not to say that there aren't worlds where Taylor Chun has become a hero (or a villain). Her guidebook page holds more information on this particular phenomena. This is the thread for some of those concepts. 

[alderwitch]

There exists in the vastness of the multiverse, a world where Ace Danger never turned away from his childhood exploits. A world where the sky never filled with super heroes in capes in cowls and the only hands holding back the darkness belonged to normal people willing to take a stand and became, not heroes, but legends. A world where the Jungle Patrol still fights the good fight.

Same world as AvengerAssembled's vignette (in the cut below):

The Fire's Out, Anyway.

 

Ace Danger saved my life. But that's OK, because I helped save his. A few years ago I was in a really bad way in a really bad place, doing things I never should have done. Back in college I ran with a bad crowd, listening to satanic music, smoking hard drugs like marijuana, and generally making a disgrace of my family name. My parents were dead and I blamed the world for that, and I hit back at the world by getting into fights and hurting people who I thought deserved it. Which was everybody, most of the time.

 

Till that time the 'crazy church' my old girlfriend dragged me to turned out to be a real Satanic cult! Before I could react, I was in robes and chanting along with everyone else, right up until I realized they were about to really sacrifice that girl they were dragging out from behind the library! They said she knew too much, that she'd gone looking where she shouldn't, and I decided that was just my kind of woman!

 

I decided that murdering was way uncool, and I went for their leader's throat! I did pretty well, I've got to say: I learned street fighting from the best, and they didn't expect one of their recruits to fight back against the powers of dark forces! I took a good half-dozen of them before they ever had any idea what had hit them.

 

But then she took me by surprise: I pulled back that robe and it turned out their leader was this really hot, really evil chick, who sneered and stabbed me in the stomach, and said put me on the altar too! And just when I thought all hope was lost, Ace Danger himself came crashing through the skylight, two fists ready, and he punched his way through the cultists so fast, it made their heads spin.

 

Turns out the girl was one of his people, and she'd been looking for forbidden stuff on his behalf. They took me back to the Jungle Patrol base nearby, fixed me up, and Ace and Taylor invited me on the team! I played it cool for a while, but I think they saw through me right from the start. Maybe I wasn't as smart as the other people there, or as handsome as Ace, but I could hit hard with the best of them, and stand up when you needed to stand up.

 

I was just a kid back then, but I've seen a lot of the world now. Maybe I'm still the Patrol's "Man in Black", but I'm always there for the people who need me, and the people I love, and they know that too. That doesn't mean everything's great. I'm usually the one who argues for hitting first, and best, when we're dealing with bad guys, and sometimes I sneak around the boss to try and get things done my way. And maybe sometimes I remember what it was like to watch my parents die, and I can't fit in with those do-gooders on the Jungle Patrol.

 

Except for Taylor. She's my angel, man, she's what keeps me on the straight and narrow when I want to do is break heads or get back on the needle. I love her so much, and I'd do anything in the world for her. When I'm with Taylor, I feel like a normal man, with nothing broken inside from drugs or seeing my parents die. And someday we'll settle down and have a nice, normal family, just the way you're supposed to.

 

But right now, we've got adventure to have.

 

Since the world in question is a street level, Taylor's alternate version is built as a PL7 with 150 PP and not her full amount. Because that would be gross

 

Player Name: Alderwitch
Character Name: Taylor Xiao Chun
Power Level: 7 (150/150PP)
Trade-Offs: +3 Attack / -3 Damage, +2 Defense / -2 Toughness 

In Brief: Librarians make the best super heroes!

Alternate Identity:
Identity: Public
Birthplace: Freedom City
Occupation: Archeologist
Affiliations: The Jungle Patrol
Family: Taylor's the youngest of five children and the one to have taken her Great Uncle's place on the Jungle Patrol. 

