The Phoenixverse (A 2e OC 'verse; Red Ronin! Netsuko Nishimura! Rinako Saeki! Fujiko Yoshihara! Masaru Kido!)

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EternalPhoenix
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Guide to the Phoenixverse (Earth)

Post by EternalPhoenix »

Guide to the Phoenixverse (Earth)

The World

. . It’s ours. Mostly. Superheroes have been around basically forever. The morals, ethics, and methodologies have shifted (A LOT) over the years, but the core principle remains the same. When the call goes out. When the helpless are in danger and cry out for aid. When the question is asked. Can you save us? Heroes answer with a resounding “Yes!” They suffer, they bleed, and all too often they die. But those who endure become legends.

. . To put it better, the Phoenixverse is a somewhat realistic universe. There’s no City of Adventure. No global organizations devoted to justice and peace in our time (not counting the United Nations, of course). Being a superhero isn’t even legal. Technically. So if one sucks at it, they’re likely getting arrested. Being a hero is basically volunteering to be unpaid law enforcement, firefighter, and EMT with all of the challenges and dangers that implies. It’s not glamorous. It’s not normally fun unless you’re a sadist and/or a masochist. 90% of rookie heroes don’t make it a full year before they’re killed, crippled, or simply quit. The First Year is a rite of passage, but it’s not the only one. Because 90% of ones who get through that don’t get through five years. Five Year Vets are the ones who endure. A hero gets through five years, they’ve got skill, intelligence, willpower, and not a little bit of luck on their side. Five Year Vets are remembered. Mainly because they tend to work for decades.

. . Villains tend to follow a similar pattern, only with “long term jail sentence” added into possible outcomes. It’s actually the most common one. Villains, to get a bit meta, come in two types. Throwaway Villains, who last the one plot/session and either die or are permanently jailed, and Long Term Villains, who are significant to vital parts of an entire storyline/campaign. Throwaways I’ll never stat, as there’s no point.

Heroes

. . There’s a PL scale in play that I’ve borrowed from Warriors and Warlocks because I genuinely like it better than the standard “PL 10 start zone”. See, there’s three places heroes in the Phoenixverse start from. Otherwise normal humans traditionally start at PL6/90 PP. This are the completely street level rookies, with no powers, special equipment, or training. All they have is sheer guts and tragically that’s often not enough. PL 8/120 are where the rookie superpowered heroes traditionally start out. There are exceptions, which I’ll get into in a bit. See, their abilities, skills, and feats are about the same or even leaner than the prior PL 6s, and this often gets them into trouble they can’t get out of. Veterans at this level usually have 15-30 PP on the rookies, filling out their skills and feats from hard won experience. They may also have an extra PL on the rookies, demonstrating better training and/or more developed powers. A note. This also applies to the PL 6s. This is the rank and file of professional superheroes. Those PL 6/90PP unpowered rookies to the PL 9/150 PP superpowered (or deviced, or trained) veterans.

. . There is one exception to this set up. Phoenix Mutates uniformly start at PL 10/150, and tend to be more big balls of powers than anything else

. . As a small side note, standard supervillains (meaning average examples, not ones I stat out) follow these rules more or less as well. Though of course, they often tilt more towards having more PP spent on powers/equipment, as skill trainers are a little scarce on the criminal side of the law.

Common Source Descriptors Explained

Phoenix Mutate
Nick Phoenix is the multiverse’s greatest and mightiest hero. He lends his name to the whole ‘verse. His powers come from the cosmic energy being fused to his soul. A being of either literally infinite power, or power so great the difference is irrelevant. To make a long story short, he kind of hates being “the guy” everyone turns to when things get bad. Not because he’s a dick, but because this is literally all of time and space depending on one dude who might not be able to show up. C’mon, guys. You’re better than this. Or you will be. So he helped. Sheared off infinitesimally small pieces of the Phoenix entity and fused it to the souls of random humans. Whose powers proceeded to develop in their teenage years. Sometimes this works and a great hero is born. And sometimes it uh, doesn’t, and a terrible villain is created. Goddamn it, says Nick. And the power awakening process is invariably tramatic for the young person. Double goddamn it, says Nick. Back the the drawing board.

. . The powers themselves can be described very simply (X Control, in most cases), but always have a deceptive complexity to them. Those who deal with an energy type either absorb or generate it. Said energy type can then be either emitted or channeled inside to enhance the body. And I do mean OR in both sentences. If there’s overlap, it’s because the energy’s type allows them to fake it. However, all of them only have that one deceptively broad power. It's how they understand and apply that one power that makes them unique.

Mutation
This is the one without very few hard and fast rules. The first being it’s not something you’re born with. It just…isn’t. There was an event. Exposure to some kind of energy. Injection with a serum. Falling into a vat of strange chemicals. Etcetera. You get it. At what point in life this happens is irrelevant, though the powers typically don’t develop very much in infants and children. There’s something about the explosive changes required for human reproduction that makes it work faster, regardless of age. Aside from this, what powers a mutant might receive run the entire gamut of possibilities. Use your imagination. A note. Mutant covers mutations caused by both science and the supernatural. Some people think vampires, werewolves, and other supernatural creatures should count. These people are wrong. Vampires fall under Infernal. Actual werewolves are Magic, though most of their abiliies can be duplicated by purposeful mutation. Most. Supernatural creatures can call under either broad category, depending on what they are.

Metahuman
By comparison, metahumans are far more limited. They are always born with their powers, but what those powers are is quite limited to so called “normal human possibility”. Relatively moderate physical ability boosts, generally speaking. Nobody’s bench pressing full loaded busses, outrunning race cars, or surviving sustained automatic weapons fire. The psionics subsection can break this, but generally doesn't due to most people having relatively low willpower to wel, power them. There's three categories. Telepathy, telekinesis, and enhanced physical abilities. The types don't often mix, but do often have somewhat specialized suite of powers. Telekinetics especially can be limited to all sorts of things.

Magic
Magic is what you make of it. I have to get a little meta here. I take inspiration from three sources for how magic works in the Phoenixverse. Shadowrun 5th, Pathfinder 1e, and the Dresden Files series of novels. First off, there’s two types of spellcaster. The Sorcerer, and the Wizard. And no, not everyone uses the same terms but stay with me. A sorcerer’s magic comes from inside, from their wills and their souls. They are not beholden to the static spells of the legion of wizardly (again, not everyone calls them that) traditions. There are exceptions, but for the most part they generate their own mana and shape it however they want freeform style. The only limitation is their energy type (or in some cases, magical tradition), and even that’s not as limiting as it seems to a creative sorcerer. As for wizards…the world’s full of mana, generated by living things just…living. Wizards shape it into defined spells, depending on their tradition. Their tradition is kind of…everything. As previously mentioned, there’s a legion of them out there, and they’re all equally wrong about how magic works. Except they’re not. Do anything, universal magic is a concept too broad for anyone’s mind to hold onto consistenly. The mind looks for patterns even when there are none. And so, the various magical traditions developed. Basically, the traditions work because a lot of people over a long time have thought that they do, and magic itself, being infinitely malleable, has changed to accommodate. Basically the belief of a tradition’s practitioners, living or dead, have made, are making, and will continue to make it real. Mages of all types tend to live 3-5 times longer than mundane. No one really knows what’s up with that.

. . There are relatively few limitations placed on magical Devices. They can be from any tradition or made by Artificiers who don’t have one because they can’t actually cast spells. With that said, if an actual spellcaster has any Devices (because not all or even most of them do); they ought to match the tradition of said spellcaster. For example, a pseudo-Hermetic may have a wooden staff and rod, or a shamanic type may have a leather protective cloak and animal bone “wand”. Please note that this is “ought to” and not “required to” The world is a weird and dangerous place. Sometimes a mage has to go with what works.

Divine (equally applicable to Infernal/Demonic/Assorted Supernatural Beings)
No gods walk the earth, clad in divine flesh and smiting the puny mortals. Nope, not allowed. Nick Phoenix would be very unhappy, and Asteroth (the incredibly powerful vampire wizard, not the demon) will likely make with the murder to ease his perpetual boredom. Well. That’s what he says, anyway. However…demigods, the divinely empowered, and descendants of same freely walk the Earth. They have similar or identical powers to their source deity. Sometimes they’re born with them thanks to a parent or ancestor. Sometimes they’re, blessed, “blessed” or outright cursed. Result’s the same, and they’re not always aware of it, thinking themselves mutants as above.

. . Divine Devices (generally called artifacts in universe) actually operate by pretty strict but simple rules. If the deity that granted or blessed the Device can do it, then the Device is permitted to have that power within it. If said deity can’t do that particular thing, than the Device can’t have that power. Thor isn’t handing out fire controlling weapons, and Hanuman isn’t handing out love inducing amulets. They’re also appropriately thematic to the deity in question. Athena isn’t going around giving out katanas, and Amaterasu isn’t going around giving out shields. You probably already knew all this, but y’know better to say it.

Alien Physiology
Turns out evolving for life on another planet and maybe your species doing (or having done to them) a little of the ol’ genome fiddling grants superpowers compared with baseline humanity. Who knew? That’s a little sarcastic, but this one’s real easy. Aliens really don’t need a better explanation for their power than “I’m an alien, this stuff is more or less normal where I come from” and done. Pick a powerset, go forth and superhero. Generally speaking, however, said superhero would be at least above average when it comes to how good their innate powers are. Because PCs should be special.

Technology
Technology is relatively restrained compared to other superhero settings. There are so, so many one off examples of advanced technology adhering firmly to Clarke’s Law in those other settings. The fact that they’re still at the same basic tech level as the real world is patently ridiculous. The profit motive alone in making a cheap knock off version of something like a Cold Gun for law enforcement or the military would reshape the planet. So tech users tend to be specialists who crafted their own one of a kind gear. Such Devices can, technically, be replicated, but a specialist of equivalent ability and aptitude would be required. It would also take a hell of a lot of money. And even then, they operate on something resembling real world science. The traditional Battlesuit and Gadgeteer archetypes are vanishingly rare. The power sources, miniaturization, and sheer funding required to make that tech work is simply beyond the vast, vast majority of tech users. Technological devices, therefore, operate at a much lower level of power and with a much more mundane set of effects than in other superhero universes. There are, of course, exceptions. Advanced alien and future technology has less than no need to adhere to these limitations. Shortcuts can be found by, for example, being your own power source. Or being that rarest of creatures, a moral and ethical billionaire.

