Hello, again, everyone.
As I have just stated earlier in my thread, I will be placing my characters which I have made for M&M's Game Room here. So, let's begin with my un-used character, Arbeli, from the unstarted game Shadow of the Hawk.
Arbeli(Picture Coming Soon)
Description:
Alternate Identity: Didine DeLure
Age: 17
Height: 5'4"
Weight: 128
Hair: Blackish Brown
Eyes: Amber
Player Level 4 - 60 Points
Abilities [20]
Strength 0
Stamina 1
Agility 2
Dexterity 2
Fighting 3
Intellect 0
Awareness 1
Presence 1
Combat: [9]
Initiative 2
Dodge 2
Parry 3
Toughness 3/1
Fortitude 1
Will 1
Advantages: [10]
Defensive Roll 2
Evasion 2
Improved Aim
Precise Attack (Ranged, Cover)
Quick Draw
Ranged Attack 1
Takedown 1
Uncanny Dodge
Equipment 4
~Cell Phone (Smartphone)
~Flashlight
~Laser Sight
~Motorcycle (13 EP; Features: Alarm, Hidden Compartments, Navigational System)
~Stun Ammo
~Undercover Shirt (2 EP)
Skills: [13]
Acrobatics 3 (+5)
Athletics 3 (+3)
Deception 3 (+4)
Insight 3 (+4)
Investigation 3 (+3)
Perception 2 (+3)
Ranged Combat 2 (+4)
Stealth 3 (+5)
Technology 3 (+5)
Vehicle 1 (+3)
Powers: [13]
Personal Wrist-Attached Crossbow (Device: 16 Points) (Removable: -3) Total: 13 points
-Normal Quarrel: Blast 3 ((Feat: Ricochet, Subtle)
•AP: Stonefish Toxin Quarrel: Affliction 3
o1st Degree: Hindered
o2nd Degree: Immobile
o3rd Degree: Paralyzed
oResisted by Fortitude
oFeats: Ricochet, Subtle
•AP: Tangle Quarrel: Snare 1 (Feat: Ricochet, Subtle; Extra: Contagious ~ Partial 2)
-Grapnel Quarrel: Movement 1 (Swinging)
•AP: Affliction 2
o1st Degree: Vulnerable
o2nd Degree: Prone
oFeat: Alternate Resistance (Dodge)
oLimited Degree 1
-Reinforced Crossbow Edge: Strike 1
-Situational Awareness: Sense 1 (Danger Sense, visual) Total: 1 point
-Acquired Immunity: Immunity 2 (diseases and poisons), Limited to Half Effect, Total: 1 point
History:
Start of a Passion
Didine Delure, born in San Antonio, TX, came from a family whose recent tradition went a little above the law to give and get justice. Her mother got her exquisite of vigilantism when she married her nerdy, yet charming (inside and out) college sweetheart, who turned out to be a skilled hacker. With her creativity and her drive to see the “untouchable” corrupt taken down, Ms. Delure worked with her husband in creating a vast, secret network for the vigilantes of the southeastern United States. Any “untouchable” that escapes the law and the court were researched upon by the ‘administrators’ (seasoned vigilantes and detectives with good moral who were appointed by the couple under their faux ID); information was then given (encrypted) in the network as “bounties” – targets that various vigilantes could vie for. A successful vigilante can then post about how they dealt with the chosen “bounty”, which can result in increased recognition and reputation throughout the network’s vigilante community. There was a catch in the network, however. The Delures designed the network to support moral actions vigilantes should take – including that of the non-lethal (i.e. cannot kill the target, opponent, or others). Any vigilante that killed or used lethal action on any “bounty” will be denounced and even marked by the network; some consequences included the ‘administrators’ researching the vigilante and luring the authorities to them.
Transitional Arch
Still maintaining their normal identity by day, by night Mr. Delure did maintenance for the network, while Ms. Delure trained herself to become one of the network’s ‘researchers’ – choosing a non-lethal wrist crossbow as her only weapon of choice. (due to his heart condition, Mr. Delure was unable to, instead becoming his wife’s technical and communications partner). After the “golden age” of the vigilante network, the Delures were able to settle down. During their time, Didine Delure was born. The family’s joy together, however great, did not last long; during her first year, Didine’s father died from his congenital heart defect. Feeling that the vigilante part of her life would not be the same without her love, and realizing the increased active attempts by the U.S. government and authorities to get into the network – which could then endanger her and her daughter – Ms. Delure shut down the network and erased it from the existence of the World Wide Web. Only she and her husband knew how to create it, and it could never be replicated, thanks to its unique encryption codes. She was most certainly not going to bring it back again – it was too risky for every vigilante out there. Besides, she had her darling daughter to raise.