Description:
Age: 26
Apparent Age: - 
Gender: Female
Ethnicity: Chinese American father, Caucasian mother
Height: 5'1"
Weight: 135 lbs
Eyes: Brown
Hair: Black

This world's Taylor is more toned than her counterpart. While Phantom tries to keep fit and make sure that if her powers are nullified, she has something to fall back on, all this Taylor has is her wits and her speed to keep her alive during the Jungle Patrol's dangerous missions. She's short and fit, with her long black hair usually braided back off of her face. When she's at the university, she dresses professionally - suits and jackets but most people associate her with her Jungle Patrol attire which tends towards the tank tops and shorts, or slacks if its warm, and sturdy boots. 

History:
Taylor's summer with her Great Uncle Huang at his dig site changed her life. For the better, if you ask her. Oh, she knew that he was one of the Jungle Patrol's old guard, but it was supposed to be a normal dig site. Key words 'supposed to be'. Of course, when Ace Danger showed up in the middle of the night, sixteen year old Taylor knew from all of her Uncle's stories that it was going to be a long night.

By the time the morning had come, her Uncle had sacrificed himself and Taylor had been able to decode enough to help ensure that the evil that had risen went back where it was supposed to. For now. There wasn't any question after that summer that Taylor would do anything else than help Ace Danger save the world every day, twice on Fridays. 

That was almost ten years ago and Taylor's acquired new skills, new scars and new companions along the way. She's been romantically linked to the Squad's 'Man in Black' in rumors almost since he joined but Taylor generally leaves any sort of public press to Ace. He's been doing it, after all, for a century and there's no one better. And Taylor? Taylor has work to do!

Personality & Motivation:
Taylor enjoys the learning aspect of the Jungle Patrol. She's a bookworm turned pulp hero. During her earlier days, there was a lot more of the 'damsel' than she'd have cared for in her stories but that was more youth and inexperience than anything related to her gender. These days, Taylor is confident and capable and serves as the brains of the latest iteration of the Jungle Patrol. Sure, Ace has experience but the granularity of the why has never been his forte. That's where Taylor comes in. 

Powers & Tactics:
Taylor never came into any powers but she's quick and clever. On the Jungle Patrol, its generally her job to do things like 'decode the tablet that might put the mummy back' or 'look into what that cult might be summoning in the back room' and she excels there. She used to be much less capable in a fire fight but one doesn't survive ten years in the Jungle Patrol without learning how to handle themselves. Taylor would still rather be in the back with a rifle, preferably some place hard to reach, but she's gotten much better at throwing a punch when she has to.

Abilities: 2 + 6 + 10 + 8 + 10 + 4 = 40 PP
Strength: 12 (+1)
Dexterity: 16 (+3)
Constitution: 20 (+5)
Intelligence: 18 (+4)
Wisdom: 20 (+5)
Charisma: 14 (+2)


Combat: 20 + 14 = 34 PP
Initiative: +3
Attack: +10 Melee, +10 Ranged
Grapple: +11
Defense: +9 (+7 Base, +2 Dodge Focus), +3 Flat-Footed
Knockback: -1


Saving Throws: 2 + 6 + 5 = 13 PP
Toughness: +0 (+5 Con, +0 [Other])
Fortitude: +7 (+5 Con, +2)
Reflex: +9 (+3 Dex, +6)
Will: +10 (+5 Wis, +5

Skills: 120R = 30PP
Acrobatics 7 (+10) 
Climb 9 (+10)
Computers 1 (+5)
Concentration 10 (+15)Skill Mastery
Craft (Arcane) 5 (+10)Skill Mastery
Disable Device 6 (+10)
Gather Information 8 (+10)
Escape Artist 2 (+5)
Investigate 6 (+10)
Knowledge (Arcane) 12 (+17)Skill Mastery
Knowledge (Cosmology) 5 (+10)
Medicine 5 (+10)
Notice 5 (+10)
Ride 2 (+5)
Search 11 (+15)Skill Mastery
Sense Motive 5 (+10)
Stealth 7 (+10)
Survival 10 (+15)
Swim 4 (+5)

Feats: 12 PP
Artificer
Evasion x 2
Dodge Focus x 2
Precise Shot x 2
Quick Draw x 2
Ritualist
Skill Mastery (Knowledge: Arcane, Craft, Search, Concentration)
Trance
 

Equipment: 5PP = 25XEP

(Equipment generated depending on the Adventure! from what she's grabbed from the Patrol's stockpiles, half contributed to Jungle Patrol HQs.)


