They Walk Among Us: A Paranormal Monster-Hunting RP (closed to new characters)

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Drummodino

Can't Stop the Bop
Jan 2, 2011
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hiei82 said:
Name: Adrian Drake

Gender & Age: Male, 35

Appearance:

Standing at 6'9 and possessing a large, muscular physique, Adrian towers over most humans. Of African-American descent, what remains of his original skin is coal-black. His hair is black too, although he keeps his face and scalp clean shaven.

An augmented human, Adrian has had the dull-red scales of a lizard demon grafted onto his skin. Only his head, neck and palms remain uncovered. His eyes have been augmented too, they produce a soft, red glow.

To hide his augmented features, Adrian's usual attire consists of black combat boots, cargo pants and shirt. A silver buckled belt and a red coat complete the outfit. He wears dark sunglasses whenever he wants to disguise his red eyes. His weapon of choice is the sword Souldrinker, an ancient blade which contains a powerful demon trapped within itself. He carries this sword in hand most of the time, although he will strap it to his back if needed.

Faction: Cabal

Biography/History:

Growing up in the New York chapter of the Cabal, Adrian has been aware of the paranormal all his life. He quickly developed a fascination with demons, the tales of their incredible powers were always his favourite as a child. His parents approved of his interest in the subject, they were high ranking members of the chapter and after his older sister ran away from it all, they were glad to have one of their children stay within the organization.

As he grew older, Adrian's fascination with the power of demons slowly morphed into a fascination with power itself. He didn't want to settle as some nobody researcher for the Cabal - he wanted to become somebody people would recognize, somebody people would fear.

This obsession with power drove him to train every day, in unarmed combat and with the sword. He disliked the thought of long range combat, preferring to get up close and personal with his opponent. As he entered adulthood, his training combined with his hulking size made him a fearsome opponent.

Throughout his twenties Adrian primarily worked as muscle for the Cabal, and he gained recognition for his ferocity and effectiveness. He remained fascinated with demons and even dabbled in some research of the subject, but he did not take to scholarly work nearly as well as he did to fighting. While he's certainly not stupid, his brain just wasn't wired for that sort work, and that frustrated him greatly.

On the day of the return, Adrian was overjoyed. The object of his fascination returning to the world? He couldn't imagine anything better. Now perhaps he could find a way to claim their power for his own.

As Cabal members began to research and undergo augmentation, Adrian eyed them hungrily. He wanted to become augmented himself, but he lacked the skill and knowledge to do so. There is more than one way to obtain the power of demons though, and deep in an old Cabal vault Adrian found such a way.

The ancient sword Souldrinker. The demon Eligos is trapped within this blade, giving it great power. Adrian claimed this sword as his own and put it to good use, hunting and killing lower tier monsters for the Cabal. In one particular fight, Adrian found himself outnumbered and backed into a corner by three lizard demons. Out of options he allowed Eligos to take control. Tendrils crawled up his arm as the unleashed demon made short work of his lesser foes. As Adrian regained control, something amazing happened. Instead of Eligos incorporating the demon material, Adrian himself did. Scales emerged all over his body, leaving only his head, neck and palms untouched.

Adrian's augmentation made him a much more deadly opponent, allowing him to hold his own against more powerful enemies. He has only unleashed Eligor once since that day, when fighting a harpy. This battle enhanced his eyes, granting him more powerful vision, especially at night.

Now Adrian is working as a field operative for the Cabal, hunting down and killing monsters as they appear. He has arrived in Boston in search of his next target.

Personality:

Adrian is a very driven individual. When on a job he focuses on it completely, pursuing his prey doggedly. He won't harm innocents intentionally, but he will not go out of his way to protect them either. If it comes to a choice between saving someone or taking down his target, most of the time he will go for the target. Adrian is also still looking for ways to increase his power, whether it's through additional augmentations or just improving his combat prowess. He fears unleashing Eligos too much though, not only does he hate the feeling of someone else controlling his body, he fears what would happen if the demon never relinquished it. As such he only uses it in the most dire of circumstances.

Outside of a mission, Adrian is a bit more relaxed. He is aware that the Cabal needs to maintain good relations with the rest of the world, so he tries not to offend anyone needlessly. If you gain his respect enough, he may even act friendly towards you. Do not piss him off though, his anger is terrible to behold.

Arcana/Divinity/Extraplanar Tech:

Augmentation Arcana. Adrian's demon eyes give him enhanced vision, especially at night. His scale armour is very strong, capable of deflecting small calibre bullets and most conventional weaponry. Some of the demonic power has leaked from the augmentations into Adrian, giving him enhanced strength and speed. This means he is not encumbered by his scale armour in any way.

The sword Souldrinker is a magical artifact, with abilities of its own that Adrian can utilize (See it's personal character sheet for these).

Notable Skills:

-Excellent swordsman
-Proficient unarmed fighter
-Enhanced strength and speed
-Enhanced vision

Okay I changed his story to being augmented through Eligos, since he's not much of a researcher. Let me know what you think and if you have any further issues! :D

EDIT: Oh, I have a question. How painful would the augmentation process be? I didn't mention it because I wasn't sure.
 

Knife-28

New member
Oct 10, 2009
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hiei82 said:
Knife-28 said:
Name: Mowan Gili

Gender (if applicable) & Age: 34, Male

Appearance: Tall, strongly built, curly black hair and dark coffee skin, it's obvious to see that Mowan has come from a long line of Aboriginal Australians. He has (striking, according to his mother) green eyes and tends to leave it a while between shaves, as he prefers to have a bit of stubble. Both his arms from his shoulders to the tips of his fingers have a series of intricate tattoos that allow Mowan to exert large amounts of strength, enough to hit a man with enough force to send him through a (thin) wall, or to rip a car door off it's hinges. When in use, the tattoos glow blue with increasing intensity the more strenght he channels into them.

He tends to wear a tan shirt, a pair of well worn and faded blue jeans, sturdy boots and a reddish brown, 'kangaroo' fur coat (It's actually made from the fur of a type II monster that attacked him and his family on the Day of Return.)

Faction: Independent, technically, but currently 'Consulting' with the A.P.I.R.U. or Asia-Pacific Paranatural Investigation and Response Unit, a group similar to U.N.I.T.E.D. but more focused on those countries in the Asia-Pacific region, including China, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Paupa New Guinea, and America (Though their contribution is among the smallest, excluding those from the various pacific isles.)

Biography/History: Like many ancient cultures, the Australian Aboriginals had their own encounters with 'Monsters', evidence of which can be seen in their mythology and folklore. Unlike many ancient, the indigenous Australians didn't turn to one singular group of people to protect them, instead it was common knowledge on how to fight monsters. While this more often then not required multiple strong warriors to do so, there were those who were said to be able to fight a bunyip alone and live. They were referred to as Booreenoola, men (and rarely women) that were seen as the best of the best. Some were hunters wearing the skins of slain monsters and wielding weapons made from their claws and teeth, and others were wisemen with access to powerful magics. Many tribes prospered as the creatures were pushed further and further back until they all but vanished.
Much of this knowledge was still known, if not practised right up until European colonization of the continent, infact there's more than one story of tribes that saw the ship of Captain Cook and the vessels First Fleet as signs of the monster's return (unfortunately they weren't far off).
With their's being an oral culture, much of the Aboriginals knowledge on monsters was lost during Australia's colonization in the late 18th/early 19th century. Fortunately some knowledge survived, passed down from generation to generation.

Growing up on a homestead outside Dubbo, Mowan was told stories of monsters and of the Booreenoola from a young age. While he was lucky enough to be able to go to school, he never really excelled academically. He took to sports, rugby in particular, pretty quickly, and during his school years his weekends would often include a rugby game Saturday morning, then a camping trip with his dad that would last well into Sunday night. On these trips his father taught him how to hunt and how to survive in the bush. As he grew older the stories of monsters were dismissed as childish tales, much to his father's dismay. Eventually he finished school, and went on to play rugby semi-professionally for his home town of Dubbo, then professionally for a team in Sydney.

2012 rolled around, as did the so called prophecies of the end of the world. Mowan didn't pay any mind to self promoted doomsayers, and he, as he always had, looked forward to a nice relaxing few weeks with his family over the christmas holidays. On the night of December 21st, a monstrous red beast in the shape of a giant ape attacked his family's homestead. Mowan and his father managed to kill it, barely, and not before he injured his mom. It was then he realized that all the stories his father told him growing up were true. Unfortunately, Mowan's mother, didn't cope as well as her son that the stories were true, and left them both to return to her family in Perth.

Now in the same position as many thrust into this strange new world, Mowan quit his rugby career (causing a minor scandal in the NRL community at the time) and started not only hunting monsters with his father, but learning about their powers and how to use them against them. This went on for 5 years, until in a battle with a Type III monster similar in nature to the Yara-ma-yha-who of Aboriginal myth. Mowan and his dad had seen news reports of cattle stations in rural Queensland and New South Wales that had gone silent and decided to investigate, only to find the farmers had been turned into Yara-ma-yha-who. If not for the intervention of A.P.I.R.U. the pair would have been turned as well and during the fight with the original Yara-ma his dads leg was broken in two places. Unable to walk without the aid of a cane, Mowan's father retired for a time, until he and Mowan were brought on as 'consultants' for A.P.I.R.U.

Now, his father helps educate A.P.I.R.U.'s fighting force how to effectivly combat the monster thread, and Mowan is on his way to Boston to investigate the monster activity in the area, and hopefully convince the American Government to strengthen their ties with A.P.I.R.U.