. . Blasters of any kind are always Devices. Protection higher than 4 ranks or Subtle Protection higher than 3 ranks is a Device. Anything that provides a movement power (Flight, Speed, Burrowing, or Swimming) is a Device. Basically if your gear is noticeably better than any listed Equipment, it is a Device. So far, so normal. The difference is (besides the Blasters bit) that if said Devices are more than slightly uprated versions of said Equipment, they need to be justified. And the more powerful and/or versatile they are, the more justification is needed. Your own tech skills, a mysterious benefactor, took it off a crashed alien ship, etc. You know how this works. To be blunt, I’m just not allowing technology to function just like magic, because obviously that’s what magic is for. So be prepared to deploy pseudo-scientific BS for the techies rather than simply “it does the thing”.


Important House Rules To Know (when using M&M 2e)

Attack Bonus/Effect Rank and Defense Bonus/Toughness Save will never be traded off more than five points. A minimum of 1/3 of total Attack and Defense bonus will be Base

Knowledge (tactics) can be used for the Master Plan feat, but a second Master Plan feat is required to do this.

Accurate/All Out/Defensive/Power Attack is 3E style. The feats are required to use them at full +5, but without +2 remains available.

Defensive Roll adds two ranks of Toughness, not one.

All non-Minons have Diehard for free. No need to buy it.

Improved Critical is limited to two ranks for a given attack effect.

Interpose can be used once per round as long as the character is within one move action from the character they’re protecting.

Luck is limited to one third Power Level, rounded down. This limit is increased to one half Power Level if the character has Luck Control.

Communication is assumed to be two way unless Flawed.

Create Object and Move Object are soft capped instead of hard. They may be increased past Power Level limits, however resistance DCs remain at
said limits. A PL 10’s DC to trap a character in an object will remain 20 wehether they have Create Object 10 or 20.

Impervious Toughness is hard capped at the character’s Power Level.

2e Space Travel is junk. Using 3E’s three rank system.

Summon may only have one Heroic Summon active at a time. The Summoned being cannot have a higher level or PP total than the Summoner.

Detect does not exist. (Descriptor) Awareness substitutes and must be attached to a sense type.

Insidious is a Power Feat, not an Extra.

All non-Minons are capable of Extraordinary Effort. Phoenix Mutates receive the Untapped Potential feat for free and need not select it. As such, Phoenix Mutates increase the rank of a given power by 3 when using Extra Effort for that purpose, and 6 when using Extraordinary Effort.

Damage from Equipment sources is assumed to be Lethal unless otherwise specified. Devices depend on the user’s desires. Unarmed damage (including any special Damage powers) is assumed to be Nonlethal. However if any Damage’s current rank (as it can be adjusted by holding back ranks and/or using Accurate Attack) exceeds the target’s normal unpenalized (by Bruises or Injuries)Toughness by 5 or more. In that case, the Damage is lethal. This can only be mitigated in any way other than doing less damage or having the Nonlethal Drawback on the effect. And yes, the Increased Effect option of Critical Hits applies. So be careful out there, heroes.

*********************************************************************************************************

Empty Space (for what? good question)
Last edited by EternalPhoenix on Tue Nov 22, 2022 1:10 am, edited 6 times in total.
The Phoenixverse (A 2e OC 'verse!)
The Archetype Blendarama!
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EternalPhoenix
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Ichika Ishikawa

Post by EternalPhoenix »

Ichika Ishikawa

Power Level: 9; Power Points Spent: 180/180

STR: +2 (14), DEX: +3 (16), CON: +3 (16), INT: +2 (14), WIS: +3 (16), CHA: +3 (16)

Tough: +3/+9, Fort: +6, Ref: +9, Will: +9

Skills: Acrobatics 12 (+15), Bluff 12 (+15), Diplomacy 7 (+10), Gather Information 7 (+10), Knowledge (arcane Lore) 8 (+10), Knowledge (history) 8 (+10), Knowledge (theology & philosophy) 8 (+10), Language 4 (+4), Notice 12 (+15), Search 3 (+5), Sense Motive 12 (+15), Stealth 7 (+10)

Feats: Acrobatic Bluff, Attack Focus (melee) 3, Challenge - Improved Acrobatic Bluff, Challenge - Improved Feint, Dodge Focus 4, Improved Critical 2 (Amplified Sword Strike (Strike 4)), Move-by Action, Power Attack, Skill Mastery (Acrobaics, Bluff, Notice, Sense Motive), Takedown Attack, Uncanny Dodge (Touch)

Powers:
Kinetic Sword (Device 2) (Easy to lose, Only you can use)
. . Amplified Sword Strike (Strike 4) (DC 21, Feats: Improved Critical 2 (Amplified Sword Strike (Strike 4)); Mighty)

Psionic "Magic" (Array 14) (default power: move object)
. . Telekinesis (Move Object 9) (Default; Strength: 45, Carry: 4.3k / 4.3 tons / 6.4 tons / 12.8 tons, DC 24; Damaging; Precise)
. . Telekinetic Burst (Blast 6) (Array; DC 21; Burst Area (20-150 ft. radius - General), Selective Attack; Progression, Decrease Area 2 (-2 ranks), Progression, Increase Area 2 (area x5))
. . Telekinetic Snare (Snare 9) (Array; DC 19; Transparent)

Psionic Amplification (Container, Passive 3)
. . Amplified Unarmed Strike (Strike 2) (DC 19; Mighty)
. . Psionic Resilience (Protection 3) (+3 Toughness; Impervious [3 extra ranks])
. . Telekinetic Senses (Super-Senses 3) (danger sense: Touch, distance sense, ranged: Touch)

Telekinetic Armor (Force Field 3) (+3 Toughness; Impervious)

Telekinetic Flight (Flight 3) (Speed: 50 mph, 440 ft./rnd)

Attack Bonus: +9 (Ranged: +9, Melee: +12, Grapple: +14)

Attacks: Amplified Sword Strike (Strike 4), +12 (DC 21), Amplified Unarmed Strike (Strike 2), +12 (DC 19), Telekinesis (Move Object 9), +9 (DC 24), Telekinetic Burst (Blast 6) (DC 21), Telekinetic Snare (Snare 9), +9 (DC Ref/Staged 19), Unarmed Attack, +12 (DC 17)

Defense: +9 (Flat-footed: +3), Knockback: -9

Initiative: +3

Languages: English, French, Greek, Japanese Native, Latin

Totals: Abilities 32 + Skills 25 (100 ranks) + Feats 15 + Powers 65 + Combat 28 + Saves 15 + Drawbacks 0 = 180

Age (as of Jan 2019): 21
Height: 5’ 6”
Weight: 140 lbs
Ethnicity: Japanese
Hair: Blonde (dyed, naturally Black)
Eyes: Green (contacts, naturally Dark Brown)

Background: Ichika Ishikawa is Hayate Ishikawa’s cousin. However, they were raised together in the same house, so they’re effectively siblings. It’s a strong bond, but Hayate has no idea how strong. 4 Swords Network, the game everyone in the Nihonto Incident was trapped in, was a online video game. This meant that people could watch if they wanted to. Now, the various avatars looking nothing like the actual people behind them meant that all the survivors have a degree of anonymity, even from each other (assuming they didn’t tell each other their real names like many close knit guilds like the Rose Knights did). This did not and does not mean that people who knew them could not recognize their voices or certain mannerisms. Thus Ichika figured out the real identity of a certain swordsman in black fairly early on, and followed his exploits with great interest. She already loved her brother, but watching his evolution from isolated, traumatized loner to basically a superhero with the most badass girlfriend of all time (in her opinion, mind) turned him into her personal hero. She still has not told him this. She has not told anyone this.

. . For Ichika, you see, had always been enraptured by tales of heroes from the past. Whether they were mythological or historical was irrelevant to her. Since she was born in and had never (at the time) left Japan, her favorites were Japanese. Fujiwara no Hidesato and Taira no Sadamori. Nomi no Sukune (who was likely a metahuman with improved strength). Yamato Takeru. Her favorites, however, were the Shitenno, or “Four Guardian Kings”, the servants of Minamoto no Yorimitsu (more often known by his nickname of Raiko). Kintaro (Sakata Kintoki, the actual person behind that legend, was likely a metahuman with superhuman strength as well), Urabe no Suetake (who, based on how he is recorded under three different names, was possibly either multiple people or able to duplicate himself), Usui Sadamitsu (who may well have been a woman or merely transmasculine), and the oni slaying Watanabe no Tsuna (it is strongly suspected he was an undercover member of the Devil Hunter Society).

. . So when her brother returned to the real world, she was only too happy to help him in his physical recovery. And when he needed help saving his badass girlfriend from whoever was holding her prisoner, well…it was a chance to quest like Raiko and the Shitenno. Like hell she was going to do nothing. She shoehorned her way into the investigation, and it was good that she did as Jacob Cross didn’t understand online gamers and Hayate wasn’t much of a people person at the time. This was good, as it was Ichika who gathered the gamer allies they needed to storm Asgard. They may have been following Hayate as the legendary swordsman in black, but it was Ichika who did all the legwork in finding and contacting the guildmasters. So, you know. One Arielle Cadieux rescued. A job well done. Apparently her brother killed Ari’s fiancée in the aftermath. Whatever, he seriously deserved it. But now the two of them were joining up with that Cross guy and they had superpowers and oh my god it was like a Shitenno forming in front of her very eyes. So naturally she wanted in. The problem was that they all thought she didn’t have any superpowers. This was wrong, obviously, because she did. What she told them was that they were new, she needed help controlling them, and she wanted to help them. Ichika Ishikawa was lying through her teeth.

