[M&M] Blood of Emeralds

[ManEatsPants]

I am interested as well, if there are any spots left

[GleefulNihilism]

I’m not the GM but I think I’m the only one that’s actually applied yet, so go nuts MEP.

[Nightshade]

Originally Posted by ManEatsPants

I am interested as well, if there are any spots left

Deadline is February 14th.

[Avner]

Yeah as they mentioned above the deadline is Feb. 14 and there are no pre-reserved spots. I am going to choose the characters I think will fit the best after the deadline based on the applications submitted. I am looking more for characters whose story is worth telling than optimized builds. If you have any questions please ask here or pm me.

[Brian]

Originally Posted by Avner

Nice to see you XQibtor looking forward to seeing what you come up with as well.

Welcome to the site Brian! Nice to see someone willing to jump in. Please feel free to ask questions if you have them. The M&M community here is very supportive of each other.

Thanks. I was having a problem with the SRD where the power level link wasn't linking anywhere, but it appears to be fixed today. Now that I can see what points power level 10 uses, I'll be figuring out the character.

[GleefulNihilism]

My advise is that MnM is a very flexible system, arguably too much.

So if you think in terms of character first and build it in the mechanics later that'll probably work.

[Avner]

You can also always start with an archetype as a template and reskin and change it as fits your character concept.

So like glee said:

1- create the narrative first
2- identify what powers fit the narrative
3- find a template that is ‘close’
4- adapt and change it
5- ask questions to help get to the results you want

[XQbitor]

I wholly agree with the statement above: character first, crunch second. And M&M is a crunchy system
It is possible that you make a concept which falls outside the pre-written archetypes. And that's okay, I know of three fine gentlemen here already who can help out with the stats.

[Brian]

Name: David Danvers

Alias:Stutter Step

Description: In costume, Stutter Step has subdued coloring with lightweight composite reinforcement to areas likely to come in contact with objects or the enemy. One of his signature features is his quick stutter-steps at high speed that are prone to make enemy attacks miss. He shows great care to clear all civilians from the area as quickly and safely as possible.

Out of Costume David Danvers is a serious man who seems to harbor a lot of regrets. Surprisingly, people who have known him the longest say he's actually becoming less serious and burdened in recent months than he has been for years. He is in excellent shape and stands right at six feet tall with black hair and grey eyes. His skin has the unhealthy pale parlor of someone that has been spending too much time indoors, although that seems to be changing.

Age: 21

Personality: He is very serious and has a lot of concern over bystanders being injured. He harbors deep regret over not using his powers for years that holds his personality down, but the more he uses his powers for good, the less he is burdened by this past. He is rediscovering his love for athletics that he had suppressed for years, and even his sense of humor is beginning to resurface. In many ways, he's like a man waking from a coma he's been in for years.

Greatest Fear: Causing an innocent person to be hurt by his powers.

Origin: David was caught out in the Silver Storm, which mystically infused him to move at high speeds.

Powers: David can move at super speeds, completing tasks at a rapid pace and reacting to danger faster than most.