Personality: Headstrong, boisterous, loud. All good words to describe Mowan. He's also pretty friendly and will try his best to turn strangers into mates. Get on his nerves and he won't be afraid to tell you, but he's not one to hold a grudge either. He's had it hard ever since the return of the monsters to this world, no doubt about it, but he never gives up.

Arcana/Divinity/Extraplanar Tech: The tattoos in his arm, inked with monster blood, allow him to channel extreme amounts of strength and power through them, though it's more physically demanding the more he does it, and the more strenght he exerts.
Mowan carries a Bowie knife concealed in his jacket, along with a handful of folding, tri-wing boomerangs augmented with Extraplaner Tech. They're sharp enough that, when thrown with suffficent force, they can cut a man clean in half and give any monster on the receiving end a very bad day.
His jacket is not only also incredibly comfortable to wear, owing of course to it's Extraplanar nature, but much stronger than it looks, with enough protection to stop a bullet (but not the force of it, so depending on the caliber of bullet it'll leave him with a hell of a bruise.

Notable Skills: Though he's a bit out of practice, he can still pull off a mean tackle, leaving his opponent open for a beatdown. His fighting style is best described as 'quick and dirty', after all he can live with fighting 'without honour' if it means he gets to live in the first place.
As gifted as he is at punching things, he's also pretty good at nailing targets with a boomerang if the situation calls for it.
While he was the brawn to his dad's brains, he did pick up a few things from him and with his tracking skills can competently go it stealthy and do a bit of investigation if the need arises.

Other: Prefers to just go by the name 'Gili'.

Hopefully that's good, though feel free to tell me anything that needs improving.
I don't see any problems with the character sheet, but just so you know I know nothing about Aboriginal mythology/religion other than the Bunyip and as such no such creature is likely to appear; Most of my knowledge comes from the Greco-Roman, Nordic, Egyptian, Middle-Eastern, Asian, and Christian cultural landscapes.
Damn, and I was hoping for an arc set in the Outback.

Seriously though, it's ok if no Aussie Monsters show up during the RP, it's by no means a deal breaker.
 

hiei82

Dire DM (+2 HD and a rend attack
Aug 10, 2011
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DarkRawen said:
Hm, that makes it easier for me as you effectively just made your former argument kind of pointless. Basically, my questions for the GM was: "Have you seen this? If so, what makes the two different?"

Which I still need answered. If you read IFS sheet before, it was: He has more endurance and strength than the average person, and is near unkillable. He's also good with guns, and such. Your character was actually stronger than this, and she still is. That's why I'm asking, I'm curious because it doesn't seem fair to me.
The original version of IFS's character (which may or may not have been edited; I haven't checked yet) was that if he died, his body reformed at the medallion. My issue wasn't with the regeneration effect but with the fact that nothing could kill him. That's why drmigit's power got a pass.

That said...

drmigit2 said:
"She began studying possible rituals and came across the Lambton Worm, a type II monster that has the power of near-immortal type regeneration. Through some seedy connections and muscle, Christina managed to gather the materials necessary, and ripped the regeneration out of one of those worms, giving herself the ability to recover from almost any form of damage."

In case you missed it, I actually mention the creature that the healing comes from. It's called the Lambton Worm. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lambton_Worm

They CAN be killed if cut up into pieces and if those pieces aren't allowed to rejoin. The Lambton Worm is basically immortal because it's also a hyper-powerful dragon on top of having the healing factor. Simply put, any creature with powers beyond "I have a gun" should be able to do it pretty easily if Christina gets careless. The weaknesses are pretty clear cut to anyone who bothers to look up what a Lambton Worm is.
You should have mentioned this in the arcana section (it is a power after all) though I did see it so it wasn't a major foul or anything. Where does it mention the dragon being able to regenerate; I can't seem to find it on the wikipedia page?

drmigit2 said:
hiei82 said:
Edited the revolver to just have gorgon stone powers. Should be easier to balance around and is still relatively powerful when she has the element of surprise. As for the background, it's implied that there is a high chance mr.vampire has left town. Still gotta follow dem leads though.
On a related note, I've also expressed some disagreement with petrification powers. I generally don't approve of any effect that can:
1) make you unstoppable
2) Insta-defeat/kill
3) Control others without their consent

My reasons are that #1 makes the game boring, #2 means I don't have anything I can use to make the game interesting (and thus also boring), and 3 can be used on players which only leads to problems. I don't mind the insanity/plague effect so much as the obedience effect from the original gun. Maybe consider exchanging the obedience effect for a more direct approach (i.e. my bullets cause explosions or melt your face or my gun shoots lightning)

IFS said:
drmigit2 said:
If you don't know what a Lambton Worm is, and don't want to look it up, then that's really not my fault. The wikipedia article pretty clearly explains what the worm is, what it does, how its healing works and how it is killed.
Not the point, the point is that someone shouldn't have to read up on some monster just to understand how something works for a character. Is your character a Lambton Worm? No. So I shouldn't have to know how a Lambton worm's powers work to understand how your character's powers work. Again just my personal opinion, but I will point out that if you'd simply put the explanation in the sheet instead of leaving it hidden behind a link then this argument would never have happened in the first place.
You make a point, but I don't have any trouble searching out monsters on google. I will say that making it clear whether a monster is something you made or something mythological is something I prefer since I'm human and therefore don't know every mythological creature that has ever been thought up.

TheIronRuler said:
Not G. Ivingname said:
If I may suggest a compromise for this character.

Take away his ability to regenerate from the maggots and have him dead set in his ways of thinking. Both are entirely justified, given his ancient yet weakened state.

Have, at his height, you could easily pull yourself from complete destruction. However, today, you would struggle to even grow an arm back. Your weakened state has left you very mortal, and will wither away if you don't get to feast on a new child and fast.

For humans, as we age, we get set in our ways. We become less creative, less able to learn new things, or change. That is why their music always sounds better, and the "Rapping" and "Da Rub stemp" sounds only like noise. Your old even by demon's standards. You can barely understand how much the world has changed since you left, how much humanity has grown, technologically AND socially. Your old, but you haven't really paid attention to any information you have gathered in several thousands of years. You cling to ideas, that humans would gladly hand their children to a protector, keep overestimating your abilities, and keep following the same tactics you used when you ruled over man. So, your character wouldn't be able to see through everything hiei82 throws at your character.
@TheIronRuler: I'm willing to work with Not's compromise. My only other request is to change the character name to something you made up; just so we don't risk the Factions going "Potential type 5; must kill". You don't even have to change the identity; just go by a different name.

Texas Joker 52 said:
He's the GM, and he knows what he's doing.
>_>

<_<

Yes... I know exactly what I'm doing...

<__>
 

hiei82

Dire DM (+2 HD and a rend attack
Aug 10, 2011
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deathbydeath said:
Name: Minerva (Legal Last Name: Rametta)

Gender & Age: Although she isn't human and doesn't originate from this world, Minerva is certainly female and has lived on Earth for roughly six years.

Appearance: Minerva's "natural" form is, for the most part, the form of a sultry woman in her late twenties/early thirties. The parts that aren't, however, are hardly human at all.

Instead of hair growing from Minerva's scalp, snakes grow instead and they are all very much alive. The snakes each have consciousnesses separate from Minerva, although their moods are effected by hers and they obey her like well trained pets. The second distinction between Minerva and human women are the eyes. Her eyes are yellow, and while that is abnormal, the real fun is what happens when you look into them. Minerva's visage, along with the rest of her form, is designed to be attractive and almost radiates sensuality. When you look into her eyes, though, she becomes as horrific as she was attractive and as repulsive as she was sensual. Fortunately this only lasts a moment, because after a glimpse the victim turns to stone.

Other than her bizarre hair and horrifying eyes, Minerva is a perfectly attractive woman who rarely dresses casually and is almost tall enough to be considered statuesque. Her voice, which is breathtaking to listen to, has traces of an Italian, so when she poses as a human Minerva uses it to claim Italian heritage.

Faction: Minerva is a Turned and an Independent, although if she is accepted into the RP she will most likely be "recruited" (read: coerced/threatened into joining) by one of the organizations.

Biography/History: On December 21st, 2012, a rift between worlds opened in upstate Rhode Island and a monster walked through. She was a predator, molded into the image of woman and serpent, and she was created to kill and to rule. Naming herself Minerva, she began to do just that.

She wormed her way through towns and areas that weren't too densely populated, picking off individuals in ways that challenged her and made her earn her victory. During her first few years of existing Minerva hunted and conquered the nearby humans, and this fulfilled her. Her unseen dominion could be felt if you knew it was there, and Minerva's reign was maintained through subtlety and trickery; if the wrong humans pried too closely they would find a trail leading out of town or to a different local monster's lair. After several years of this, however, something strange happened: Minerva started to care.

At first it was a transactional and logical affair, where Minerva would protect her territory (which is now an area around Quincy, Ma) from threats so she could maintain her control without interference. Gradually it became more benevolent, where Minerva would arrange favorable circumstances for the humans in her domain, claiming that as they grew more prosperous it would come around and benefit her. Over time Minerva grew to guard and nurture the humans around her in the same way a gardener would attend to the needs of their garden. Like before, her presence in the area was barely felt and hardly seen, but it was still there. Once she had incorporated enough illusions she even acquired a legal identity and began masquerading as a human among the rest of them as a way of familiarizing herself with this species she had come to admire and embrace.