. . Not about the wanting to help. But the rest? Oh, yeah. She first noticed other people weren’t telekinetic when she was five years old. Before that, she thought it just wasn’t polite to use them when one’s arms still worked. Or something like that. She was a toddler making up a reason Mommy and Daddy weren’t pulling things across the room and flying everywhere. The car accident a year later made sure nobody living knew about her powers in addition to giving her an older brother and a new set of parents. At least, that’s the optimistic version she tells herself so she won’t feel sad anymore. There isn’t exactly a manual on how to become a superhero. It didn’t seem right to just…put on a mask and go look for crime happening. Wasn’t that what the police were for? She didn’t want to get in the way or step on anyone’s toes. So, Ichika contented herself with stories, games, and imagining until after Hayate’s return from the virtual world. She, Arielle, Valentina Alvarez, and Miriam Mizrahi quickly became firm friends. All was well.

. . But the legacy of the Nihonto Incident was not yet finished. The Sweetheart Slasher Guild had yet to be fully reckoned with. There was three choices for the trapped players. Go insane, die, or continue on. As Ichika knew, Hayate, Arielle, Valetina, and Miriam had managed to continue on. However, as she also knew from watching Hayate and then the Rose Knights, some of those who went insane went murderously insane. The player killer guilds, damn them. And some of these were unable to recover after being freed. Most of these were relatively easily handled by law enforcement and normal superheroes. In the real world it is much more difficult to kill people and continually get away with it. Some, however, retained some intelligence and cunning. More like they were addicted to the act of murder than were suffering from an inability to recognize reality. These were the Sweetheart Slashers. Yet even they could not entirely escape the dogged pursuit of law enforcement and superheroes, and by the time Jacob Cross, Ichika, and company re-enter their story they were down to their last, most dangerous members. All of whom held a grudge against not only one Hayate Ishikawa, but also one Arielle Cadieux for helping break their power in the virtual.

. . There was another VR game to come out in the wake of the Nihonto Incident. Kaede Kobayashi was one of its best players. But there was a problem. Every time they held a PvP tournament, one of the players who lost was violently murdered with a knife. The game company said it was coincidental, but after the third tournament nobody was buying it. Psi-Division investigated, brought the last of the Sweetheart Slashers to justice during the fourth tournament, and ended up with Kaede as a new recruit in the process. Done and done.

Powers & Tactics: Ichika is a metahuman psionic. Her powers are best understood as Psionic Amplification. This means that her normal human abilities are being augmented by her willpower. Her specific powers manifest in both subconscious and conscious telekinetic abilities. The subconscious manifests in enhanced damage to her unarmed strikes and any weapon she might wield, as well as enhanced physical resilience. Enough that most mundane man portable firearms cannot harm her. The conscious manifests in several ways. Regular telekinesis, naturally, with a maximum lifting capacity in the double digit tons and enough attack power to easily smash stone with it. She can throw damage in an area and even manifest constructs to bind targets with. She can also fly at about the speed of an automobile in a city and augment her resilience to artillery ignoring levels. Lastly, she’s basically impossible to sneak up on, as she’s continually generating a telekinetic field of miniscule power that she can feel disturbances in as if it was her skin.

. . She also has a Kinetic Sword from Valentina Alvarez, as she’s been a skilled Kendo practicioner since she was 12 years old. It hits harder than a normal sword due to her subconscious telekinetic abilities and is far less likely to break from use.

. . Tactically, Ichika has a few options. Regular attacks in both melee and ranged form. Area damage to clean up mooks. Grappling with Telekinesis or binding with Telekinetic Snare. She can fly out of range of ground based melee fighters. Telekinesis is probably her favorite, however. She has Improved Acrobatic Bluff and Feint to help her hit, and Move By Action and Power Attack to mix things up. Along with Takedown Attack to knock down groups in a second way. She has one power stunt. Telekinetic Constructs (Create Object 6, Moveable).

Personality: Ichika believes in heroes. Valiant warriors wandering the land, conquering monsters and evildoers to protect the innocent. She sees Psi-Division as doers of mighty deeds, like a modern day Shitenno (placing Jacob Cross in the role of Raiko). Though there’s more than four of them. So obviously it’s not a perfect comparison. However, if there’s evil afoot, they’re on the job. They investigate, and if getting the villain of the piece arrested is good enough, then they do that. If not, well…they’ll draw their swords to protect the defenseless. She was a bit squeamish about how deeply unpleasant killing a person is, but she’s gotten used to it. Can’t be a proper hero without killing the evildoers the law can’t touch, right?

. . The thing she doesn’t quite understand is that Raiko was a Minamoto. An aristocrat operating under the orders and authority of the legal government of the period. Which, naturally, meant that the Shitenno (as his servants) were operating under a similar level of authorization. Psi-Division is uh, not operating under the orders or authority of anyone but themselves. And occasionally the Grand Wizard Methion. It’d genuinely break her heart to realize she’s working for the bad guys. Because that would mean that Hayate isn’t a hero like she thought. Neither is Arielle. And certainly not herself. Honestly she is operating on heroic morality, it’s just a heroic morality that’s a few to several centuries out of date.
The Phoenixverse (A 2e OC 'verse!)
The Archetype Blendarama!
You, Dear Reader, may comment on any build at any time. I will be happy regardless.
User avatar
EternalPhoenix
Posts: 1858
Joined: Thu Jan 27, 2022 6:42 am
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Kaede Kobayashi

Post by EternalPhoenix »

Kaede Kobayashi

Power Level: 9; Power Points Spent: 180/180

STR: +2 (14), DEX: +3 (16), CON: +3 (16), INT: +2 (14), WIS: +3 (16), CHA: +2 (14)

Tough: +3/+6, Fort: +6, Ref: +12, Will: +9

Skills: Acrobatics 12 (+15), Bluff 3 (+5), Diplomacy 3 (+5), Gather Information 3 (+5), Knowledge (physical sciences) 3 (+5), Knowledge (tactics) 3 (+5), Language 5 (+5), Notice 12 (+15), Sense Motive 12 (+15), Stealth 12 (+15)

Feats: Acrobatic Bluff, All-Out Attack, Attack Focus (ranged) 3, Dodge Focus 3, Equipment 1, Evasion, Improved Aim, Improved Critical 2 (Flash Arrow (Dazzle 6)), Improved Critical 2 (Gas Arrow (Fatigue 6)), Improved Critical 2 (Multi-Target Shooting (Blast 6)), Improved Critical 2 (Normal Arrow (Blast 6)), Improved Critical 2 (Restraint Foam Arrow (Snare 6)), Improved Critical 2 (Shock Arrow (Stun 6)), Move-by Action, Power Attack, Precise Shot, Skill Mastery (Acrobatic, Notice, Sense Motive, Stealth), Ultimate Effort (Aim), Uncanny Dodge (Auditory)

Powers:
Bow And Arrows (Device 5) (Easy to lose, Only you can use)
. . Trick Arrows (Array 9) (default power: blast)
. . . . Cable Arrow (Linked)
. . . . . . Speed 6 (Linked; Speed: 500 mph, 4400 ft./rnd)
. . . . . . Super-Movement 4 (Linked; slow fall, swinging, wall-crawling 2 (full speed))
. . . . Flash Arrow (Dazzle 6) (Array; affects: visual senses, DC 16, Feats: Improved Critical 2 (Flash Arrow (Dazzle 6)); Improved Range 2 (300 ft. incr), Progression, Increase Range 2 (max range x5, 3000 feet))
. . . . Gas Arrow (Fatigue 6) (Array; DC 16, Feats: Improved Critical 2 (Gas Arrow (Fatigue 6)); Range (ranged); Action (full); Improved Range 2 (300 ft. incr), Progression, Increase Range 2 (max range x5, 3000 feet))
. . . . Multi-Target Shooting (Blast 6) (Array; DC 21, Feats: Improved Critical 2 (Multi-Target Shooting (Blast 6)); Line Area (5x150 ft. line - Targeted); Action (full); Improved Range 2 (300 ft. incr), Progression, Increase Range 2 (max range x5, 3000 feet))
. . . . Normal Arrow (Blast 6) (Default; DC 21, Feats: Improved Critical 2 (Normal Arrow (Blast 6)); Improved Range 2 (300 ft. incr), Progression, Increase Range 2 (max range x5, 3000 feet))
. . . . Restraint Foam Arrow (Snare 6) (Array; DC 16, Feats: Improved Critical 2 (Restraint Foam Arrow (Snare 6)); Improved Range 2 (300 ft. incr), Progression, Increase Range 2 (max range x5, 3000 feet))
. . . . Shock Arrow (Stun 6) (Array; DC 16, Feats: Improved Critical 2 (Shock Arrow (Stun 6)); Range (ranged); Action (full); Improved Range 2 (300 ft. incr), Progression, Increase Range 2 (max range x5, 3000 feet))
. . . . Smoke Bomb Arrow (Obscure 6) (Array; affects: visual senses, Radius: 250 ft.; Improved Range 2 (300 ft. incr), Progression, Increase Range 2 (max range x5, 3000 feet))

Psionic Amplification (Container, Passive 9)
. . Psionic Camouflage (Concealment 6) (all aural senses, all visual senses; Passive)
. . Psionic Quickness (Quickness 3) (Perform routine tasks at 10x speed)
. . Psionic Resilience (Protection 3) (+3 Toughness; Impervious [3 extra ranks])
. . Quickness Arrow Feats (Features 6) (Notes: If Action flaw on Trick Arrow array setting, removes it. If not, adds Autofire where applicable (so not Cable Arrow or Smoke Bomb Arrow).)
. . Telekinesis (Move Object 3) (Strength: 15, Carry: 66 / 133 / 200 / 400; Range (perception); Precise, Subtle 2 (unnoticable))
. . Telekinetic Arrow Feats (Features 6) (Notes: Adds Homing 2 (2 attempts), Ricochet 2 (2 bounces), and Subtle 2 to Trick Arrows Array where applicable (so not Cable Arrow or Smoke Bomb Arrow).)
. . Telekinetic Lensing (Super-Senses 3) (distance sense, extended (type): Visual 1 (-1 per 100 ft))