Background Background: David was a normal student, although an orphan, who loved playing soccer, volleyball, and boxing. He had a moderately decent social life with friends, budding relationships with the opposite sex, and a fairly routine life. He was out when the Storm hit and could feel his cells changing. Soon he began noticing that weird things would happen, like his perception of time slowing down when he accidentally dropped something. Once, angry that the snack machine took his change without giving out the snack he chose, he smacked the side several times, except he smacked it so rapidly that it caused the machine to vibrate violently, causing a shower of snacks falling from their racks. The school bully Nathan James dumped a soda on him one day at school, and the shove that David gave him was unintentionally fast enough to hurl Nathan into the wall, giving him a concussion and earing David a week of suspension. While on suspension he went jogging on an early morning around the orphanage grounds, as was his custom. Fortunately, no one else was up and around to see him suddenly lurch forward hundreds of yards in a moment, stopping just shy of tripping over the shrubbery. Far from being thrilled to discover he had powers, he thought of the Moore Act and the injury he had caused Nathan, and was afraid of what this could mean both for himself and for those he cared about. He began to withdraw into himself, he stopped playing sports, stopped dating, and except for the hours at school, he stopped socializing. Years passed. He passed the state age of majority and moved out of the orphanage, graduated, and got the safest job he could find as an actuary. He only kept in contact with a few friends from the orphanage and school. He would have continued this bland life if not for Ken Hawthorne, his oldest friend from the orphanage. He called David, told him he had gotten in a bad way with drugs, and he was in a house full of addicts and he wasn't feeling safe there. David took the address and went to pick him up. What happened there changed his life forever. Upon arriving, David found the address to be an abandoned building in a seedy part of town, with half the windows boarded up. He texted Ken that he was here. After several minutes, he called Ken, but it went to voicemail. David considered driving away, but Ken had been there for David when he had first moved into the orphanage, scared and alone. Sighing, David got out of the car. Despite years of inactivity, David was still in incredibly good shape, a fact that caused no small distress to David. He had considered getting a Mars Inc implant, but a streak of punk corporate distrust kept him from ever committing to it. He moved towards the building, noticing how silent it was. he stepped through the gaping hole where the door should be and the stench of unwashed bodies and a stink that told me at least one room in the house was being used as an open toilet. Below it all ran something coppery and metallic. The hairs on his arms were trying to stand on end. Something kept him from calling out, instead, he walked as quietly as possible through the filth and rubbage on the floor, peering in rooms as he went. Nothing, nobody. Until he got to the very back of the house. In the room there, a man crouched on the floor, surrounded by four bodies. One of the bodies was Ken, his open, lifeless eyes staring at the ceiling. Sunlight coming from the unboarded window and reflecting off of two wall mirrors in the room highlighted the crouching figure, blood trailing from his skin where four fresh new cuts gaped in the skin. Holy **** thought David, faced with one of Emerald City's most infamous criminals, Scarz. For a moment that seemed to stretch to infinity, they stared at each other. Then with a mad grin, Scarz flung the blade he had been using to cut himself at David. Time seemed to slow as David's power, long held in check, kicked in as adrenalin flooded David in survival mode. Scarz grin changed to an angry glare as David leaned aside as the blade passed by. "You bastard!" David shouted as he surged forward, using his speed for the first time in years. He swung fast and wild at Scarz, who managed to slip it and, a new blade appearing in his hand, almost cut David's hand before he pulled it back. Slow down, think. Remember what you learned in boxing David thought, taking a quick step to the side, he threw a right jab, which was dodged, feinted a left jab, then swung a hard right hook to Scarz's right ribs, where he landed a grazing hit. Scarz's return slash caused David to stumble back all the way to the door to avoid being cut. With mad glee, Scarz pulled the two mirrors off the walls and shattered them, sending glass shards all around him. Another blade, if by magic, appeared in his other hand as well. ****, sorry Ken, I'm out of my depth here. I don't know what to do. David stepped out the door and slammed it shut, wedging a broken bookcase against it. Then he sped out the door to his car and peeled off into the city. His jaw was set, his face wet with tears. Tears of sorrow for his friend, tears of anger at himself for wasting all those years being afraid, when he should have been helping others. If he had been faster, better, then Ken didn't have to die today. He had been a selfish ass. That ended now. Writing Sample Writing Sample: Stutter Step arrived on the scene. A solitary figure was holding a woman against the wall at knifepoint. Stutter Step had been active for about two months now, and he knew the first thing he wanted to do was separate the attacker from the victim. He ran in, shouldering the assailant while holding on to the victim, knocking the attacker several feet away. He helped the woman away from the wall. "Don't worry Ma'am, you're safe now." he winced internally, God that sounds corny. But everyone I've asked has said assuring the victim that you're in control is essential. The criminal was not without their own surprises though, as they lunged forward to attack. Several things happened at once next. Stutter Step grabbed the lady and sped her back several yards, putting her down behind him and moving back towards the criminal. The Snap of the woman's heel breaking, causing her to fall backward, bouncing against a dumpster which caused a gash to be cut in her left arm. Stutter Step rushed back and caught her before she hit the ground and after a quick check was relieved to see it was a superficial wound to the arm. But he was cold with dread all the same, Dammit! I didn't take her shoes into account. My inexperience is going to hurt someone. He scooped the woman up, racing her up the wall and laying her down on the flat roof. "Be right back"He says as he runs back down into the alley. Before the criminal can determine where he is, Stutter Step smacks the knife from his grip before a rapid series of punches renders him unconscious. He handcuffs him, making sure he isn't in reach of his blade, before bringing the woman down from the roof. "Sorry ma'am. The police and an ambulance are on the way." he says as he applies pressure to her wound. "You're going to be OK." I have to be careful. Evacuate everyone first to minimize risks. I need to find some experienced people to learn from. Otherwise, I might get an innocent person killed and do more harm than good.

