An Ordinary Oddball
Interest!
Edited by JumpingFruit on May 22nd 2021 at 1:29:26 AM
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.
Interest!
Winner of Elim Game Round 78
Interest
Interested!
Thank you all for your interest! If you have any questions regarding characters or lore feel free to ask and either myself or Nick will answer them with all due haste.
Interest.
But how 'ideal' do our characters need to be? Do they have to be upstanding, bloodless paragons, or can they be a bit more nuanced?
Interest. What origins can the characters have, you mention "metahumans" but does this mean we can only have x-men style abilities, or is there room for other sorts of superheroes?
Edited by bobbitwormhobbitwyrm on May 17th 2021 at 9:28:08 AM
kkhohoho- They don't need to be moral paragons, but they should at least have a by and large heroic bend. Feel free for them to have their issues. Maybe they drink, or are deeply afraid. Just don't go full Punisher.
bobbitwormhobbitwyrm- Magic, aliens, robots, super martial artists, just plain geniuses are all cool. Basically feel free to be as comic book as you want with your character.
An Ordinary Oddball
- Name: Sanji
Sawamura- He was disowned by his family shortly before joining the UDF and so does not use his family name, even in official documents.
- Hero Identity:
- Blood Ronin (the hero name that the public knows him by)
- Mad Dog (his old callsign; mainly used by other members of the UDF)
- Age: 48 (though due to the time bomb and other intervening events he is over 100 years old mentally)
- Gender: Male
- Appearance:
- Personality: Sanji seems like a quiet, retiring man, almost to a stereotypical extent while in public, and many tend to underestimate him because he feigns both deafness and muteness, but that is exactly as he wants it. While he can be quite a devious schemer, he always has the greater good in mind, and he isn't above engaging in exchanging clever comments with team members and the few lucky others that he trusts. He does like a good fight, but depends on his friends to reign him in when his bloodlust gets a little too much. He is a good listener and can be rowdy company when drunk.
- Background:
- Long, long ago, before the complications of the modern age, there was a Sword Hunt Decree issued by the Japanese government. The samurai were turning into an obsolete class, and nearly nobody cared or was brave enough to defy the new decree...except for a select few. The Sawamura family was one of those few who hid their blades and claimed that they had been destroyed by a recent earthquake which had caused their estate to collapse. Instead, the secret of the blades has been passed on from generation to generation, with silent pride turning into outright shame as time passed.
- Since the Japanese government sued for peace first, their former allies were not happy with this seeming betrayal. Several small raids took place on their borders before the Allies managed to prove a big enough threat to make the enemy forces withdraw. Sanji was unlucky enough to live in one of the few villages that were attacked as a young man, but also unfortunate enough to accidentally stumble upon the swords that his family had kept hidden for all the years since the Sword Hunt Decree. With his terrible new powers awakened, he drove the invaders off, only to be disowned by his family and shunned by the rest of the village, being called a demon.
- Soon he was approached with a request to join the UDF, and so he joined a group with people very much like him, to his happiness. He served with them for many years until that fateful day with Dr. Diabolic. The intel that he had gathered showed that something was amiss, but rather, everyone chose to confront the villain anyways since there was nothing else to be done, and his schemes were already too far along to be tolerated. Sanji had gone off on his own to investigate a strange crystal in the villain's lair, but before he could find out what it was, the bomb went off. Instead of flash-forwarding him in time, the blast was instead focused through the crystal, turning Sanji into stone. When he fell over, his neck was cleanly broken and his head got detached from his body.
- His stone body being the only one found among the members of the UDF, it was placed in a museum in front of all the names of his allegedly fallen comrades in a place of honor, while he was hailed as a national hero. After a few more years, his head was found too, and reattached. However, when a sudden lightning strike hit the building, it freed Sanji, who had managed to remain conscious inside the stone all along due to his loyalty and the desire to see his friends again. Having learned of modern happenings by listening closely to conversations while trapped in stone, he was able to integrate into society with little to no hiccups. Sanji immediately set off on his own to meet with his old team as soon as he heard the news that they had arrived, hoping to form a new UDF team with them, or at least band together once more.
- Powers:
- Hemokinesis: Sanji can control his own blood and the blood of others (so long as he can manage to slice them first, marking them) to form whips and other useful shapes for combat. If there is enough blood, he can even make doppelgangers of himself that can fight alongside him. However, spilling blood himself can be highly risky, as the more he fights, the more frenzied he will grow, and he always runs the risk of losing control and allowing the spirit of his swords to take control of him and wreak havoc. There is also the risk of bleeding out if he draws too much blood from himself at once.
- Regeneration: As long as Sanji continues to draw blood, he will gain the power of regeneration. The more blood he draws and the longer he continues to fight, the harder it will be to put him down in the long run. His regeneration should not be frowned upon even when he is not fighting, but it is when he is in a frenzy that one should beware. Sanji is not completely unstoppable, as destroying his brain completely can render him dead, but when a man is running at you with half of his torso blown away and still regrowing, perhaps it is best to just get out of the way.
- Shade Walk: If Sanji is standing in dim light or complete darkness, then he will become significantly harder to see or invisible, respectively. Sanji can move more quickly the darker his surroundings are, and can literally meld his body into shadows to unexpectedly pop up behind an opponent to ambush them. All of this would be useless without some degree of nightvision, so Sanji eventually developed the ability to see in the dark after training this power enough.
- Equipment:
- Nameless Muramasa Swords: Indeed, Sanji's swords were made by the famous swordsmith Sengo Muramasa, but due to being locked away for so long, nobody alive knows what these blades were previously called, not even Sanji himself. They come as a katana and wakizashi set which have curious red-tinted blades. When they are drawn, they can produce a deep sense of unease and can cut through most materials like butter. Since they are mysteriously bound to Sanji, recognizing him as their true master, they will always return to him, even if they are lost, or in the worst cases, broken. Sanji has tried to get rid of them many times, but has given up because of this.