Equipment: Knife

Attack Bonus: +9 (Ranged: +12, Melee: +9, Grapple: +11)

Attacks: Flash Arrow (Dazzle 6), +12 (DC Fort/Ref 16), Gas Arrow (Fatigue 6), +12 (DC Fort 16), Knife, +9 (DC 18), Multi-Target Shooting (Blast 6), +12 (DC 21), Normal Arrow (Blast 6), +12 (DC 21), Restraint Foam Arrow (Snare 6), +12 (DC Ref/Staged 16), Shock Arrow (Stun 6), +12 (DC Fort/Staged 16), Unarmed Attack, +9 (DC 17)

Defense: +12 (Flat-footed: +5), Knockback: -6

Initiative: +3

Languages: Arabic, Chinese (Mandarin), English, French, Japanese Native, Spanish

Totals: Abilities 30 + Skills 17 (68 ranks) + Feats 17 + Powers 62 + Combat 36 + Saves 18 + Drawbacks 0 = 180

Age (as of Jan 2019): 20
Height: 5’ 5”
Weight: 120 lbs
Ethnicity: Japanese
Hair: Black
Eyes: Dark Brown

Background: When Kaede Kobayashi was 7 years old, she killed a man with his own gun. It was an accident, naturally. He was a bank robber. She and her mother happened to be in the bank at the time. A security guard managed to surprise the man, and his gun skittered across the ground to Kaede. She thought she could just point it at him and he’d give up and run away. Kid thoughts, you know? But, of course, what rational person thinks a kid is going to shoot them? And indeed, she had no intention of doing so. She wasn’t, of course, trained in proper gun safety. So when the robber overcame the guard and rushed her for the weapon, she accidently pulled the trigger.

. . In a Western country, she’d have most likely been applauded. Heroic little Kaede, saving everyone. Might have even been a movie about it. Or maybe just a tv special. But this was Japan where the gun laws are super strict, social harmony is god, and psychiatric treatment is for the weak. Also kids can be extremely cruel and dealing with that is a minefield of potential social disharmony that few teachers dare to walk through. So it is safe to say that poor little traumatized Kaede rapidly became socially isolated and viciously bullied. To be fair, it wasn’t like literally nobody tried to help. There was a teacher or two. A couple of students, one of whom we’ll get back to. But when most people (children and adults) think you’re a monster because you killed a man (Accidently? Don’t be silly, of course she meant to go the whispers) your childhood will not be fun. Especially when “most people” includes your own mother, who was literally there. Naturally, she turned to video games to escape.

. . There was VR game to come out in the wake of the Nihonto Incident, and Kaede became one of its best players. But there was a problem. Every time they held a PvP tournament, one of the players who lost was violently murdered with a knife. The game company said it was coincidental, but after the third tournament nobody was buying it. She was frightened, but her friend (that student I said we’d get back to) was able to console her and convince her to join the fourth. Where she ran into the investigating Hayate Ishikawa, Arielle Cadieux, and even Ichika Ishikawa. They became friendly with each other, though the trio didn’t mention the investigation. As the investigation reached a climax, it was revealed that Kaede’s friend (who had stood behind her even in the days when nobody else did) was the younger brother of one of the Sweetheart Slashers. He cared far more about what was between her legs than what was between her ears, and if he couldn’t have it, well…his knife could do the penetrating just as easily. His brother said it was just as fun, anyway.

. . The fourth tournament would have ended with a violent stabbing death as well, except Hayate exploded into Kaede’s apartment and whooped her now psionic ex-friend’s ass with his bare hands. Kaede didn’t actually completely need the help, as her powers had begun emerging from repeated exposure to Hayate, Arielle, and Ichika. Apparently online interactions count, when a certain tech widget hadn’t been removed from the revamped VR helmets. Outside, Arielle and Ichika engaged in a pitched battle with the tattered (and psionically powered) remains of the Sweetheart Slashers. Hayate dragged him outside as the rest of Psi-Division arrived and the battle became a rout. Especially as the police began to respond to the sounds of violence. To make a long story short, Kaede joined Psi-Division after this. New friends without any of the old baggage. Plus help for developing and then using her superpowers. And the Sweetheart Slashers more or less ceased to exist, because prison.

Powers & Tactics: Kaede is a mutant psionic. Her powers are best understood as Psionic Amplification. This means that her normal human abilities are being augmented by her willpower. Her specific powers manifest in both subconscious and conscious telekinetic abilities, along with enhanced reflexes and an interesting telepathic power. The subconscious TKmanifests i enhanced physical resilience. Enough that most mundane man portable firearms cannot harm her. The conscious telekinesis is, well, telekinesis. It’s not really any stronger than her muscles, but allows her to make her Trick Arrows extra tricky. Sh can redirect them if she misses up to twice, effectively making a second shot. She can bounce her arrows off two different corners, allowing her to attack opponents she can see but not reach. And her telekinesis completely shields them from normal detection while attacking. Additionally, it can function like fancy binoculars, letting her see further and know the distance to whatever she’s looking at.

. . Her enhanced reflexes and quickness are relatively minor on their own, but with her arrows allow them to be launched faster than would otherwise be possible. Her telepathic power is quite unusual. She can make herself completely invisible and silent, but not when actively attacking. Telepathic suggests that it shouldn’t work on robots or machines, but strangely enough it does. So telepathic is really only a best guess.

. . She carries a Bow and several types of Trick Arrows, as she’s does not have enhanced melee and does have a firearm phobia. She’s got Cable Arrows for swinging around/climbing walls, Flash Arrows for blinding targets, Gas Arrows for putting them to sleep, Normal Arrows for simply injuring them, Restraint Foam Arrows to bind them, Shock Arrows to stun them, and Smoke Bomb Arrows to block vision in an area. Multi-Target Shooting is firing a Normal Arrow at every target in an area. Other people can technically use them as is, but they lose the Improved Ranged and Progression feats. Cable Arrow drops to Speed 2 in other hands, and Multi-Target Shooting ceases to exist.

. . Tactically, Kaede is Psi-Division’s sniper and reconnaissance specialist. The latter is generally more important than the former. Generally speaking, she can shadow anyone for hours with Psionic Camouflage and Telekinetic Lensing. Unlike the other snipers of the Revolution, she has more than just damage at her long ranged disposal, and it’s what she prefers to use against living targets. She prefers to be a support sniper rather than an assassin. Thus far, she has not had to be the latter, or which she is extremely grateful. She has Improved Aim to help hit when Stealth is going well, and Acrobatic Bluff for when it isn’t. She also has All Out and Power Attack for maximum sniping goodness. Move by Action keeps things mixed up, and Ultimate Aim is for when she absolutely, positively, needs to make the shot. She does have power stunts available, but they’re different arrow types. Like an Explosive Arrow (Blast 6, Area Burst) or Poison Arrow (Paralyze 6, Alt Save Fort, Range [ranged]). Mostly she doesn’t need them.

Personality: Kaede excels at keeping a cool head in all situations. This was not always the case. For years she was a mess. Badly traumatized, and prone to breaking down even if someone pointed a finger gun at her. Children can be exceedingly cruel to each other, especially when they smell weakness. Kaede should have been a sad and cautionary tale about Japanese society. Instead, Psi-Division intervened. And at last, at very long last, she began to escape the weight of darkness. Ironically, the sniper of the team sees what they are more clearly than any of the rest do. They are not heroes. It may be for a good cause, but they are criminals. Thieves, kidnappers, and assaulters. Hayate, Arielle, and even Ichika are murderers. They are in no way, shape, or form the good guys.

. . On the flip side, she has close and intimate knowledge of what it means to be weak and vulnerable. To be helpless in the face of her assailants. And honestly? Jacob Cross’s approach isn’t bad. Cops can and do suck. Real superheroes don’t always fill all the gaps. She’s living proof of this. So there’s nothing wrong with helping out where they can. And when the law isn’t enough? When the bad guys get out of it through money, influence, or whatever? Well. Something still has to be done about them, right? Right?

…right?
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Psi-Division Complete. Strength Revolution Complete. On Break.

Post by EternalPhoenix »

^^^
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Phoenixverse Timeline (incomplete)

Post by EternalPhoenix »

1900-The approximate start of the Mystery Men Era.

1930-Earliest possible start of the Golden Age, with the debut of Shadowheart in New York City. John Thompkins, future Starman I, born.

1941-Project Blue Liberty is a partial success, creating Big Blue (Oliver Snow) and Lady Liberty II (Lisa Lindsay). Latest possible start to the Golden Age. The Mystery Men Era and Golden Age have a fuzzy boundary.

1942-As the US has now joined WWII, Blue Liberty changes from scientific project to special operations group. Mr. Blonde, Francis Key, Silver Streak, David Hero, and Sasha Ivanoff either join or are assigned to it. The Human Rocket II leads the Pacific contingent, with the Shining Guardian, The Desert Stranger, the ageless samurai Jin, and the woman who would one day be Wilder of the Academy.

1945-End of WWII. Project Blue Liberty’s members are discharged from it. Big Blue, Silver Streak, David Hero, Human Rocket II, Shining Guardian, Desert Stranger, and Jin go civilian. Lady Liberty II joins OSS and remains when it becomes the CIA later. Mr. Blonde listed KIA after final attack on Berlin. It is unknown if this is accurate. Francis Key, Sasha Ivanoff, and the future Wilder disappear from records.

1950-Morris Archer, the future Fletcher, born.

1951-HUAC begins targeting superheroes, wave of retirements begin.

1954-Wave of heroic retirements in response to HUAC concludes, end of Golden Age

1957-Gunsmith I quietly debuts in St. Louis.

1960-Caroline Cruz, future JETTE, born

1961-Starman I and Stargirl I debut in Chicago, Start of Silver Age

1962-Gunsmith I publically debuts. Jesse Thompkins, future Starman II, Jody Rice (one day Thompkins), future Starqueen I, & Caviezel, future member of the Icons, born.