Personality: Minerva is a shell of civility built over a storm of base and monstrous instincts. On the surface, she boasts discipline, culture, courtesy, and she's even a little charming. She has a repertoire of dry humor and her playful demeanor makes her quite good at holding a conversation. This is only the surface, however, and it hides a rather vicious and ruthless core.

Minerva has been able to exert more control over herself since she began living in Quincy, although she occasionally sets aside an opportunity to "indulge" her less civilized urges before they become a problem. Lastly, there's a bit of a maternal streak to be found in Minerva, from how she treats her friends to the way she cares for the serpents atop her head. This trait is subtle, certainly, but it is there nonetheless.

Arcana: What little spellcasting talent Minerva has she uses to maintain disguises. Her natural appearance isn't exactly inconspicuous and so looking like everyone else makes everything easier.
There are two particular illusions Minerva uses the most. The most common is an inscription on her forehead that makes her hair look normal and not like live snakes. The second is a complex series of scribbles around her eyes that create one-way illusions covering her eyes so that she can look out, no one can look in her eyes, and they appear a normal color that isn't yellow. Because this is painfully difficult to inscribe and disables her petrifaction, Minerva usually substitutes it for a pair of sunglasses despite the problems those can bring.

Notable Skills:
Minerva is a predator, created to hunt and pursue the prey she chooses. This is reflected in her body structure, which is light and possesses extremely fast reflexes and reaction times. This efficiency forces Minerva to make do without the strength and size of her extraplanar brethren, which in turn forces her to stray from direct confrontations because she takes a hit as well as the average human (not too well).
Minerva's gaze can turn others into stone. This requires both parties to be looking directly into the other's eyes, without obstructions like tinted glass or polarized lenses (glass that doesn't interfere with light passing through it won?t interfere with Minerva's gaze, either). This effect is instantaneous against humans and even when Minerva doesn't want to petrify a human, if their eyes meet the human will be turned to stone. Things start to get difficult, however, when her gaze is used against demons.

-Petrifying T1 monsters saps Minerva?s strength, and unlike humans this process takes five to six seconds of uninterrupted eye contact in order to turn them into stone.
-T2 demons take more time and effort to petrify than T1s and the smarter and more cunning beings can fight the effect, turning the process into a battle of wills, although if Minerva fails to turn them then she would simply be much more tired than if she succeeded and her power would not backfire.
-Type IIIs are next to impossible for Minerva to petrify, being far beyond scope of power. While there is still a very slight chance for Minerva to succeed, if she fails she could wind up turning herself into stone if she exhausts herself too much or if the target is extremely intelligent.
-Minerva cannot petrify Type IV or Type V extraplanars.

Minerva can also undo her petrifaction, although it involves inscribing an inconveniently detailed rune onto the nape of the victim's neck (or an equivalent for non-humanoids) using a certain ink she manufactures.

Other:
-If Minerva is a Type II demon.
-Minerva can sense what her serpents sense, and her serpents have the same general senses as their Earthling counterparts.
-Minerva is fluent in English and competent in Spanish.
-During her tenure posing as a human, Minerva picked up chess and the piano as hobbies.
Okay; it's passable but there will be humans who can resist the petrification effect like a Type I (usually mages)
 

hiei82

Dire DM (+2 HD and a rend attack
Aug 10, 2011
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Drummodino said:
hiei82 said:
Name: Adrian Drake

Gender & Age: Male, 35

Appearance:

Standing at 6'9 and possessing a large, muscular physique, Adrian towers over most humans. Of African-American descent, what remains of his original skin is coal-black. His hair is black too, although he keeps his face and scalp clean shaven.

An augmented human, Adrian has had the dull-red scales of a lizard demon grafted onto his skin. Only his head, neck and palms remain uncovered. His eyes have been augmented too, they produce a soft, red glow.

To hide his augmented features, Adrian's usual attire consists of black combat boots, cargo pants and shirt. A silver buckled belt and a red coat complete the outfit. He wears dark sunglasses whenever he wants to disguise his red eyes. His weapon of choice is the sword Souldrinker, an ancient blade which contains a powerful demon trapped within itself. He carries this sword in hand most of the time, although he will strap it to his back if needed.

Faction: Cabal

Biography/History:

Growing up in the New York chapter of the Cabal, Adrian has been aware of the paranormal all his life. He quickly developed a fascination with demons, the tales of their incredible powers were always his favourite as a child. His parents approved of his interest in the subject, they were high ranking members of the chapter and after his older sister ran away from it all, they were glad to have one of their children stay within the organization.

As he grew older, Adrian's fascination with the power of demons slowly morphed into a fascination with power itself. He didn't want to settle as some nobody researcher for the Cabal - he wanted to become somebody people would recognize, somebody people would fear.

This obsession with power drove him to train every day, in unarmed combat and with the sword. He disliked the thought of long range combat, preferring to get up close and personal with his opponent. As he entered adulthood, his training combined with his hulking size made him a fearsome opponent.

Throughout his twenties Adrian primarily worked as muscle for the Cabal, and he gained recognition for his ferocity and effectiveness. He remained fascinated with demons and even dabbled in some research of the subject, but he did not take to scholarly work nearly as well as he did to fighting. While he's certainly not stupid, his brain just wasn't wired for that sort work, and that frustrated him greatly.

On the day of the return, Adrian was overjoyed. The object of his fascination returning to the world? He couldn't imagine anything better. Now perhaps he could find a way to claim their power for his own.

As Cabal members began to research and undergo augmentation, Adrian eyed them hungrily. He wanted to become augmented himself, but he lacked the skill and knowledge to do so. There is more than one way to obtain the power of demons though, and deep in an old Cabal vault Adrian found such a way.

The ancient sword Souldrinker. The demon Eligos is trapped within this blade, giving it great power. Adrian claimed this sword as his own and put it to good use, hunting and killing lower tier monsters for the Cabal. In one particular fight, Adrian found himself outnumbered and backed into a corner by three lizard demons. Out of options he allowed Eligos to take control. Tendrils crawled up his arm as the unleashed demon made short work of his lesser foes. As Adrian regained control, something amazing happened. Instead of Eligos incorporating the demon material, Adrian himself did. Scales emerged all over his body, leaving only his head, neck and palms untouched.

Adrian's augmentation made him a much more deadly opponent, allowing him to hold his own against more powerful enemies. He has only unleashed Eligor once since that day, when fighting a harpy. This battle enhanced his eyes, granting him more powerful vision, especially at night.

Now Adrian is working as a field operative for the Cabal, hunting down and killing monsters as they appear. He has arrived in Boston in search of his next target.

Personality:

Adrian is a very driven individual. When on a job he focuses on it completely, pursuing his prey doggedly. He won't harm innocents intentionally, but he will not go out of his way to protect them either. If it comes to a choice between saving someone or taking down his target, most of the time he will go for the target. Adrian is also still looking for ways to increase his power, whether it's through additional augmentations or just improving his combat prowess. He fears unleashing Eligos too much though, not only does he hate the feeling of someone else controlling his body, he fears what would happen if the demon never relinquished it. As such he only uses it in the most dire of circumstances.

Outside of a mission, Adrian is a bit more relaxed. He is aware that the Cabal needs to maintain good relations with the rest of the world, so he tries not to offend anyone needlessly. If you gain his respect enough, he may even act friendly towards you. Do not piss him off though, his anger is terrible to behold.

Arcana/Divinity/Extraplanar Tech:

Augmentation Arcana. Adrian's demon eyes give him enhanced vision, especially at night. His scale armour is very strong, capable of deflecting small calibre bullets and most conventional weaponry. Some of the demonic power has leaked from the augmentations into Adrian, giving him enhanced strength and speed. This means he is not encumbered by his scale armour in any way.

The sword Souldrinker is a magical artifact, with abilities of its own that Adrian can utilize (See it's personal character sheet for these).

Notable Skills:

-Excellent swordsman
-Proficient unarmed fighter
-Enhanced strength and speed
-Enhanced vision

Okay I changed his story to being augmented through Eligos, since he's not much of a researcher. Let me know what you think and if you have any further issues! :D

EDIT: Oh, I have a question. How painful would the augmentation process be? I didn't mention it because I wasn't sure.
edits work for me.

The Augmentation process would be somewhat painful but, as long as you don't mess up the rituals, it wouldn't be too bad. That said; if you screw up the rituals and survive, you'd likely be scared for life by the pain
 

drmigit2

New member
Dec 25, 2008
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hiei82 said:
Hmmm. The purpose of the revolver is so that she isn't entirely defenseless, just mostly. How about the bullets burrow inside the body, then explode with elemental abilities at her discretion? Implied that the blast is fairly powerful, though most type II monsters would need to be weakened first for them to kill.

As for where it says. To quote from the myth

"Various villagers and knights come to slay the monster but find that slicing off sections of the worm is ineffective as the creature seems to be able to reattach lost parts without much permanent damage. Moreover, anyone who comes too close to the worm finds themselves caught in its coils and slowly squeezed to death."
 

hiei82

Dire DM (+2 HD and a rend attack
Aug 10, 2011
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drmigit2 said:
hiei82 said:
Hmmm. The purpose of the revolver is so that she isn't entirely defenseless, just mostly. How about the bullets burrow inside the body, then explode with elemental abilities at her discretion? Implied that the blast is fairly powerful, though most type II monsters would need to be weakened first for them to kill.