- Motorcycle: After Sanji integrated back into society, he learned many things, such as how to ride a motorcycle. Since he's somewhat of a cheapskate, he bought and fixed up an old one, and has dubbed it his new ride. He is extremely proud of his "new" motorcycle, and has become very skilled in riding it while waiting for news of his old friends. It has a side car attachment that Sanji doesn't use all that much, but that might change.
- Talents & Skills:
- Combat: Sanji is, of course, a talented swordsman, having become such during his tenure as part of the UDF. He can't quite slice bullets apart with his skills, but it wouldn't be out of place to put him at the top of the rankings in terms of melee combat skills, even in modern times. Even without a sword, he is hardly a pushover, as he can use a bow with good proficiency and is also trained in several Japanese martial arts.
- Spying: Even though Sanji was listed as just another "ordinary" member of the UDF on paper, he was the group's unofficial spymaster, and knows all the skills that the position implies. From gathering information to sabotage, he handled whatever wetwork was needed of him without any complaints. He was technically never supposed to have any real say in the group's decisions, but the leaders would often invite him to meetings anyways, just to hear his opinion on important matters. That's what true power is, after all.
- Misc: Sanji is gay and is glad that modern society is more accepting of these things.
Edited by JumpingFruit on May 22nd 2021 at 1:30:39 AM
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.
Winner of Elim Game Round 78
Name: Bennett Woods
Hero Identity: The Chameleon
Age: 35
Gender: Male
Personality: When not in-character (i.e. acting as part of his undercover work), he is quite the stoic and unflappable man, knowing that when you’re on duty, cracking under pressure can end badly. As a result of this, it’s quite the difficult task to push any of his buttons. And he can be quite blunt and straightforward, but it’s not out of malice, rather of someone who strives for honesty.
Background: Bennett Woods is a metahuman who grew up in San Francisco. Using his morphing and camouflaging abilities well at a young age, Bennett had dreams of being an actor, hoping he could be a movie star. Shortly after graduating from high school, he moved up to L.A. and managed to lend a few small parts on TV and film, even using his morphing abilities in some of his roles. However, those in the Hollywood community were threatened by Bennett, feeling someone with his morphing capabilities could possibly put other well-established actors out of work, and eventually used their powers to spread nasty rumors about him and have him blacklisted from appearing in productions. With his short-lived acting career over, and dabbling in a few odd jobs, Beckett joined the LAPD as a recruit. And while on the force, he would eventually find his calling, working as an undercover cop, where he put his morphing and acting abilities to good use and apprehending several suspects and being a major threat to crime in Los Angeles. All around the city, and even on the force, his abilities earned him the moniker, “The Chameleon”, something that made the criminals in the city paranoid, as they never know if any of the associates they talk to is really Bennet in disguise. Eventually, his skills caught the attention of the United Defense Front, who recruited him, and his abilities came in handy, proving to be a very effective spy and able to cause turmoil within enemy territory while posing as one of them.
Powers: Has the abilities to morph into any person, down to the details such as height, weight, skin color, eye color, hair color, even being able to change his voice as needed, whether he was portraying a man or woman. And with his acting abilities to go with it, he’s proven to be quite a threat on obtaining information, with the enemies none the wiser on who they just talked to. In addition to this, he also has the ability to camouflage himself, completely immersing himself into the colors of the environment he’s in, something that has proven to be valuable on stealth missions.
Equipment: Carries with him a .45 caliber pistol and a shotgun, all stashed into his trenchcoat, and has a bulletproof vest on underneath, as well a taser, should he feel the need to incapacitate enemies. In addition to the weapons he has, he also carries around a notebook and paper, which he uses from writing down vital information he’s gained from his espionage & undercover work, or his acting notes, including information about who he’s portraying, all the stuff he writes down tend to get very specific and incredibly detailed.
Talents / Skills: Bennett is an incredibly skilled and versatile actor, working with very good acting coaches both in San Francisco and Los Angeles. Being able to take on simple or more complex roles as well as his incredible commitment to staying in character and superb improvisation skills, which especially come in handy when out on the job. And in spite of his stoic personality, he is quite good at replicating any emotion wonderfully, even being able to cry on cue if he needs to. In addition to his acting chops, he is also quite the capable fighter, whether he’s using firearms or hand-to-hand combat. And while not the most physically imposing figure around, he’s incredibly fit and able to do anything that requires some athletic skill well.
Edited by MatthewLMayfield on May 22nd 2021 at 6:37:04 AM
AKA Nixer
- Name: Jackson Rainer
- Hero Identity: Stalwart
- Age: 18
- Gender: Male
- Appearance: 5'11.
◊ Average build, no visual tells as to his strength. Wears a primarily red costume with white gloves, boots, belt and cape in his Stalwart attire—the latter of which can be retracted or detached from the rest of the suit so as not to get in his way. A stylized S symbol is emblazoned on his outfit's chestpiece.
- Personality: Jackson is a quiet, mild-mannered sort who mostly spends his time in distant contemplation or cluelessly tagging along with whatever group he's become attached to—somewhat gormless and unintuitive by nature, and easily getting flustered and confused by overstimulation. Despite this lack of conventional smarts, he's eager to help anyone in almost anything they need—perhaps too eager, as he's quick to jump to the rescue without considering the supposed victim's ability to help themselves or the possibility of a trap. Though usually pacifistic and disliking combat, he's reluctantly accepting of the fact that he sometimes has to throw a few punches—though he always holds himself back, and hesitates to land a finishing blow if he can't knock his opponent out with relative safety. He possesses a hint of snark in him, but he only rarely gets irritated enough to express this; most often leaving squabbles to others, and tending to shy away from in-depth conversations unless he's alone with a person instead of in a group.