[Brian]

So, I need some help setting up the luck feature I'm working on. Here are my thoughts:

Alternate effect: When standing still or moving below super-speed, it is a close-range cover effect with the following flaws: Permanent, Uncontrolled, Quirk (can cause innocent or unintended targets to provide cover), Unreliable (roll each round or each attack per GM decision, on an 11 or higher luck is active that round/attack, 10 or lower it provides no bonus)

When moving at super-speed, it turns to a personal range concealment effect with the flaws permanent, uncontrollable, unreliable (using the same device convention).

I was thinking the area cover effect could be the -5 as it has more serious drawbacks, while the moving concealment version would be -2, but I'd be fine with the -2 version for each as well.

I'm not sure what it should cost, or what effect having more than one rank would be.

[GleefulNihilism]

Well, mechanically I'm not sure what to do yet but I do have a thought or two.

Your app would be a bit easier to read if you did a bit more with the formating. Bolding spoken language is good, bolding *and* paragraphing it would be better. Maybe bold the starts of new sections too.

Storywise - ask why he has both speed powers *and* luck powers. Seems weird that he has two completely seperate power sets. My suggestions -
- Ditch one of the two, go pure Speed or pure Luck. Both can be plenty dangerous to others around them without precautions taken. Imagine a speedster who flicks a paper football out of sheer boredom but forgot to keep it to human possible speeds for example.
*OR*
- Make them part of something else, like Stutter Step is actually neither a Speedster or a Luck Manipulater but a budding Time Manipulater whose still only barely beginning to come into his powers.

Get the story figured out and the rest should fall into place.

[Brian]

Originally Posted by GleefulNihilism

Well, mechanically I'm not sure what to do yet but I do have a thought or two.

Your app would be a bit easier to read if you did a bit more with the formating. Bolding spoken language is good, bolding *and* paragraphing it would be better. Maybe bold the starts of new sections too.

Storywise - ask why he has both speed powers *and* luck powers. Seems weird that he has two completely seperate power sets. My suggestions -
- Ditch one of the two, go pure Speed or pure Luck. Both can be plenty dangerous to others around them without precautions taken. Imagine a speedster who flicks a paper football out of sheer boredom but forgot to keep it to human possible speeds for example.
*OR*
- Make them part of something else, like Stutter Step is actually neither a Speedster or a Luck Manipulater but a budding Time Manipulater whose still only barely beginning to come into his powers.

Get the story figured out and the rest should fall into place.

Ok. Last PbP site I used didn't have paragraph formatting. I'll check it out.

As to why he has both, I guess first of all it's hardly uncommon for heroes to have more than one power set. Especially as his power source is mystical, and magic is mysterious and inscrutable.

And finally, maybe he's not really a speedster. Maybe he controls probability. Maybe the reason the probability field shrinks when he uses super speed is that most of it is being used to change the probability of moving at super speeds. Maybe he assumes he's a speedster because the only controlled expression of the power that he experienced was super speed. Maybe if he actually understood it, he could do more with it.

Or maybe he's just a speedster with unpredictable luck. At least that's how he sees it, and to an extent, perception is reality. Of course the nice thing is that if it is deemed unworkable, it's pretty easy to knock off, change the story a bit, and indeed have a classic speedster.