1963-Megagirl debuts in San Francisco. The Human Rocket III (Terry Cruz) debuts in New York City. Lei Gong, future member of the Icons Tidal, born. Assassination of JFK.

1964-Jacqueline “Jackie” Thompkins, future Stargirl II, born.

1965-Arriba debuts in El Paso, Nega I debuts in San Bernardino and Los Angeles, Stargirl I becomes Starwoman I, Assassination of Malcolm X with
Gunsmith I present. Daniel Ivanoff is born to Sasha Ivanoff, who returns to records at this time.

1967-Alsea and Countess debut, Alsea in San Diego, Countess in New Orleans.

1968-Assassination of Martin Luther King, Jr, with Gunsmith I present. Assassination of RFK, with Megagirl in next room. As a result of both, Starman I, Starwoman I, Gunsmith I, Megagirl, Arriba, Nega I, Alsea, and Countess form the Champions of Justice.

1970-David Hero killed in combat with ninjas in New York City.

1971-Birth of Tex Austin, Alien Invasion #1 (handled entirely by the Champions).

1975-Starboy I debuts in Chicago alongside his father Starman I and mother Starwoman I. JETTE debuts in New York City alongside The Human Rocket III.

1976-Francis Key surfaces briefly during the Bicentennial before disappearing again.

1977-Stargirl II debuts in Chicago alongside the rest of the Starfamily.

1978-Birth of Maybelle McQueen. Trial and imprisonment of Human Rocket III and JETTE (they weren’t guilty, but the only evidence left pointed to them).

1982-Alien Invasion #2, featuring Kuros The Conqueror (also handled by the Champions, this time with significant contributions from the world’s heroes). Stargirl II moves to Los Angeles, and starts winding down her heroic career.

1983-With Daniel Ivanoff in college, Sasha Ivanoff disappears from records again. David Hero reappears as a harsher version of himself, battling crime in New York City.

1985-The Champions (minus Starman and Starwoman) disappear in space. Gunsmith I and Arriba quietly return by the end of the year, with Arriba equally quietly retiring. The other three have remained missing until the present year. Stargirl II is effectively retired.

1986-Starman I and Starwoman I retire, Starboy I becomes Starman II, Nick Phoenix debuts, End of Silver Age, Start of Bronze Age

1988-Jack Thompkins, future Starman III, born.

1990-Jennifer Thompkins, future Starwoman III, born

1992-Birth of Barbara Austin, Death of Gunsmith I, Alien Invasion #3 aka Kuros The Conqueror’s revenge scheme (swiftly smacked down by Nick Phoenix; Starman II, Fletcher, and Sir Randall Knight make important contributions)

1993-Death of Starman I and Starwoman I. Release of Terry & Caroline Cruz from prison. Terry disappears, Caroline starts bouncing from place to place. End of Bronze Age, Start of Iron Age

1995-Birth of Gabriel Austin, future Lonestar

1998-Birth of Dallas Austin

1999-Birth of Jessica Thompkins, future Starqueen. David Hero again killed in massive shootout with gangsters.

2001-Starman II dies battling the monster Armageddon, 9/11 attacks on World Trade Center, Formation of The Icons and End of Iron Age, Start of Heroic Age

2003-Caroline Cruz settles in New York City.

2004-Birth of Jonathan Thompkins, future Starprince

2007-First appearance of the Academy’s Alpha Team. Wilder returns to records as a part of it, though it will be a while before her former identity is known. Sasha Ivanoff reappears as part of Josef Pietrovich’s opposing group.

2008-Formation of The Exiles. David Hero again reappears, battling crime as the softer version of himself in New York City.

2011-Lei Zi, Duchess of Lightning, leads an invasion of Seattle. The Icons, in their first test as a group, stop her.

2013-The Shining Guardian and Shadowspirit discover a deep rooted Neo-Nazi terrorist cell inside the US Army, and bust it up with the assistance of Queenie. The latter is recruited to the Icons in the aftermath

2014-Fletcher (accidently) creates a omnicidal AI, and the Icons have to destroy it. Spike, Candy, and Terrifica (who were of great assistance) join the Icons in the aftermath.

2015-Congress passes the Superpower Registration Act, and overrides President Obama’s veto. The Icons (and US heroes) break apart into a civil war. Z, Marian Soaring Eagle, Magna, and Orca are drafted by one side or another.

2017-The Eternity War. The Icons, due to their current disunity, fail to stop Kuros The Savior from destroying half of all life in the universe.

2018-The Endgame. The Icons, depleted by the Dusting, find a way to undo it. Shadowspirit sacrifices her life in the process, however, and Tex Austin all but destroys his arm. Kuros The Annihilator takes umbrage with this, and kicks their asses with the assistance of his giant space armada. The Exiles join the battle and summon literally every hero on the planet to join them. This includes Starman III and Starwoman II, who shock everyone by dominating Kuros until he takes desperate measures to (temporarily) remove them from the battlefield. In the end, Fletcher sacrifices his life to put a permanent end of Kuros and erase his armada from existence. The Supreme Court rules key provisions in the Superpower Registration Act unconstitutional, defanging it almost entirely. Starguy, Samaritan, The Human Rocket IV, and Dust are recruited into the Icons.

2019-The Present Year

****************************************************************************************************************

A gift for all you lore lovers out there. I'm still on break.
Last edited by EternalPhoenix on Fri Aug 12, 2022 12:18 am, edited 4 times in total.
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Re: The Phoenixverse (A 2e OC 'verse; Newest: Strength Revolution Complete! On Break! Coming Soon: The Icons!)

Post by Commander Titan »

Nothing sparks joy quite like (as yet) cryptic background references!
Current Setting Projects:
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Re: The Phoenixverse (A 2e OC 'verse; Newest: Strength Revolution Complete! On Break! Coming Soon: The Icons!)

Post by EternalPhoenix »

Commander Titan wrote: Thu Aug 11, 2022 5:03 am Nothing sparks joy quite like (as yet) cryptic background references!
Well, I think that's all the timeline I need to do this. Plus the Golden Age for funsies. Significant edits to the post, is what I'm saying. :mrgreen:
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Re: The Phoenixverse (A 2e OC 'verse; Newest: Strength Revolution Complete! On Break! Coming Soon: The Icons!)

Post by EternalPhoenix »

Icons progress update let's go

Active List
Queenie (Maybelle McQueen) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Terrifica (Samantha Carson) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Medic (Daniel Ivanoff) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Spike (Spike Douglas) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Candy (Candace Mikkelsen) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Z (real name unknown) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Marian Soaring Eagle (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Magna (Gabrielle Williams) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Orca (100% finished)
Starguy (Gordon Wright) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Samaritan (Vonnie Murray) (Build finished)
The Human Rocket IV (Reginald "Reggie" Morton) (Build finished)
Dust (Mariana Rodriguez) (Build finished)

Inactive Reserves (inactive for various reasons)
Tidal (Lei Gong, Duke of Thunder) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Tex Austin (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Caviezel (Ronald Caviezel) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Sage (Sagacious Winifred Burke) (Build finalization in progress)
Scarlett (real name unknown) (Build finished)
Crusader (Sir Randall Knight) (Build finished)
Nick Phoenix (Build finalization in progress)

Hall of Honor (assumed to be permanently inactive by US hero community; this may be incorrect in some cases)
The Shining Guardian (Henry Kim) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Fletcher (Morris Archer) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Shadowspirit (real name unknown) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Starman I (John Thompkins) & Starwoman I (Judy Thompkins) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Gunsmith I (Connor Morris) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Megagirl (Megan Price) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Arriba (Jose Vega) (Build finished)
Nega I (Hal Scott) (Build unfinished)
Alsea (Build unfinished)
Countess (Build finished)
Starman II (Jesse Thompkins) (Build finished)
Stargirl II (Jacqueline “Jackie” Thompkins) (Build finished)
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Re: The Phoenixverse (A 2e OC 'verse; Newest: Strength Revolution Complete! On Break! Coming Soon: The Icons!)

Post by EternalPhoenix »

Icons progress update 2 let's go (100% finished from prior removed)

Active List
Queenie (Maybelle McQueen) (100% finished)
Terrifica (Samantha Carson) (100% finished)
Medic (Daniel Ivanoff) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Spike (Spike Douglas) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Candy (Candace Mikkelsen) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Z (real name unknown) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Marian Soaring Eagle (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Magna (Gabrielle Williams) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Starguy (Gordon Wright) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Samaritan (Vonnie Murray) (Build finished)
The Human Rocket IV (Reginald "Reggie" Morton) (Build finished)
Dust (Mariana Rodriguez) (Build finished)

Inactive Reserves (inactive for various reasons)
Tidal (Lei Gong, Duke of Thunder) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Tex Austin (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Caviezel (Ronald Caviezel) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Sage (Sagacious Winifred Burke) (Build finished)
Scarlett (real name unknown) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Crusader (Sir Randall Knight) (Build finished)
Nick Phoenix (Build finished)

Hall of Honor (assumed to be permanently inactive by US hero community; this may be incorrect in some cases)
The Shining Guardian (Henry Kim) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Fletcher (Morris Archer) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Shadowspirit (real name unknown) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Starman I (John Thompkins) & Starwoman I (Judy Thompkins) (Builds finished, Write up in progress)
Gunsmith I (Connor Morris) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Megagirl (Megan Price) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Arriba (Jose Vega) (Build finished)
Nega I (Hal Scott) (Build unfinished)
Alsea (Build unfinished)
Countess (Build finished)
Starman II (Jesse Thompkins) (Build finished)
Stargirl II (Jacqueline “Jackie” Thompkins) (Build finished)
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Re: The Phoenixverse (A 2e OC 'verse; Newest: Strength Revolution Complete! On Break! Coming Soon: The Icons!)