- Background: Born and raised in New York City, Jackson seemed to develop bizarre abilities from his toddler years onwards; able to snap the bars off of his crib with no effort and healing completely from any small accidents in a matter of only a few minutes or so. With his powers developing as he grew up, he soon realised that he was incapable of controlling himself correctly—regularly crushing his belongings, pulverising doors in his attempts to open them, and oftentimes levitating in place without even realising. Eventually deciding to put his abilities to better use beyond track running, Jackson decided to pursue a career in vigilantism and then true heroics—commissioning for himself a suit and starting what turned out to be a very short career under the moniker of Stalwart. Now displaced in time after attempting to assist in the life-changing battle, Jackson is lost to an even greater extent than he usually is—but true to his name, he isn't giving up on his heroics so easily.
- Powers: A classic Flying Brick, Jackson possesses a superhumanly enhanced strength, speed, durability, and accelerated healing factor—along with an (admittedly somewhat clumsy) capability of flight. His strength is juuust enough to lift and carry the average military tank with both hands (a feat made only a mite easier by flying), and he can punch a human-sized opponent through around a half-dozen concrete walls if he truly means it. His speed is on a lesser level, as he is capable of running at an absolute maximum of 80 mph—on average settling around 50-60 mph and jogging at a speed of about 20-30. His accelerated healing factor allows him to recover from superficial wounds in a matter of minutes, but larger lacerations and broken bones need to be treated properly and set correctly—only then will the regeneration properly kick in. His durability is enough to make him completely impervious to small-arms fire, but more concentrated ballistics can build up in intensity enough to bruise him and eventually puncture his skin if he doesn't move out of the way fast enough. His ability of flight is sloppy at best, and he has difficulty stopping and turning on a dime—often having to make several passes upon missing his targets, and ultimately capable of building up speed to around 300 mph. Due to the friction he sustains at these speeds, Jackson is also naturally resistant to heat and flame.
- Equipment: Naught but his supersuit and the clothes underneath, due to his displacement, and a few dollars in his wallet. Likely invalid now.
- Talents / Skills: Despite his distinctly unmuscular and mildly pudgy frame, Jackson has trained himself enough to be fairly athletic—as an amateur track runner in his old school, he's developed enough stamina to sustain an all-out sprint for upwards of around 30 seconds or so. He's also remarkably capable in holding back his strength; though he still slips up and overclocks the force behind his manoeuvres on occasion, he can safely strike his opponents in combat and figure out their limits enough for him to fight them safely without killing them outright. Outside of powers and combat, he's decent with a guitar, and for a kid with little creative ability he's a good enough singer as well to impress with an initial nudge.
- Etcetera: Designed the basic outline of his suit, which is probably the reason why it's so average-looking. Due to the short-lived nature of his pre-displacement career, he never fully settled into the public eye or consciousness—likely making him an unknown to most who weren't following the latest up-and-comers at the time.
Edited by Enirboreh on May 18th 2021 at 8:53:42 PM
bork
- Name: Legal name is Yasmine Khan. But her true name is...
- Hero Identity: Gilgamesh, King of Uruk
- Age: 40, but looks 30. Ages slower than most.
- Gender: Female
- Appearance: Warrior of old, ready to battle anew.◊ Wears something less fancy when she isn't busting heads.◊ Stands at 6'4.
- Personality: Gilgamesh is incredibly arrogant and haughty, often butting heads with authority or those whose think they're better than her. But she has enough humility to bend when necessary, or to those who have earned or deserve her respect. When she’s not being an ass, she can be joyful, cocky, boisterous, fun-loving, and full of herself, grabbing the bull by the horns and facing her problems head-on. But she has a more sombre reflective side. She understands loss and sorrow, and even if she doesn’t often express it, she knows too well the inevitability of death. Given a second chance at life, she’s determined to live to the fullest and inspire others to do the same, protecting those sees as her subjects and keeping her kingdom safe. As far as she's concerned, the whole world is her kingdom, and she will do anything to save it.
- But her moral code differs a bit from some heroes. Having grown up in modern society, she understands and respects how things are done, and upholds the law as best she's able. But she has no qualms about forsaking that order when lives are in peril, instead following her own. Dropped into an era that's in even more jeopardy than both worlds of old, it's never been more true. She's already lost one kingdom to the ravages of time, and by Marduk, she will not lose another.
- Background: Gilgamesh is the Gilgamesh. Born in the early days of Mesopotamia, they were a strong and mighty ruler, if somewhat haughty. But after many adventures and hardships, they were eventually humbled. They lived a long and glorious life, but death came to them in the end. But it was only the first step in their journey. Thousands of years later, a new age of heroes had begun, filling the land with great deeds and inspiring the masses. In their wake, the Gods felt it proper to resurrect one of the greatest heroes of all, using their past glories and sterling leadership as an example for this new breed to follow.
- But there was a snag. To bring Gilgamesh back from the dead, they had to reincarnate his soul within the body of an infant. And they didn't have a say on who or what the infant would be. As a consequence, Gilgamesh was reborn in the body of a baby girl. The girl grew up in modern society, but her memories of her past life gradually resurfaced, fully taking hold as she approached adolescence. Her memories and abilities restored, she sought to honour both the new world and the one of old as a hero, inspiring others to act with the same strength and conviction that brought her to glory. She soon joined the UDF, serving on the frontlines as a shining beacon of bold ferocity. Until she was once again shunted forward into a new age.
- Powers: Gilgamesh is powerful and durable, capable of tossing around tanks with ease and leaping great distances in a single bound. She can even shrug off explosions with only some mild burns and has enough Godly stamina that she needs little food or drink and can go without sleep for days at at time. But she isn't invincible. She heals a bit faster than most, but needs time to recuperate like anyone else.