[Hiruma Kohaku]

Name: Rick Cromwell

Alias: Agent Specter

Description: Rick dresses in a plain black and white 3 piece suit. His black dress shoes well kept and new. The black hair is short but kept a little bit messy on top. The dark circles under his eyes denote a severe lack of sleep. A lit cigarette is his right hand’s constant companion as he takes a puff between thoughts. His demeanor is usually that of curiosity and contemplation as if he’s always trying to figure out something.

Age: 35

Personality: He never seems to get worked up or surprised by anything. One look at a mangled body would be the same as someone picking out a steak at a butcher stall. His contributions to conversation are usually matter-of-fact statements about something he is or has observed. Those who don’t know him might say he is cold, but he can actually be quite gentle and empathetic to those in a crisis coming across as a man of reason and hope. Anything that resembles a mystery quickly catches his attention faster than he lights his next nicotine fix.

Greatest Fear: Having his soul ripped away from and tossed into hell.

Complications:
1) Responsibility (Officer of the Law): As an officer of the law, he has to keep himself to a higher standard than civilians. While he doesn’t necessarily disagree with vigilantism, he does know that without those who follow the law vigilantes will go too far like with the fallout from Moore’s Law.
2) Obsession (Occult): The death of his mother and the incident that caused his connection to Limbo was all a result of a cult’s Magic practices. By understanding and learning other aspects of the occult and black rituals, he may be able to see his mother’s spirit for the first time and gain closure.

Origin: Most people don’t remember what it was like when they were in the womb. The brain usually gets rid of that information to make room for more learning. Rick is one of those few who remember, a memory he wishes he could forget sometimes. Rick’s mom was abducted by a cult when she was nine months pregnant with him. They attempted to trade the soul of her unborn child to summon a demigod know as Lady Astrid. As Rick’s soul was separated from his unborn body, he floated above his mother who was chained to an altar with many strange runes embedded in it. A voice he felt more than heard spoke from behind him. “Time to start the show isn’t it , Aspect?” Rick looked to his right to see a man in a wizard hat and robes with various steampunk accessories turning dials on the altar which opened a portal across from him to Rick’s left. “You can’t rush these things, Tom. Be patient. The exchange will be over soon enough, and she will come to us.” The child’s attention was drawn to the maniacal giggling of a man standing in front of Rick near his mother’s head. The man was young but clearly psychotic as he held the dagger that dripped with his mom’s blood from when he had carved various sigils into her body. The man had three vertical scars on his forehead that seemed not that old.

The portal began to open and his soul was being pulled towards it. Rick’s mother reached out with her own soul to grab his hand and hold him there. A hand from a strong woman reached out from the portal and grabbed Rick by the leg. The soul of his mother left her body to push him back into her womb and throw herself as the woman. The woman cackled as she tossed his mom’s soul down into the portal and pulled herself out. The woman known a Lady Astrid was freed of her dimensional prison and left through the ceiling to wreck havoc upon the world. The ritual was interrupted though by Rick’s father Officer Cromwell who had led a Metahuman super task force to where the cult was hiding. With their goal accomplished, the figures disappeared through a shadowy portal without a trace.

Mrs. Cromwell was never the same after that. She was alive but felt no reason to live. Rick was born a week later, but his mother passed away during childbirth. His father may as well have died that day too for he soon became a depressed drunk who took his own life at the end of his pistol when Rick was only 3 years old. This led to a life of bouncing from foster home to foster home. Every foster family was concerned about Rick constantly talking to his ‘imaginary friends’. Many attempts were tried to curb this behavior to no avail.

Powers: His powers come from the connection he has to the realm of Limbo and other parts of the spirit world created during that ritual long ago when his mother lost her soul. He can summon the souls of those who have not yet passed on to be his allies in battle. His ability to speak to spirits was present since birth. Focusing on one individual creates a portal where a spirit attempts to possess the target. Rick can even open his own body up for a superhero spirit to inhabit for a short time to gain physical strength and ability. His connection to Limbo even allows his become a specter when he chooses to. His investigations into the occult have resulted in him dabbling into various rituals he uses when pursuing criminals.