Mommy’s Little Helper, Now and Forever
Didine never knew about her parents’ creation of the vigilante network. All she knew was that she had a kind, loving family – with a mother who, occasionally, liked to take up a little hobby. She started getting involved in her mother’s hobby when she was ten years old – the hobby consisted of them transferring information and evidence from trusted contacts and private detectives to authorities and vigilantes (under codenames). Didine learned a lot from this experience – it was as interesting an education as her daytime school, albeit a tad more thrilling. Even with their hobbies, Didine had a joyful upbringing – strengthening her development with good morals. Life in this single-parent family was highly positive for her. That was, until four years later, when Ms. Delure was diagnosed with a heart affect herself. This was partially surprising; some of her family line had dormant cells of this throughout their long lives, due to their strong immunity system. Sadly, Ms. Delure was one of the very few who did not develop such immunity. It was a tearful experience for her and Didine, as they spent their last year and few months together, living vigilante-free, normal lives. After her mother passed away, Didine contemplated about living a normal future, not returning to her vigilante hobby. She would live in the bliss her mother left her.
But that was not to be…
Sway of a Sting
What was supposed to be her ideal remainder of her life ended up being only a short-term hiatus. Few months after her mother’s passing, Didine was adopted by someone who claimed to have known her mother personally. This man was a seasoned vigilante named Ghost Sting. He saw the potential in Didine and offered her a place as his operative spy. At first, Didine was compliant – with the experience she had with her mother, she turned out to be quite good at that. As she got started, she took up a codename for herself – Arbeli, taken from the word arbalest, meaning “one who shoots arrows”. The targets she was given by Ghost Sting were the ‘untouchables’ who could buy their way out of the law. The routine was simple – get past security, research the target, take whatever evidence would incriminate them, and return to Ghost Sting, who would then give the evidence to the authorities. The relationship between Arbeli and Ghost Sting was less of a father-daughter and more of a business partnership. Rarely do they team up together on a ‘mission’, but that was fine with Arbeli – her mother’s wrist crossbow was all she needed to take care of any ‘trouble makers’. This was all her every-other-day thing, from when she graduated from high school at age seventeen, to when she and Ghost Sting moved to Empire City to tackle more targets. The new vigilante life was okay; a tad less fun and a little more dangerous than the times with her mother. But that was how it was supposed to be…
At least, that was what Arbeli thought, until she found the truth…
The Ghost’s Imposter
One night, as Arbeli had just collected the final evidence against a high-corporate CEO, she heard a struggle in an adjacent room of the corporate building. She snuck by to find, to her shock, Ghost Sting killing the said CEO. That vigilante was supposed to be one of those that used non-lethal methods – he killed that businessman as if he had years of experience! Arbeli left before she was discovered and began her own investigation on Ghost Sting. Whenever he left their warehouse base, she would look for indications as to what he really did with the evidence. What she found was deplorable – Ghost Sting was acting for his own vendetta and interest rather than for justice. He was selecting the wealthy ‘untouchables’ so that he could kill them and hack into their bank accounts to steal their money! But this couldn’t be right… Ghost Sting was a renowned vigilante in the Southeast, well known for his non-lethal tactics. What could have caused his change of heart? Upon further investigating, Arbeli found the horrid truth – the man who had adopted her was not the real Ghost Sting. Somehow, he had taken the Ghost Sting identity. Whether the real one died on his own or this imposter killed him was unknown. But that was not Arbeli’s primary concern. This man had used her for his own gain, and he used what the real Ghost Sting knew about her mother to get to her. She knew he had wronged her; if her mother was still alive, she would know that he had wronged her. And they both knew what to do when they are wronged by such a person… payback.