- Equipment: Gilgamesh wields her trusty blade, enchanted by the god Enki himself to summon powerful blasts of electricity. She also carries an unbreakable shield, blessed by their mother from their first life, Ninsun. Forged from the same metal used to build Gilgamesh's throne, she can throw it like a boomerang, homing in on her foes and always coming back. Combining it with her sword and incredible strength, she's a deadly force to be reckoned with.
- Talents / Skills: Gilgamesh is a skilled fighter, capable of slicing enemies in two or slugging it out barehanded. She's also an experienced leader, having ruled her kingdom of old for decades. To top it off, she's a decent tracker and survivalist, having learned from her... friend Enkidu in her previous incarnation.
- Et Cetera: Gilgamesh enjoys fighting, drinking, action movies, and raunchy comedies. She also has a deep love for history, especially for that of or before her original incarnation.
Edited by kkhohoho on May 22nd 2021 at 10:17:48 AM
Breath of the Sun
- Name: Budoka Benkei
- Hero Identity: Grandmaster
- Age: 28
- Gender: Female
- Appearance: A towering (6'6") six-armed woman with pinkish-red skin and black hair, braided into a long ponytail. Her eyes are a fierce orange-yellow, and her six arms are covered in Sanskrit tattoos. Her hero uniform is a plain black, sleeveless martial arts uniform.
- Personality: Straightforward, honest, and kind. Budoka believes strongly in the power of hard work and dedication, and encourages others to do their best. She's not the most cunning or academic, and tends to give even villains the benefit of the doubt, but she has a strong heart and a desire to protect the weak. While she enjoys sparring, she doesn't like hurting people, and will hold back unless she's certain someone can take her full strength.
- Background: Born a metahuman in rural India, due to her appearance and monstrous strength she was seen as cursed. Her parents had abandoned her at birth, and she grew up amongst street urchins, even joining a small gang. As she grew, so too did her strength. Wanting to make something more of herself, she began to spy on a martial arts class, and copy what she'd seen. Eventually she found herself acting as a vigilante. In short order, the authorities became interested in her powers, and after demonstrating her strength, she was brought into the UDF. Her martial skill only became greater as she trained, and she became a splendid and well-known hero. It was only natural that she would stand up against Dr. Diabolic, and in so doing, get caught up in the time bomb.
- Powers:
- Strength of Arm: Budoka possesses superhuman physical ability, being strong enough to juggle cars, agile enough to swat bullets out of the air, and durable enough to shrug off small explosions. This power comes from a potent life energy, or chi, which she can infuse into her body to strengthen it. She can even use this energy to make her hands or fingers act like sharpened blades. While powerful, her strength is tied to her body's chi, and so excessive feats of strength will dry her energy reserves, reducing her to only the strength of her physical body. Which is still at the peak of human ability, but something an armed human could feasibly deal with.
- Asura: Complementing Budoka's strength is her body's mutation - her six arms are proportionally longer than a human's and multiple-jointed, giving them great striking range and flexibility of movement.
- Equipment: Six highly-durable armored bracers, one for each arm, that can deflect blades and bullets alike. They are designed to conduct chi, allowing them to withstand Budoka's immense strength.
- Talents / Skills: Highly muscular and flexible, even without her chi. In terms of martial arts ability, Budoka is unmatched by all but the greatest masters. Having spent over a decade honing her skills in hand-to-hand, very few can hope to defeat her in close combat.
Quick question, but what year did the time bomb go off?
Name: None (formerly Cynthia Fisher)
Hero Identity: Revival
Age: Unknown (28)
Gender: Female
Appearance: Revival is a tall, slender woman
◊ with electric blue eyes and unnaturally white hair, with a tendency toward dark makeup and flowing fabrics. She is intimidatingly beautiful, and difficult to look in the eye. (Interestingly, she seems to have lost a few inches of height with the time skip, and the blue of her eyes has become somewhat muddied.)
Personality:
- Revival's outward persona is one of unflappable confidence, optimism, and mystique. She is an elegant and careful speaker, and is good at calming crowds. However, she can also be intimidating, and although she is personable none have ever been able to get truly close to her; she always seems just out of reach. It is difficult to say what lies beyond the mask, however - perhaps, beneath it all, she is only an empty vessel.
- Revival's personality is complicated by the fact that, due to the nature of her power, public perception and assumptions about her demeanour have created a feedback loop which make her mask of cool confidence essentially impossible to remove. However, the time skip has largely stripped this influence away, and personality flaws and quirks long buried have resurfaced. Cynthia Fisher was once easily-frightened, awkward, and a bit of a doormat, and though Revival believes herself to have left those traits behind, she may soon have to confront them once again.
Background:
- Cynthia Fisher always believed herself to be as average as could be. Born in rural Washington, she had a fairly uneventful, normal childhood. In fact, Cynthia was almost too normal; she was known amongst her classmates as reliable but not particularly talented. Whether in school or among friends, Cynthia did what was expected of her, no more and no less. In high school, she joined the journalism club, and though she was not the most aggressive or dogged of school reporters, she consistently turned in quality, engaging work, one of the only true talents she had ever demonstrated. It was on the back of her tenure on the school newspaper that she managed to secure a position as a junior reporter with the Seattle Times upon graduation, a feat which surprised her parents and siblings, who had assumed that she would go on to attend the local community college.
- Cynthia's life changed irreversibly on April Fools Day of 1974. The previous week, Cynthia had been assigned an unusual task by her supervisor; to write a fake, satirical article about metahumanity for the April Fools Edition of the Times. She took to the task with unusual zeal, and crafted a superhero based on her own image whose power was control over the rain. The whole article was intended as a jab at Seattle's legendarily gloomy weather, and was a thinly-veiled reference to the song "Who'll Stop the Rain", by Creedence Clearwater Revival; as an homage to the original song's artists, the hero herself was called Revival. On the first of April, the joke edition of the paper was released, and that would have been the end of it, were it not for the fact that a significant minority of the Seattle Times' readers were, well, gullible. Rumors began to circulate that Revival was real, and that she really could control the weather, and though most did not believe them the fact that they were spread was enough to trigger Cynthia's heretofore unknown power; the power to manifest belief.