Crunch:

Abilities: 58pp
Strength 5
Agility 5
Dexterity -1
Stamina 5
Awareness 5
Intellect 5
Fighting 5
Presence 0

Skills: 21pp
Acrobatics 5
Athletics 5
Expertise: Magic 10
Investigation 10
Perception 6
Stealth 6

Advantages: 16pp
Hide in Plain Sight
Improved Defense
Well-Informed
Connected
Skill Mastery: Investigation
Benefit: Security Clearance
Equipment rank 8
Ritualist
Move-by Attack

Powers: 49pp
Comprehend Rank 2 (Spirits) 4pp

Power of the Fallen Array 46pp
“Legion of the Dead” Summon rank 10 (Multiple Minions 2, Active, Mental Link, Concentration, Distracting, Feedback) 41pp
“Guardian Angels” Deflect rank 10 (Reflect, Redirect, Accurate x5, Penetrating x5) 40pp
“Possession” Affliction: Impaired, Compelled, Controlled rank 10 (Perception, Cumulative) 40pp
“Spectral Form” (Insubstantial rank 4)-Linked-(Life Support)-Linked-(Flight 10, Wings flaw) 40pp
“Living Vessel” (Enhanced Strength 5)-Linked-(Enhanced Stamina 5)-Linked-(Enhanced Agility 5)-Linked-(Enhanced Fighting 5) 40pp
“Your Soul is Mine” Weaken: Awareness rank 10 (Perception, Progressive, Distracting, Subtle 2, Insidious, Affects Insubstantial 2, Incurable, Check Required: Expertise Magic 5) 41pp

Defenses: 5pp
Dodge 5 (0pp)
Parry 5 (0pp)
Will 10 (5pp)
Fortitude 5 (0pp)
Toughness 5 (0pp)

Equipment: 4 equipment points
Cell Phone 2
Commlink
Night vision Goggles

“Mausoleum” Headquarters: 36 Equipment points
Size/Large
Toughness/14
Communications
Computer
Concealed 5
Defense System: Blast rank 10 (Penetrating 10)
“Front Door” Effect: Teleport rank 4 (Extended, Easy, Increased Mass x6, Limited to Extended, Medium: Magic Circle)
Fire Prevention System
Gym
Holding Cells: Nullify
Isolated
Laboratory
Library
Living Space
Personnel: Automatons
Power System
Security System 5
Self-Repairing 2
Workshop: Magic
Temporal Limbo Room 4

Background: As Rick grew up, strange things began to happen. Children at school could swear they saw ghosts sitting next to him on the playground. A bully and his friends were going to beat up on Rick when he looked at them saying they should pick on someone their own size. The bully froze up in a daze and proceeded to pummel his own friends until the teacher came and broke it up. The young Rick was fascinated with ghost stories and murder mysteries. This led to fascinations with cold cases and enrolling in the police academy like his father. His strange talents and official recognition of magical powers landed him a job within the FBI as an Occult Investigator and Profiler, code name Agent Specter.

His main cases involved homicide especially serial killers. He was said to be able to speak with the ghosts of the victims gaining valuable leads that lead to arrests and eventually convictions. Rick was then given a budget to set up a special headquarters where he could research and investigate paranormal and magical crimes being committed by the supers who had recently come about due to Silver Storm. He is a hero by actively searching for the evil in the world to remove the root of the problem instead of waiting for innocents to suffer when villains decide to make their appearance.

Writing Sample:
“Looks like we got another one sir. Dead hero mauled by some animal judging by the tights and bite marks.” The young cop shook his head at the scene before them. The crime scene had already been taped off at both alleyways leaving only the two officers near the body. ”Yeah your right kid. Coroner should be by here soon to determine time and cause of death, but it seems pretty obvious to me. Nobody could live after that much blood loss.”