As for where it says. To quote from the myth

"Various villagers and knights come to slay the monster but find that slicing off sections of the worm is ineffective as the creature seems to be able to reattach lost parts without much permanent damage. Moreover, anyone who comes too close to the worm finds themselves caught in its coils and slowly squeezed to death."
The blast power works; just know that some creatures will have natural armor limiting the burrow effect. Again, not gonna be an insta-kill effect.

Okay; took me a while to find that version of the myth (apparently there are multiple versions because mythology)
 

drmigit2

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hiei82 said:
drmigit2 said:
hiei82 said:
Hmmm. The purpose of the revolver is so that she isn't entirely defenseless, just mostly. How about the bullets burrow inside the body, then explode with elemental abilities at her discretion? Implied that the blast is fairly powerful, though most type II monsters would need to be weakened first for them to kill.

As for where it says. To quote from the myth

"Various villagers and knights come to slay the monster but find that slicing off sections of the worm is ineffective as the creature seems to be able to reattach lost parts without much permanent damage. Moreover, anyone who comes too close to the worm finds themselves caught in its coils and slowly squeezed to death."
The blast power works; just know that some creatures will have natural armor limiting the burrow effect. Again, not gonna be an insta-kill effect.

Okay; took me a while to find that version of the myth (apparently there are multiple versions because mythology)
Not to spoil anything, but the typical way my character would go about killing something would be to research it, document weaknesses, and stage an ambush, rather than just kick down its front door.
 

hiei82

Dire DM (+2 HD and a rend attack
Aug 10, 2011
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drmigit2 said:
hiei82 said:
drmigit2 said:
hiei82 said:
Hmmm. The purpose of the revolver is so that she isn't entirely defenseless, just mostly. How about the bullets burrow inside the body, then explode with elemental abilities at her discretion? Implied that the blast is fairly powerful, though most type II monsters would need to be weakened first for them to kill.

As for where it says. To quote from the myth

"Various villagers and knights come to slay the monster but find that slicing off sections of the worm is ineffective as the creature seems to be able to reattach lost parts without much permanent damage. Moreover, anyone who comes too close to the worm finds themselves caught in its coils and slowly squeezed to death."
The blast power works; just know that some creatures will have natural armor limiting the burrow effect. Again, not gonna be an insta-kill effect.

Okay; took me a while to find that version of the myth (apparently there are multiple versions because mythology)
Not to spoil anything, but the typical way my character would go about killing something would be to research it, document weaknesses, and stage an ambush, rather than just kick down its front door.
Which is fine; just know that the best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry. Sometimes your not gonna be able to control the hunt.
 

drmigit2

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hiei82 said:
drmigit2 said:
hiei82 said:
drmigit2 said:
hiei82 said:
Hmmm. The purpose of the revolver is so that she isn't entirely defenseless, just mostly. How about the bullets burrow inside the body, then explode with elemental abilities at her discretion? Implied that the blast is fairly powerful, though most type II monsters would need to be weakened first for them to kill.

As for where it says. To quote from the myth

"Various villagers and knights come to slay the monster but find that slicing off sections of the worm is ineffective as the creature seems to be able to reattach lost parts without much permanent damage. Moreover, anyone who comes too close to the worm finds themselves caught in its coils and slowly squeezed to death."
The blast power works; just know that some creatures will have natural armor limiting the burrow effect. Again, not gonna be an insta-kill effect.

Okay; took me a while to find that version of the myth (apparently there are multiple versions because mythology)
Not to spoil anything, but the typical way my character would go about killing something would be to research it, document weaknesses, and stage an ambush, rather than just kick down its front door.
Which is fine; just know that the best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry. Sometimes your not gonna be able to control the hunt.
It's a good thing I can put my arm back on when they do.
 

The_R3d_Fury

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[quote="hiei82" post="540.845939.20864015
Hm... I like the concept, but I'm not sure how it will work. Keep in mind the monsters only returned to the world 5 to 6 years ago, so powerful Vampire Covens aren't really a thing yet. I'll be happy to work with you to figure out a way to work the character concept out; I'm just not sure how to do it yet.[/quote]

What if I changed it to a smaller group? This sounds like a pretty darn awesome RP and I'd love to be. Part of it, so I'm happy to tweak the sheet until you're happy with it.
 

hiei82

Dire DM (+2 HD and a rend attack
Aug 10, 2011
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The_R3d_Fury said:
hiei82 said:
What if I changed it to a smaller group? This sounds like a pretty darn awesome RP and I'd love to be. Part of it, so I'm happy to tweak the sheet until you're happy with it.
A smaller group should work. Vampires in this game will be the more modern disease-like version where people become infected with Vampirism. As such, they could infect people who already had power but there's no huge conflict between Werewolves and Vampires a la Underworld. They don't like each other much either mind you; it's just not a special hatred. Any difficulties between the two groups is on a personal level; not a societal level (not that either have a true society yet)
 

DarkRawen

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Apr 20, 2010
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hiei82 said:
DarkRawen said:
Hm, that makes it easier for me as you effectively just made your former argument kind of pointless. Basically, my questions for the GM was: "Have you seen this? If so, what makes the two different?"

Which I still need answered. If you read IFS sheet before, it was: He has more endurance and strength than the average person, and is near unkillable. He's also good with guns, and such. Your character was actually stronger than this, and she still is. That's why I'm asking, I'm curious because it doesn't seem fair to me.
The original version of IFS's character (which may or may not have been edited; I haven't checked yet) was that if he died, his body reformed at the medallion. My issue wasn't with the regeneration effect but with the fact that nothing could kill him. That's why drmigit's power got a pass.
Hm, I see your reasoning. Man, considering how simple your reply to this is, I kind of wish I'd just asked you privately or just before you got on or something, instead I have look at my first post on the topic and wonder just where I went wrong... :/

Oh well, all is done now. :p

This might not be that relevant, but I promise that the next time someone I'm not asking something replies to a question of mine, I'll ignore it, insults be damned. Would save everyone a whole lot of trouble. XD
 

Ruedyn

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So rather than sort through a cluster fuck, here's another idea I had. Seeing as no one else in a spell caster...

Name: Jon Doe, "Frankenstein Jr."
Gender & Age: Male, 7 (technically anyways)

Appearance: A tall, broad shouldered, but quite a thin and pale thing. Jon has an androgynous face, two large stitches running across the cheeks, with clear signs that he plays with it. Other scars and stitches are hidden across his body as well, but none too noticeable. His face is framed with curly brown hair that nearly falls to his shoulders, and his mouth is usually covered with a scarf to hide his prominent scars. Jon likes to dress in a flashy way; a double breasted navy blue suit, a pointed wizard hat of the same color, and the aforementioned deep purple scarf. Usually forgoes shoes when he's allowed, but always wears one glove with his name on it, for "slinging spells" as he calls it.

Faction: Cabal

Biography/History: The first thing in his previous life, that Jon can remember at any rate, is a plane going down. He was holding a small girl close and helping them with their breathing mask. A lot of noise quickly turned to none as his vision turned black, and the next thing he knew he was on a silver table, a bright light on his face and a dozen hooded men murmuring above him. The next couple of months were physical therapy, and a recap in his new home of Alexandria.

Apparently he was now to live life as a Flesh Golem. A spirit trapped inside a body stitched from several beings, or maybe just one or two. The plane crash was messy, so he's been told. He was also told he was a wizard of some sort, and researching into Augmentation. Didn't take too long to figure out he had no bleeding idea what they were talking about, then the retraining started up. Turned out undeath gave him a new power, mixed his inherent Incorporation skill with his spell casting to make something... new. This gave the higher ups within the Cabal to start experimentation, scalpels and that table and light became all too common place for him.

Only recently has he begun doing things again, often sent out with groups and able to test his training. He's not battle hardened, but he's getting to something approaching what he used to be. This mission to Boston will be his third mission in this new life, and while he hates the idea of babysitters on this mission, he just likes the idea of being trusted enough to leave the Labs.

Personality: Jon's an optimistic sort, it's hard to not be when everything's new and exciting. Childlike isn't the best word for him, he's by no means innocent. He's a liar- his whole world and existence being a secret, he felt he needed to be. This tends to build a wall between him and new people. The value of life has also been drilled into him since day one, out of necessity; he'll rarely go for a kill right off the bat, looking to incapacitate instead, or leaves it to the mortals.

He retains a few memories of a past life, and a few values as well. He has an intense loyalty for the Cabal, and underestimates the non-magical, seeing the faithful as inherently dumber than arcana users (though perhaps more loyal), and those without either as people to protect or simple weaklings. He's also mildly uncomfortable in planes, and has a minor habit of mouthing off when he's winning a fight.

Arcana: He lives up to his nickname with a strange ability all his own; A form of spell casting that allows him to buff himself up with any material on hand. A sort of very fast acting Incorporation, with sacrificed potency. He can pick up a concrete slab and get just as hardy, or a wing and get flight- but never both at the same time. He overloads himself if he does that, his body automatically pushing the previous power out of his system to avoid shock.

On top of this strange ability, he has a minor ability with regular Arcana Spell-casting. Though he isn't very strong with it, he'll still look impressive to a muggle. Has to be careful to only touch it with his gloved hand, too. Wouldn't want dragon blood powers when you're fighting a yeti.

Notable Skills: His physical abilities are a bit better than a normal man, though improved slightly higher by not having a nervous system. He can't feel pain, allowing him to push his body to the brink, and even beyond it accidentally. Luckily, stitching himself back up isn't a problem, and he is a magnificent tailor. Beyond this, no real skills, but a knack for learning quickly.