Phantom Limb
It was going to be risky…and dangerous. She knew that ’Ghost Sting’ would come after her, but she felt that this was worth it. All of those he killed deserved justice – and she was going to give it. For the next two months, every time ‘Ghost Sting’ was away – whether with his public identity or not – Arbeli would gather evidence against him. The amount of money he stole from the targets, any trace of evidence from his suit, his normal identity, even where he publically lives (he didn’t care to have Didine go to college, rather needing her to be proactive in her vigilantism – that would be his undoing). After collecting enough evidence, Arbeli secretly planted them right in the offices of the Empire City authorities. It would only be a matter of time before they go after him, and then… he would come after her. She would be waiting.
The time came the next day. One night, four months before her eighteenth birthday. Standing in the upper floor of their warehouse base, Arbeli waited, with her crossbow loaded with stonefish quarrels – and an extra tube of the paralyzing toxin. She didn’t need to hide from him, nor did she want to. She didn’t have to wait too long, though. There he was, in the real Ghost Sting’s body suit, slipping through the window and facing her, the only skin showing was his frowning mouth. He didn’t need to demand why she did this to him – he knew why. He only asked if this was how she repays someone who adopted her. Not at all, she replied, she would never do that to someone who cared for her. No, this was how she repays a liar, a thief, and a murderer. At that, Arbeli aimed and fired her crossbow. ‘Ghost Sting’ barely dodged the quarrel. And… the fight began.
It could have lasted for an hour. She had her crossbow and her wits, he had nothing but his arms and a man’s strength. It didn’t look like he had the strangler that he used on that day, nor did he have any visible weapons. Easy prey – or that was what she thought when she cornered him on the warehouse’s catwalk. She had him pinned and her crossbow aimed at point-blank. She was about to pull the trigger , but then she hesitated. She felt soo bad that it had to end this way…they did have some good times…he even came to her graduation and personally congratulated her…like a father. She shouldn’t have had to feel sorry, though, for when she hesitated, ‘Ghost Sting’ – with his free hand – reached to his back and pulled out a machete from a concealed holder. He tripped Arbeli and –WHACK! – chopped off her right hand – her primary had for her crossbow!
A piercing scream filled the whole warehouse as Arbeli felt the searing pain. It felt soo horrible! He was soo horrible! That murderous, backstabbing &@$#@^%!!! Arbeli’s shock became sheer, over-powering rage – she was not going to be killed by this loser! With her left hand, she grabbed the thick tube of the stonefish toxin, popped the lid, and jammed it into the imposter’s mouth. ‘Ghost Sting’, who was distracted by Arbeli’s scream, didn’t even realize what was down his throat. He could do little to resist the toxin pouring down his throat. His machete, stuck on the catwalk, was of no use to him. Panicking, and feeling the effects begin to take over, he struggled like crazy against the rusty rail he was pinned to. The railing suddenly snapped and fell backwards, taking ‘Ghost Sting’ with it. Still in pain, Arbeli could only watch as the imposter fell to the bottom floor. A sickening smack followed. As she peered down, Arbeli saw the former partner, dead, with blood already pouring out of him. It was the worst sight that she had ever seen – she killed someone; a killer, but still a somebody. She couldn’t stop to brood, though – she had to stop her own bleeding. So, she turned from the scene, picked up her hand, and went to the medical room built in their hideout.
On Hawk’s Wings
Arbeli was alone again. Hiding out in the old warehouse, she was able to stop the bleeding from her own right arm before she lost too much blood. She did not want to risk going to a hospital – she decided to instead rest for a while, letting her wound heal on its own. Besides, she still needed to get rid of ‘Ghost Sting’s’ body. But she really needed to rest. There would be enough time for that.
She didn’t even have a week to herself. Four days later, Arbeli was working on modifying her crossbow so that, one day, it can fit on the stump of her right arm. It was difficult working with one hand, but it did give her something to do for a while. That was, until she heard footsteps coming from the lower floor. Immediately, she grabbed her crossbow and rushed to the catwalk to see who it was. She felt her heart shoot up to her throat. Down there, standing next to ‘Ghost Sting’s’ dead body, was Nighthawk. Arbeli heard about the infamous vigilante, and expected to bump into him someday – but today of all days! Why today? Well, she was about to find out; no sooner than she took a step back that Nighthawk looked up and saw her. Arbeli couldn’t help but wonder what he was thinking underneath that mask. It didn’t matter, though – if he though she killed him, he would be right. Arbeli just stood there on the catwalk. She didn’t bother running; he would catch her. She was wounded and not well enough to try using the crossbow with her left hand…or fight at all. She had been caught, and she knew she would have to face the music.