- Strange things began to happen to Cynthia; Seattle rains seemed to avoid her, even when everyone else in the vicinity was getting soaked. The weather outside seemed to match her mood almost perfectly, in a manner too consistent to be a coincidence. Cynthia became convinced that the article she had written had been her subconscious trying to send her a message: she was Revival. But this optimistic theory came into question as over the next few weeks, her powers began to fade as quickly as they had appeared, and it seemed like she would soon go back to being boring, normal Cynthia.
- Then, one day, a fleet of fire trucks passed Cynthia as she was on her way to work. In a split-second decision, Cynthia made a u-turn and followed the trucks to a large house-fire. Determined to do at least one notable thing with her short-lived powers, Cynthia summoned a localized downpour atop the house, snuffing the flames. Her actions attracted attention, and though she fled the scene in fear of reprisal for her hasty intervention, local news reported on the fire as having been extinguished by an unidentified metahuman, and local gossip attributed the incident to Revival.
- Cynthia woke up the next day overflowing with power, and over the next few weeks she put together what had happened. She hadn't simply awakened a latent control over the weather; she had power over the weather only when the locals believed she did. If she'd claimed to have any power at all, and she could have had it - the only thing that mattered was whether enough people believed her. Suddenly, life as she knew it seemed dull and pathetic, a vicious self-reinforcing cycle designed only to limit her.
- Though she attempted to maintain a double identity at first, trying to become a local hero while still keeping her identity as Cynthia Fisher, she soon decided that having so many people who only knew her as the unremarkable Cynthia Fisher only weakened her. Besides, Cynthia Fisher was not worth saving, not if she got in the way of Revival's potential. So, Cynthia quit her job and told her family that she had accepted a position overseas and would be out of touch from then on. She terminated her lease and lost the numbers of the few friends she'd had. Cynthia Fisher was dead.
- A week later, Revival made her first televised appearance.
- From then on, Revival rose to prominence quickly, bolstered by a confident, photogenic image and a series of highly visible rescues, including preventing the assassination of the mayor of Seattle. When asked by reporters about the exact nature of her powers, Revival was always coy, yet at times she seemed to hint that there was more to her skillset than she had yet revealed. This only fueled speculation about her, which in turn granted her some of the abilities she was theorized to have. From simple control over the weather, as she became more renowned, Revival's powers expanded to include control over not just water in general, but also wind manipulation and the ability to summon hail and lightning. Once recruited into the UDF, Revival positioned herself as one of the organization's foremost spokeswomen, and her face came to be known throughout much of the world. By the time the UDF had its final showdown with Dr. Diabolus, some had begun to speculate, fueled by her somewhat strange hero name, that Revival had the power to heal others, or even to bring back the dead. Because of her intense fear of discovery, Revival never confessed to the UDF the true nature of her powers, and few, if any, of her comrades know of her former life as Cynthia Fisher.
Powers:
- Revival's only inherent ability is the ability to manifest beliefs about herself into reality. The strength of the abilities gained in this way is proportional to both the quantity of people who believe her to have a given ability and the strength and emotion individuals attribute to their belief in her.
- Revival's powers have been severely hampered by the time skip, as most now believe her dead. What powers she still possesses are fueled only by the public's hazy collective memories of her as a lost hero, as well as the more personal connections she has with her fellow displaced UDF members. Because of this, her formerly formidable and varied abilities have been heavily curtailed, and she has been left with only her weather manipulation abilities.
- Weather Manipulation: Revival can influence the weather around her within approximately a three block radius. This can include creating downpours, lightning storms, and gail force winds, as well as causing sweltering heat or bitter cold within her range of influence.
Talents/Skills:
- Revival is an excellent liar, and has developed a thorough understanding of media and communications strategies. If pressed, she would make an excellent PR rep. She is also a veritable card shark, very talented at poker, blackjack and other similar card games.
Edited by furnacedoor on May 19th 2021 at 7:12:23 AM
An Ordinary Oddball
Could either of you please give an acceptance or denial for our characters? Thanks.
Edited by JumpingFruit on May 22nd 2021 at 10:02:47 AM
I wear the skin of the Elder Things, having come unto my own.
I have no reason to reject anyone, I'll go ahead and say all the characters so far are accepted on my end.
Fwomph
So just to get this out of the way; yes I know this signup is not strictly a hero but I got my usual strike of concept-twisting inspiration and created this. And of course, times very much will have changed and it could come to pass that despite being called a villain in their original time they could find that their motives have become something approaching heroic in hindsight.
Name: Tracy Baker Hero Villain Identity: Minutes Midnight
Age: Has been active since the 1950s
Gender: ???
Appearance: While very few know what the villain Minutes Midnight truly looks like beyond being slightly shorter than average, most who follow his escapades and fights against heroes know his costume: Baggy white overalls marked with assorted roman numerals, workman's boots and a full-head helmet reminiscent of a WWII gas mask with a nonfunctional clock face on the back.
Personality: Minutes Midnight is driven by the ideology that the conflict at the heart of the Cold War will damn the world and must be brought to an end before the conflict can blossom into a full World War. Up until 1980 he was a stern figure when confronted, making speeches through modulated voice about the danger of military buildup and proxy conflicts. When the decade began however he... Changed and began to more obviously play into the theatrics and generally 'have fun' with their ideologically-driven villainous activities. They've also started rambling more about things that make little obvious sense rather than purely about the danger of the Cold War.