Other: He has some knowledge on most major languages on the world, though has a habit of only cursing in Hebrew. Dislikes holy objects, and doesn't like pointy sharp things getting too close to him.
 

drmigit2

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One other question, as an augmenter my powers are drawn from creatures that already exist. You implied in an earlier post that it might be allowed for me to make up creatures from which I can draw powers. Is this true, and aside from no mind control/insta gib powers, what are the limits of these augmentations?
 

Lotus_Gait

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EDITED.

Sheet is completed. I think I've put all relevant information into the Biography and Personality sections... If anything's not clear or if people have general comments, please don't hesitate.

Name: Jake Saylin
Gender & Age: Male, 35

Appearance: Jake stands at an average 5'10" and weighs just over 12 stone. His hair is a dark brown that falls below his ears, stopping just short of his shoulders and pretty much always looking wind-swept. He hasn't owned a comb since he was a kid. Jake hasn't shaved in the past week and so has amassed a scratchy covering of stubble. His hazel eyes are often weary and cast a haunted look to his fairly good-looking features.

Jake tends to wear casual clothes. He currently sports a pair of baggy, dark grey jeans, a navy long-sleeved top with the sleeves rolled to just under his elbows and a black suede jacket with the zip halfway up. A pair of dark red skate shoes on his feet, and a jumble of beaded bracelets on his left wrist complete the outfit.

When Jake has his arms bared, you can see that his right arm has various tattoos running from the wrist to just above the elbow. These are mainly band and video game tattoos from his youth, but the most notable are the bats [http://www.tattoobite.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/amazing-bats-tattoo-design.jpg] running up and around his forearm.

Faction: The Consortium. Specifically the worldwide print news conglomerate, EarthSheet, that specialises in fabricating stories in order to keep the Extraplanar activity a secret from the entire public.

Growing up, Jake's life was unremarkably average. He was born and raised in New York with both parents earning enough to make living comfortable. He was just a regular kid who liked to read, play videogames and listen to loud, heavy music.

As an adult, Jake found himself graduating NYU with a degree in Journalism and already a local reputation as an entertaining and truthful newswriter and commentator. As the years progressed, Jake pursued his career as a print journalist for various magazines, earning himself a national reputation as being one of the most trustworthy and talented young writers in America. Eventually, after winning a number of national and international journalistic awards, Jake was offered a writing job at one of the world's leading magazines. Without much hesitation, he accepted and soon found himself thrust into the international spotlight because of his approach to investigative journalism.

Despite the responsibilities of his work and being in the public eye, Jake never really grew up. He would still go see bands play whenever he could and he'd often spurn dinner parties with high-profile guests in favour of playing the latest video games. He became a notorious symbol of independence and irresponsibility in the face of the pompous world of print journalism. Many of his peers despised him behind their backs, joking about the "crass nature of the man-boy's articles". But Jake didn't care.

All Jake really cared about was the woman he married after knowing for two years, Melissa. They had a daughter, Amy, and were living very comfortably in New York when the 21st of December 2012 came around. It wasn't until summer of 2013 that Jake's life would be affected by the arrival of the Extraplanar beings.

During that summer, Jake found himself recruited by an entirely international news conglomerate called EarthScreen. He was paid an insane amount but the stipulations were that if he ever tried to leave the job or tell anyone of the details - including his family - he would be killed. With surprisingly little resignation at these stipulations, Jake accepted the job, which turned out to be a kind of anti-journalism.

Jake's job was to be sent to areas of Extraplanar activity that had high risks of being exposed to the public. He would investigate the area, interview supposed witnesses and then fabricate a believable story in order to keep things secret. Obviously, the revelations of Extraplanar beings were an initial shock to Jake; but not as big a shock to what he would learn about the factions in years to come.

For five years, Jake has covered up over one hundred incidents - some small, some large - but has still only encountered one Extraplanar entity alive. One night, when walking back to his apartment, Jake was terrified to be confronted by himself. Unsure of what to do, he tried to step around the doppelganger, only for it to suddenly transform into his seven year-old daughter. Numb with fear, Jake believes the thing would have killed him there if it hadn't been scared off by a nearby car alarm. After that day, Jake bought a gun and sought out an old Foundation contact to procure a powerful weapon to use against any Extraplanar threat.

Today, Jake is only the dimmest shadow of his former self; his wife and daughter have noticed the dramatic melancholy that seems to be crippling the man they love, but he still tries to hide this from them. He's been seeing a therapist in order to put their minds at ease, but without telling the truth, how can he hope to unload the heavy burdens weighing down his life?

Only once has Jake contemplated suicide. The gun's muzzle was pressed against his temple before he realised that he could never willingly leave his family. And so Jake fights on, doing what he tenuously believes is his duty to the world.

Personality: Jake is a deeply troubled man. Knowing enough about the existence of Extraplanar beings, he lives his life in perpetual terror. He has only ever encountered one such being but it confirmed to him the fears outlined by HP Lovecraft a hundred years ago; that humanity is insubstantial and its existence inconsequential in the face of such incomprehensibly superior beings. His terror stems from the knowledge that any of these creatures could attack - and kill - him with impunity, or that at any moment, Earth could cease to exist should a Type V creature decide upon it.

Many with Jake's heavy heart would likely have ended it long ago, but he continues to fight through his terror. For one thing, he has a family that he could never willingly leave for death. For another, he struggles within himself to find the best course of action for his journalistic talents.

For five years, Jake has worked as one of the foremost EarthScreen reporters, liaising with other companies in The Consortium and Foundation to alter the news in order cover up strange goings-on. However, having gone into journalism to pursue truth for the common man, Jake obviously considers himself a terrible hypocrite and liar, but struggles with the concept of revealing to the world exactly what he knows. On the one hand, he believes that humanity deserves to know the truth. On the other hand, he doesn't think humanity is ready for the truth. He considers his own terror as part of the argument and often concludes that if the truth were to be leaked before the public were ready, then the ensuing panic would be a disaster far greater than the current Extraplanar activity.

Aside from these hesitations, Jake also has misgivings about the ethics involved in some of the factions' practices. The Foundation's experiments help mankind but, morally, aren't they just torturing and operating on unconsenting living creatures? Jake can't decide either way. The process of harvesting holds a similar conundrum for him.

In terms of the other factions, and magically-geared persons, Jake holds a sort of frightened respect. Compared to them, Jake feels as he does against the Extraplanars - insignificant. However, he also likes to think of himself as one of the few representatives of the common man. He may feel like a fairly useless and always terrified representative, but he likes to think it keeps the world balanced, and that if he can survive then perhaps so can the rest of humanity. And that's a thought worth holding onto.

Despite constantly worrying himself over the fate of the world, Jake tries to be congenial to people and never goes out of his way to upset others, just in case they happen to be a vampire or shapeshifter or something. On rare occasions, the old Jake surfaces - fun-loving, passionate - but is quickly stamped down again by thoughts of humanity's irrelevance.

Extraplanar Technology: After his first, and only, terrifying encounter with an Extraplanar being, Jake decided to call in a favour owed him by a top Foundation scientist. The favour consisted of asking for a weapon capable of protecting Jake from the dangers of Extraplanar beings. With a host of warnings about it's dangers, the scientist handed over 'The Firestorm'.

'The Firestorm' is a small, grenade-like device that has a button at it's top with a sharp pin attached to the button. The only way for the user to activate the device is to draw blood on the pin whilst pressing the button. 'The Firestorm' contains the pure essence of an Ifrit and when activated, produces a raging inferno (much like this [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B2ovWefwC3w]) around a ten metre radius, with the user at the center. The act of drawing blood as you activate the device is a failsafe produced by The Foundation, that creates an affinity between the user and the Ifrit's fire, stopping the user from being engulfed in the flames.

Once activated, 'The Firestorm' lasts approximately 7 seconds. All attempts at measuring it's heat levels have proven unsuccessful as all materials seem to be destroyed by the fire.

'The Firestorm' is a very formidable weapon, just what Jake needs to keep himself safe. Unfortunately, he has never used it and is still unsure exactly what it does, aside from "make fire". Also, due to the fact that it uses powerful Extraplanar materials, he is deeply, deeply afraid of it and will only ever consider using it if all other options have failed.

Aside from 'The Firestorm', Jake also carries a regular 9mm hand gun. He's never fired it.

Notable Skills: Jake has a lot of contacts, expecially within The Consortium and Foundation. Many companies that he has helped in the past owe him some favours that he could call upon in times of need. This could amount to weapons, military aid, money or even just refuge.

Being a journalist who makes his living outright lying about worldly events, Jake is great at manipulating people. He's conscious of how immoral it can be, but in a world where shadow creatures can eat his face off, he's not completely bothered by lying and manipulating people to survive. As a result of this, people tend to like him, though whether they're seeing the real Jake Saylin is up for debate. It's highly unlikely though.

Other: Jake enjoys reading. In his youth, Jake read lot of HP Lovecraft's stories and, despite trying for the past five years, he just can't shake the feeling that the bloody guy was right about humanity's role in the universe.

Jake has been sent to Boston by EarthScreen in order to investigate the recent murders and fabricate a story suitable for the world's public to see.

On his person, Jake carries a notebook and pen, a dictaphone, a mobile phone, a small book containing all his important contacts (in case he loses his phone), a 9mm hand gun and 'The Firestorm' device.