She watched as Nighthawk used his grapnel to come up to the catwalk. What was he going to say? Was he going to arrest her on the spot? Or maybe he would interrogate her first, squeezing out every detail of the imposter’s demise? How was she going to respond? She questioned herself until Nighthawk was just a foot away from her. She expected him to demand what happened – instead, the first thing he did was look at her stump arm. A surge of embarrassment and shame went up her spine, and she shied her right arm out of view. The next thing Nighthawk did was just as unexpected – he asked her if ‘Ghost Sting’ did that to her. After a brief stutter, she answered him. A short pause later, Nighthawk suggested that they go to his hideout to tend to her wound – to make sure it was not infected. A puzzled look was followed by Arbeli’s realization – she can’t leave yet! She needed to deal with the imposter’s body! It wasn’t necessary, he said. They needed to take care of her first. It didn’t look like she had much of a say, so Arbeli reluctantly went with him.
Redeeming a Third Try
It was quite interesting to have a surgery done by a well-known vigilante. It wasn’t very painful either, so that was cool. After the surgery, Nighthawk then asked Arbeli what happened. He seemed calm, but she could not be sure if he would believe her. She decided to tell him anyway – keeping it all bottled up was tearing at her. She told him everything: the adoption, the task she did for the imposter, how she found the truth, and finally, the fight. She told nothing but the truth and, after she was done, she watched to see how he would react. After a somewhat uncomfortable amount of silence, Nighthawk let out a small sigh of relief – he knew she was telling the truth. He then told her his side of the story. It turned out that the real Ghost Sting had a partner before he died; the partner told Nighthawk that someone stole Ghost Sting’s identity and moved to Empire City with a ‘sidekick’. Nighthawk started to track the person to find out what he was up to, but was surprised when he found out that the Empire authorities received enough evidence to arrest the imposter in public! Nighthawk then broke into the imposter’s public home to find indications of his hideout. It took him a few days to locate the warehouse and ‘Ghost Sting’, but he was too late, as Arbeli got to him first.
Again, there was the uncomfortable silence, until Arbeli asked if she would be arrested. No, she wouldn’t, was all he said. While she was relieved, Arbeli remembered, now that ‘Ghost Sting’ was gone, where would she go? The police could be looking for her (in her public identity) since she is registered as the imposter’s adopted child. That was when Nighthawk offered to take her in – she could work with him as a crime fighter as well. Arbeli, with a blank face, considered this. Should she join him? Could she handle being a vigilante again, even with just one hand left? And what if he tries to use her like ‘Ghost Sting’ did? In her mind, her doubts were countered by assurance. There were no records ever of Nighthawk intentionally killing anyone. He seemed to be liked by some of Empire City’s population. And besides, he did heal her stump arm. He had no intention of harming her or using her for his own ends. There was no denying that this vigilante was honourable. With a little pause, Arbeli agreed to join Nighthawk.
The road ahead was not going to be easy, but at least she would have someone she can trust. Someone who could train her, test her might, and represent to her the ideal vigilante her mother always envisioned. Yes, her future was not going to be easy, but it was going to be worth it.
Personality & Motivation:
Justice:
Arbeli genuinely cares about the innocent, especially those who have been wronged by the ‘untouchables’. Helping them by taking down the corrupted is her primary motivation for becoming a vigilante, as it was with her mother. She knows how it felt to be betrayed by those one trusts – her experience with ‘Ghost Sting’ taught her that. Thus, she strives to ensure that no one else has to experience that…ever.
On the other hand…
Thrills:
Arbeli does get a kick out of being a vigilante – and she hides that joy very well. She gets a rush of excitement sneaking into a locked area filled with incriminating evidence, taking down an ‘untouchable’ and any opponent that side with one, and getting away to ‘fight another day’. The action and thrills of being a vigilante helps Arbeli become creative with her crossbow. It’s nearly just as rewarding as helping the innocent.
Arbeli’s Demeanour:
Upon first impression, Arbeli appears to be thoughtful, but distant. When one has a chance to understand her, they would find her to be an honourable and rather a peaceable individual. Arbeli doesn’t like to talk about her past much, and she usually thinks twice before considering going somewhere public with anyone. When by herself, she tends to be ‘spaced-out’, in thought. When she is very comfortable with someone – or somewhere – one would find that she is quick of mind and even charming.