Post by EternalPhoenix »

Icons progress update 3 let's go (100% finished from prior removed)

Active List
Medic (Daniel Ivanoff) (100% finished)
Spike (Spike Douglas) (100% finished)
Candy (Candace Mikkelsen) (100% finished)
Z (real name unknown) (100% finished)
Marian Soaring Eagle (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Magna (Gabrielle Williams) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Starguy (Gordon Wright) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Samaritan (Vonnie Murray) (Build finished)
The Human Rocket IV (Reginald "Reggie" Morton) (Build finished)
Dust (Mariana Rodriguez) (Build finished)

Inactive Reserves (inactive for various reasons)
Tidal (Lei Gong, Duke of Thunder) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Tex Austin (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Caviezel (Ronald Caviezel) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Sage (Sagacious Winifred Burke) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Scarlett (real name unknown) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Crusader (Sir Randall Knight) (Build finished)
Nick Phoenix (Build finished)

Hall of Honor (assumed to be permanently inactive by US hero community; this may be incorrect in some cases)
The Shining Guardian (Henry Kim) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Fletcher (Morris Archer) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Shadowspirit (real name unknown) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Starman I (John Thompkins) & Starwoman I (Judy Thompkins) (Builds finished, Write up in progress)
Gunsmith I (Connor Morris) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Megagirl (Megan Price) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Arriba (Jose Vega) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Nega I (Hal Scott) (Build unfinished)
Alsea (Build unfinished)
Countess (Build finished)
Starman II (Jesse Thompkins) (Build finished)
Stargirl II (Jacqueline “Jackie” Thompkins) (Build finished)
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Re: The Phoenixverse (A 2e OC 'verse; Newest: Strength Revolution Complete! On Break! Coming Soon: The Icons!)

Post by EternalPhoenix »

Icons progress update 4 let's go (100% finished from prior removed)

Active List
Marian Soaring Eagle (100% finished)
Magna (Gabrielle Williams) (100% finished)
Starguy (Gordon Wright) (100% finished)
Samaritan (Vonnie Murray) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
The Human Rocket IV (Reginald "Reggie" Morton) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Dust (Mariana Rodriguez) (Build finished, Write up in progress)

Inactive Reserves (inactive for various reasons)
Tidal (Lei Gong, Duke of Thunder) (100% finished)
Tex Austin (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Caviezel (Ronald Caviezel) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Sage (Sagacious Winifred Burke) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Scarlett (real name unknown) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Crusader (Sir Randall Knight) (Build finished)
Nick Phoenix (Build finished)

Hall of Honor (assumed to be permanently inactive by US hero community; this may be incorrect in some cases)
The Shining Guardian (Henry Kim) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Fletcher (Morris Archer) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Shadowspirit (real name unknown) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Starman I (John Thompkins) & Starwoman I (Judy Thompkins) (Builds finished, Write up in progress)
Gunsmith I (Connor Morris) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Megagirl (Megan Price) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Arriba (Jose Vega) (Build finished, Write up in progress)
Nega I (Hal Scott) (Build unfinished)
Alsea (Build unfinished)
Countess (Build finished)
Starman II (Jesse Thompkins) (Build finished)
Stargirl II (Jacqueline “Jackie” Thompkins) (Build finished)

Woof. Seems like the same amount of progress as last time, but it is noooooooot. Write up in progress hides a lot of writing. Fletcher is nearly complete. Most of The Shining Guardian's Background is written. Caviezel has been dug into. Tidal is not short. Previously it was hiding the Backgrounds for Starman & Starwoman, Gunsmith, and Megagirl being finished, and Arriba's have work done. I think I might be tiring from the inital sprint, though. Or maybe it was just SG's two pages yesterday. Thinking about posting a few to get the desire out of my system.
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The Icons

Post by EternalPhoenix »

The Icons

Theme Songs
General: A, by Cartel and Illuminate, by Astyria
Active List: Never Alone, by Divide Music
Shining Guardian, Fletcher, & Shadowspirit: Legends Live Forever, by Fabvl featuring NerdOut
Starman I to Countess: No Fear, by DizzyEight featuring FabvL and Zach B

Overview

. . It was 2001, honestly. One specific terrible day in September. You see, by 2001 the great spurt of heroes following the first Starman’s example (or the examples of those who followed his) had all but dried up. His debut in 1961 is considered to be the start of the Silver Age of superheroics in North America. His retirement in ’86 ended it, but that’s where that second category comes in. There were still more heroes to honor his legacy. This was the all too brief Bronze Age. Because the first Starman and Starwoman died in ’93, the latter flying the former away from Earth at a significant fraction of the speed of light. The fusion reaction that powers all Starfolks was failing catastrophically and god only knows what a miniature supernova might have done to the planet. And with the two of them went the last of the old guard. The ones who’d been there since the first days of the post WWII revival era. Hell, the second generation was thin on the ground. Criminals weren’t running around with snub nosed pistols and tommy guns anymore. The best had assault rifles, explosives, something resembling military training, and none of the honor of the old families and syndicates. This was the fortunately quite brief Iron Age, and even heroes did some hideous things to not get, well, brutally murdered. Because the ones who stood on principle…kinda did. There were exceptions, of course. The bulletproof could act with more impunity and there are always heroes who find ways to simply never be hit.

. . The specific turning point has never been identified. Vincent Mortelini was active certainly, but BLACK had not yet been formed so he was only one man. FBI’s Psi-Division certainly put in heroic amounts of effort in the period. As did the second Starman, widely known as the son of the first. Which turned out to be kind of the problem. Starman II, especially after his father’s death., worked himself to the bone to feel worthy of his pseudonym. So he was easily the most prominent superhero in North America (and top tier globally) when the monster Armageddon smashed his way up from where it had been buried (at the bottom of the goddamn Gulf of Mexico) after Starman I killed it (the only thing he ever killed with his powers) in an incredible effort that probably shortened his life. The monster went Star-hunting and simply crushed anyone who tried to stop it. Even a young Tex Austin and a scrambling Shining Guardian found themselves outclassed. Fletcher was retired and out of shape at the time. Caviezel was and is only a man. It is not known what Scarlett was up to that day. It found Starman II’s wife (Starqueen I), son (who had only recently become Starboy II), and not yet empowered daughter. Astonishingly, the two managed to hold him briefly, so the daughter could escape. Starman II wasn’t at home in Chicago. He was actually helping with a scientific project in Antarctica. He was still trying to prove himself, even that day. He probably felt he didn’t have any choice. There was nobody strong enough who was around enough. Reportedly it took until his wife and children were actually under attack to figure out where he was and contact the tiny facility. Starman II scorched the air on his way back. Literally. Friction’s weird at high speeds, especially if one won’t catch fire. He was recorded in Chicago airspace, likely crashing fist first into Armageddon and saving his family, at 845 AM. 60 seconds later the first plane hit the North Tower of the World Trade Center.

. . Starman II and Armageddon brawled across Chicago until he got the monster out of town. But the hero was losing. At 1028 AM, when the North Tower fell, he was clearly at the end of his tether. Just about any other hero ever would have fallen down and stayed there. But he had to have known his father wouldn’t have. So he refused to. According to eyewitnesses, it was the single most heroic thing they’d ever seen. He wasn’t strong enough. There was no one to help him. And somehow, he made both of those facts irrelevant. He killed the monster (the only thing he ever killed with his powers, either) and then immediately collapsed. He died in his wife’s arms, with his son looking on, less than five minutes later.

. . The great hero everyone, whether they wanted to admit it or not, depended on…was gone. America’s heroes had never felt more incompetent or useless. Morale was bad. The press was worse. And then the Shining Guardian and Fletcher stepped (officially) out of retirement to organize The Icons. It’s not and never was a superteam. The Feds were and are a little touchy about an interstate organization of technically illegal vigilantes. They’re not complaining about the help in crisis situations, but it would make them look hypocritical. So the Icons maintain the polite fiction that they are only a social club. They get together to talk shop and be friendly with each other, not fight crime. They weren’t there to help Starman II when he died. The disorganization of America’s heroes not only cost him his life, but a bunch of lives in New York City. Even a younger Tex outstripped any mundane crane’s lifting power, but he was laid up with broken bones. Tidal could have made a spectacular difference against Armageddon, but he worked out of Miami and didn’t have any movement powers he could use at the time. To use two examples. Never again. So they got organized. The Shining Guardian, Fletcher, Tidal, Caviezel, Shadowspirit, and Tex Austin.

. . It hasn’t exactly been the smoothest of rides. An alien invasion of Seattle headed by Tidal’s wife Lei Zi, Duchess of Lightning. That time Fletcher made (by accident) an evil AI bent on the destruction of all life. Congress trying to regulate and control superheroes to finally solve that hypocrisy problem, which anyone passingly familiar with the…highly independent nature…of most professional superheroes could have told them would never work. And indeed, it only caused a civil war in the Icons. And then, of course, there was the Eternity War, where they finally failed and half the universe died for it. In fairness, the only two heroes to ever successfully stop Kuros when he was the Conqueror were Nick Phoenix and Starman I, with the latter needing significant help and likely shortening his lifespan like his battle with Armageddon did. And finally, the Endgame, where they corrected their mistake at the low, low price of literally all of their founding members either dead or inactive for an unknown amount of time. If not permanently.

. . So, as 2019 dawns, it’s a brand new era for the Icons. The post Endgame recruitment drive has borne fruit in the form of four veteran heroes added to the ranks in the forms of legacy hero #1 Starguy, the spectacular Samaritan, legacy hero #2 The Human Rocket IV, and Tidal’s recommendation Dust. So it’s not all bad news. Tidal could always come back from whatever he’s doing in space. Tex will heal eventually. Hopefully. Caviezel may find it as difficult to retire as many heroes do. Sage’s schedule could calm down. (Creator’s Note: This one’s the most unlikely by a bunch, hahaha) Scarlett could reappear like she has before. And even if they never return, it isn’t necessarily a bad thing. Of all the founders, only Fletcher had successfully adapted to a wireless world. The rest were stuck somewhere in the past. Tidal lives like he’s in medieval China. The Shining Guardian never quite made it out of the 40s. Shadowspirit, the 50s to 60s. Caviezel, the 80s. At least Tex had made it to the 90s.in 2001, this wasn’t the hugest problem. A decade and a half later though, and they were all noticeably behind the times. So some new blood can’t hurt.