At his hotel, he also has a suitcase that contains a laptop, a copy of Catch-22, toiletries and a week's worth of clothes.

A note on Jake's introduction into the RP: I think he'd be suited to getting rescued after being attacked? Or perhaps interviewing another character about the murders before being dragged into the thick of things?

To be honest, I'm not entirely bothered how he'd be introduced so if anyone else has any suggestions, they're more than welcome.

Any initial comments/questions are encouraged and welcomed.
 

Terratina.

RIP Escapist RP Board
May 24, 2012
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hiei82 said:
Drummodino said:
Yo dawg, I edited!
hiei82 said:
Cool story bro.
Bro, I dig those edits.
Yo dawg, I heard you like edits.

Name: Eligos
Gender & Age: Male and as for his age, at least over a thousand years old.
Faction: Turned

Appearance: One could easily mistake Eligos for an artifact of some sort. He rests within a labour of love: a hand-and-a-half sword forged with the finest materials - for the stronger the soul, the stronger the vessel must be. At least in theory. The blade has been forged from a blessed sign of the heavens, some may call it a shooting star while the more scientifically-inclined may just call it meteoric iron - the iridium within strengthening the metal. The sword itself started out as a noble and pure vessel to house an evil and infernal demon but over time, Eligos?s demonic nature twisted it in something else.

The crossguard - once straight and true to represent the cross - has been warped into a curved thing and to the touch, it feels more like horn than metal. Almost the same thing has happened with the hilt, which has taken on a bone-like appearance and feel. What has burst through the rain guard is the one thing that is both Eligos?s pride - being the result of hundreds of years of effort - and his shame, since it drives people away. It is an eye, his eye. What remains of his eyelid is raw and red, while the eye itself is a pale yellow with a red iris and a black vortex for a pupil.

Below the eye is an inscription, hammered onto the ricasso as soon as his soul entered the blade. It reads:

'A Vessel for a Soul,
Of a Vanquished Foe.

Bound with Rites Uncommon,
And Locked with The Key of Solomon.

Once a Demon Knight.
Now takes up Another?s Fight.

By Human Hand He hath turned Traitor,
Condemned as a Demon-Slayer?s Waster.'​

In addition, tendrils emanate from the numerous small gaps in the blade, mostly around the eye itself.

Biography/History: There is little the bound demon actually remembers, what remains in his memory is his name, the title ?Great Duke of Hades? and the fact that he definitely didn?t spend the majority of his life stuck in a sword. However, for posterity?s sake, the story goes a little like this: as described in the Ars Goetia, Eligos has spent millennia ruling his sixty legions and being summoned by those who desired his assistance. Unfortunately, one summoning when a little bit wrong. At least from Eligos?s point of view. The summoning took place in winter, in the daytime where the demon knight would be at his weakest - naturally, the converse is where he would be at his strongest.

The summoning circle was surrounded with old yellow candles and thyme - the summoner had gotten everything correct. The only thing odd was that there was a rather fancy-looking sword on the mantlepiece. At first, the Great Duke thought it was to be a gift - something rather quaint. In fact, the whole setup was rather quaint - the summoner was nothing but a skinny bookworm! Eligos didn?t even even stop to think about it, though, regardless of the fact it was rather strange being so close to a forge. At first, it went smoothly, the usual deal: martial prowess for the human?s immortal soul.

Then suddenly, there are a whole circle of damn bookworms. They moved towards the summoning circle menacingly, of course, Eligos could do nothing to stop them as he was limited in terms of interacting with the mortal realm. Of course, as soon as they entered the summoning circle, the circle was broken. But before Eligos could react, he was skewered in the side by an array of holy weapons, all glowing white-hot. Along with that and the chanting, the demon knight?s armour broke. As soon as that happened, Eligos was stabbed with the blade on the mantelpiece.

The cabal of sorcerers finished the ritual by hammering the demon into the blade. Eligos only remembers the blinding pain and heat. Since then, Eligos, or rather the sword named Souldrinker, has been property of the Cabal. For years, the sword was left in storage. Eligos, naturally, took the opportunity to try and sneak out of the Cabal?s grip - mainly, the matter of being trapped in the damned blade. Of course, the reemergence of demons - or Extraplanar Entities as the humans are now calling them - ruined all of that. Now, he works, or rather is forced to work, as a demon slayer in his own little way.

Well, he didn't really have a choice in the matter. In times of peril, humans look to their stored superweapons for deliverance and the Cabal were no difference. One of them, a certain Adrian Drake, busted him out of a the Cabal Vault he was placed in. Unfortunately, the man wasn't kind enough to let Eligos go free. Adrian only saw the power that Souldrinker could give him. However, Eligos also saw an opportunity. With enough Incorporation, he could break free of his metal cage. And so, he has currently been at Adrian's side ever since. Literally.

One notable event in the history of their partnership is when the man finally let the trapped demon take over. Eligos had been awaiting that day for centuries, even if it was but a chance at gaining a human host. Fortunately for Adrian, the attempt failed. Eligos couldn't implant himself in the limited time the bond between the two was present. However, there was a small blessing: what Eligos Incorporated, Adrian did so instead and had desired that power ever since he had witnessed it - meaning Mr. Drake is blissfully unaware of Eligos's little backup plan...

At least as long as he gets some demons slain and "free" Augmentation.

Speaking of which, the pair are now in Boston, in search of more demons to slay.

Personality: What happens when nearly all of someone?s strength is sucked from them? Well, for more thing, a rage begins to burn. What happens when that is combined with being sealed in some crummy ass sword for hundreds for years? That anger simmers. In other words, Eligos is a somewhat rage-filled individual, this especially comes out when fighting. Eligos relishes combat and always looks forward to the next battle. Those who put up a poor fight are seen by Eligos as not worth the effort of cleaning the blood off the blade he is imprisoned in. Outside of combat, he is polite but sour as Eligos still has some of his pride from his glory days. Of course, most just see him as a sword with a voice - which he finds quite insulting.

Arcana/Divinity/Extraplanar Tech: None. They are the tools of humans. Well, apart from a minor bit of Arcana: using the sword?s metal as a catalyst, he can turn himself into any bladed weapon within reason. Though, he?d rather not make a habit of messing with the binding magicks within the blade. In addition to that, he can float. However, it is quite taxing and prefers to be carried - as humiliating as that is. Also, any Incorporated material can become part of the sword, for example, dragon scales for the grip. Finally, if his wielder allows it, Eligos can take control for a little while. When this happens, the previously mentioned tendrils snake up his wielder?s arm. The more trusting the wielder, the more effective Eligos?s hold is. With any enemy killed in this way, if Incorporation happens, the wielder gets the ?prizes?.

Notable Skills: While some skills have simply atrophied away due to being sealed in a lump of metal for hundred of years but he still has some tricks up his sleeve. For one thing, he has a mind for tactics and strategy, and was summoned for such advice in his glory days. And of course, as a demon, he can Incorporate. Eligos has knowledge of his home plane, though whether it is up to date or not is a matter of debate. Also, he thinks of himself as the only sword that can train someone to use one properly. However, he knows little about the human world and technology.

You edit, I edit, we all edit! :p
 

hiei82

Dire DM (+2 HD and a rend attack
Aug 10, 2011
2,463
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Ruedyn said:
So rather than sort through a cluster fuck, here's another idea I had. Seeing as no one else in a spell caster...

Name: Jon Doe, "Frankenstein Jr."
Gender & Age: Male, 7 (technically anyways)

Appearance: A tall, broad shouldered, but quite a thin and pale thing. Jon has an androgynous face, two large stitches running across the cheeks, with clear signs that he plays with it. Other scars and stitches are hidden across his body as well, but none too noticeable. His face is framed with curly brown hair that nearly falls to his shoulders, and his mouth is usually covered with a scarf to hide his prominent scars. Jon likes to dress in a flashy way; a double breasted navy blue suit, a pointed wizard hat of the same color, and the aforementioned deep purple scarf. Usually forgoes shoes when he's allowed, but always wears one glove with his name on it, for "slinging spells" as he calls it.

Faction: Cabal

Biography/History: The first thing in his previous life, that Jon can remember at any rate, is a plane going down. He was holding a small girl close and helping them with their breathing mask. A lot of noise quickly turned to none as his vision turned black, and the next thing he knew he was on a silver table, a bright light on his face and a dozen hooded men murmuring above him. The next couple of months were physical therapy, and a recap in his new home of Alexandria.

Apparently he was now to live life as a Flesh Golem. A spirit trapped inside a body stitched from several beings, or maybe just one or two. The plane crash was messy, so he's been told. He was also told he was a wizard of some sort, and researching into Augmentation. Didn't take too long to figure out he had no bleeding idea what they were talking about, then the retraining started up. Turned out undeath gave him a new power, mixed his inherent Incorporation skill with his spell casting to make something... new. This gave the higher ups within the Cabal to start experimentation, scalpels and that table and light became all too common place for him.

Only recently has he begun doing things again, often sent out with groups and able to test his training. He's not battle hardened, but he's getting to something approaching what he used to be. This mission to Boston will be his third mission in this new life, and while he hates the idea of babysitters on this mission, he just likes the idea of being trusted enough to leave the Labs.

Personality: Jon's an optimistic sort, it's hard to not be when everything's new and exciting. Childlike isn't the best word for him, he's by no means innocent. He's a liar- his whole world and existence being a secret, he felt he needed to be. This tends to build a wall between him and new people. The value of life has also been drilled into him since day one, out of necessity; he'll rarely go for a kill right off the bat, looking to incapacitate instead, or leaves it to the mortals.