Powers: 4 + 6 + 6 = 16 PP

Comprehend 3 (Training; Languages 3 [speak Any One/Understand All/Read & Write]; Power Feat: Innate) [4]

Damage 3 (Training; Power Feat: Mighty, Thrown (Improvised Weapons), Innate ) [6]

Device Rank 2 ('Ol Faithful' (rifle); 10PP Container; Flaws: Easy-To-Lose, ; Feats: Indestructible; Drawback (Kicks like a mule; User takes knockback 2 on use) -1) [6PP] 

• Damage 4 ('Slugs'; Extras: Range(Ranged); Feats: Alternate Power Variable Descriptor 2 (All tech damage); Drawbacks: Reduce Range(5 increments) -1) [10PP] 
• Alternate Power: Stun 4 (Night Night rounds; Extras: Range(Ranged); Feats: Sedation, Slow Fade) {10/10}

Drawbacks: (-0) + (-0) = 0PP

DC Block

ATTACK              RANGE      SAVE                           EFFECT
Unarmed             Touch      DC 15 Toughness                Damage (Physical)
Chain Lightning     Ranged     DC 25 Toughness (Autofire)     Damage (Energy)
Taser Blast         Ranged     DC 16 Fortitude                Stun (Staged)

 

Totals: Abilities (40) + Combat (34) + Saving Throws (13) + Skills (30) + Feats (17) + Powers (16) - Drawbacks (0) = 150/150 (or 150/150) Power Points

 

Edited September 4, 2015 by alderwitch

[alderwitch]

Taylor's relationship with Jack turned out alright (so far!) in this world, but it could have gone worse. Much, much worse. Especially if she hadn't been Phantom and able to hold her own. What if, there was a world where Taylor did date Avenger but she was just a fragile mortal. At least, she used to be. 

Placeholder

Player Name: Alderwitch
Character Name: Taylor Xiao Chun
Power Level: 14 (220/220PP)
Trade-Offs: 

In Brief: Vampiric Antagonist

Alternate Identity: 
Identity: Public
Birthplace: Freedom City
Occupation: Creature of the Night
Affiliations: Vampires of Freedom City
Family: All of Taylor's mortal family thinks she's dead - and it's better that way. 

Description:
Age: 26
Apparent Age: 23
Gender: Female
Ethnicity: Chinese American father, Caucasian mother
Height: 5'1"
Weight: 135 lbs
Eyes: Brown / Red
Hair: Black

Taylor is a sleek predator and she doesn't bother to hide it. As a vampire, she embraces many of the things that she was never fully comfortable with as a mortal. The preternatural grace and sex appeal doesn't hurt. She's paler than Phantom and accentuates it with bold makeup, dark eyes, red lips. She's dangerous, and it is almost always very obvious when she walks into a room. 

History:
Taylor's history doesn't deviate from Phantom's until the moment where Phantom accepted the amulet in Earth Prime. Where this Taylor - our Taylor - became a hero, the other Taylor continued on to become a college student, excelling in her classes and leading a normal, average life. Of course, living in Freedom City, a normal, average life tends to make you the background of a superhero exploit. When Riverside exploded, Taylor didn't have any powers and so rather than meeting Avenger as an equal, she was rescued by the gravelly voiced vigilante. 

When she later met Jack, it was happenstance. Or, perhaps it wasn't. 

Regardless, the relationship was built on the many lies of secret identity wrapped in secret identity and when that inevitably collided, the one into the other - the price that was paid, was Taylor's life. If this was where that story ended, it actually might have been a happier one. 

See, turning into a vampire... it changes people. It's changed Taylor. It wasn't for the better.

Personality & Motivation:
Taylor is no cackling villain. She was a good person, once, and those traits aren't gone. But she's had to survive in the world she was drug into and while Jack might have the potency - and moral flexibility - to balance his vampiric nature against his morals, that's a harder struggle for Taylor. Her nature with her sire is... conflicted. She loves him; he saved her life. She hates him; he killed her. In this world, she functions as a silver-age antagonist sort. Taylor spends a good deal of her time plotting Avenger's downfall in various ways but feels that no one but she has the right to actually kill him. Not that she would. At least, not yet.

