Varuna Posted August 10, 2023 Clone Share Posted August 10, 2023 (edited) A scholarly, middle– aged man, Linden Olney is an antiques dealer. He has run, and lost, a number of antiques shops across Sovereign City, but to this point he hasn’t been able to make his dream come true: open a boutique storefront in a neighborhood like Atherton Bluffs or Powhatan Falls. Long before the meteor struck the city Linden had dabbled in minor conspiracies, ancient astronaut theory, the lost city of Atlantis, ley lines, secret societies, and more. After the meteor struck he became convinced those ideas hid actual truth, or pieces of an even greater whole. What else could explain the rise of super powered individuals? What else could explain him? Linden's powers developed quickly, but he is still learning the full extent of his abilities. He has been able to learn a great many secrets which has only further pushed him down the rabbit hole, and is now fully convinced that if he can only locate a fragment of the meteor he can talk with it and learn the full, terrible truth behind what really caused this disaster. His research efforts, now bordering on the near– fanatical, have opened a new world to him. He had seen the potential in bringing his powers to bear on his antiquities, but by bending them further towards other ends he is taking the first steps towards criminal investigations. He has recently developed an odd habit of talking to himself. Well, he’s been talking to everything. Rocks, trees, yelling at clouds, random wildlife, and whatever knickknacks he finds on a table. He never used to do this, but then again, those things never used to answer him... Real Name: Linden Olney Age: 48 Occupation: Antiquities Dealer Alias: Babel Height: 5' 9" Base of Operations: Sovereign City Identity: Secret Weight: 170 lbs Group Affiliation: Physical Form: Human Languages: English, Latin FASERIP Fighting: TY (06) Minimal training Agility: GD (10) Some training Strength: TY (06) Able to press up to 200 lbs Endurance: GD (10) Moderate exercise Reason: GD (10) Repair and understand modern technology Intuition: EX (20) Fine eye for detail Psyche: IN (40) Highly trained, or possessing great strength of will Health: 82 (FASE + 50) Karma: 176 (RIP + 1 +/- game rewards) Resources: TY (06) Middle class Popularity: 00 POWERS Clairaudience — Good (10) Show Power Description for Clairaudience The hero can "hear" distant sounds and voices despite any intervening distance or barriers. The Power is not hindered by factors that affect normal sound transmission, such as distance, time lag, muffling, distortion, or the absence of a transmitting medium. Because of this, Clairaudience has superior range over Hyper-Hearing. Only Clairaudience enables the hero to hear across a vacuum, for example. Unfortunately, Clairaudience can act as a pipeline to direct another's Psionic or Sonic attacks toward the hero. Because of this side-effect, the hero is -1CS to resist such attacks. These attacks need not even be aimed at the hero but might still affect the hero if the other Power is being used in the area the hero is spying upon. Example: Captain Tympanic is using his Power to eavesdrop on bankrobbers planning a heist. Unfortunately, Charmer appeared and used her Hypnotic Voice Power to capture the gang. Capt. Tympanic is caught in her spell as well. The ranges for Clairaudience are shown on column E of the Range Table. When the Power operates, it overrides the hero's natural hearing. Distant sounds are sensed at their original volume level. If the volume is too loud the hero can reduce it with a green FEAT. Faint sounds can be magnified by a yellow FEAT. The Power is normally a voluntary Power that musty be summoned. Sometimes it functions automatically; this can be the result of improper control, tampering by outside forces, or be triggered by sudden, dramatic events occurring to someone with whom the hero shares an emotional rapport. ("That was Lewis crying for help!") When using the Power to eavesdrop on another Clairaudient, that person may automatically sense the first Clairaudient's effort. This is determined by the Judge making a secret red FEAT based on the second hero's Power rank. The Optional Powers for this are Hyper-hearing, Clairvoyance, and Remote Sensing. The Nemesis for this is Force Field vs. Psionics. Communication with Animals — Excellent (20) Show Power Description for Communication with Animals The hero can understand and use the languages employed by animals and other non-sentient lifeforms. The Power can be used to communicate with non- sentient alien creatures but not intelligent aliens. The degree of difference between the hero and the animal determines what color FEAT is required. Assuming the hero is human, a green FEAT permits communication with mammals. A yellow FEAT permits communication with birds and reptiles. A red FEAT covers everything else. If the hero has a different physical type, the player and Judge will have to modify the FEATs accordingly. The hero must be in communications range of the animal for the Power to work. This varies from species to species. The basic rule is that the maximum range is the greatest distance at which the hero and animal can sense each other. Optional Powers include Linguistics and any of the Communication Powers. The Nemesis is Neural Manipulation. Communication with Cybernetics — Excellent (20) Show Power Description for Communication with Cybernetics The hero can directly communicate with complex machines, whether these are computers or machines not normally considered to have artificial intelligence. Any machine that possesses any kind of programming can be communicated with- calculators, digital watches, microwave ovens, even music boxes. The higher the rank, the simpler the machine that can be spoken to. A green FEAT can communicate with a machine possessing several microchips; a computer is the most common example. A yellow FEAT communicates with devices possessing a single microchip, such as watches and talking dolls. A red