He retains a few memories of a past life, and a few values as well. He has an intense loyalty for the Cabal, and underestimates the non-magical, seeing the faithful as inherently dumber than arcana users (though perhaps more loyal), and those without either as people to protect or simple weaklings. He's also mildly uncomfortable in planes, and has a minor habit of mouthing off when he's winning a fight.

Arcana: He lives up to his nickname with a strange ability all his own; A form of spell casting that allows him to buff himself up with any material on hand. A sort of very fast acting Incorporation, with sacrificed potency. He can pick up a concrete slab and get just as hardy, or a wing and get flight- but never both at the same time. He overloads himself if he does that, his body automatically pushing the previous power out of his system to avoid shock.

On top of this strange ability, he has a minor ability with regular Arcana Spell-casting. Though he isn't very strong with it, he'll still look impressive to a muggle. Has to be careful to only touch it with his gloved hand, too. Wouldn't want dragon blood powers when you're fighting a yeti.

Notable Skills: His physical abilities are a bit better than a normal man, though improved slightly higher by not having a nervous system. He can't feel pain, allowing him to push his body to the brink, and even beyond it accidentally. Luckily, stitching himself back up isn't a problem, and he is a magnificent tailor. Beyond this, no real skills, but a knack for learning quickly.

Other: He has some knowledge on most major languages on the world, though has a habit of only cursing in Hebrew. Dislikes holy objects, and doesn't like pointy sharp things getting too close to him.
It's an interesting character. Certainly breaks down my barrier between human and demon. I can't say I have any problems with it; though you may want to specify that it's a human who became more demonic.

Terratina. said:
hiei82 said:
Drummodino said:
Yo dawg, I edited!
hiei82 said:
Cool story bro.
Bro, I dig those edits.
Yo dawg, I heard you like edits.

Name: Eligos
Gender & Age: Male and as for his age, at least over a thousand years old.
Faction: Turned

Appearance: One could easily mistake Eligos for an artifact of some sort. He rests within a labour of love: a hand-and-a-half sword forged with the finest materials - for the stronger the soul, the stronger the vessel must be. At least in theory. The blade has been forged from a blessed sign of the heavens, some may call it a shooting star while the more scientifically-inclined may just call it meteoric iron - the iridium within strengthening the metal. The sword itself start out as a noble and pure vessel to house an evil and infernal demon but over time, Eligos?s demonic nature twisted it in something else.

The crossguard - once straight and true to represent the cross - has been warped into a curved thing and to the touch, it feels more like horn than metal. Almost the same thing has happened with the hilt, which has taken on a bone-like appearance and feel. What has burst through the rain guard is the one thing that is both Eligos?s pride - being the result of hundreds of years of effort - and his shame, since it drives people away. It is an eye, his eye. What remains of his eyelid is raw and red, while the eye itself is a pale yellow with a red iris and a black vortex for a pupil.

Below the eye is an inscription, hammered onto the ricasso as soon as his soul entered the blade. It reads:

'A Vessel for a Soul,
Of a Vanquished Foe.

Bound with Rites Uncommon,
And Locked with The Key of Solomon.

Once a Demon Knight.
Now takes up Another?s Fight.

By Human Hand He hath turned Traitor,
Condemned as a Demon-Slayer?s Waster.'​

In addition, tendrils emanate from the numerous small gaps in the blade, mostly around the eye itself.

Biography/History: There is little the bound demon actually remembers, what remains in his memory is his name, the title ?Great Duke of Hades? and the fact that he definitely didn?t spend the majority of his life stuck in a sword. However, for posterity?s sake, the story goes a little like this: as described in the Ars Goetia, Eligos has spent millennia ruling his sixty legions and being summoned by those who desired his assistance. Unfortunately, one summoning when a little bit wrong. At least from Eligos?s point of view. The summoning took place in winter, in the daytime.

The summoning circle was surrounded with old yellow candles and thyme - the summoner had gotten everything correct. The only thing odd was that there was a rather fancy-looking sword on the mantlepiece. At first, the Great Duke thought it was to be a gift - something rather quaint. In fact, the whole setup was rather quaint - the summoner was nothing but a skinny bookworm! Eligos didn?t even even stop to think about it, though, regardless of the fact it was rather strange being so close to a forge. At first, it went smoothly, the usual deal: martial prowess for the human?s immortal soul.

Then suddenly, there are a whole circle of damn bookworms. They moved towards the summoning circle menacingly, of course, Eligos could do nothing to stop them as he was limited in terms of interacting with the mortal realm. Of course, as soon as they entered the summoning circle, the circle was broken. But before Eligos could react, he was skewered in the side by an array of holy weapons, all glowing white-hot. Along with that and the chanting, the demon knight?s armour broke. As soon as that happened, Eligos was stabbed with the blade on the mantelpiece.

The cabal of sorcerers finished the ritual by hammering the demon into the blade. Eligos only remembers the blinding pain and heat. Since then, Eligos, or rather the sword named Souldrinker, has been property of the Cabal. For years,the sword was left in storage. Eligos, naturally, took the opportunity to try and sneak out of the Cabal?s grip - mainly, the matter of being trapped in the damned blade. Of course, the reemergence of demons - or Extraplanar Entities as the humans are now calling them - ruined all of that. Now, he works, or rather is forced to work, as a demon slayer in his own little way.

Well, he didn't really have a choice in the matter. In times of peril, humans look to their stored superweapons for deliverance and the Cabal were no difference. One of them, a certain Adrian Drake, busted him out of a the Cabal Vault he was placed in. Unfortunately, the man wasn't kind enough to let Eligos go free. Adrian only saw the power that Souldrinker could give him. However, Eligos also saw an opportunity. With enough Incorporation, he could break free of his metal cage. And so, he has currently been at Adrian's side ever since. Literally.

One notable event in the history of their partnership is when the man finally let the trapped demon take over. Eligos had been awaiting that day for centuries, even if it was but a chance at gaining a human host. Fortunately for Adrian, the attempt failed. Eligos couldn't implant himself in the limited time the bond between the two was present. However, there was a small blessing: what Eligos Incorporated, Adrian did so instead and had desired that power ever since he had witnessed it - meaning Mr. Drake is blissfully unaware of Eligos's little backup plan...

At least as long as he gets some demons slain and "free" Augmentation.

Speaking of which, the pair are now in Boston, in search of more demons to slay.

Personality: What happens when nearly all of someone?s strength is sucked from them? Well, for more thing, a rage begins to burn. What happens when that is combined with being sealed in some crummy ass sword for hundreds for years? That anger simmers. In other words, Eligos is a somewhat rage-filled individual, this especially comes out when fighting. Eligos relishes combat and always looks forward to the next battle. Those who put up a poor fight are seen by Eligos as not worth the effort of cleaning the blood off the blade he is imprisoned in. Outside of combat, he is polite but sour as Eligos still has some of his pride from his glory days. Of course, most just see him as a sword with a voice - which he finds quite insulting.

Arcana/Divinity/Extraplanar Tech: None. They are the tools of humans. Well, apart from a minor bit of Arcana: using the sword?s metal as a catalyst, he can turn himself into any bladed weapon within reason. Though, he?d rather not make a habit of messing with the binding magicks within the blade. In addition to that, he can float. However, it is quite taxing and prefers to be carried - as humiliating as that is. Also, any Incorporated material can become part of the sword, for example, dragon scales for the grip. Finally, if his wielder allows it, Eligos can take control for a little while. When this happens, the previously mentioned tendrils snake up his wielder?s arm. The more trusting the wielder, the more effective Eligos?s hold is. With any enemy killed in this way, if Incorporation happens, the wielder gets the ?prizes?.

Notable Skills: While some skills have simply atrophied away due to being sealed in a lump of metal for hundred of years but he still has some tricks up his sleeve. For one thing, he has a mind for tactics and strategy, and was summoned for such advice in his glory days. And of course, as a demon, he can Incorporate. Eligos has knowledge of his home plane, though whether it is up to date or not is a matter of debate. Also, he thinks of himself as the only sword that can train someone to use one properly. However, he knows little about the human world and technology.

You edit, I edit, we all edit! :p
Edits approved

avouleance2nd said:
Name: Bethany Sanguine

Gender (if applicable) & Age: female 22 Feb 6th

Appearance:
Her long orange hair comes in a multitude of styles and doesn?t ever stay the same for long. Bright green eyes peer out behind horned rimmed glasses, here eyes occasionally glow red but if you?re lucky you won?t have to see it. In general what skin on display is pale with a few obvious freckles here and there? Her clothes are well chosen and kept rigorously in style just like her hair she appears to shed and regrow styles more frequently than sharks change teeth.
She covers up a lot, not out of modesty but a combination of her liking it hot and not revealing too much.

Faction:
Independent, and she?s not a fighter her services are in the acquisitions business.
You want something she?ll get it, only question is the price. Most of her business deals with The Consortium, hiring her is expensive and few others can afford to pay. The Cabal and Templars both have an interest due to a unique situation she?s in but she?s on neutral and bad terms with them respectively.

Biography/History:
Beth grew up with a condition she still doesn?t fully understand. Her early life is all a bit blurry, there are faces she doesn?t recognise voices can?t understand. Like looking at an old film a foreign language from the other end of a very large room. It doesn?t feel like any of her memories actually involved her, they were just a series of things that happened without her input or comprehension.