While she does trust Nighthawk enough to work with him, she is still on alert to see if he is as honourable as he leads. If she senses that he will do something to betray her trust…well, that will be left alone until that happens, if that ever happens.
Complications:
Disability:
Arbeli lost her right hand during her fight with the ‘Ghost Sting’ imposter. She had modified her crossbow so that it can be attached to that stump. She takes off the crossbow when not in use. Arbeli never considered returning to her public identity due to disability.
Honor:
Like her mother, Arbeli promised herself that she would do her best not allow anyone – opponent, the guilty, or the innocent – to be killed or seriously injured during her work as a vigilante. While she hated those who committed heinous crimes, she would not bring herself to kill them for that – she wants to bring them to justice. She does not fight for no reason, nor does she inflict needless pain. If there are other options, she would gladly take them – she definitely would not pierce someone if a strike from her crossbow would knock her opponent out. That being said, Arbeli has little interest in violence and would snap at anyone who would suggest that she kill someone, or that the person kills someone. She still feels guilty about ‘Ghost Sting’s’ death.
Identity:
Arbeli still has her public identity as Didine DeLure. Documentations would tell that she was adopted by a Mr. Robert Midwell (the imposter ‘Ghost Sting’), who has recently moved to Empire City. The authorities could be looking for Didine, primary to get her into protective custody, and partially to inquire from her about ‘Ghost Sting’.
Secret:
Unbeknownst to Arbeli, her parents were the ones who created the secret vigilante network in the southeast of the United States, before Ms. DeLure permanently erased it when she borne Didine. ‘Ghost Sting’ seemed to be the only one who found out about Ms. DeLure and her daughter. However, what if he told someone about her? Did he tell one of the vigilantes, who were not happy when the network turned on them when they killed their targets? Perhaps some of the ‘administrators’ of the former network are trying to get in contact with Arbeli, either trying to help her or get her to be their crime-fighting partner?
Here were some suggestions from Hound and Lord Fell that would have helped me make Arbeli better:
Hound wrote:maybe if you can find the points link your toxin quarrel with ranged blast so you casn hurt them and maybe parlize them. to save on points since this is such a low level game, make it only 2 degrees instead of 3 since its rare someone would fail so baddly.
also up affliction to a 4 for maximum chance of working.
I really like that idea.
Lord Fell wrote:So... I read through Arbeil's backstory.
It's obvious that you put a lot of work and thought into it, and it has good logical progression. I definitely see that it was written specifically for this campaign. So... a lot of pluses for the story.
I do feel that she has a LOT of vigilante experience. In my opinion, too much for this "rookie theme" campaign. I'm not sure that you can rewrite your background to tone that down. I'm also not sure that I would worry about it. If you think you can make her feel less experienced without changing the flow of your story, you could. But, at the same time (as I said previously) there is a lot of good stuff in your story, that could overcome what I see as the only flaw.
This was especially helpful. So, I was going to edit Arbeli's backstory with the following:
~Rather than her mother training Didine on everything she knows AND take her to help her with her 'hobbies', I could make it so that Ms. DeLure never did any of that with her daughter. The only thing that she trained Didine on was the basic use of the wrist crossbow, which Didine kept as an heirloom after Ms. DeLure passed away. Ms. DeLure would also share with her daughter how to tell a 'good' vigilante from a 'bad' vigilante.
~The imposter 'Ghost Sting' never had Didine go into any dangerous spying. He simply had her either a) meet with his associates, allies, or firends who would themselves provide her with the so called 'evidence' to give to 'Ghost Sting' or b) she would be able to do the spying, but not as dangerous (I'm confusing myself as to how I would write that up so that she would still come out as a novice, untrained vigilante, but I'll think of something).
~Didine never used her mother's crossbow when she was adopted by 'Ghost Sting'...well that was until after she discovered his deciet. Also, instead of a drawn out fight, when she and 'Ghost Sting' met at the warehouse - after she sent the evidence to the Empire Police - she surprised him when she took out her crossbow and pinned him to the railing of the warehouse's catwalk.
This, my friends, would have finalized Arbeli (albeit without the picture).
Have a pleasant day, everyone!
Oh well, at least whenever someone needs a PL 12 super-powered alien humanoid being, she will be ready. 