FEAT communicates with machines that lack microchips but are still somehow programmed, like player pianos and hand-cranked adding machines. The nature and quality of the information received reflects the nature of the machine that is spoken to. Communication occurs without the hero needing to resort to programming languages and input devices such as punchcards and keyboards. After all, if the hero did need them this wouldn't really be a super power. When using the Power, the hero transfers part of his intelligence and Psyche to the machine, thus allowing it to respond to him. Unfortunately, sharing his mind with machines on a regular basis leads the hero to identify a little too closely with machines. The Optional Power is Linguistics. The Nemesis is Neural Manipulation. Communication with Non– Living Matter — Excellent (20) Show Power Description for Communication with Non– Living Matter This is a catchall name for anything not covered by the other Communication Powers (M3, M4, M6). It will enable the hero to communicate with anything that had once been either sentient, cybernetic, or alive, as long as the target lacks those qualities now. The hero transfers part of his intelligence and Psyche to the target, thus permitting it to respond to him. The target can converse, provide information, and even have a personality. The Power includes an innate, unconscious use of Speechthrowing. Although the hero actually provides the voice, it appears that the target is actually speaking. When the Power is used to speak a corpse, it uses an unconscious, automatic form of Postcognition to create a simulation of the spirit that once inhabited the body. The hero does not speak with the actual spirit. This can lead to an odd situation in which the actual ghost hears his own body speak as if he were still in it. Unfortunately, the hero may develop a personality quirk that blurs the distinction between life and death. As he can speak with both the living and the dead, he might not be able to see what the difference is. This can be taken to grotesque extremes, especially in a horrific campaign. The Power can be used to pry into a person's secrets by interrogating that person's possessions. For example, clothing will blithely recount the wearer's activities and a wall safe will proudly list all the things it is protecting. Note: Projectile weapons only remember when they were fired, not at whom. Optional Powers include Communications with Cybernetics. The Nemesis is Neural Manipulation. Communication with Plants — Excellent (20) Show Power Description for Communication with Plants The hero can speak with plants. Anything that has a vegetable physiology can be affected by this Power, such as grass, trees, and the Man-Thing. When using the Power, the hero imparts some of his intelligence and Psyche to the plant to facilitate communication. The greater the complexity of the plant, the easier it is to communicate with. A green FEAT communicates with trees and local ecosystems; in the latter, all the plants speak as if a chorus that only the hero can hear. A yellow FEAT communicates with shrubs, vines, and bushes. A red FEAT communicates with simple plants and fungi; if the hero has Hyper-hearing, it can be combined with this Power to permit communication with plankton and bacteria. Combining the Power with Sensory Link enables the hero to share the experiences of plants, even those on alien worlds if the latter Power's rank is high enough. A problem can develop if the hero begins to identify too closely with plants. He might find salads offensive. Worse, he may begin to suffer anguish when plants are harmed in his presence. Optional Powers include Communication with Animals, Communication with Non-living Matter, Plant Control, and Plant Growth. The Nemesis is Neural Manipulation. Linguistics — Excellent (20) Show Power Description for Linguistics This is a specialized form of Hyper-intelligence. The hero has the ability to rapidly learn any language if sufficient material is available for him to work with. Once the language is mastered, the hero is fluent in that language, provided he is physically capable of communicating in it. The number of languages a hero is currently fluent in is limited to the Power rank number. For example, Doug Ramsey's Incredible rank enables him to retain fluency in up to forty languages at a time. When a hero exceeds that limit, he begins to forget a previously mastered language. This will usually be some obscure tongue the hero has had little use for, like Basic Otter or Mephitish. The speed with which a hero can learn a new language is determined by its strangeness and what source materials are available. Current human languages require a Poor FEAT. Archaic human languages are a Good FEAT. Alien but Humanoid languages are a Remarkable FEAT. Animal languages are an Incredible FEAT (note: not all animals have an actual language). Alien, nonhumanoid languages are an Amazing FEAT. The color of the FEAT is determined by the source of the language. A green FEAT is needed if the hero has access to actual instructional materials or a cooperative native speaker of that language who also speaks a language the hero knows. A yellow FEAT is needed if the hero has a native speaker who cannot speak any tongue the hero knows or if the hero only has non-instructional samples of that language. A red FEAT is needed if the hero has only fragments of the new language. For example, learning Shi'ar from watching a broadcast of a speech by Majestrix Lilandra is a yellow Remarkable Intensity FEAT. Learning spoken Primate by actually using sign language to talk with a chimpanzee requires a green incredible intensity FEAT. The hero can try a FEAT roll every hour. Failure means he simply has not yet gotten the hang of the new language. The only real drawback to the Power is that the hero may accidentally forget his native language, especially if he rarely uses it. Still, he can always re-learn it. There is a danger that an adversary might warp the hero's Linguistic