. . A final note. Being a superhero in the same way that the Icons are superheroes (traditionally) is, in the Phoenixverse, an inherently political act. Or at least, being devoted to the safety and well being of everyone regardless of race, creed, gender, orientation, or whatever else is going to be seen that way by the general public. The general public consists, naturally, of members of the entire political spectrum. And so no matter what the Icons or Icon-aspiring heroes do, they’re going to piss someone off in the process. America’s political divisions in the second half of the second decade of the 21st Century aren’t getting any better. Political pundits sound off as much about heroes as they do about business in Washington. Naturally, they’re never talking about how good a job the heroes are doing and how we’re lucky to have them. More like questioning their competence and sanity. World’s getting darker. America’s no exception. Fortunately, there’s some Icons to light the way to a better tomorrow. Unfortunately, they have no way to know if that’s enough. There’s a sense of being out of step with the common person. It’s only natural. The common person runs away from gunfire and explosions. Even emergency services might hesitate before rushing in. Heroes, as a general rule, never do, and that’s enough for some people to think they’re insane before the whole “saving everyone regardless of who or what they are” issue even comes up. Ah, well. Best to focus on the things heroes can actually do something about. Like catching criminals, rescuing people from burning buildings, and getting kittens out of trees for little girls.

. . A final, final note. I believe superhero stories are fundamentally hopeful. Or they ought to be. It’s just that the world they’re in can and does fail to live up to that. And we as storytellers shouldn’t flinch from showing the reality of it. That there’s cruelty, brutality, and petty little wickedness in the world. The world is dark, but heroes bring the light. They bring hope with them wherever they go. They don’t and I’d argue shouldn’t be perfect, ideal people. They should struggle and hurt and sometimes fail. But the thing that all writers of superhero stories should never lose sight of is that they are ultimately the lightbringers. Where there are no heroes, evil, villainy, and wickedness thrive. The weak suffer and the helpless are exploited. But when just one shows up, all that changes. I hope the Icons show this theme well.

Active List
Queenie (Maybelle McQueen)
Terrifica (Samantha Carson)
Medic (Dr. Daniel Ivanoff)
Spike (Spike Douglas)
Candy (Candace Mikkelsen)
Z (real name unknown)
Marian Soaring Eagle
Magna (Gabrielle Williams)
Orca
Starguy (Gordon Wright)
Samaritan (Vonnie Murray)
The Human Rocket IV (Reginald "Reggie" Morton III)
Dust (Mariana Rodriguez)

Inactive Reserves (inactive for various reasons)
Tidal (Lei Gong, Duke of Thunder) (in space)
Tex Austin (recovering from injury)
Caviezel (Ronald Joseph Caviezel) (attempting to retire)
Sage (Sagacious Winifred Burke) (way too busy)
Scarlett (missing)
Crusader (Sir Randall Knight) (primarily based in the United Kingdom)
Nick Phoenix (It's complicated, okay?)

Hall of Honor (assumed to be permanently inactive by US hero community; this may be incorrect in some cases)
The Shining Guardian (Henry Kim)
Fletcher (Morris Archer)
Shadowspirit (real name unknown)
Starman I (John Thompkins) & Starwoman I (Judy Thompkins)
Gunsmith I (Connor Morris)
Megagirl (Megan Price)
Arriba (Jose Vega)
Nega I (Hal Scott)
Alsea
Countess
Starman II (Jesse Thompkins)
Stargirl II (Jacqueline “Jackie” Thompkins)
Last edited by EternalPhoenix on Sat Oct 22, 2022 3:12 pm, edited 7 times in total.
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EternalPhoenix
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Queenie (Maybelle McQueen)

Post by EternalPhoenix »

Queenie (Maybelle McQueen)

Power Level: 14; Power Points Spent: 255/255

STR: +1 (12), DEX: +2 (14), CON: +2 (14), INT: +3 (16), WIS: +3 (16), CHA: +5 (20)

Tough: +2/+14, Fort: +8, Ref: +8/+14, Will: +14

Skills: Concentration 12 (+15), Craft (chemical) 17 (+20), Diplomacy 10 (+15), Gather Information 5 (+10), Knowledge (physical sciences) 17 (+20), Language 4 (+4), Notice 12 (+15), Sense Motive 12 (+15), Stealth 3 (+5)

Feats: Accurate Attack, All-Out Attack, Attack Focus (ranged) 6, Interpose, Move-by Action, Power Attack, Precise Shot, Skill Mastery (Craft (chemical), Diplomacy, Knowledge (physical science), Sense Motive), Uncanny Dodge (Auditory)

Powers:
Ring of Aura (Device 34) (Hard to lose, Restricted use (Those of exceptionally noble and heroic spirit))
. . Aura Aim Assist (Enhanced Trait 6) (Feats: Attack Focus (ranged) 6)
. . Aura Comms (Communication 9) (sense type: radio; Omni-Directional Area; Variable Descriptor 2 (Broad group - Any Tech))
. . Aura Database (Variable 2) (acquire: any one of (type) - skills; Action 2 (free); Limited (to Knowledge skills))
. . Aura Defense Field (Linked)
. . . . Enhanced Trait 6 (Linked; Traits: Reflex +6 (+14))
. . . . Force Field 12 (Linked; +12 Toughness; Impervious)
. . . . Shield 6 (Linked; +6 dodge bonus)
. . Aura Flashlight (Features 1) (Notes: Capable of emitting a directed cone or beam of light at will, as if you carried a powerful flashlight at all times.)
. . Aura Flight (Flight 14) (Speed: 250000 mph, 2200000 ft./rnd)
. . Aura Force (Array 14) (default power: blast)
. . . . Aura Blast (Blast 14) (Default; DC 29)
. . . . Aura Bondburst (Snare 9) (Array; DC 19; Burst Area (45 ft. radius - General))
. . . . Aura Bonds (Snare 14) (Array; DC 24)
. . . . Aura Burst (Blast 9) (Array; DC 24; Burst Area (45 ft. radius - General))
. . . . Aura Constructs (Create Object 14) (Array; Max Size: 14x 5' cubes, DC 24)
. . . . Aura Kinesis (Move Object 14) (Array; Strength: 70, Carry: 68.1 tons / 136.2 tons / 204.8 tons / 409.6 tons)
. . . . Aura Magic Canceller (Nullify 14) (Array; counters: all powers of (type) - magic, DC 24)
. . . . Aura Support Extension (Immunity 9) (Array; life support; Affects Others (Only), Burst Area (45 ft. radius - General))
. . Aura Life Support (Immunity 9) (life support)
. . Aura Sensors (Super-Senses 14) (accurate: Radio, direction sense, distance sense, extended: Radio 1 (-1 per 100 ft), extended (type): Visual 1 (-1 per 100 ft), extended (type): Auditory 1 (-1 per 100 ft), infravision, radio, ultra-hearing, ultravision)
. . Aura Translation (Comprehend 2) (languages - understand all, languages - you're understood)
. . Aura VI (Features 1)
. . Space Travel (Super-Movement 3) (extra ranks 3)

Attack Bonus: +8 (Ranged: +14, Melee: +8, Grapple: +9)

Attacks: Aura Blast (Blast 14), +14 (DC 29), Aura Bondburst (Snare 9) (DC Ref/Staged 19), Aura Bonds (Snare 14), +14 (DC Ref/Staged 24), Aura Burst (Blast 9) (DC 24), Aura Magic Canceller (Nullify 14), +14 (DC Will 24), Unarmed Attack, +8 (DC 16)

Defense: +14 (Flat-footed: +4), Knockback: -13

Initiative: +2

Languages: English Native, French, Italian, Japanese, Spanish

Totals: Abilities 32 + Skills 23 (92 ranks) + Feats 8 + Powers 137 + Combat 32 + Saves 23 + Drawbacks 0 = 255

Age (as of Jan 2019): 41 (appears early 30s)
Height: 5’ 6”
Weight: 125 lbs
Ethnicity: Caucasian
Hair: Dirty Blonde
Eyes: Blue
Base of Operations: Charleston, South Carolina

Background: Maybelle McQueen never intended to be a hero. Her passion was and is cooking. Specifically, making the fruits of world class culinary skills affordable to the masses. She was a culinary student, and a gifted one at that. Then, one day, a silver ring appeared on her dresser as if it had always been there. Thinking it was a gift from her fiancé, Steven (make your jokes now), she picked it up. The virtual intelligence inside started to explain what it and the ring were. Another woman might have panicked at the sudden voice in her head, but Maybelle listened, curious. She listened as it explain about it’s master, the future’s heroine Aura. About how the ring’s power depended on her heroic spirit. And about how there were two other rings somewhere in the world. Again, another woman might have jumped (or adamantly refused) the call to heroism. Maybelle’s answer was a dull “Meh.” Totally uninterested in anything but her dream, she put the ring in her dresser drawer and promptly forgot about it.

. . Unbeknownst to her (even in modern times), the Ring of Aura is part of something much bigger. Deep in the future, a heroine named Aura created three rings and a staff and sent them back in time. Between the four items and her amulet, the world shattering power the maniac known as Auric once had remains sealed away. Auric himself was once a man. Somehow (his repeated time travel has fuzzed out the details) he became magic incarnate and utterly insane. Aura, with her amulet and its do anything Anti-Magic energy, was the only one in the universe able to stand against him. But with every battle, his power grew until Aura’s amulet hit its limit defeating him again. The battle was…catastrophic. Entire star sectors lay in ruins, testament to Auric’s power and Aura’s failing ability to stop him. There was one chance. Just one. While he recovered, his power was dispersed. If it could be collected and sealed away, he would pose much less threat. Taking some of the unique material from her amulet, Aura made the rings and staff. Together with her amulet, she sealed the power he had not yet regathered away. Even hobbled, Auric would be a potent threat. He had called upon allies before, and there were lunatics who thrived on destruction other than he. Not to mention the ones who might think they could claim his power. She had to get them away. Other dimensions were too dangerous. With a heavy heart, she prepared to cast them back in time. She did take precautions, in the form of the Virtual Intelligence. It would attempt to keep the items away from the selfish and greedy and push them towards the noble and heroic. They would have a portion of her power as well, just in case Auric or someone else went chasing after them. The Rings and Staff have appeared far less throughout history than one would think. Prior to Maybelle, the best known one was a certain British officer during the American Revolutionary War. He was, fortunately for the Americans, continually stalemated by the original Lady Liberty. And that is not the ring Maybelle has. That one is still in the general’s family, unused since his death.