Powers & Tactics:
For a young vampire, Taylor is powerful but that's largely due to her own force of will, and the strength of her bloodline. She's clever and cunning and makes use of every advantage she has. This Taylor is a social creature, honing the vampiric ability to control people's minds and reactions to a razor sharp weapon. Taylor would rather have you focused on her minions until she can deal a final, fatal blow. Thanks to her lineage, she's a day-walker but significantly weakened during the daylight hours. If she's encountered during the day, she's going to cut and run as soon as possible rather than risk going toe-to-toe with a disadvantage. 

(Work In Progress)

Abilities: 0 + 10 + -10 + 8 + 4 + 10 = PP
Strength: 10 (+0)
Dexterity: 20 (+5)
Constitution: 0 (-)
Intelligence: 20 (+5)
Wisdom: 14 (+2)
Charisma: 20 (+5)


Combat: 20 + 14 = 34 PP
Initiative: +5
Attack: +10 Melee, +10 Ranged
Grapple: +11
Defense: +9 (+7 Base, +2 Dodge Focus), +3 Flat-Footed
Knockback: -1


Saving Throws: 2 + 6 + 5 = 13 PP
Toughness: +0 (+5 Con, +0 [Other])
Fortitude: +7 (+5 Con, +2)
Reflex: +9 (+3 Dex, +6)
Will: +10 (+5 Wis, +5

Skills: 120R = 30PP
Acrobatics 7 (+10) 
Climb 9 (+10)
Computers 1 (+5)
Concentration 10 (+15)Skill Mastery
Craft (Arcane) 5 (+10)Skill Mastery
Disable Device 6 (+10)
Gather Information 8 (+10)
Escape Artist 2 (+5)
Investigate 6 (+10)
Knowledge (Arcane) 12 (+17)Skill Mastery
Knowledge (Cosmology) 5 (+10)
Medicine 5 (+10)
Notice 5 (+10)
Ride 2 (+5)
Search 11 (+15)Skill Mastery
Sense Motive 5 (+10)
Stealth 7 (+10)
Survival 10 (+15)
Swim 4 (+5)

Feats: 12 PP
Artificer
Evasion x 2
Dodge Focus x 2
Precise Shot x 2
Quick Draw x 2
Ritualist
Skill Mastery (Knowledge: Arcane, Craft, Search, Concentration)
Trance
 

Equipment: 5PP = 25XEP

(Equipment generated depending on the Adventure! from what she's grabbed from the Patrol's stockpiles, half contributed to Jungle Patrol HQs.)


Powers: 4 + 6 + 6 = 16 PP

Comprehend 3 (Training; Languages 3 [speak Any One/Understand All/Read & Write]; Power Feat: Innate) [4]

Damage 3 (Training; Power Feat: Mighty, Thrown (Improvised Weapons), Innate ) [6]

Device Rank 2 ('Ol Faithful' (rifle); 10PP Container; Flaws: Easy-To-Lose, ; Feats: Indestructible; Drawback (Kicks like a mule; User takes knockback 2 on use) -1) [6PP] 

• Damage 4 ('Slugs'; Extras: Range(Ranged); Feats: Alternate Power Variable Descriptor 2 (All tech damage); Drawbacks: Reduce Range(5 increments) -1) [10PP] 
• Alternate Power: Stun 4 (Night Night rounds; Extras: Range(Ranged); Feats: Sedation, Slow Fade) {10/10}

Drawbacks: (-0) + (-0) = 0PP

DC Block

ATTACK              RANGE      SAVE                           EFFECT
Unarmed             Touch      DC 15 Toughness                Damage (Physical)
Chain Lightning     Ranged     DC 25 Toughness (Autofire)     Damage (Energy)
Taser Blast         Ranged     DC 16 Fortitude                Stun (Staged)

 

Totals: Abilities (40) + Combat (34) + Saving Throws (13) + Skills (30) + Feats (17) + Powers (16) - Drawbacks (0) = 150/150 (or 150/150) Power Points