Then abruptly out of nowhere there?s a point of clarity the first vivid memory. Not a sight or sound but a stand out sulphurous scent. Next is cold stone on one side of her body, pressed against her profile in stark contrast to the humid heat on the other side of her body.

Then a voice, a low gruff tone that seems to shake her head from the inside out.

Bastards, we had a deal.

Bethany didn?t know the voice in her head, it wasn?t in any earlier memories, and something about it focused her mind cleared her head even as it reverberated.

The things I would have told them, and all they had to do was give me a body until the heat dies down. But no I?m lumbered with some kid and not even one with a working brain

The voice initially had little interest in answering questions and was barely even saying anything else to her as Beth got up. The room she found herself in had no windows and the staircase going upwards suggested she was underground.
A pentagram chalked onto the walls had a strange green glow to it. She could feel unseen hands pull at her, she?d not chosen to pick up the dagger. For some reason the cat she found her new weapon in made her sad, not just the regular dead cat sadness but something more personal.

Beth was standing there wiping the blade clean on an old sweater she?d found herself in. There was only one way to go and that was up the stairs, there were no other inhabitants in the room. Leaving by the door at the top of creaky stairs. As the door opens she?s greeted by a spherical man draped in black and tacky jewellery, suddenly his face is beaming at Beth and opening to say. ?By god it worked, is everything satisfactory oh Dark Lord??

Before she knew it she was on top on the man, perched on his chest knife in hand suspended not a hairs breath from his jugular.

?Lord has something displeased you? I?m sorry please what would you have me do.? The fat guy sounds more apologetic than worried.

Beth replies without knowing what she?s going to say until she hears it back. ?Displeased me, I needed one body that?s all and you clearly have plenty to spare. So what on earth possessed you to put me in the body of some??
?She?s my daughter, and she?s not like that just needs a little help, that?s why I asked for you.?

It?s then Beth does something she?s never done before, the blade is thrown across the hall spattering carpet and walls.
?I?m not a killer.? She speaks slowly calmly as if forming her own sentences is an art she?s yet to perfect. ?Whoever you are, and whatever business you have in my brain you aren?t the boss of me.?

?Bethany Darling, you?ve never spoken so clearly.? There was a gleam to the man?s eyes. ?I?m so proud of you.?
There?s more clarity after that, the fog of the past blown away. Bethany stayed with the fat man for a few more years. He was fairly kind as they go and to her knowledge never sacrificed another house pet.

The voice in her head wasn?t happy with the arrangement, Beth could feel the resentment it had for the fat man. It took her considerable mental effort to separate her feelings from those of her demonic tenant.

Even so slowly tension grew, Bethany felt the need to get away. However instead of the sensible option which would be to get education or training Beth just ran.

Then followed a time she?d much rather forget, it got lonely on the streets and even more so as she tried living wild especially when the voice in her head started giving her the silent treatment.

She was half-starved before she stumbles in on the Templars, but there was food and drink better than she?s had in ages. But it?s not long before the situation gets complicated again.

The Templars knew about the voice in her head, not that Beth made any attempt to hide the fact she was possessed. An exorcism was already planned and Beth had nothing to do for the next few days but kill time and wait to be purified. She was not in the mood to starve again so couldn?t leave without help.

Help came in a strange form, in this case a trader. Odd man, rat like, on unspecified business. Rat Man spoke to Beth, the night before her exorcism. The two struck a deal, a particular item in the monastery storeroom in exchange for her passage. It?s hardly the most impressive start to a life of crime but we all have to start somewhere.

From then on the voice was more talkative and not so harsh, it started using certain less than pc words significantly less when discussing her mental capabilities. She?d done a good job getting what Rat Man needed, a combination of charm and subtlety got her the treasure she needed with little fan fair. Rat Man was impressed and always looking for ways to minimise work so taught Beth a thing or two.

She's not been in Boston long though, and the lack of contacts in this part of the world agitates her no end. She'd have done anything to stay in good sweet England, she knew London like the back of her hand and people would pay through the nose for her services.

But no it had to screw up, and at least for now there was no going back. As for why Boston specifically, Beth decided to ask the voice in her head as a joke, so as to meet her forced attempts at humour quota. To her surprise he'd genuinely recommended the city, something about a fun summer years ago. He didn't give many details beyond that. Suffice it to say a recommendation from a daemon was all the motivation she needed.

Personality
Beth is a mix bag of personality, it may be the diffusion of a greater daemon across her personality or just a result of her past. But in dealing with Beth one must consider two minds, the human part, is a sly manipulator.

She?s just the sort needed to excel in the shadows. Not that she?s just a thief or conman though. Sure there's pleasant of time spent in the dark with no one even aware she was there but there's just as much time spend in high class company scoping out potential clients and marks. She's not above paying when a large check is the most expedient solution, everything from her skills as a burglar to cold hard cash or her body are tools to get the job done.

While not expressing herself much normally she speaks well with a voice not entirely her own. Many monsters can feel it, those in the know can smell the daemon in her. She revels in the exercise of power, how her words work the minds of weaker willed creatures like clay.

But she's no fighter, weather by morality or a sense of sport she doesn't tend to like engaging in direct combat, not that she?s above defending herself and she?ll happily hand someone their ass if they force her too but she?ll always try to cut the fights short and is strictly against the lethal option. Sure she's carrying a pistol concealed somewhere but it's not on show, to her it's effective but inelegant at most a tool.

She's pretty driven, and if she's not physically hurting someone very little gets in the way of her job. Making full use of her various talents, it's not for nothing her services fetched such as high price.

The daemon is different, doesn't talk much but more than he used to. Of course no one else can hear him unless they can read minds. The creature is still unknown to Beth after all this time she's never even heard his name, or what it was doing before it came into her body and why it needed her.

She knows a few things, the creature doesn't like making a show which suits Beth well. It seems ambivalent if not outright amused at general human suffering, only occasionally sharing a sadistic secret or two when Beth hasn?t had the option of not fighting. Beth has some idea that the creature is or at least was male at some point, the daemon never outright stated such but it seems less than comfortable about certain physical realities implicit in its current host.


Arcana/Divinity/Extraplanar Tech
Beth is first and foremost a stealth user, her tools reflect that, a grappling hook pistol used more frequently than the pistol that shoots bullets. A physical skill set adept at evasion and swift movement and a surprising array of no lethal melee capabilities. She can fight but her style is more about not getting hit and finishing the fight quickly than toughing out a prolonged engagement.

However she's also got a super natural talent or two. Her voice for one exudes the authority of the daemon within her, lesser creatures and even the dumber sentient ones are easy prey her manipulation. The power could just be seen as enhanced charisma normally but it gets significantly stronger when the victim is alone, she can use it to invoke a range of emotions from intimidation to authority. There?s also a passive effect where even some tougher creatures will think twice before attacking. Her experience with possession and manipulation give her a greater resistance to those sort of influences.

At its most powerful she can have creatures (especially the feral ones) join her for a while or at least turn them from hostile to neutral.

The daemon in her occasionally steps in to control when she's desperate, it doesn't boost her physical strength by there a certain ferocity to how he fights and he knows all the painful places. Having two minds also allows her to effectively multi task, for example duel wielding different tools while using both as effectively as if they had her full attention.
The gun is mostly for show, she's about as accurate with it as most clairvoyants are with lottery numbers. She relies more on the idea she might shoot someone rather than ever following through on that threat.

She's recently got her hands on a cloaking device. However it's experimental and she isn't exactly about to ask the people who made it how it works (considering they're probably looking for her right now). She's honestly not sure how effective such a device will be but expects an opportunity will arise soon to test it out.

Notable Skills:
Most people notice Beth only when she wants them to, either passing by like a shadow and then back again only carrying more of their possessions. Or being the centre of their attention holding a room captive with an anecdote.
If need be her demonic friend can step in, still only using her pretty average strength but with a boost to her pain tolerance and her willingness to harm people.

She can also pick locks fairly well but that skill is becoming more and more redundant as everything it is being replaced with computers, and she's not very tech savvy hence her stealing a cloaking device and not knowing how to get it to work.
Her stealth is boosted by her grappling hook which while mostly used evasively has a few offensive capabilities, though no on par with just shooting. The hook is quitter though.

She also benefits from occult knowledge, after all she?s personally acquainted with a first-hand source of information.
I don't have any problems with the character and it she seems fairly well balanced. The charisma power is pushing the limit - I don't like powers that manipulate others since they can be used on other players and make otherwise more dangerous threats less so - but it's still within reason.
 

hiei82

Dire DM (+2 HD and a rend attack
Aug 10, 2011
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drmigit2 said:
One other question, as an augmenter my powers are drawn from creatures that already exist. You implied in an earlier post that it might be allowed for me to make up creatures from which I can draw powers. Is this true, and aside from no mind control/insta gib powers, what are the limits of these augmentations?
You can make up creatures, though I expect a full description of the creature should you do this. Augmented powers are always weaker than the demon who they were taken from because it's a human attempt to mimic a different being's power. This is balanced by augmenters having more leeway with what they can do (i.e. demons can eat a dragon's wings to gain flight, while an Augmenter could graft the wings to themselves to gain wings, decrease the weight of their bones, make armor that grants flight, etc). As I said; anything that causes control of others, makes you immune to threat, or makes threats obsolete are outright banned. Otherwise, try to use your best judgement. If it feels broken, it probably is.