Background:
- First appearing in March of 1950, the villain known as Minutes Midnight first came to prominence leading protests before months later committing their first act of villainy by sabotaging a Soviet military shipment heading for the Korean War and a week later doing the same for a United Nations convoy, establishing for the first time that they hold no loyalty to any given side in the conflict and merely wish to reduce the military capabilities of the those involved.
- Over the next few decades Minutes Midnight's battles against the heroes sent to stop the sabotaged continued and in the process became more elaborate affairs utilizing robotic minions and devices with singular and over-engineered purposes.
- In 1980 Minutes Midnight's personality notably shifted and over the next few years their efforts became more focused on an assortment of perceived ills and threats (some of which seeming to have no connection to previous motives) as the Cold War wound down.
- And of course, in 1983 Minutes Midnight joined forces with Dr Diabolic under the pretense that a world united under a villain was better than one divided under politicians and in the fateful raid was caught up in the time-displacement explosion.
Equipment: When the time-displacement occurred, Minutes Midnight was mostly down to their suit, a half-charged stun prod and the mostly-destroyed remains of the robots they brought to their work with Dr Diabolic
Talents / Skills:
- Robotics: Minutes Midnight has a very solid grasp on the Evil Sciences and Villainous Engineering fields, often utilizing robotic companions bearing his clock theme in his sabotage.
Everyone who has posted a character up until this post is accept as already stated by Nick earlier. On top of that here is the official discord room for the game.
This was the first idea I came up with, but if you think it doesn't really fit the tone/aesthetic of the setting please tell me.
Name: N/A
Hero Identity: The Salamander
Age: 47 years (physically incarnated, time in his dimension of origin is less linear)
Gender: Male (it's not clear that gender is a coherent notion to him, but masculine pronouns are what he tends to go by)
Appearance: Humanoid in basic body plan but distinctly inhuman, his skin is translucent crimson, underneath which can be seen veins of liquid flame and various crude approximation of human organs. His face is devoid of any features save a ringed mouth at the top, his eyes instead being distributed throughout the rest of his body. he wears ornate robes of black and gold when in an official capacity, otherwise dressing in standard human clothing despite the absurd and somewhat comical contrast with his overall appearance.
Personality: The salamander is somewhat blunt in conversation, despite his many years on earth he still has great trouble with human conventions, a deficiency that has been exacerbated by the time skip. He often fails to understand why an individual might knowingly make a suboptimal moral choice, or similarly fail to do what is right. This can often make him seem paternalistic and condescending, and to some extent he is. While he might care for the wellbeing of the average human, he is greatly deficient in respect, a fact that contributes to his primarily associating with other superhumans.
Background: The Salamander first appeared on earth as the result of a failed demonic summoning ritual. A group of cultists had attempted to conjure reinforcement against a team of metahumans, but in their haste they instead an elemental being of fire and light. Unused as he was to the physics of this reality, he was greatly disoriented upon arrival, but it was nevertheless clear from his surroundings that his binders were not the virtuous sort. He helped the metahumans in apprehending the cultists, and seeing few other opportunities for himself, offered his continued support to them. They were naturally very suspicious, as he might well have been a demon, but over the course of several years, he managed to prove his loyalty to the heroic cause, eventually becoming part of the United Defense Front.
Powers: Salamander possesses extensive magical abilities able to conjure blasts of flame and heat to great destructive use. To supplement this he has great resistance to heat and flame, preventing his abilities from causing him harm. Finally, his physical form will regenerate over time , though not very rapidly. This capacity does not function when he is exposed to extreme cold, nor if almost all of his body mass is destroyed (the least he could regenerate from would be an area about the size of a human hand and that would take a couple weeks to fully reform).
Equipment: Carries very little on his person since his power is innate rather than dependent upon accessories.
Talents/Skills: Has an extensive knowledge of magical and occult lore from many years of study. He is also fairly well acquainted with the physical sciences.
Accepted. Please join the discord at your earliest convenience.
- Name: Robert David Henderson
- Hero Identity: True Steel
- Age: 45
- Gender: Male
- Appearance: A rather handsome older man with blond hair and light blueish green eyes, he's only just starting to register the effects of age on his appearance. He keeps himself fit in order to not be "nothing" without his armor. He most often wears a corporate suit and tie, a quite well kept appearance - his Henderson Technologies Corporation logo right there on his tie. He's well coiffed and put together...at least for now.
- Personality: Robert is a devoted family man and hero, though it hasn't always been that way. He and his father used to center their company around the sale of weapons, though Robert significantly decreased the role weapons played in investments. Robert used to be somewhat more rakish until he had his son out of wedlock at nineteen, which his dad apparently used as a "Disciplinary Moment". Ever since then, Robert has tried to be a voice of reason, logic, and yet also compassion within the team. He is however quite out of touch with the way most people live, seeing as he was a mega-millionaire and venture (some would say vulture) capitalist. While he tries to be forward minded, his behavior can sometimes skew toward condescension without his awareness.
- Background: Robert David Henderson comes from the Henderson Family, a large corporate family that made it rich during World War II and the ensuing times. Robert's father Malcolm has a lot of secrets and dirty deeds done to ensure his prominence, though when he died Robert made sure any and all of them ceased and proper reparations were made. Robert didn't want to be an "all take" wealthy son any more and actually went about making a suit of armor himself via some discarded files and notes in the so called "Steel Man" Project. Robert became True Steel and joined the heroes in their mission, lending them his aid and corporate funding. In the lead up to the mission against Dr. Diabolic, he got a grandson, little Justin Henderson...
- Powers: Robert himself has no powers, technically.
- Talents / Skills: Brilliant scientist himself mostly in robotics and cybernetics. He could build a new armor suit in a cave with a pile of scraps. A skilled and capable businessman and talker.