”She was dead long before she bled out.” The older officer, Corporal McKinley, whirled around pulling his taser pistol free aiming at the man in a black three piece suit standing behind them. The man brought a lit cigarette to his lips and took a deep drag, releasing the smoke into the air as he walked forward. ”Freeze or I’ll shoot. This is a restricted crime scene. No civilians allowed.” The man continued walking forward and reached into his blazer pocket. The officer didn’t hesitate and fire the taser darts at the man’s center mass...which passed right through as if nothing was there. The officer stood there stunned as the man walked all the way forward with the officer’s taser and hands sticking out his back. He pulled a badge and ID out of his pocket to hold it up close to the Corporal’s eyes. ”Agent Specter, FBI. This is scene is under my jurisdiction now. Please stand down.”

The young officer stood slack-jawed as Specter walked right through his superior to squat down next to the body. “As I said, she didn’t die from her injuries. You can tell by the look on her face that she died from shock by being literally scared to death. This makes her number four in a string of serial murders. Looks like this one was attacked by flying monkeys.” Young officer Seacher piped up. ”Flying Monkeys? How did you come up with that?” Specter stood up while pointing at the body. ”You can tell by the size and depth of the bite marks on her body. And...that’s all her ghost over there keeps babbling about.” He points off to the side against the wall of the alley. The officers couldn’t see her but the ghost of the dead hero was backed against the wall in the fetal position shaking and muttering insanity about flying monkeys and darkness. The Agent took a picture of the body with his phone and sent it back to headquarters. After about a minute, he got a reply back with a full profile of the deceased.

He walked over to the ghost and sat down next to her. The man wrapped his arm around her shoulder and placed his cheek on her head. ”Shhh hey it’s gonna be ok. The bad man and the monkeys are gone now. I’m here and you’re safe. It’s Americagram right? I’m Agent Specter. It’s nice to meet you. I want to help you find the man who did this to you and bring him to justice. I have some friends here who also want to pay him back for what he did to them.” That’s when three other ghosts appeared before them. One was man named Sear with fire around his hands that looked like he had drowned. Another was a woman named Terra Flora with vines and flowers covering her body that looked like she had been burned alive. The last one was a muscular body builder type named Diamond who neck was at an unnatural angle as it hung from a spectral noose. They knelt next to her. ”We’re going to get justice for what he did, so we can finally move on. Join us and one day you too will find peace.” Americagram looked up with one empty eye socket from where a monkey had eaten it and nodded with fierce determination.

Specter stood up and took a big drag of his cigarette. He dropped the butt on the ground and smothered it with the heel of his shoe. ”Well officers it looks like I have more work to do. Hopefully, we can catch this guy before he strikes again. I’ll leave the rest of the crime scene to you.” The FBI agent walks off down some alleys in thought trying to piece together what manner of ritual could have done this. A shadow from the top of a nearby roof flicked just out of the corner of his eye. He lit another cigarette as he walked listening to the subtle scape of boots on concrete. An anger started to rise in him when he saw the slight glint of moonlight of a blade. The figure leapt into the air from the roof knife extended ready to impale Specter through the skull. The figure went right through him as Specter exhaled revealing his body to be spectral in nature. He already knew who his assailant was by the scars in his body and the knife in his hand, Skarz.

The agent ran at Skarz as Americagram’s spirit went into his body granting him the strength and fighting power to land a big punch. Skarz shook it off and laughed as he moved the blade back and forth. “Hey a**hole, don’t you know it’s rude to sneak up on people? Besides the whole stabbing a guy in the back is a little cliche.” The two bobbed and weaved as they took shots at each other with neither landing a solid blow. Specter decided that now was not the time without backup to help subdue the maniac. He darted into the ground to head toward his secret base and watch Skarz’s movements from there. One day, he would get back at the man who has carved up his mother like she was a turkey, but now was not the time.