. . Steven and Maybelle set a wedding date. Shortly after their graduation. He was training to be a pastry chef at the same school, and that was how they had met. Graduation loomed. Then Auric appeared. He sought to destroy Aura’s legacy and free his power. He knew the ring was in that certain city. He knew the kind of person it would find to wield it. So he started blasting things. Somebody had to stop him. People were going to die. Maybelle balked. She wanted to be a chef, not a hero. The cops were helpless before him. She could help everyone. Just put on the ring and go. But her dream! Maybe if she gave him the ring, he’d leave. It wouldn’t be right. Back and forth, she wrestled against her own nature, the nature the ring had sought out in the first place. Eventually, ring in hand (but not on finger), Maybelle confronted Auric. He could feel the ring on her, and the kind of person she was. Noble. Compassionate. Heroic. It turned his stomach. She had to die, RIGHT NOW. Wait. Who was that who shoved her aside? Why is she screaming that one word? …did she just put on the ring?

. . It wasn’t anger Maybelle was feeling. It was guilt. She had been selfish for once in her life, and now the city was damaged. People were hurt. And Steven…oh God, Steven. If she’d just taken up the responsibility when it had come to her, none of this would’ve happened. It was all her fault, but she refused to let it go one step further. Auric was going down. Except for the small part where she barely knew what she was doing and he very much did. After getting smacked silly, she flew away (God in Heaven, she was flying), knowing Auric would follow her out of the city. After getting to an abandoned area, she turned and fought. He nearly killed her before the thought of her classmates and everyone else at his nonexistent mercy fueled a power surge that broke through his defenses. Critically injured, Auric teleported away. Maybelle collapsed into a heap.

. . It should go without saying, but Maybelle finished culinary school. Graduated at the top of her class. Worked at a few dives to earn money, then opened her own restaurant. The Southern Queen. With her flight speed, even in the early days, she could cover a lot of turf. So she pretty quickly because the American South’s first call when anybody needed backup. This is how she became an Icon. She backed up the Shining Guardian and Shadowspirit as they busted up a deep rooted Neo-Nazi terror cell inside the US Army. They appreciated her powers and skillful use of them, and brought her into the group. This was after the invasion of Seattle, but before Fletcher (accidently) created a genocidal AI. She sided with SG during the civil war in the Icons, and as a consequence had her beloved restaurants (she had acquired a second by then) seized by the federal government. She was among the Dusted at the end of the Eternity War, and so was dead for a year until her resurrection with the rest of the Dusted. She participated in the big battle against Kuros the Annihilator during the Endgame. In the wake of that event, her restaurants have been returned to her. And now she finds herself regarded at the current leader of the Icons by the government and general public. Despite the fact that they haven’t decided if they’re even going to have a leader in the first place. Though the Shining Guardian more or less indicated Maybelle was his successor in the group. Oh, bother.

. . Her local (as in the American South) allies are the now ex-police officer Burning Hammer (a mutant pyrokinetic), the physician Reverie (a teleporter who doesn’t know her powers origin) and the now college student and metahuman speedster Mach 3 (it’s just a name, like most speedsters it takes her effort to break the sound barrier). Her most persistent enemies include Auric, naturally, and the seemingly infinitely duplicating thief Multiplicity (a woman).

Powers & Tactics: Maybelle McQueen has no superhuman powers. She thinks. She’s aging funny, or maybe she just has good genes. Can’t tell yet. The important part is that nobody knows this. The Ring of Aura (a technological device) is not something she normally talks about to anyone. Because what kind of idiot openly discusses the source of their powers if it can be taken away as easily as a ring can? The Ring can technically do anything the wearer can imagine. It’s incredibly advanced technology from a distant future, after all. Maybelle, however, does not have an unlimited imagination. As such, the Ring does a lot for her but not literally anything. Let’s run down the list. Increased ranged accuracy. Radio communications with any kind of tech. A database full of knowledge. A defense field that both makes her a hell of a lot tougher (as in she can ignore rockets with it active) and significantly more difficult to hit. Hypersonic flight. Immunity to most environmental concerns, like breathing. A massive sensor suite including wide spectrum vision, hearing, and even radar. A language translation suite. A Virtual Intelligence (or VI) to keep her informed of the Ring’s capabilities and find a new wielder if necessary. She can even switch into an FTL flight mode and zip across the universe. She uh, doesn’t do that a lot.

. . And, of course, she has a large variety of other actions to choose from. She uses mainly constructs made of pure force, but after nearly twenty years, she knows what Aura actually is. Anti-magic. So she can counter magic with her attacks (which is normally impossible if you’re not also using magic) or nullify it outright with one of said attacks. The full attacks consist of damage and capturing bonds in both single target and area varieties. She can also create force constructs, move hundreds of tons without physically touching them, and even extend her immunities across an area to protect others.

. . As a final note, to get a bit mechanics-y, the VI can decide to deploy Extra or even Extraordinary Effort across the board (sustaining the extra output throughout the battle) if the situation is dire enough and Maybelle is responding appropriately. Understandably, this is a rare event and as such doesn’t actually cost her any Fatigue or Hero Points precisely because she was no control over it. The Endgame was such an occasion. Kuros had to call down fire from his armada to get her off of him. If this is happening, however, she cannot use Extra Effort with the Ring’s abilities, for obvious reasons. Power Stunting is still possible, though.

. . Tactically, Queenie prefers to use Aura Bondburst, Bonds, Constructs, or Kinesis to restrain her foes instead of smacking them down. This does not mean that she won’t. She overpowered Kuros with several Aura Blasts during the Endgame, after all, and laid waste to his forces with Aura Burst after he drove her off and the Stars were taking their turn. She dropped whole ass starships on her path of destruction. Her preference for restraining her foes comes from an adamant refusal to do lethal damage. It’s both her preference and a prohibition from the Ring. Virtually uniquely among all heroes, tweeners, and villains she cannot inflict lethal damage on living beings without release from the VI, no matter how many damage ranks she uses. This is more Complication than Drawback (as certain unalive beings can appear alive at first), so it is not reflected in her build. It also wouldn’t apply if she picked up a gun or something. Not that she would, but you get the idea. As technically the Ring of Aura can do anything the wielder imagines, just about anything is a possible power stunt. However, she is a chef, and so cooking themed powers like fire control or adapted culinary tool attacks are much more likely to be stunted instead of say, psychic attacks or controlling the weather.

Personality: Maybelle is a gregarious type. She’s talkative, smiles easily and often, and is generally very pleasant to be around. She’s also one of the most paragon-y people on earth. She’ll defend others like the proverbial Mama Bear. She’ll stand and fight when all seems lost. She’ll never give up as long as there’s breath in her. Her integrity is unquestionable. Her courage undeniable. Her compassion unmistakable. Even her chef’s work is to make other people happy with impressively excellent food at an affordable price. She’s also a hardcore foodie. Sort of. She doesn’t have much patience with the fancy stuff. Sure, it’s delicious sometimes, but the pretentiousness of it all drives her nuts. It’s food. You eat it. Swear to Jeebus.

. . Still, she’s the most prominent “people person” of the Icons now since Terrifica, Medic, and Spike are…polarizing figures, at best. It’s an awkward position, to be sure. People just kind of assume she’s the leader, like the Shining Guardian was. And…she doesn’t know about that. She’s always willing to help, but leadership? She’s just a chef from South Carolina. Terrifica’s the one with all the brains. Medic’s the one with the drive to make a better planet. On a fundamental level she doesn’t understand what people see when they look at her. She’s just doing what she thinks is good and right, in her view. No reward or accolades are necessary. She’s content to return to her kitchen when the action is over. But that’s changed now. So many people are looking to little ol’ her as their great hope. All she ever wanted to do was put smiles on people’s faces. And now she’s the most prominent active superhero in the United States, if not all of North America. It makes her uncomfortable, honestly.
Last edited by EternalPhoenix on Mon Sep 12, 2022 10:17 pm, edited 1 time in total.
The Phoenixverse (A 2e OC 'verse!)
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Re: The Phoenixverse (A 2e OC 'verse; Newest: The Icons! Queenie!)

Post by EternalPhoenix »

So here's what we're doing. I have 12 out of 32 entries completed. Notching up 3-5 more shouldn't take that long. So, posting schedule. Aside from tomorrow, there will be a new Icon posted every Tuesday and Saturday. If I can't finish this whole project in six more weeks I might as well hang my writer's pen up entirely. When I get to like...28 finished, I'll probably accelerate the posting schedule. In the meantime, look forward to Tuesday and the supergenius costumed detective, gadgeteer, and woman of many insecurities and fears, Terrifica. She's simply terrific. Ask her, she'll tell you.
The Phoenixverse (A 2e OC 'verse!)
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Re: The Phoenixverse (A 2e OC 'verse; Newest: The Icons! Queenie!)

Post by Commander Titan »

I like Queenie a lot! There's something honest about a hero who really just wishes she could get back to her passion, but sees this greater responsibility. As you've said before, the villains of the Phoenixverse are sure they're the heroes, while many of the heroes are worried they aren't up to snuff, which is why they stay on the side of good, because they know "good" is a struggle and not a status.

I appreciate how she's risen to the occasion!

Also, interesting to note how many of the Icons' codenames seem to be... nicknames? Derived from their real names? Is that an intentional choice (both in and out of universe)?

Excited to see more of the team fleshed out as time goes on!
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