Real Name: Cameron Cardinal
Hero Identity: Power Guardian
Former Villain Identity: Power Master
Physical Age: 28
Gender: Male
Civilian Appearance:
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Hero Appearance:
[2]
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Personality: Cameron is a kind man to those who he sees deserving but if he finds a person too vile for even his own tastes he will often not hold back in injuring or killing them if he can do so. Otherwise, he can be a very kind man to his friends and family and wouldn’t hesitate to protect them, even if he has to do shady things.
Background: Cameron was an orphan before he was adopted by the Cardinal family at 4 years old after their pregnancy ended in a miscarriage. A year later the Cardinals welcomed a sweet young girl named Celeste to the world, despite their differences at first Cameron grew to deeply love his new sister. Then another year later he and his parents are both killed by metahuman criminals and this is when he first discovered his powers, using it he took the criminal’s powers and killed them with them.
Afterward, he didn’t want him and his sister to return to the orphan system so he became perhaps the youngest criminal mastermind at age 6, maintaining major control of the southwestern USA at age 10. Despite his crimes, he never went as far as murder and even punished those who did so in his group. Until…
At age 18 his sister, then 13 years old, was kidnapped and Cameron walked in and killed 20 men and women before returning home with her. From then on he was under search and capture from the USA Army and then the UDF for 9 years.
Finally, a year before the bomb went off he joined the UDF after he was finally captured in exchange to protect both him and his sister, now 23. He then did many heroic deeds including: dismantling his own organization, spying on the Soviet Union, and working with the UDF on the Dr. Diablic case. Before the bomb went off and sent him many years into the future...
Powers: Power Steal(Max 10) Super Strength: Can lift, hit, and push much tougher and heavier things than normal.
Super Durability: Can take superhuman punches like they are normal punches.
Super Speed: Can travel at superhuman speeds.
Air Walking: Can walk and run on air.
Life Energy Gift/Steal: Can grant and steal life energy.
Search: Can know the positions of up to 100 people at a time, but must know their full names.
Super Regeneration: Is able to regenerate 10x faster than normal.
Humanoid Transformation: This is able to allow him to transform their body into any humanoid shape.
Heat Vision: Can fire heat rays at his enemies.
Freeze Breath: Can breath freezing breaths that can freeze most humans in under 10 seconds.
Equipment: Tough but light armor to protect his bodies and even hold back his strikes against weaker opponents, operating at milliseconds at a time to calculate the target’s durability and changing the kinetic force of his strikes. Of course, Cameron can turn this off at any time.
Talents/Skills: Cameron is a master manipulator, speaker, actor, intimidator, and spy from his time as a villain. He is also of course a superb fighter who once fought off ten UDF members at once. Finally, he is a good survivalist having been on the run many times before.
Etcetera: Cameron is the most likely to go evil again. He had a much younger sister, about ten years younger, he left behind and he looks to see her again.
Edited by Deathcon on May 27th 2021 at 9:18:31 AM
Devourer of Worlds
- Name: Henry Allen Richardson
- Hero Identity: Dr. Impossible
- Age: Born in 1914
- Gender: Male
- Appearance: A tall, broad shouldered man standing at 6'2. He has short brown hair parted to the side, with gray forming at temples. Though he’s much older, he could be mistaken for a man in his mid-30's. Often sporting a lab coat, and his Sunday best.
- Personality: Henry is a rather introspective man, often lost in thought. He can be rather amicable and even fatherly when interacting with others, but more often than not he's lost in thought. Constantly calculating and analyzing the outcomes of hypothetical scenarios, he can be seen as scatterbrained or standoffish to anyone from the outset. Given the chance to interact, however, he very much enjoys the company of others. He has a great desire to invent and create something beneficial to the world.
- Background: Born at the beginning of World War 1, Henry's life was destined for conflict it seemed. Raised in New York by two English immigrant parents, he didn't grow up well-off but he did have an optimistic outlook. This outlook would follow him into adulthood as he studied hard to get a university education. Being of a lower social standing did Henry no favors, but his aptitude for physical sciences endeared him to the academics he found himself in the company of. Henry would work hard and eventually earn his Ph D in physics against all odds. Unfortunately, he wouldn't be able to enjoy his newfound doctorate as America would soon enter into World War 2. He would quickly become recruited into the Office of Scientific Research and Development for his published research into prototype technology and energy sources. It would be his work with the OSRD where Henry would discover his true nature as metahuman. What he had been attributing to years of study and hard work was really an innate ability. He discovered he had the ability to create and manufacture amazing, nigh-impossible technologies. The US government immediately tried utilizing this newfound ability to unfortunate results. It appeared that any of Henry's creations appeared to be completely non-functional when they left the presence of the good doctor. Any of his fantastical inventions appeared only to work while he was focused on it but was otherwise useless. Not one to miss out on an opportunity, the doctor was sent to the frontlines to use his abilities to surprise the Axis powers with technology unthought of. He was jokingly referred to as “Dr. Impossible” by the soldiers he served with and the name ended up sticking. The doctor learned how to use firearms and handle explosives while on the field. Some days he would go into battle wielding a strange freeze gun, other days he would surprise the enemy by coming in from the skies with a jet propelled backpack. He made himself useful wherever he could. He would ally himself with other metahumans during the war and consider them to be his friends as time went on. Following the war, Henry found himself in the difficult position of feeling unfulfilled in his life. He managed to take up a position as a professor at his university, but he would never truly adjust to civilian life after his time in the war. He became dedicated to using his skills as a scientist, rather than as a metahuman, to create technologies and other concoctions. He wanted to create something that would be useful to everyone, not just himself. He would, however, have the opportunity to serve the world again with the formation of the United Defense Front. His activities during the war made him an easy candidate for the team and Henry jumped at the opportunity. He would come to enjoy his time with the UDF, being a major advocate for repurposing the super science they would often encounter for real world application. Soon, Henry found that the inventions he thought were only possible through his abilities were becoming reality and he was excited by the opportunity to study and analyze them. He would meet his wife during his time with the U.N. It was truly life changing for the old scientist. As time went on, however, Henry realized he wasn't aging at the rate he should have been. By the 1950's, he still looked to be in his mid to late 20's, albeit with graying temples. He was actively involved during the Rethrex Invasion in '55, as well as the Nightmare Invasion in '63. Before he knew it his wife, who was 4 years his junior, looked to older than him by at least a decade. This troubled the doctor who became interested in finding ways to reverse the aging process or speed it up in individuals. All of this would unfortunately have to take a backseat, however, as Dr. Diabolic became an ever growing threat to the world. Alongside the other heroes within the force, Henry would become a victim of Diabolic's time bomb. Henry would leave behind a son and daughter along with his faithful wife. Now, decades later he's returned to a world that is so far removed from the one he knew… He hopes the world still has hope in the Impossible.