[XQbitor]

Hellion Name: Sister Jonette Robineau and June Demers Alias: Hellion Description: Sister Jonette is a demure girl of French descent with grey-blue eyes and chestnut air. She wears simple dresses with dull colors, hiding her looks as best she can so she can serve the people without distraction. That all changes when June awakens and they become Hellion. Her hair turns jet black, her eyes burn blood red, her skin pales, and she wears Infernal armor that somehow protects the body but not her modesty.     Age: Sister Jonette is 23 and June is chronologically 172 years old. Personality: The two women share the same body but maintain their separate personalities. They try to keep things balanced, with Jonette running their private life and June dominating as Hellion, but key moments or memories that resonate strongly with either of them can disrupt that focus. Sister Jonette is calm, introspective and restrained, very much ashamed at the scandalous appearance of Hellion, and June's more vulgar approach. June is forceful, demanding and vivacious. She gets a thrill out of embarrassing Jonette in small ways, but would never actively ruin her ability to do good work. The women share a belief in justice and protecting the innocent from the shadow world of sin. Greatest Fear: June fears nothing after having spent lifetime in hell combatting deamons in gladiatorial combat. At the other end of the spectrum, Jonette has many fears. The most persistent of them is the fear of a relapse. Powers: Hellion possesses tremendous strength and stamina, as well as great skill in combat. Then there’s her arsenal, an extra-dimensional space from which she can draw an endless supply of weaponry. These weapons are magical by nature, able to strike insubstantial beings and objects, and draw on the full history of melee conflict, including paired, two-handed, and other more exotic weaponry. Even thrown weapons can be found in this arsenal; anything that’s not modern. She wears a suit of armor designed to both guard her body and show it off in mystical fashion, something June has learned to enjoy, even though Sister Jonette is appalled. Background: During the American Revolution, young June Demers made an infernal bargain to save her Loyalist sister from a wasting disease when she felt that God had forsaken them both. As she matured, she began to wonder about the cost. She could feel the taint on her soul, and even though her sister lived, June was never sure if the deal or her family’s faith had saved her. As she reached old age, she turned to holy men, bought religious texts, and fought to find a loophole. On her death bed, she begged God for forgiveness and an angel came to her with an offer: she would enter Hell armed with its own weapons, and battle for the survival of souls on the cusp. She could win her soul back. She battled for centuries to save her charges and became the most feared among hell's infernal gladiators. More than a century later Jonette Robineau joins the Grey Nuns. She had completed rehabilitation after a life of abuse and drugs, and had found God. She started working in the hardest part of Emerald City in a NGO sanctuary for homeless. She was content in living a life treating the needing until she found a child believed to be a victim of demonic possession. An exorcist was dispatched to assist. The exorcist lost control of the rite with the demon and its enforcer, June Demers. With the exorcist brutally killed, June stepped in to save the child. June pleaded with Jonette to open her soul up to June to defeat the other demon. Or she and the child would die alongside the exorcist. Jonette agreed, and the two souls fused together, giving Jonette the power needed to defeat the demon and save the child. Sister Jonette was mortified to find their two spirits fused in her body, while June was delighted to be alive again. They struggle to forge a balance while battling the evils of the world in their distinct ways. Complications: Driven: Hellion is ruthless and unforgiving in her war on evil, though she has yet to cross the line in taking a life since her return to the world of the living. Flashbacks: June spent centuries in Hell, battling to rescue lost innocents from demonic realms. Her time as an infernal gladiator haunts her dreams, and can seep out during similar events. Motivation—Justice: Hellion seeks out the wicked with a relentless need to redeem her sins, housed in the body of Sister Jonette, who like-wise seeks redemption. Shared Body: Sister Jonette and June Demers share the nun’s body, and it’s hard for them to keep their thoughts separate as a result; this can confuse Hellion at inopportune moments, especially when they disagree on how to handle a situation Writing Sample The darkness had descended on Emerald City. The night always carried a hint of the unknown. And it was scary too in Jonette's humble opinion. But she was committed to God and would brave through what it had to offer. She, and this new side of her, would. Sister Jonette was walking her rounds within the hallways of the Sanctuary of the Holy Rose. The tapping of her black laque shoes echoed down the mostly empty building. The staff had gone home for the night. A few homeless had found shelter with them and were sleeping