Power and actually negate his language comprehension; in such a case, the hero becomes dyslexic and unable to understand simple English. A curious side-effect of the Power is that it provides Power rank Resistance to Hypnotic Voice and other sonic-based forms of Hypnotic or Mind Control. The hero's mind shifts into its translation mode; it studies the medium through which the hypnosis is communicated rather than the actual message. ("Lorelei, did you ever realize that your sleep command is a high C-sharp while your paralysis command is a high C-flat?") The Optional Power is Hyper- Intelligence. The Nemesis is Mind Drain. Currently fluent languages: French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Greek, Arabic, Farsi, Hindi, Cantonese, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Klingon, and Quenya. Speechthrowing — Good (10) Show Power Description for Speechthrowing This is best described as "super-ventriloquism." Although it is radically different in execution from the Talent of Ventriloquism, the effect at low levels is similar. Simply put, the hero can make his voice audible in a distant location, without the vocal soundwaves actually traveling the intervening distance. The Power is actually a specialized form of Telekinesis which allows the hero to agitate the distant molecules in a way that simulates sound transmission. The Power enables the hero to be heard instantaneously at any distance, despite any barriers to normal sound transmission. The only barriers that stop this Power are those that interfere with Psionic Powers. Speechthrowing's range is determined by its Power rank. Column E of the Range Table shows appropriate distances. The hero has 100% accuracy, provided he can somehow sense the target area. This is commonly provided by such Powers as Clairaudience and Clairvoyance. If the hero lacks the means to check on his aim, he cannot control anything but the basic direction his voice is being sent. If the hero has other sonic-based Powers, they can be combined with this Power to greatly enhance their range. If the hero has Extradimensional Detection or Dimension Travel, these can be used to modify the Power and enable the hero to Speech-throw into other Dimensions. The Bonus Power is Clairaudience. Optional Powers include Clairvoyance, Vocal Control, Hyper-hearing, and Sensory Link. The Nemesis is Force Field vs. Psionics. TALENTS ALTERNATIVE SCIENCES Catastrophism The scientific belief system that attempts to pinpoint the end of the world or at least major catastrophes that could significantly alter man's or the universe's history. CRIME AND LAW Detective Gains Clue Analysis, Counterfeit Recognition, identification System, Law, and Police Procedure. This character is trained to notice small clues to a crime, and gains +1CS to find them, and also gains 1 contact in either Crime, Law Enforcement, or Law. Clue Analysis: +1CS to Intuition/Reason on gathering information on clues. Counterfeit Recognition: +1CS to Intuition for identifying false signatures, money, art, etc. A failed roll means that the character believes its genuine. Law: A character with law gains +1CS to all FEATs involving law Police Procedure: Enables a character to avoid both police conflict and security. For example, such a character could apprehend felons and gain access to a crime scene without being arrested. Interrogation The character is well versed in extracting information from a subject gaining a +1CS to Interrogation. COGNITIVE SCIENCES & HUMANITIES Philology (Linguistics) — Latin The study of human speech including the units, structure, and modification of language. (Character gets to pick one language other than English to be fluent in.) MEDICINE First Aid This Talent grants the character the ability to immediately halt Endurance rank loss, and the recovery of one rank immediately. In addition, the hero with this Talent can stabilize a dying character at Shift-0 Health up to 5 rounds after that character reaches that level. MYSTIC AND MENTAL SKILLS Scholar of Antiquities The character has an extensive knowledge of antiques, especially ancient magical artifacts and lore concerning them. He gains a +2CS when dealing with them. WEAPONS SKILLS Weapons Specialist — Expandable Baton Character gains +2CS with a single weapon of choice. Character also receives a +1 to initiative when using that weapon. CONTACTS Special Agent Melody Cooper — from Detective Talent SA Cooper is a member of the FBI's Art Crime Team. She first met Linden about half a year ago when she was looking for antiques dealers who might be able to help her out with a case she was working on. Linden helped her crack the case almost immediately, and ever since she has relied on him for his expert knowledge. She has no idea how he does what he does, but the results can't be argued with. Edited September 11, 2023 by Varuna Formatting. (see edit history) Name xDiceName xDiceResult xDiceString xDiceRolls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Varuna Posted August 10, 2023 Author Clone Share Posted August 10, 2023 (edited) CHARACTER CREATION ABILITIES: 92 (FASERIP) POWERS: 190 (Powers Buy– In: 70 / Powers Ranks: 120) TALENTS: 17 CONTACTS: 0 GRAND TOTAL: 299 (1 point added to Karma) Edited August 11, 2023 by Varuna (see edit history) Name xDiceName xDiceResult xDiceString xDiceRolls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Varuna Posted August 10, 2023 Author Clone Share Posted August 10, 2023 (edited) CHARACTER UPGRADES 2022-07-04 ABILITIES: +10 to Psyche, +35 to Karma Edited August 11, 2023 by Varuna (see edit history) Name xDiceName xDiceResult xDiceString xDiceRolls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Varuna Posted August 10, 2023 Author Clone Share Posted August 10, 2023 (edited) KARMA ADJUSTMENTS 2023-08-01 KARMA: +75 for roleplaying Edited August 11, 2023 by Varuna (see edit history) Name xDiceName xDiceResult xDiceString xDiceRolls Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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