- Powers: His powers allow him to use materials around him to construct operational technology limited by his imagination. He can create items straight from a science fiction novel that works just like it would in those contexts. However, the device is effectively powered by his own mind. If he parts with the technology or tries to create something else, the previous device ceases functionality. For example, Henry might be able to create a device that functions as an indestructible suit of armor but then decides he needs to create a healing ray. The suit, upon inspection, would be nothing more than scrap metal held together by adhesion. A strange side-effect of his abilities is slow aging, that Henry doesn't fully understand. His brain appears to be affecting his metabolism and biological processes to make this possible.
- Equipment: He wears a Leather World War 2 Cartridge Belt filled with scrap metal, and various chemical components
- Talents / Skills: Powers aside, Henry is a highly skilled physicist, and is well-versed in bio-chemistry as well. He won't be able to make a death ray with those skills, but he can do what any normal person could! He also knows how to operate firearms and explosives as a result of his time in World War 2. Granted, weapons have certainly changed a lot since WWII but the principal's the same!
- Et Cetera: Henry is actively seeking his family, following his return. They didn't remain in the home that Henry owned and it causes him a great deal of distress. His time is divided between reacclimatizing and trying to discover the fate of his family He also considered himself an ally amongst other heroes in the old community and is always open to assisting them in any capacity.
Open a history book and it will tell you the first of what we would call Metahumans in the modern day appeared during the first days of World War 2, when the Nazi’s deployed a powerful frontline metahuman by the name of Adolfo Maxicof who had the ability to control the direction and speed of a projectile fired out of a weapon he held. However his appearance would be the first of many people suddenly gaining access to a number of strange abilities.
The war became the first of its kind, a metahuman arms race with various enlisted metahumans from both sides being deployed as counters against each other. The long term ramifications of this would be felt even until the current day. The war on the European front would come to an end when a team of American metahumans dragged Adolf Hitler from his command center and brought him to be tried before international court for the crimes that he had perpetuated. Italy would find itself liberated by a group of local metahumans who disagreed with the fascist ideology held by its leader and the various war crimes committed by the higher ups. Japan would sue for peace long before this due to the wisdom of the current Emperor, seeing that its allies would fall, the once political figurehead would show his own metahuman nature before swaying the peoples hearts away from the desire for war.
For a few years afterward the world fell into a strange sort of normalcy, metahumans integrated as a fact of life, for both positive and negative. Some used their powers for the greater good while some would pursue selfish goals. The airlines were filled with various reports of new heroes and their battles against crime all around the world, and of the villains who seemed to loom forever in the shadows.
In an effort to expand past national borders in order to prevent another world war a large group of metahumans came together to form the United Defense Front, a team of U.N. backed metahumans from all around the globe who would be able to respond at the request of any member nation should a threat of significant scale appeared. They played a significant role in the Rethrex Invasion of 1955, and the Nightmare Invasion of 1963, alongside numerous other events. That is until the Cold War divided things along political and ideological lines, causing the group no end of headaches. But near the end of the Soviet Union the team would come together once more against the gravest threat they had ever faced.
Dr. Diabolic had been one of the most dangerous villains known to the world, operating since the tail end of WW 2 and seemingly unaging he saw a sharp drop off in political tensions coming from the end of the Cold War after a number of years, which would reduce his own chances of world conquest. Rather than change plans he gathered together his forces and declared supremacy over the world, leading to the full activation of the United Defense Front from all over the world. The greatest and most shining examples of heroism in the world gathered, and through great effort they managed to defeat the mad doctor.
But in a final act of defiance Dr. Diabolic activated a bomb that destroyed the United Defense Front’s main team along with himself.
The nation mourned, but their sadness would be shortlived as a new age set over the world in the absence of many of the worlds greatest heroes. Just a few short months after the battle with Dr. Diabolic a new villain named Genocide appeared, openly killing superheroes and even attacking them in their homes. Attempts were made to deal with the threat, but disasters built up more and more without anyone to stop them. Giant monsters, a fleet of ships sent from a far off galaxy dropping orbital attacks and sinking a large number of islands, and the constant threat of new villain groups rising up over the world. Soon the nations of the world had to accept that their control simply couldn’t face the rise of tensions, some collapsing and large areas of land becoming either uninhabitable or under the rule of local warlords.
The world was facing its darkest hour, until in the modern age a large flash of light rang out over New York City, and out of the light spilled out heroes that had been gone from the world for almost fifty years. Those who had been struck by Dr. Diabolic’s bomb hadn’t been killed, but rather sent forward into the future. Now in a world of darkness that seems unending, the greatest heroes of yesterday have come to take back the world of tomorrow.
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Welcome to Dark Tomorrow, a Superhero roleplaying game where characters will be playing heroes from the past come to save the future. A few notes before the character sheet and then we will be good to go.
Lore Stuff
Character Sheets