in a warm bed in the bed chamber. Only she was there this night. It warmed Sister Jonette's heart the good work she could do for the unfortunate people in the city. She entered the lobby and took out the key chain for the front door. She hadn't anticipated it when the heavy door suddenly burst open and a crowd of masked men hurried inside. The Sanctuary was under attack. Sister Jonette stumbled backwards, terrified by the yelling men, turned and ran all she could. Her heart raced as she reached the church hall and slammed the door shut. But it was too late; one of the men had run after her and kicked the door before she could lock it. She was thrown through the air and landed hard on the church floor. "Well well", the man who had kicked the door open laughed. "You wouldn't want to miss all the fun, would you?" While the other intruders gathered inside the church hall, he slowly approached the nun. With every muscle burning in agony Jonette crawled, seeking shelter between the pews. But it was a short comfort before the masked man pushed over the pews barring him from the sister. Three more steps and he was over her, grabbing her and pulled her up. He smiled behind the woolen elephant mask. "Nah, there's nowhere for you to hide, sister. Perhaps we'll have some fun with you while we burn down your precious little Sanctuary." She whispered something. "What was that?" he managed to say before he was forcefully pushed through the air. The wall on the other side of the room broke he fall, knocking all air out of his lungs. "I said 'in your dreams, S***stain'!" He looked up and saw a raven haired woman scantly dressed with hellish armor standing in the nun stead. Her eyes burned red with hell fire. With a wisp of orange fire a whip suddenly appeared in her hand. With a flick of her arm she punctuated the transformation with a crack of her whip. Her lips curled into a snarled grin. "Now we'll have some fun!" Before any had any chance to react she grabbed the turned-over pew like it was the easiest thing in the world and threw it at the men at the entrance. Two were knocked down and pinned by the heavy furniture. The masked leader quickly regained his composure and waved a finger at the newly spawned dominatrix. "Firebreath! Torch her!" The last of the men standing, one with his mouth exposed from his mask, got into action. After a quick inhale of air, fire erupted from his mouth, flooding the area where the hellish woman was. A bloodcurdling scream and suddenly Hellion was in the air, pouncing Firebreath with a mallet held high over her head. He was quickly incapacitated with a swift hit with the mallet's side. Hellion had only a short second to admire her handiwork before her attention was directed at the leader. However in his place was only an open window. The bastard had fled. The gladiatrix from Hell rushed to the window, fast enough to see the man limping away into the shadows. Hellion went into pursuit. Even though the fire from Firebreath had caught some curtains, Hellion cared little and jumped out the window. She walked two steps before she stopped in her tracks. A voice inside her urged her to stop. She had to save the Sanctuary. She had to save the sleeping homeless who were none the wiser of the commotion in the church hall. Hellion looked up and saw the masked man disappear into the night and scoffed annoyed. She turned briskly towards the open entrance, her nun habit re-knitting from being blown to cinders. Her veil emerged and covered her paling hair. Her scowl evaporated and gave room for a more concerned demeanor. Her steps took on speed. She could still put the fire out. As the nun went inside a figure hovered in the air. Lady Astrid smiled at the events that had unfolded.

[Avner]

Originally Posted by Brian

Ok. Last PbP site I used didn't have paragraph formatting. I'll check it out.

As to why he has both, I guess first of all it's hardly uncommon for heroes to have more than one power set. Especially as his power source is mystical, and magic is mysterious and inscrutable.

And finally, maybe he's not really a speedster. Maybe he controls probability. Maybe the reason the probability field shrinks when he uses super speed is that most of it is being used to change the probability of moving at super speeds. Maybe he assumes he's a speedster because the only controlled expression of the power that he experienced was super speed. Maybe if he actually understood it, he could do more with it.

Or maybe he's just a speedster with unpredictable luck. At least that's how he sees it, and to an extent, perception is reality. Of course the nice thing is that if it is deemed unworkable, it's pretty easy to knock off, change the story a bit, and indeed have a classic speedster.

I haven't gone over your character build in detail yet but here is a thought based on the high level gloss over. Why not link the two somehow? For example maybe he is getting his 'speed' from absorbing the micro-movements from the surrounding things in essence 'slowing them down' until he uses the accumulated speed which is why it doesn't have an effect while he is using super speed.

Maybe don't get caught up on the Luck effect but instead work out what really is happening, and then we can build a power around it.